V12S seats.

[anonymous-user]

Following on from my earlier thread re buying either a V12 Vantage or a V12S...(it'll be a V12S)

When the time comes to buy I think the chances of me finding one with the lightweight seats are quite slim. You never know I might even be more than happy with the standard sports seats!

My question is, has anyone gone with aftermarket seats? If so which ones?

TIA

[AdamV12V]

moktabe said:

Following on from my earlier thread re buying either a V12 Vantage or a V12S...(it'll be a V12S)

When the time comes to buy I think the chances of me finding one with the lightweight seats are quite slim. You never know I might even be more than happy with the standard sports seats!

My question is, has anyone gone with aftermarket seats? If so which ones?

TIA

Just hold out for a car with lightweights if you think they may be your preference. Lightweights are not as rare as you think in the the V12V(S).

3rd party seats in a £100k car will seriously damage the value and make it rather difficult to sell, not to mention why would you? If you buying right at the bottom of the price range then maybe the damage would be limited, but you arnt (based on your prior thread).

I suggest you try both types of seat and go with the ones that you prefer. Although the majority of vocal owners of V12V(S)s prefer the lightweights, there are many happy owners of the std sports seats.

There is a polish company who make after market lightweight seats, but please see a recent thread on this (in fact it may have been your thread?). They do not look the exactly the same, albeit they are probably the closest you will find and the least financially damaging option if you decide you want lightweights but cannot wait for the right car to come up.

Edited by AdamV12V on Tuesday 8th February 19:52

[anonymous-user]

Thanks Adam, it wasn't my thread re seats.

In my original thread I mentioned that a good pal of mine has a long standing friend at in the higher echelons at Sytner AM i Notts. He mentioned to him I'd be looking later this year and he told him to bring me down for a look around and a coffee.

They currently have a convertible one in so hopefully it'll still be there to give me chance to look at the seats.

I appreciate this question is quite a way ahead in my time scale but I don't believe in leaving stuff until the last minute

[anonymous-user]

Be aware that the conversion from standard seats to single piece seats is not easy.

The standards fold so you can access the shelf behind the seats. The AM LW seats don’t fold, so instead you have a button on the end of the dash accessible when the door is open that runs the seats forward on their rails to give access to the shelf.

IIRC AM will do a conversion to factory LW seats for about £15k. But as Adam says, sit tight and wait because there are V12VSs out there with them.

[JonnyCJ]

Apparently Cobra Nogaro can be fitted and customised for £800 - £2k ish depending on spec.

[anonymous-user]

JonnyCJ said:

Apparently Cobra Nogaro can be fitted and customised for £800 - £2k ish depending on spec.

Thanks for that, have seen those but not quite 100% on them.

[Phil74891]

I had sports seats in my V8S and they gave me backache. Lightweights in my V12VS are the best seats I’ve had in any car. Supportive and comfortable over any distance.

You need to try both on decent test drives. I wouldn’t switch them, and definitely wouldn’t use aftermarket seats on a car of this level.

Leightweights are probably more common on the S than any other Aston, but you may well be more than happy with the Sports.

[anonymous-user]

Phil74891 said:

I had sports seats in my V8S and they gave me backache. Lightweights in my V12VS are the best seats I’ve had in any car. Supportive and comfortable over any distance.

You need to try both on decent test drives. I wouldn’t switch them, and definitely wouldn’t use aftermarket seats on a car of this level.

Leightweights are probably more common on the S than any other Aston, but you may well be more than happy with the Sports.

Thank you for that.

To be honest, it isn't in my plans to use aftermarket seats but thought it was worth an ask to see if anyone had done so.

[Markv8v]

I have had the Cobra Nogaro seats in both my Vantages which they were originally designed to fit my 07 Vantage was the first, they are now in my DBS.
The Nogaro seats are available in either Carbon fibre or GRP. People should try them as they are a much more comfortable fit than the Ricardo lightweights which are tight if you are of a larger frame.
10 years ago I ruptured a disc in my lower back which unfortunately made driving my Vantage with sports seats very painful.
Each to their own but I am very happy with mine and really enjoy driving my car in comfort.

