5th & 6th Generation (2002-2006 & 2007-2011)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 2002-2006 & 2007-2011
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
Ok, I've been around camry forums for a long time now...read a lot generally post very very little.... I'm on my second one started with a 99 gen 4, and now own a 02 gen 5 too.... 198k on my 99ce 4cyl auto and 95k on my 02le 4cyl auto both run strong... lol... actually i kind of gave my 99 to my brother... so he drives it now......
don't know how long ive been on these forums, but i generally can find my answers... yes... i do use the search function... However, i can't seem to find the answer to something... and i'm assuming that all of you will be able to help me out...
i like my seats just fine, but i drive kind of hard, and feel that the seats do not offer enough side to side motion support... i know this is not a race car.. trust me having owned two of them i know that... but ive noticed that when i make a hard left turn, ive been hooking my arm out the window to hang on to the door... and when i make a hard right, i'm using my elbow braced against the door... to keep myself in my seat...
ok, so the driver seat is a power seat, and the passenger seat is not..
from what ive read, the drive seat has the plug for power, and the passenger seat has a weight and airbag sensor built in...
i'm not looking for some crazy ass buckets or anything like that...
but am wondering if there were sportier seats with more side support for any other toyota product that will be a direct bolt replacement... sensors and all.. how do the se seats compare... or can i take the seats from another plat form... like the scion tc.. i'm assuming their seats are sportier... but i wanna make sure about fitment and so forth.. matrix etc...
i have cloth seats... don't care about the whole leather clothe debate... just want to keep my butt and shoulders planted when i make a hard turn...
thanks for the advice in advance...
what ive done to my cars...
99 basically stock except for a 2.5 in resonator pipe stock muffler and
custome intake... (on a side note i have nakashi racing or somthing like that axle back muffler sitting in the garage if anyone is interested 100 bucks shipped or 80 for pick up, pm me... its in decent condition, if you buy it ill clean it up for you, about 60k miles on it, nothing wrong with it, nice deep sound no "rock in a can" or "fart can" if you know what i mean.)
02
expensive pos projector ebay headlights that don't fit (you all know what i'm talking about)
custome intake (replaced the stock tube after the air box with 3in aluminum pipe, and cut some holes in the stock airbox.
cat-back 2.5 inch pipe to a stock muffler (yeah yeah i know, haven't gotten around to getting a decent muffler and 400+ for the trd is just outrageous to me)
lowered on teins with kyb's (wish there were better struts)
on some 17in rims...
home made grounding kit
i have some parts in the mail on their way to me..
m3 lip spoiler
new bumper cover for fog's
whiteline rear sway bar
se front strut tower bar...
....am wondering if there were sportier seats with more side support for any other toyota product that will be a direct bolt replacement... sensors and all.. how do the se seats compare... or can i take the seats from another plat form... like the scion tc.. i'm assuming their seats are sportier... but i wanna make sure about fitment and so forth.. matrix etc...
i have cloth seats... don't care about the whole leather clothe debate... just want to keep my butt and shoulders planted when i make a hard turn...
Well, it's hard to say if "whole seats" are direct bolt replacements or not. My impression is that Gen5 and Gen6 Camrys are, but don't spend any money based on my word!
The main thing, though, is that "new seats" are insanely expensive. So, you'd be looking for "salvage" seats if you wanted to try that -- and good luck finding them. There have =got= to be junkyards out there brimming with fine seats, but I sure haven't found all that much on the 'net.
One thing that doesn't cost too much, though, would be replacing your "seat cushion pad," for instance, with one from the Gen6 SE. So, let me walk you through that....
OK, some "terminology" to begin with:
A seat has two sections -- the "cushion" that you sit on, and the "back." "Backs" generally aren't anything you can buy separately -- just go buy a whole new seat, which is cost-prohibitive. "Cushions," however, are a whole different story.
You can buy a new "seat cushion pad" for any Toyota you'd like, and "see if it'll fit." But, if it's "bolstering" you want, look no further than to the 2007 Camry SE seat. The seat frame that holds the "seat cushion pad" is virtually identical for the Gen5 and Gen6 Camrys -- an SE pad ought to fit in there quite nicely.
So, go to some parts web site that you like, something like this:
Drill down through the "Body Parts" section -- 2007 Camry, then look for "seats." Then to "driver seat components." You'll find "seat cushion pad." Go for "US built." That'll give you the option for the SE seat pad. The above web site shows a price of $124.47. It also shows the MSRP price, which is probably what your dealer will charge you, if you go there.
OK, "halfway there." You will also need to buy the "seat cushion cover" -- the SE pad is a whole lot different from any 'ordinary' Camry pad, so you'll need the SE seat cover. So, find "cushion cover." Go for "SE without leather." You have your choice of Ash (light grey) or Charcoal (Black). Those are the only colors it comes in. Again, the site here shows it for $343.02. So, with shipping, I suppose it'd still be under $500. Figure at least $100 for an upholstery shop to make the switch -- they might hit you for a bit more than that, but that's the ballpark.
