Wow -- "cooled" seats SUCK air through it...

[BLoflin]

My 2015 F150 KR had actually cooled seats. There was a piezo unit in them that actually chilled the air. I know because I took it apart. It works the same way a small (non-compressor) wine chiller works. Piezo effect is good for about 25 to 30F from ambient.

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[SomebodyInGNV]

They havbe never been "Cooled" the seats have never had Air Conditioned air running to them. They have used the same Ventilated seats for over a decade now.

My 2016 (and '14-'15?) used a Peltier thermoelectric device to cool the seats. It did not use air conditioned air but were not the same ventilated (cabin air, only) seats used now. They were poorly designed and didn't work well, which is why they were discontinued some time after 2016.

 

[HammaMan]

I think the vac style is pretty smart. It does its job and the copper wire heaters are far more effective than trying to blow hot air. Too much heat gets wasted like that whereas the seat heaters can cook ya. my MME's seat heaters will straight up cook you in less than 3 minutes of start. It gets damn hot, need to look at it w/ the FLIR. Maybe the temp sensor isn't working -- but other MME owners say the same thing so who knows.

F150's seat has a lot more material on it than the MME so maybe they work the same. The cold temp strat for EVs is to rely more on heated seats / wheel than on the HVAC since the HVAC resistance heater eats up a lot of batt. Up to 20 miles per hour hit in using it, or ~20% of range.

I suggested a cold-weather package for EVs that uses something like a diesel heater on really cold days and the response was hilarious. 1 gallon of diesel has like 133,000 BTUs of energy in it. That's like 40kWh worth of battery right there, plus complete cold range loss mitigation while only needing like 1/4 of a gallon. But what do I know, I'm just doing the math.

 

[rpold150]

Similar technology (air flow) as on our 21 Grand Cherokee L. The reasoning for the design that I was told is that there were problems with the fan getting clogged up with debris, hair, fast food wrappers, etc. getting sucked in from under the seat. By pulling the air down through the seat, the debris problem is eliminated.

It also has a cooling effect without wind blowing up from the seat potentially blowing papers or light items off the seat.

 

[Blue22]

Similar technology (air flow) as on our 21 Grand Cherokee L. The reasoning for the design that I was told is that there were problems with the fan getting clogged up with debris, hair, fast food wrappers, etc. getting sucked in from under the seat. By pulling the air down through the seat, the debris problem is eliminated.

It also has a cooling effect without wind blowing up from the seat potentially blowing papers or light items off the seat.

Yeah I think you are right that trash getting sucked up into the blower is probably the main reason for having it suck instead of blow. Which makes me think, is it worse to suck or blow?

 

[air2mag]

VW had a version of the “diesel “ on the bug. I had buddy who had one when we stationed in North Dakota. He would fire it up before starting his car to warm everything up. It really put out a lot of heat. It sounded like one of those propane torpedo heaters.

 

[B-real]

Betcha a $. That fan type only does one thing. Look at a turbo or centrifugal blower (procharger, vortech, etc....) They only work one direction and it's "suck'n" end is hooked up to the seat holes.

100% my ‘23 they blow air out just like my ‘17 did. I know for a while they sucked air in, so I was surprised to have the 23 blowing air.

 

[Bowtye8]

The 2015 gen trks had couple yr issues with their vent seats. Actually had a bulletin.
Livnitup (other forum) did some major testing - the first years(2015/2016) had no exhaust pipe(so to speak) and the seats actually got hot after some time. I have a 2015 F150 Plat and had this issue.
He sold a 3rd partly kit to help rectify.
The factory bulletin update was for the dealers to add a exhaust sock to those yrs. I think 2015 to 2016 then maybe was resolved at assmbly line.

 

[HammaMan]

100% my ‘23 they blow air out just like my ‘17 did. I know for a while they sucked air in, so I was surprised to have the 23 blowing air.

Turn them on then reach under the driver's seat and you'll feel the air they're blowing out of the fan (as in they're sucking through the seat).

 

[B-real]

Turn them on then reach under the driver's seat and you'll feel the air they're blowing out of the fan (as in they're sucking through the seat).

