Aftermarket seats in 3rd Gen some info.

@MESO saw a pic recently that you went with aftermarket seats. Do you have a post or any reference to that build out?

 

No write up but I do have some pics.
I used a Bride Gias low max seats, Sparco rails, and planted technology seat bracket adapters.
The seats are super low, so I needed to boost them up 2”. Used 2”x2” aluminum square.

next was all the sensors. The drivers side has an airbag connector, along with a seat position sensor(I assume it knows if the seat is all the way forward or back so it will engage the Steering wheel airbag?)
I cut a piece of metal and bolted it in where the position sensor went. Thus defeating it. Airbag was easy, a 2OHM resistors jumped across the connections.

Passengers side was another story. It had the same airbag connection as the drivers(Easy.. just plug a 2OHM resistor in) but then there was the passenger occupant sensors(4 of them) these are pressure switches and know when someone is in the seat. This was a PITA. I unbolted all 4 sensors from the seat and then “tricked” them by mounting them under the seat with a bracket that held tension on the sensors(making it think there was someone there so the airbags go off). No airbag or warning lights so everything worked! Hope this helps.

 

@MESO Very helpful, thanks! I would love to get 2" back and sit that much lower - I could actually see out my windshield! Now I just wonder how high these Gias seats are compared to the Scheel Mann. I'd probably only do the drivers side for starters. Also, I've heard that the 2021 Tacoma has a different seat in it, more like the 4Runners. If anyone reading this has any info on how easily those could be swapped in, please share!

 

@blackohio can you confirm what hardware would be needed for just a drivers side install?

1) Driver's side Scheel Man seat (I assume the right side arm rest won't work there or it would interfere with the center console lid opening?)
2) Planted seat brackets for your Tacoma year
3) 2-ohm resistors to defeat the Airbag sensor
4) A metal plate to defeat the seat position sensor

Did you have heated seats? Scheel-mann makes this option available, and my 2020 taco has them. I imagine that would be another wiring project. Not impossible, but not trivial for the first adventurous soul going down that road.

 

1. I cannot attest to armrest. I can measure mine but I think it was too close.
2. Planted or Wedge.
2. I cant remember exact ohm rating but I recall using lime a 2.2 maybe.
4. Seat position sensor I just unbolted and attached bak to the new seat if I recall. It's been about a year since I did mine so the brain is rusty and my truck is long since sold.

 

For the brackets you made to hold/trick the OCS can you elaborate? Maybe I am missing how it works. Is it when bolted it keeps them together? I like this option more than the clamp method.

 

I am ordering the Scheel Mann drivers side seat tomorrow from a local distributor. The brown ones are in country (quicker ship time). The black ones are a 6 week+ order coming from Germany. I'd like the black but I think I'll have to go with brown for my upcoming trip timeline. I'll post the final solution when its done, but it will look like the OP's first post, more or less.

 

@MESO I am getting ready to wire in just my drivers side Scheel Mann replacement seat. Could I bother you for a bit more detail on these two points above? Which pic from your post shows the plate for seat position sensor defeat? And a close up shot of the wiring jump for the 2 Ohm resistor? Thanks in advance!

 

wrapping up a project and giving the same method as @MESO a go.

the metal brackets on top. You press them together while you bolt down to hold the tension basically.

 

Where does the airbag 2ohm jump resistor go?

 

Everything went pretty well here, except my airbag light is still on. I tried a 2.2 Ohm resistor between the two yellow wires on the vehicle side but no joy. @caribe makaira what did I do wrong?

Otherwise, this seat is everything I hoped it would be, comfort wise.
I used the Desert Does It seat jackers in the front and rear.
Overall height, I sit about 2" lower so my head isn't hitting the ceiling.
I can see out my windshield.
I have a 3" lift so it is easier to get in and out since the seat bottom side bolster isn't too big.

 

Use a 2ohm. Worked fine for me. I also bent it in a “U” shape and plugged it right into the connector, then Put a piece of heat shrink over the whole connector end.

