[Scott Z]

For the cost of free as I already had a 6” piece of 1.5” aluminum angle I’ve really improved my ventilated drivers seat. It”s now semi air conditioned instead of being merely ventilated.

The aluminum angle goes on the floor in the back below the drivers seat and gets wedged under the plastic rear seat feet vents and redirects the cold air up into the 4 seat fans. I used 3m double sided tape to insure it stays put.

This was initially going to be a rough test but after discovering there are 4 fans and lots of stuff in the way of running flexible hose (to what I thought was going to be a single fan) I’m leaving it as is. Works well and nobody can see it anyway.

You can set the rear air to full feet or a mix. Either way there’s lots of air coming out of he floor feet vents.

So go get some metal angle and cool your butts off!

[Bimmerfun82]

Smart!!

[SwankPeRFection]

Maybe 3D print something that sticks on the vent kinda like the different vacuum attachments do so it’s a cleaner solution.

[robopp]

I like the idea, but the seat fans pull not push so this will have zero effect.

[Scott Z]

Originally Posted by robopp

I like the idea, but the seat fans pull not push so this will have zero effect.

I’m 99% sure the fans are sucking air from beneath the seat and pushing it out through the top.

It’s hard to tell using a hand but I put a small piece of wax paper on the seat. It floats from the front (higher) part of the seat down to the back (lower) with the fans on and it stops and remains in place with the fans off. Just like the ol’ air hockey tables.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by robopp

I like the idea, but the seat fans pull not push so this will have zero effect.

What does this mean?

I agree with OP- the more air I can get underneath the seat, the cooler the ventilation is.

It’s unfortunate BMW didn’t opt for A/C on the seats like Audi used to or may still do on the SQ7. Those seats get frigid.

[robopp]

Originally Posted by Scott Z

I’m 99% sure the fans are sucking air from beneath the seat and pushing it out through the top.

It’s hard to tell using a hand but I put a small piece of wax paper on the seat. It floats from the front (higher) part of the seat down to the back (lower) with the fans on and it stops and remains in place with the fans off. Just like the ol’ air hockey tables.

Interesting. Maybe they changed it? I’m 99% sure my X3MC pulls. I’d believe you direction test over some random poster (me).

[robopp]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

What does this mean?

I agree with OP- the more air I can get underneath the seat, the cooler the ventilation is.

It’s unfortunate BMW didn’t opt for A/C on the seats like Audi used to or may still do on the SQ7. Those seats get frigid.

Fan direction. Pull vs push. Pull the seats pull air into the seat. Push the seats push air out of the seat.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by robopp

Fan direction. Pull vs push. Pull the seats pull air into the seat. Push the seats push air out of the seat.

Interesting. So you’re saying the ventilation in the BMW seats pushes air out, as opposed to sucking air in. Got it.

Disagree with you, but got it.

https://www.bmwoffremont.com/researc...ated-seats.htm

[robopp]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Interesting. So you’re saying the ventilation in the BMW seats pushes air out, as opposed to sucking air in. Got it.

Disagree with you, but got it.

https://www.bmwoffremont.com/researc...ated-seats.htm

Didagree all you want. I admitted I’m probably wrong already. My X3MC pulls air. BMW must have changed it sometime after 2020.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by robopp

Didagree all you want. I admitted I’m probably wrong already. My X3MC pulls air. BMW must have changed it sometime after 2020.

Missed that. Gotcha.

Yeah, OP, this solution should work.

I wonder if Audi has better angling of the car’s A/C because I don’t know if those are actually cooled seats in the SQ7 but they get very cold. The BMW’s seats are helpful but subpar to say the least.

[Berzerker]

I was under the impression they pulled air away for the following reasons:

1) They're not cooled, so it would be more beneficial to pull hot air away than it would be to blow room temp air at you

2) I could never feel any air coming out of the seat perforations which to me would imply air being pulled away from your hand and not blown at it.

I imagine if there were air being blown at you, you could at least feel it somewhere, but some older threads I found seemed to imply the point is to cool the seat and not the person, which makes some sense, but then doesn't really explain why the seat needs perforations in the first place.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by Berzerker

I was under the impression they pulled air away for the following reasons:

1) They're not cooled, so it would be more beneficial to pull hot air away than it would be to blow room temp air at you

2) I could never feel any air coming out of the seat perforations which to me would imply air being pulled away from your hand and not blown at it.

I imagine if there were air being blown at you, you could at least feel it somewhere, but some older threads I found seemed to imply the point is to cool the seat and not the person, which makes some sense, but then doesn't really explain why the seat needs perforations in the first place.

I feel the air blowing air into me. You can actually use the heat seater and ventilation at the same time, which serves to move the heat around. Typically if you’re hot, you’ll have the A/C on and the ventilated seats running, so the work in conjunction.

But the problem is they don’t work well. And it’s not just a BMW issue. If it’s a cold day outside, try rolling the windows down in the back and see how much that helps cool the seats down because it’s sucking in the air from under the seat.

This is how the aftermarket seat pads work too. I don’t see how pulling air away from the seat would help that much.

