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SVT seats

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#1 ·
After seeing a few SVT seats for sale. What is the difference in the 2 styles of seats? looking at them seems like on is full leather & the other has red or blue colored inserts. The full leather is a recaro, is the other a recaro also? I see where 1 guy is selling his recaro's full leather seats & he says he sits higher than his original seats for some reason. Do they sit higher or does he not have the seat all the way down? Those seats sure look killer. Its been a long long while that I've been in a svt focus. Are the seat frame's different on the svt seats & my ST seat? I ended up welding a couple places on my seat back= it started to make sqeaks & the little welds were coming apart. Thanx for your input.
 
#2 ·
The better bolstering is the main difference between the seats... I've found that the leather doesn't break-in as quickly as the cloth/leather variety. You end up feeling perched up on the full-leather seats a bit more for that reason... the new ST feels the same way. You feel like you sink into the ST2's cloth/leather seats, and the full-leather recaros feel like you sit on them.
 
#3 ·
I have Recaros in my '04 SVT Euro, and red/black SVT partial cloth seats in my '05 ST. In my experience the Recaro seat cushions are firmer than those of the partial cloth seats, thus one sits higher in the Recaros, at the same seat height as adjusted by the up/down switch. Mile30 is correct that the bolstering is firmer in the Recaros. There is a set for sale here, and on FJ by a member who feels too constrained by the Recaros, his FF name is Fattie, although I have met him, and I didn't consider him fat. Another benefit to the Recaros is that there is very little risk of staining the seat fabric, unlike the partial cloth seats which seem quite prone to staining, even from water. The partial cloth seats are not Recaros, they were made for Ford, I believe, by Lear Corporation in Southfield MI. The frames and tracks are very little different from the standard ST seats, although the frames feel to be of a higher grade and heavier gauge steel, the SVT foam and seat covers will fit the ST frames. The SVT front seat cushion frames each have a steel bar welded to the outside of the frame to better support the leather covered bolster, from people sliding over them when entering and exiting the vehicle The SVT foam also seems to be firmer than that in the ST seats. Over all, superior quality. I have no experience with the leather seats that were an option in the STs.
The SVT seats are much more comfortable and supportive, imo, than the standard cloth ST seats, which is why I drove to NJ from ME to buy mine from CaysE. They were, and still are, immaculate. They are coming out of my ST, because the car is being sold locally, and there are very few people locally who either know what they are, or will appreciate them. Perhaps someone here, or on FJ will appreciate them for what they are.
 
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