[AdamV12V]

There is simply little logic to planning to do this to a V12VS in advance as they are just not that rare.

Sure in a V8V they were only fitted to something like 1 in every 30-40 cars I would guess, but in V12V(S) I would say its more like 1 in every 6-7 cars.

[AdamV12V]

AdamV12V said:

There is simply little logic to planning to do this to a V12VS in advance as they are just not that rare.

Sure in a V8V they were only fitted to something like 1 in every 30-40 cars I would guess, but in V12V(S) I would say its more like 1 in every 6-7 cars.

EDIT - Just done a quick check on PH classifieds and AM used, there are at least 12 V12V(S) with lightweight seats up for sale right now. Admittedly not all within the OP's budget range (some low, some high), but I think that demonstrates they are not that rare.

[GTRene]

btw, this V12V has bucketseats, but also the remember and adjust buttons? do those still work and what do they do with bucketseats?

[AdamV12V]

Rene - the lightweight seats that we are talking about ARE the carbon buckets seats!

And yes they have the all the normal adjustments except for the lumbar adjustments which are done manually by lifting the cushion and back panel out (both are fitted with velcro) and small velcro cushions can then be moved into a position to best suit the owner.

[nickv12]

Very much with Adam that you may as well hold out and find one fitted with the lightweights.

My two V8’s (2014 and 2016 models) both had standard Sport seats. Never found them to be good. OK, but it would lead to mild discomfort, regardless of adjustment.

So when I bought my current 2018 model, I was a bit uncertain they didn’t have lightweights (but every single other box, and more, was ticked). Strangely, these seats seem to be much more comfortable! It could be there are variations, model changes (very unlikely so late on in the product cycle), it’s still newer (and the padding deteriorates?) or that they are fluted (not flat leather) which gives extra padding? I’m inclined to think it’s the latter, which is a pity as that style is near non-existant.

You need to try them. Sadly 100 miles test drives are rare, though, for a true picture.

I have tried lightweights and they do seem more comfortable, which is perverse but seems to be a common thought.

Final note not mentioned; the only thing that’s held me off getting lightweights is that I often have my young son in the passenger seat. Lightweights don’t have side airbags whereas standard seats do. Therefore, heaven forbid, there was ever a side impact, would I rue the choice to selfishly choose lightweights?

[Finding Neutral]

15 grand for seats lol

[LTP]

AdamV12V said:

And yes they have the all the normal adjustments except for the lumbar adjustments which are done manually by lifting the cushion and back panel out (both are fitted with velcro) and small velcro cushions can then be moved into a position to best suit the owner.

Not quite. The "Sports" seats have the ability to lift and lower the front and the back of the cushion independently of the backrest angle; with the "Lightweight" seats if you want to recline the backrest then the front of the cushion will rise, and vice versa, as the backrest is fixed.

As has been mentioned the "Sports" seats have two-position lumbar adjust; they also have 2-temperature seat heating and in addition they have side airbags to give more occupant protection in case the unthinkable happens. You lose all of that with "Lightweights"

Personally I find the standard "Sports" seats perfectly acceptable and comfortable, although I'll admit it took a bit of fiddling about before I found the best position. When I did a static assessment I found the lightweights just too snug for me.

Just because one person likes a particular seat does not mean it will be comfortable for everyone, so rather than read about them you need to actually try them.

Edited by LTP on Wednesday 9th February 09:03

[James82]

Test drove the V12V with lightweights, and the V12VS with the sport seats. Ended up buying a V12VS with sport seats. Have back issues myself and usually I prefer tight seats where I cannot "move" around as much, as it supports me better in driving and leads to less back pain. However, the test drive in the V12VS was quite a bit longer and I had no issues at all with the sport seats, actually found them quite comfortable. Will see if I change my opinion down the road. But should I ever reconsider my choice and go for lightweights, I'll definitely want the OEM ones from Aston Martin directly. It's a car I plan to hold on to and I could not see anything else on such a car as factory options.