Seat Modifications or Aftermarket Seats

[SurfnBike]

Does anyone know if there are any aftermarket seats for the R1T yet? I just got my truck a couple weeks ago and this vehicle is amazing in every way except for the seats. I guess I didn't notice during my 10 minute test drive because I was so blown away by the other details of the vehicle. However, coming from an F150 in which I road tripped often, I have to say that the seats in the R1T about the same level of comfort as my old Jeep Rubicon, which means very uncomfortable!

Now bear in mind I am 6'4 and all torso, so I'm probably at least one or two standard deviations from the mean Rivian driver, but man, this is a bummer because I love everything else about the truck (except the rattles, haha).

My main complaint is that my shoulders get dug into by the "Rivian" void in the upper section of the seats. I have absolutely no idea why they would delete part of the padding on the back of the seats, except for "looks". Also I discovered that the headreast is not adjustable, which is weird because every other vehicle I have owned you can adjust the head support up or down. Being tall, I have a long neck, and it is important to be able to adjust the head support location upwards in the event of a rear-end collision.

I've thought about putting a custom foam pad of some sort into the "Rivian" void in the seat to see if that aids in comfort. Does anyone have any suggestions on mods to the seats to improve comfort for us taller folk? And if not, are there aftermarket seats available? I wish I could have my old F150 seat and have it fit in the R1T, but with all the tech in these new vehicles I'm sure it wouldn't be compatible...

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[CommodoreAmiga]

I doubt we'll ever see an aftermarket seat that's a drop-in replacement.

 

[sub]

Most modern vehicles (including Rivian) have an airbag in the drivers seat which pretty much eliminates the possibility of anyone developing an aftermarket seat. No aftermarket manufacturer is going to have the budget to design and test an airbag.

 

[Tony R1S]

I hate that the head rest is not adjustable. The head rest pad is too thick, and for shorter people, the bottom edge of head rest pad hits the crown and is very uncomfortable.. really need an option for thinner or adjustable depth of headrest like almost every car I've driven which have adjustable tilt headrests!

 

[sherold]

With the weight sensors, air bag, heating, cooling, and memory functions all integrated with the software, plus power control and USB charging, I doubt we see aftermarket seats offered from anyone in the next 5 years, if ever. These vehicles are not common and the demand for aftermarket seats has to be miniscule.

Give it a few months to break in. It might take less/more time depending on how much you drive, and your weight but, some of the edges should soften over time. I'm 6'2", about 190# and have found the seats to be comfortable. Not the best I've ridden in but, far from the worst. The only change I would request from them is to have a higher rang of adjustment on the height of the seat, and slightly more lateral support.

 

[SurfnBike]

I guess the aftermarket seats would be rather low. I also agree there is not much lateral support in these at all, which is important if you are going to have relatively stiff seats from the get-go. I am a big guy at 220lbs but I still tend to slide around in "spirited" driving.

Well I guess we will see how these seats break in. I am still going to try and do a homemade mod of stuffing some foam or something into the "rivian" gap in the upper part of the seat to see if that helps with the seat digging into my back. That is really the part that bothers me the most. I can live with a lack of lateral support and relatively hard seats, but having the padding dig into your upper back gets old after a while.

 

[Steve A.]

I would also love a *real* leather option and not the mythical *vegan* leather.

 

[JamboF4]

Does anyone know if there are any aftermarket seats for the R1T yet? I just got my truck a couple weeks ago and this vehicle is amazing in every way except for the seats. I guess I didn't notice during my 10 minute test drive because I was so blown away by the other details of the vehicle. However, coming from an F150 in which I road tripped often, I have to say that the seats in the R1T about the same level of comfort as my old Jeep Rubicon, which means very uncomfortable!

Now bear in mind I am 6'4 and all torso, so I'm probably at least one or two standard deviations from the mean Rivian driver, but man, this is a bummer because I love everything else about the truck (except the rattles, haha).

My main complaint is that my shoulders get dug into by the "Rivian" void in the upper section of the seats. I have absolutely no idea why they would delete part of the padding on the back of the seats, except for "looks". Also I discovered that the headreast is not adjustable, which is weird because every other vehicle I have owned you can adjust the head support up or down. Being tall, I have a long neck, and it is important to be able to adjust the head support location upwards in the event of a rear-end collision.