There are no sensors or anything involved -- they'll undo the wiring harness before taking the seat out of the car, and then hook it back up when they put it back in, and that's all there is in terms of "wiring."
As far as the seat back goes, they could always add some padding to make bigger bolsters, but anything like that is "trial and error" -- beware. Sure, they could do the same for the seat cushion, but that's a pretty tough place for a bunch of "trial and error."
But, that could be done. Go sit in an SE and see how you like it. Heck, go for a test drive.
ok, so there is no way to do that for the back to? i guess ill have to check out some seats in the se...
Well, it goes like this:
Go back to the link I posted above. Drill down to the seats again.
"Hey, it lists 'seat back pad' -- that's what we want, right?" Yep, but there's no price, it's just not available.
Well, there's a "seat frame" item -- how about that? Nope -- not available.
So, you have to go to "Seat assembly" or "seat assy" as the site lists it. OK, so it lists the SE, one with the 2.4L engine, and one with the 3.5L engine. Doesn't matter -- they're the same prices.
OK, so you want the "without leather" seat. MSRP? $4,566.42. Thank God the site'll sell it to you for only $3,653.14! Watch out for "shipping," though!
So, that's how you get a "seat back pad." Buy the whole shebang. Of course, you'd get the whole seat, and it's a good one -- but that's a lot of dough!
If you're really that concerned, I would visit an upholstery shop. Many of them can modify the seat to give you more lateral support for much less money. That's what I would do.
If you're really that concerned, I would visit an upholstery shop. Many of them can modify the seat to give you more lateral support for much less money. That's what I would do.
do you have a rough estimate of how much a decent shop will charge for something like that?
Towards the end, I describe in pretty thorough detail some of the upholstery work I went through. The bottom line goes like this, though:
We tried TWELVE TIMES. I spent TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. And to a very great extent, we spent most of that time and money chasing down "what didn't work very well" with what the upholstery guy did in previous attempts. In the end, we put it back pretty close to stock, and then I wound up bailing out of the car, altogether.
Thus, my warning: Once you get away from the OEM seat configuration, you're doing "trial and error." And you might or might not like whatever you "tried." And then you might go back and "try, try again." Just "beware" that you're entering uncharted territory.
OK, so that said, the prices my "mobile truck guy" charged were pretty simple -- roughly $100 per hour, and most work took right around an hour. That includes removing the seat from the car, taking it apart, mucking around with the padding, putting the seat back together, and then putting it back into the car. Padding materials used rarely cost more than about $25 on top of that. Though, we never touched the seat back -- that might come close to doubling my typical job length and cost.
So, I'd call it anything from maybe $150 to $250 to "beef up the bolstering" in both the seat cushion and the seat back.
A couple of things to consider, though:
1. There is only so much padding they can add, and still get the seat covers back on. This is where going to the 20007/08 SE seat pad and its cover would be tons better, as it's simply designed from the start to have much larger bolstering.
2. The more padding they put in there, the harder it'll be to put that cover back on, and the TIGHTER it will all be once they get it back together. And, stretching the cover tighter mashes the padding down, negating the "cushioning effect" of the padding.
All I can tell you is that my upolstery guy was very experienced -- 27 years on the job -- and did masterful, high-quality work. But, we just chased it and chased it and chased it and chased it, and never got it right. The "seat back" might be far better to "add some padding to," but the seat cushion is what you put all of your weight on -- proceed with caution. By all means, comprehend how "another trip or two back to the shop to try to get it right" would get you to the same kind of money as just getting an SE cushion pad and cover.
I think I can dig up some pictures and post them, which will show you some of what we're talking about here -- I'll get back in here once I've found those and processed 'em up.
ok, so ive been looking around, and see a bunch of cheaper after market racing seats on the market, now my question is what is exactly involved? what is a bracket and what is a slider?
i notice that seats come with sliders, but not brackets, is this a problem??
any input would be great...
getting the 07 seats, is just ridiculously expensive...
Quote:
Originally Posted by thoots
Oh, I do, "I do...." You should read through my "Traded I4 XLE for V6 SE" thread, here:
Towards the end, I describe in pretty thorough detail some of the upholstery work I went through. The bottom line goes like this, though:
We tried TWELVE TIMES. I spent TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. And to a very great extent, we spent most of that time and money chasing down "what didn't work very well" with what the upholstery guy did in previous attempts. In the end, we put it back pretty close to stock, and then I wound up bailing out of the car, altogether.
Thus, my warning: Once you get away from the OEM seat configuration, you're doing "trial and error." And you might or might not like whatever you "tried." And then you might go back and "try, try again." Just "beware" that you're entering uncharted territory.
OK, so that said, the prices my "mobile truck guy" charged were pretty simple -- roughly $100 per hour, and most work took right around an hour. That includes removing the seat from the car, taking it apart, mucking around with the padding, putting the seat back together, and then putting it back into the car. Padding materials used rarely cost more than about $25 on top of that. Though, we never touched the seat back -- that might come close to doubling my typical job length and cost.