 

I'll give that a whirl. Of course my electronics kit with 1000 resistors only has 1ohm and 2.2ohm... Plugging it straight into the end of the connector is a good idea too.


Lastly, I don't really understand how the occupancy sensor is suppose to sense anything other than that the seatbelt is plugged in. The little unit that sits between the seat and the rail doesn't really have any tensioned parts. No pressure switch, spring, etc. What am I missing here? The seat belt receiver plugs into this unit, and then this unit plugs into the vehicle side harness. What lights come on the dash if that isn't hooked up/sensing a body in the seat?

 

Are you referring to the driver seat rail sensor? The seat rail position sensor doesn’t sense someone in the seat, it senses how close said person is to the steering wheel for speed of airbag deployment. There is no driver side weight or occupancy sensor because presumably if the vehicle is on and moving then someone should be in the seat.

When I swapped out my 2nd gen seats I simply recreated the stock rail setup under my new seat. Took a lot of measurements. Most people just plug it in and throw it under the seat and hope for the best in a crash from what I’ve seen. There was an old post on the FJ cruiser forum detailing a very nice way of doing it but I think those photos are broken.

 

Just use two of the one ohm resistors in series. Good to go.

 

You'd think I was an idiot that didn't pass high school electronics class, doh! Good call.

 

2 ohms did the trick, along with the direct insertion into the end of the connector. No more airbag light.


After taking this picture, I added some electrical tape over the end here. I don't have heat shrink big enough to cover the end cap of the entire connector.

 

Yes, that is the rail sensor I am referring to. Pictured here:



I would still like to better understand how this senses the rail position. The only metal contact part is the bolt hole (lower left) where it mounted to the rail assembly. The plastic part I am holding in this picture is loose from the rest of the housing but doesn't attach separately anywhere, so I am not sure of its purpose? I have just plugged it in and thrown it under my seat, indeed. But now that I realize what it does, I would like to know how to make it relatively accurate. If I could set it and forget it, that would work. I will likely never move my seat forward and backward while driving, so it would always be in the same position.

 

Alright, thanks for all the help gents! Here is the final parts list that I ended up using for anyone else who may go down this road:

Scheel Mann Vario F XXL seat, ordered through Spirit of 1876 outfitters in Castle Rock, CO
https://spiritof1876.com/

Planted seat bracket:
https://www.plantedtechnology.com/p...a-tacoma-3rd-generation-2016-driver-left.html
Scheel Mann does make a bracket for this seat in the 3rd gen Tacoma... I opted for the Planted just because it was a little cheaper.

Planted 1/4" seat mount spacer:
https://www.plantedtechnology.com/planted-seat-spacer-1-4-inch.html
I got these "in case". In case I wanted more height, etc. In the end, these were required to get the release bar fixed to the seat (which has a slight downward angle), to clear the Planted seat bracket's front edge when the seat is slid all the way back.

Planted seat bolt/nut hardware kit:
https://www.plantedtechnology.com/planted-seat-hardware-kit.html
I was able to get 4 of these in, one in each corner. Pictures in the Scheel Mann manual showed 6 mounting locations. Maybe their bracket allowed for all 6 mounting holes??

Desert Does It front and rear seat jackers:
https://desertdoesit.com/products/2...a-1-1-4-front-seat-spacer-lifts-front-of-seat
https://desertdoesit.com/collections/comfort/products/2005-2020-toyota-tacoma-rear-seat-jackers

7/16 x 20mm x 3/4" lag bolt:

$16 Hard-to-Find Fastener 014973253097 Grade 8 Fine Hex Cap Screws, 7/16-20 x 3/4, Piece-5

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PKKF7U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8
This allows you to use the OEM seat belt receiver nut. The OEM bolt is welded to the stock seat frame, so you won't be able to reuse it.



Last, I had to bend the seat belt mounting tab (on the Planted bracket) away from the seat by about 1/2" in order to allow the right side of the seat joint housing to pass by the tab/seatbelt bolt with out interfering.