we talked about it the other day... the only drawback is that you'd need to make a cutout for the stick.. not sure how it'd affect functionality.
 
Dan,
The ES series Lexus's have this feature. Go test drive one and try out the seats to see if you like the air blowing from down under. It is actually very subtle.
 
Radomir said:
we talked about it the other day... the only drawback is that you'd need to make a cutout for the stick.. not sure how it'd affect functionality.
Click to expand...
Ah, shoot. Good point about the stick.
 
Old idea, updated?

Dan... it looks like an updated, powered version of the woven wire mesh aftermarket seat cushions from the 60's and 70's - before we could afford air conditioning in our cars... :)

They actually helped a little, especially with the old vinyl seats...

gil in Tucson - now thankful for A/C..... :D
 
Just for grins

what race car drivers use but only last 2 hours, the bigger expensive ones last 4 or more hours. Not practical but I guess you cold incorporate something like that into the seat? The box of ice must weigh a bit.

http://www.saferacer.com/rasecosusy.html

I guess you could put your Jeans in the freezer but that might cause shrinkage? :eek:
 
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Good News :)

Just read the description on the comforthouse website, and it says the products works with RV's. :p
 
Okay, here's a quick review:

Got the thing basically overnight due to UPS Ground being efficient between here and New Jersey. Today was actually quite pleasant, 70's and low humidity. But, for the cause, I cranked up the heat and turned on the seat!

After driving this way for about thirty minutes, I would say it does do something, but is not earth-shattering. You don't feel like you're sitting on a block of ice, but you don't get a sweaty back or . . . other body parts. When you reach down to feel the airflow, it is definitely cool to exposed skin.

I broke it open a bit, and construction is such that a sealed flange placed in the main 'cooling' portion of the seat, to make a donut hole for a stick or a crotch strap, should not greatly modify the utility. As it is, it used a centrifugal fan that discharges to one side, so air distribution is strictly via pressure differential.

My flying for the week is done, but next week I should be able to give it a good workout: Spamcan @ 1400' for 3 hours during rush hour over DC. I'll let you know . . .
 
Okay, flight test complete.

85 degrees, sunny, humidity not unbearable but noticeable.

About the same effect I got in the car: flew for an hour without it on, and my back got sweaty, thighs stuck to the seat a bit. Last two hours, fan on full blast. Initially, nice cool sensation as the air passed over the sweaty back. After a while, you don't notice it doing anything per se (the blast of air from the Soros tubes is what you feel), but you don't feel so bad.

So all in all, it does improve comfort. You can turn it off a while, then back on (or just lean forward a bit anytime) to get a little boost of refreshment from the change in airflow.

Again, it's not like you feel you're sitting on a block of ice, but for $58 delivered I'll keep it around. We'll see what it does on those 110 degree heat index days of August.

Mike
 
Thanks for posting back about this. What's your sense about how much effort is involved to cut away a U-shaped area for the stick, and seal what has been cut?
 
The exterior finish fabric all appears to be nylon or plastic based material, so a neat cutout could probably be made by a soldering iron. The interior structure that channels the air is not very dense, would likely yield to a little pressure by a utility knife, or aviation snips.

The fan unit extends across the center front of the lower seat pad, so you will probably need a 'donut hole' to lower over the stick vice a horseshoe cutout. If you plan it right, you could either sew or super glue the existing fabric after cutting to finish it off. Or maybe a circular flange of some excess fabric or webbing material and some super glue. Shouldn't be too tough.
 
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blows somewhat cool 75f air but not sure how to hook it to your seat.
 
One Year Later:

Just an update, as I had the opportunity to break out the seat fan again this week:

The interior parts seem to have been constructed using double sided tape, and that is now failing (dry and chalky). I had to open things up and clean out some tape strips from the fan area. I noted that the 'channels' of rigid foam that the air flows through are not so uniform anymore, due to the tape failure. It is, however, still effective as described before. Maybe this fall / winter I will break the whole thing down significantly and try to improve on the assembly quality with some higher quality adhesives.

Mike
 
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