Put a sheet of paper on top of the seat and see if it sucks it down to the seat or blows it up

 

[HammaMan]

Put a sheet of paper on top of the seat and see if it sucks it down to the seat or blows it up

That's your HVAC vents -- the seats are the same for 21-24 -- they suck air though the seat and exhaust it out of the bottom.

 

[SWFLGuy]

Whatever they do I love them most every day

 

[Big Cam]

They havbe never been "Cooled" the seats have never had Air Conditioned air running to them. They have used the same Ventilated seats for over a decade now.

I know you know your stuff and I don't mean to argue but the 2013-2014 had AC seats, it wasn't just a fan. I had a 2013 and my seats got colder than my 2022 does.

Here is an explanation of the "technology" used. They were super problematic and my understanding is that is why Ford stopped using them and opted for regular ventilation instead of actually making the air cold.


"Each driver and front passenger seat cushion and backrest is equipped with a Thermo-Electric Device (TED) and blower motor assembly. Applying voltage to the TED in one direction causes it to heat. Applying voltage polarity in the opposite direction causes the TED to cool. Cabin air is drawn through the blower and distributed to each of the TED modules located in the seat cushion and backrest. The TEDs then heat or cool the incoming air depending on the control switch settings. The air is then directed into the foam pad and manifold where it is distributed along the surface of the cushion and backrest of the seat. Once activated, the DCSM maintains the heating/cooling modes until deactivated. "

 

[HammaMan]

I know you know your stuff and I don't mean to argue but the 2013-2014 had AC seats, it wasn't just a fan. I had a 2013 and my seats got colder than my 2022 does.

Here is an explanation of the "technology" used. They were super problematic and my understanding is that is why Ford stopped using them and opted for regular ventilation instead of actually making the air cold.


"Each driver and front passenger seat cushion and backrest is equipped with a Thermo-Electric Device (TED) and blower motor assembly. Applying voltage to the TED in one direction causes it to heat. Applying voltage polarity in the opposite direction causes the TED to cool. Cabin air is drawn through the blower and distributed to each of the TED modules located in the seat cushion and backrest. The TEDs then heat or cool the incoming air depending on the control switch settings. The air is then directed into the foam pad and manifold where it is distributed along the surface of the cushion and backrest of the seat. Once activated, the DCSM maintains the heating/cooling modes until deactivated. "

If you do the math, which I believe ford eventually did instead of buying vendor BS, TEC, or peltier plates are peanuts compared to the task at hand. They're so inefficient, and the cooling at hand required substantial that they'd be doing good to even begin cooling the seat from the warm air under it. It's far more beneficial to have AC blowing near the seat and be sucked in instantly drawing heat away from the body and the seat instead of first blowing the seat's heat on the occupant.

The easiest solution would be to just tap the AC itself and duct it in -- it's got ~1000x the cooling capability of a TEC, and it doesn't dump its generated heat into the cabin like peltier. The cost to benefit ratio is much better by drawing in the AC'd air vs trying to force marginally cooler air via the peltier unit. They have their places like small refer units where time and insulation are on your side (keeping things cold at least, don't expect much in terms of being able to cool something hot down). The TEC units didn't even get 'cold' for the purposes of cooling until the cabin was already becoming chilled. The effect was meh cooling initially followed up with overly cold once the cabin was cool, while also dumping additional heat into the cabin when it was already hot -- with both seats on it'd be about 1000 BTU of additional heat in the cabin for ~200BTU of slightly less warmer air. If it was able to get below the dew point, hellllllo mold feeding moisture.

In summary by the time they were able to do what they were sold as doing, the power of the AC had already done its job. As such when the vehicle is at its hottest, the fastest method for cooling the heat and its occupant is immediately draw heat from both of them via the AC's air, instead of first cooling the seat's components. The solution was remote start w/ auto climate conditioning, backed up with heat removing seats. A 1 2 punch if you will.

 

[JExpedition07]

My 2007 Expedition Eddie Bauer would make you shiver it was so good. On a hot summer day you could hear the leather contracting when you turned on the cooled seats in my expy lol. I do miss those seats. Had the TED’s and twin blowers in each seat, much colder than the ventilated I’ve sat in.

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