So, I'd call it anything from maybe $150 to $250 to "beef up the bolstering" in both the seat cushion and the seat back.
A couple of things to consider, though:
1. There is only so much padding they can add, and still get the seat covers back on. This is where going to the 20007/08 SE seat pad and its cover would be tons better, as it's simply designed from the start to have much larger bolstering.
2. The more padding they put in there, the harder it'll be to put that cover back on, and the TIGHTER it will all be once they get it back together. And, stretching the cover tighter mashes the padding down, negating the "cushioning effect" of the padding.
All I can tell you is that my upolstery guy was very experienced -- 27 years on the job -- and did masterful, high-quality work. But, we just chased it and chased it and chased it and chased it, and never got it right. The "seat back" might be far better to "add some padding to," but the seat cushion is what you put all of your weight on -- proceed with caution. By all means, comprehend how "another trip or two back to the shop to try to get it right" would get you to the same kind of money as just getting an SE cushion pad and cover.
I think I can dig up some pictures and post them, which will show you some of what we're talking about here -- I'll get back in here once I've found those and processed 'em up.
In most cases the bracket bolts to the floor, and the sliders mount between the seat and the bracket and allow the seat to me moved forward and backward.
so then i would have to go and buy a bracket specific for my car to mount to the aftermarket seats...
aiii... just seems like too much of a hassel... *sigh* i was looking for quick east bolt on...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TRD VVTi
In most cases the bracket bolts to the floor, and the sliders mount between the seat and the bracket and allow the seat to me moved forward and backward.
so then i would have to go and buy a bracket specific for my car to mount to the aftermarket seats...
aiii... just seems like too much of a hassel... *sigh* i was looking for quick east bolt on...
Quick, easy, cheap.... Not real likely things here.
Aftermarket seats are "just seats" -- then you get the frame and slider that'll fit your car. That's how they can get their seats to work with almost any vehicle.
One really big thing to think about with aftermarket seats is "do you have side airbags" in your Camry seats? I sure wouldn't give up a side airbag, which is what you would do if you indeed have side airbags, and if you went for an aftermarket seat.
Switching gears, here's a look at two of my 'reject' Camry seat cushions:
On the right is the Gen5 seat cushion pad; on the left is the Gen6 CE/LE/XLE pad. Not much is "factory" here anymore -- I've whittled away at the innards of the Gen6 seat, and the Gen5 seat has some extra padding glued to it.
Obviously, the pink padding is the "extra padding" on the Gen5 seat. That looks like half-inch thick padding to me -- not nearly enough to make any difference at all in terms of "adding bolstering."
The Gen5 seat has really quite "low and flat" bolsters -- the Gen6 seat has quite a bit more. And the Gen6 seat looks even more bolstered due to the fact that I've hacked out about an inch of the padding in between the bolsters.
The Gen6 SE seat is MUCH different than either of these, though -- it's got MUCH MUCH higher bolsters than either of these seats. In the grand scheme of things, the SE bolsters actually do "support my thighs" and hold them in place, while my legs always wound up "sitting on TOP of the bolsters" in these other seats. In other words, the bolsters were more of a hindrance than a help, whereas the SE seat does what you expect bolsters to do -- hold you properly in the seat.
At any rate, that's a look at what you're sitting on, if it helps.....
at this point, i'm thinking drive this car as is a daily driver... and save to buy something else that i can go crazy with... the used car market is pretty soft right now... i saw some nice 240's for under 5 grand... basically the cost of a se seat... lol...
Quote:
Originally Posted by thoots
Quick, easy, cheap.... Not real likely things here.
Aftermarket seats are "just seats" -- then you get the frame and slider that'll fit your car. That's how they can get their seats to work with almost any vehicle.
One really big thing to think about with aftermarket seats is "do you have side airbags" in your Camry seats? I sure wouldn't give up a side airbag, which is what you would do if you indeed have side airbags, and if you went for an aftermarket seat.
Switching gears, here's a look at two of my 'reject' Camry seat cushions:
On the right is the Gen5 seat cushion pad; on the left is the Gen6 CE/LE/XLE pad. Not much is "factory" here anymore -- I've whittled away at the innards of the Gen6 seat, and the Gen5 seat has some extra padding glued to it.
Obviously, the pink padding is the "extra padding" on the Gen5 seat. That looks like half-inch thick padding to me -- not nearly enough to make any difference at all in terms of "adding bolstering."
The Gen5 seat has really quite "low and flat" bolsters -- the Gen6 seat has quite a bit more. And the Gen6 seat looks even more bolstered due to the fact that I've hacked out about an inch of the padding in between the bolsters.
The Gen6 SE seat is MUCH different than either of these, though -- it's got MUCH MUCH higher bolsters than either of these seats. In the grand scheme of things, the SE bolsters actually do "support my thighs" and hold them in place, while my legs always wound up "sitting on TOP of the bolsters" in these other seats. In other words, the bolsters were more of a hindrance than a help, whereas the SE seat does what you expect bolsters to do -- hold you properly in the seat.
At any rate, that's a look at what you're sitting on, if it helps.....
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