Endeka

Somebody has probably already commented on this, but the search function turned up nothing on several different strings, and I didn't feel like reading entire 25+ page threads to find if it had been discussed there as the conversation turned.

I'll be blunt: Did anybody else physically shake their head when they saw this:



This was, I believe, why all the post-reveal GM publicity shots showed the back of the seats, and why none of the teasers showed the whole seat.

The two trims have the same bottom. Not only that, it's the same bottom that's on the current 2012 Corvette. Those seats, while modestly improved over the outgoing 2011 seats, are certainly nothing to get excited about:



I'm not sure how GM didn't realize that it was not the seat backs (though harness ports are nice) that were the problem, but that the bolsters on the C6 seats were barely as deep as the first joint on a person's pointer finger? The current seats don't give nearly the hold and confidence that the staggering engine, brakes, tires (we're talking ZR1 and Z07 here), and chassis of the C6 demands, and it looks like this is just more of the same. Why, GM? The Mustang GT has Recaros for crying out loud, at half the price of the Stingray. The CTS-V has them. Why can't you get them for your halo car, or get your act together and make a suitable alternative if that's too difficult. A lot of other things people are demanding of the C7 base, including CF drive shafts, carbon brakes, etc. are ridiculous, but the seat is the greatest point of contact between the driver and the car. You cannot, cannot, cannot skimp out on that, especially in a car that has numb steering compared to other cars in its performance class (GT3, 911 Turbo, etc) where seat-of-the-pants feel becomes essential to sensing the absolute limit. It was the horrible seats, not the pleather dash and plastic console, that people hated most about the old interior.

Raitzi

Well we have discussed this already and agree. Real carbon fibre buckets cost only about 1000$. I would prefer car with no seats to this so that I could save the money to buy what I like.

speedlink

There have been pictures of the new seats with a cut away section. This showed how the seat was constructed and new materials.

We need to wait and see the end product. Way too early.

Endeka

Look, this non-answer doesn't hold in this case, although I know how people on here love it. That photo is being used on dealer websites to display and promote the sale of the product. It was used on GM's debut car to display the final product. That is the final product, and anybody with eyes can see that it is exactly the same seat bottom in the 2012 Corvette with a new back and new switches and bezel attached. It doesn't matter if new materials and new lumbar support make it 15lbs lighter if the thing still doesn't give you confidence in a corner. The thing that kills me is that I'm sure these seats will be a $1,500+ option. For that money, you can buy, you know, real seats, with real bolsters, that really hold you in the car.

Jinx

It does look like the same bottom, minus the extra seam in the Competition seat. And it does look like wimpy bolsters.

Honestly, if the seatback bolsters were any good, the seat base bolsters wouldn't be so important. So maybe it won't be so bad.

.Jinx

USAFPILOT

it looks like the base seat has better bolstering than the comp. seat anyway.

usroute66 MKW

the CHEAPEST feature of the C5 and C6 seats was that flimsy plastic L-shaped latch as in the pic above ,that always felt like it was gonna break even when new ,for releasing/changing the seat back angle , something not found in the cheapest of the cheap $15K econoboxes from any manufacturer
I read that the C7 will finally have an back angle mechanism at least expected of a $25k car, never mind a $55K one.

Bill Dearborn

The seat bottoms don't need much more support than they already have. If they made the seat bolster high like that on a race seat it would be very uncomfortable getting in and out of the car on a daily basis. Even the aftermarket seats like the ones from Sparco don't have all that deep of a seat bottom. A high seat bottom bolster will help keep the legs in place but isn't anywhere near as important as having deep side bolsters that brace the Torso and shoulder support that go around the edge of the shoulders. If the top of the body is kept from swinging back and forth under high cornering forces the legs pretty much stay in place as the body won't be pivoting around the lap belt. Even in the C6 you can pump up the side bolsters, run the seat back to tighten the 3 point harness in cinch mode and then run it forward to the normal seating position thus as the belt tightens further with seat movement the body is forced back and down into the seat and is pretty much held in place. Naturally deep side bolsters on the new seat along with a stiffer frame should go a long way toward meeting the goal of the seat keeping the body in the car and the belts keeping the body in the seat goal.

Bill

ZL-1

Thanks for the pics. The C7 8-way seat bottoms show many differences from the C6 6-way seat pictured. But it does appear that the Grand Touring and Competition Sport seats share the same bottom part.

2K14C7

Maybe it's just me but shouldn't one actually SIT in the new seat before complaining that they aren't any better than the C6 seats. Just sayin.

CO Lightfoot

If anyone gets a chance to sit in a C7, reach under the seat and feel the suspension wires.

Do the wires directly contact the seat bottom foam (like C6 seats)? Terrible engineering... wires cut the foam and allow it to extrude between the wires... support is poor, you sink into the seat bottom. Soft & uncomfortable.



Hopefully the C7 seats include the upgrades of this rebuild kit:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...-kits-jwm.html

DRLC5

These may be the end product? Unless they do like the new Viper they are actually changing the seats that were shown at the shows. I guess the new seats were not up to par?

Medic Man

Not sure what people wanted.. maybe GM should have changed how we sit down.

Medic Man

Talk about putting the cart before the horse.. Let's wait and see for ourselves before we pass judgement from a picture.

Medic Man

Now thats a novel idea!

ByByBMW

Yep.

AmmoVet

I'm as concerned as everyone here is about the springs. But there are NO springs. Repeat, no springs or wires holding foam up. See cutaway picture.

Cobra77

Seat base is exactly the same as c6..they just slightly changed back and are calling the seats an improvement! Just the look is different.

NSC5

An optometrist could make a killing finding patients on this site because a lot of folks are having extreme difficulty seeing details and differences.

bolteon593

relax people, too many unknowns here to be causing an uproar.