Newbie questions - best seat upgrade

[ktb177]

Hi Folks, nice to "meet" you all.  My son bought a 2005 LGT with a 5 speed, and we are having fun making some careful upgrades to it.  It's his daily driver, so nothing too crazy, but as things wear out, we upgrade and replace.  We also do some track days at our local track, so we did bigger wheels, coilovers, tires, and brake pads.

Speaking of which, his front seats are mush.  I'm looking for something more supportive that plugs in, bolts in, and retains the sensors and warmers.  Fabric preferred.  There are lots of threads about different options not being straightforward.  I haven't found one that looks optimal.

Any advice?  What year / model or aftermarket works best?

Thanks in advance. 

[KZJonny]

Only 05/06 LGT are going to be ‘drop in’.

Anything else will need to defeat the sensors, etc…. Or not have heated seats.

Have you considered having them reupholstered with firmer foam? Or DIY the job?

[ktb177]

I haven't really considered re-upholstering with stiffer foam.  I know Subaru re-uses a lot of components across platforms and models.  I was hoping they wouldn't re-invent the wheel when it comes to seat bases and electrical standards. 

[KZJonny]

It’s the sensors that are going timo cause problems. MY05 doesn’t use nearly as much CAN-BUS as other years… It think even ‘06 uses more. Pretty sure the ABS is the reason other year seats don’t swap in easily.

 

The wiring adaptor job is not super difficult, you just specified ‘plugs in’. To me that means no mods along the way, like plug and play.

I’ve seen plenty of WRX an STi seats in our BP/BL cars, if you’re willing to do a little work. Much better for track/autocross, etc…. Not sure many have seat heaters tho.

05’s are sort of the black sheep of 4th gens, for a couple very small reasons. Externally the same as ‘06s.

Edited April 9 by KZJonny