I've thought about putting a custom foam pad of some sort into the "Rivian" void in the seat to see if that aids in comfort. Does anyone have any suggestions on mods to the seats to improve comfort for us taller folk? And if not, are there aftermarket seats available? I wish I could have my old F150 seat and have it fit in the R1T, but with all the tech in these new vehicles I'm sure it wouldn't be compatible...

Aftermarket seats are a terrible idea on so many levels. If you’re uncomfortable in the mid-sized R1T, get a Lightning. Don’t f with the seats, mate

 

[wizard467]

Well I guess we will see how these seats break in. I am still going to try and do a homemade mod of stuffing some foam or something into the "rivian" gap in the upper part of the seat to see if that helps with the seat digging into my back. That is really the part that bothers me the most. I can live with a lack of lateral support and relatively hard seats, but having the padding dig into your upper back gets old after a while.

I hated that space in the seat also, and was thinking about modifications. Magically sometime in the last 8 months I’ve had the truck I just stopped noticing it.

My recommendation would be to give it a little time before making any drastic adjustments!

 

[SurfnBike]

I will give it a little time, but I don't see the problem going away with my build because my shoulder blades dig into it. I tried stuffing a towel in the cavity and it is much better. The next step is to come up with some kind of a foam solution and then probably put a seat cover over it to hold it in place. If that doesn't work then I will look into an F150 seat swap...my buddy is a fabricator so we can easily fab up some brackets and probably figure out the wiring ourselves. I'm used to modifying vehicles so it doesn't bother me.

I was originally looking at the lightings but they seem overpriced for what is essentially an F150 e-conversion. I "only" paid $75k for my launch edition...the extended range lightnings go for $80k+ so they don't qualify for the tax credit. Plus the R1T has too many other amazing features to list, and I wanted to support Rivian because they are an awesome company, not to mention I'm a shareholder lol (ask me how that is working out).

 

[siegs]

@SurfnBike did you find a seat solution? Did it get better over time?

 

[SurfnBike]

No I still have not found a solution. I have been driving with a yellow towel rolled up and velcroed into the void where the "rivian" logo is. Still quite uncomfortable for me. I am considering selling the truck but if I do that my wife is going want the R1S in it's place for herself and I'll have the same problem since I am the one that drives when the whole family is in the car lol.

I tried a couple of seat covers which improved the comfort but being synthetic they are unbearably hot in the summer and prevent the cooled seat option from working.

Somebody needs to make a good breathable canvas seat cover option for the R1T/R1S.

I think it is safe to say that Rivian cheaped out on these seats and they are mostly crap. Well the heated/vented portion works well, but there is not much bolstering to begin with, the head rests are non-adjustable, and the thigh support is short. I wish they would have just put a basic F150 seat into the darn truck instead of made a cheap seat that looks like it belongs in a kid's video arcade game!

Other than that the truck is amazing...

 

[krockett]

Sorry the seat isn’t working out for you, that stinks. Hopefully you’ll be able to find a workaround down the road.

The seats are definitely anything but cheap though - .

 

[SurfnBike]

I don't believe the hype from Sandy. Yes the stitching is pretty but I've sat in a lot of vehicles over my life and I stand by what I said about overall comfort and design. Yes the air/heat system is better but the F150 has better bolstering and leg support, plus it doesn't have a cut out in an important area of the seat. It also has adjustable head rests which is key for shorter or taller folks. Also the "vegan leather" gimmick is just that--Ford calls it "marine grade vinyl" but in the end they are all the same thing: plastic. Either real leather or cloth would be better choices, and even better would be if Rivian gave us an option. IMO leather is more environmentally friendly than plastic.

I am more a function over form guy, and I bought this to use as a truck, so your mileage may vary.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I disagree with the seats being cheap. I drove cross country in my R1 and the seats were very comfortable the entire trip. The R1 is my preferred road trip vehicle and the comfort is a huge part of that. I'm more average sized and the seat fits me perfectly.

Sorry it doesn't work for you but that isn't a reflection of overall quality and if you're trying to say a crappy Ford seat is better quality then I would have to say you're incorrect about that as well.

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