[Scott Z]

I think the main reason there’s confusion as to which way the fans are moving air is because as mentioned above, the system isn’t great. There’s not a lot of
air flow even on the highest speed and therefore difficult to even hold your hand near the seat to confirm.

I rented a Ford something or another once and the airflow from the seats was double that of ours. Loved it but at the same time, it’s probably a tougher design than we think. For one thing, how do you maintain a decent amount of cushion while still having holes for airflow. Seems like dirt and debris would start clogging the holes over time as well.

[Berzerker]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

I feel the air blowing air into me. You can actually use the heat seater and ventilation at the same time, which serves to move the heat around. Typically if you’re hot, you’ll have the A/C on and the ventilated seats running, so the work in conjunction.

But the problem is they don’t work well. And it’s not just a BMW issue. If it’s a cold day outside, try rolling the windows down in the back and see how much that helps cool the seats down because it’s sucking in the air from under the seat.

This is how the aftermarket seat pads work too. I don’t see how pulling air away from the seat would help that much.

I feel *some* air, but I don't feel it blowing, I feel a "cooling effect" because of what I assumed was air being siphoned away, similar concept to how sweating works. You feel cooler because of the air rushing over the hot/sweaty area on your back, i.e. "removing hot air" enables a cooling effect.

Again, I think if the point is to actually cool the seat, which then would cool you, and not cool you directly, then it makes sense that you don't feel a whole lot of air coming out.

I do generally feel better with the ventilation on than not so it's at least helping.

[TxFeatFan]

And if you put a Pop-Tart on the dashboard…

[Berzerker]

Well here's an actual answer:



From the G05 documentation, the function works to cool the seat itself and not you directly, air we feel is probably just residual of what the goal itself is.

TBF this is from the G05 but I doubt it works much differently in the G8x.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by Scott Z

I think the main reason there’s confusion as to which way the fans are moving air is because as mentioned above, the system isn’t great. There’s not a lot of
air flow even on the highest speed and therefore difficult to even hold your hand near the seat to confirm.

I rented a Ford something or another once and the airflow from the seats was double that of ours. Loved it but at the same time, it’s probably a tougher design than we think. For one thing, how do you maintain a decent amount of cushion while still having holes for airflow. Seems like dirt and debris would start clogging the holes over time as well.

I hate the ones in Ford, etc. because they are so cold it makes you feel like you didn't make it home in time to use the john.

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

Not in all cars. In my Porsches they most definitely suck air in. Believe me, my kids know when I fart in that car because it gets blown back in their face immediately

Lol 😂

[geko29]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

Not in all cars. In my Porsches they most definitely suck air in. Believe me, my kids know when I fart in that car because it gets blown back in their face immediately

Yes, same in our Q7. I believe VWAG does this for ALL of their ventilated seats. Since heat and ventilation are controlled separately, this allows you to run both when, for example, you are damp and cold.

The ones in the M3 are weird. In operation, they feel to me more like the ones in the Audi, where air is being drawn away from you than others I've experienced that blow air directly on you. But if I turn up ventilation to the highest setting, put a grocery bag open end down on the seat bottom, and hold the edges down, the bag very slowly inflates. Air is coming out, but the amount is very slight.

So my theory is that they're intended to work on a principle similar but not identical to the VWAG ones, where the primary goal is to cool the seat mass and not the occupant directly. This in turn allows more heat to be absorbed from the occupant as a secondary effect. They do this by circulating air through the internals of the seat, a small amount of which can escape through the perforations. But the air coming out is not the primary source of cooling effect. I don't know if it even comes out at all when you're actually sitting there.

Again, this is my supposition based on observation and not a statement of fact. An alternative explanation is that they are intended to blow out at the occupant, and even with nine fans, they still barely push any air at all.

[Needsdecaf]

Originally Posted by geko29

Yes, same in our Q7. I believe VWAG does this for ALL of their ventilated seats. Since heat and ventilation are controlled separately, this allows you to run both when, for example, you are damp and cold.

The ones in the M3 are weird. In operation, they feel to me more like the ones in the Audi, where air is being drawn away from you than others I've experienced that blow air directly on you. But if I turn up ventilation to the highest setting, put a grocery bag open end down on the seat bottom, and hold the edges down, the bag very slowly inflates. Air is coming out, but the amount is very slight.

So my theory is that they're intended to work on a principle similar but not identical to the VWAG ones, where the primary goal is to cool the seat mass and not the occupant directly. This in turn allows more heat to be absorbed from the occupant as a secondary effect. They do this by circulating air through the internals of the seat, a small amount of which can escape through the perforations. But the air coming out is not the primary source of cooling effect. I don't know if it even comes out at all when you're actually sitting there.

Again, this is my supposition based on observation and not a statement of fact. An alternative explanation is that they are intended to blow out at the occupant, and even with nine fans, they still barely push any air at all.

They are still better than the ones in the F10. Those didn't do SH!T

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

They are still better than the ones in the F10. Those didn't do SH!T

Can’t tell you if they were the same internal hardware of design, but the ones in a 650 Gran Coupe worked on hot days or even after sports to cool you off and dry you out a bit.