Installing Mazda RX8 seats - heated leather

[dirt__diggler]

Picked these up a couple weeks ago. Have the passenger ready to bolt in and will get the driver's tomorrow. Was not that hard. I will add to the thread with details. What I'm not sure about is wiring up the heat and power (passenger is mechanical). Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[85straight]

Nice, seats look pretty comfortable. Heated seats would be nice on winter mornings up in the mountains

 

[Bad_Vision]

Picked these up a couple weeks ago. Have the passenger ready to bolt in and will get the driver's tomorrow. Was not that hard. I will add to the thread with details. What I'm not sure about is wiring up the heat and power (passenger is mechanical). Any help greatly appreciated.

In the Mazda rx8 heated seats are controlled by relays in the dash.
I believe BMW had some seats that the heated seat controller was integrated into the seat. But 99% of all heated seat elements are controlled in the dash.

Essentially you will need a potentiometer so as you crank the more power is sent to the heating elements. But you will also need the elements burn out voltage and amp so as not to burn it out.
You have a ton of research to go through to find these numbers.

Most people who do heated seats buy the aftermarket pad you insert into your seat as it has a self controlled unit and wires to a nice switch or switches.

Best of luck, I use to be a rotary guy before a Toyota guy and loved the rotor shaped head rest cut outs on the rx8



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[dirt__diggler]

In the Mazda rx8 heated seats are controlled by relays in the dash.
I believe BMW had some seats that the heated seat controller was integrated into the seat. But 99% of all heated seat elements are controlled in the dash.

Essentially you will need a potentiometer so as you crank the more power is sent to the heating elements. But you will also need the elements burn out voltage and amp so as not to burn it out.
You have a ton of research to go through to find these numbers.

Most people who do heated seats buy the aftermarket pad you insert into your seat as it has a self controlled unit and wires to a nice switch or switches.

Best of luck, I use to be a rotary guy before a Toyota guy and loved the rotor shaped head rest cut outs on the rx8

Well, that's discouraging, but better to know now. Thanks so much for the info. I guess if I can't figure it out I'll still have new leather seats wth a cool rotary cut out.

 

[Bad_Vision]

Well, that's discouraging, but better to know now. Thanks so much for the info. I guess if I can't figure it out I'll still have new leather seats wth a cool rotary cut out.

Well it all comes down to 12v and resistance so even if you don't get multiple settings you can always just try different resistors after a toggle switch until you find the right resistance to heat your buns just the right amount. Or try something like this. Then you can wire 2 different resistors for high/low operations.
Power and ground with 2 resistors should be that easy. As long as your heating element is 2-3 wires that's all it should need.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/151188870189?_mwBanner=1



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[Bad_Vision]

Well, that's discouraging, but better to know now. Thanks so much for the info. I guess if I can't figure it out I'll still have new leather seats wth a cool rotary cut out.

Pulled this information from the forum I was a part of back in the day

http://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generati...how-wire-up-leather-powered-rx8-seats-992255/

According to him you only need the 12 V blue wire which I'm assuming the ground is somewhere grounded to the chassis. Or seat frame.

So you just need a multi position switch with different resistors after the switch on multiple wires. Leading to the positive feed.
It should look like this. But don't take my resistor numbers you will have to research the max of your element and test the values below that for the right temperature outputs

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[dirt__diggler]

Working on them now.

Thanks so much! I had dug this up too but given my limited knowledge am happy for some confirmation

 

[85RedRunner]

So do those seats have you sitting higher or lower than stock?

 

[Red Tintop]

I have been following this because I have heated seats from a Volvo that I talk about wiring up, but never have. Mostly because the heater works pretty good, and it doesn't get that cold here.

In theory you could run 12v straight to the 0 ohm wire and cycle the seat on and off as it got too hot. Right? The 1 ohm and .5 ohm would be low and medium settings?

Will this pull enough juice I should run a relay and pull from the battery?

 

[dirt__diggler]

So do those seats have you sitting higher or lower than stock?

Actually very very close to stock. I cut the old brackets off, removed the ones from the new seats (bolts, etc) and then welded the old brackets to the new rails. I think I might be sitting a half an inch higher but that's probably because these seats aren't 30 years old....

 

[dirt__diggler]

In theory you could run 12v straight to the 0 ohm wire and cycle the seat on and off as it got too hot. Right? The 1 ohm and .5 ohm would be low and medium settings?

Will this pull enough juice I should run a relay and pull from the battery?

I'm working on figuring this out now. I won't have answers on the wiring for the heat until I have the switches that purchased on eBay over the weekend. I bought some from a Mazda (same ones that controls the seats). They are rectangular and will fit right in the empt slots above the stereo.

 

[jgrant911]

I did a similar project on my '90 4Runner a while back. The post is on YotaTech here:

https://www.yotatech.com/f116/front-seat-swap-91-4runner-completed-159939/

Like you, I sourced the factory (Audi) heat controls and installed them under the radio.

Good luck! :thumb3:

Jim G.

 

[jesus888]

I have a 1987 Toyota SR5, and am looking at picking up a pair of these for pretty cheap... can you provide any more details about the modifications that you had to do?

My rig currently has some Smittybilt (shittybuilt) XRC seats in it but they are THE SUCK, and one is in bad shape so looking for replacements...

 

[palmetto zuk]

look great other than that queer rotor thing in the headrest