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Is there any Pos/Con for the competition seat? I am shopping for a used Z06 or grand sport and I am surprised that there are not many of them with the competition seat.
Pros - looks amazing, more aggressive bolstering and they hold you in tighter in hard corners.
Cons - arguably less comfortable than standard seats, firmer cushions.
they aren’t a common option but you always have the option to do the seatback conversion, $1800 for the parts and $400 for labor or free if you install yourself.
I really like the comp seats - they look great and really hold you in place when pushing the G's. It was a $2500 option, so most people didn't want to spend that for seats. I gave up the front cameras, heated seats and extra speaker and ordered 1LT with comp seats. I'm 6'4 and 225 they fit me fine. If you (not the car) are a wide body, may not be as comfortable.
Love mine, it was listed as a $1895 option. Includes heated and cooled functions. I'm 6'0 and 200 lbs, I like the slightly wrapped fit. Holds me in good. A little different color from the very common black interior.
Absolutely love the look but really wasn’t seeking them out when we purchased our used 2017. We do a fair amount of road trips over 100-150 miles and had concerns for driving comfort. I’m 6’3” and 220. Wife is 5’5” and petite. We both have been pleasantly surprised that of our 5 cars, including a Lexus SUV and a CTS V, the Comp Seats have turned out to be the least stressful of all on the longer trips. They obviously aren’t really full blown racing seats,but they do hold one in place better than many other past Corvette seats.
Comp seats look better and have more aggressive bolsters. Realistically they should be less comfortable then the standard seats but GM really did good work here and most people find then no less comfortable then the standard seats.
Try them both if you can, the common factor I've seen is body size/height in determining if someone finds the comp seats uncomfortable, especially on longer trips. I love mine though and had to have them on my next C7 after using them at Spring Mountain. They are no less comfortable then the standard seats for me.
I'll admit that my decision to get the Comp Seats was based mostly on looks. I'm 6'3" and 205 lbs. and they fit great. You just need to be really careful entering and exiting so you don't lean on the outside side bolster as it does stick out. They really do help when tracking the car as well and when driving the twisties.
I've had competition seats in both C7's I've had, and love them. I only looked for cars with these seats when shopping. I prefer the look over the standard seats mainly, but they also feel just fine for me, but I'm small and fit easily.
You have to sit in them to determine for yourself. I'm definitely sure that is not the case with the forum members here, but I have been subjected to what is called post-purchase rationalization bias.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
They look better and are better bolstered than regular seats, but they do have a couple of drawbacks:
You will sit a little higher in them versus the regular seats (maybe 1"), so for really tall drivers they could be an issue.
Because of the denser foam, they do not allow as much airflow, so the seat venting doesn't work very well at all. I can barely feel the airflow on mine on the top setting, versus in my buddies with regular seats even the lowest setting puts out more air.
Other than those 2 things they are great, and hold you in really well. Mines a daily driver, and while they are a little harder to get in/out of, it's really not bad (you'll definitely want to use the easy exit mode). Having said all that, if I were to do another C7 (especially for a daily driver), I'd skip them.
The density of the foam doesn't have anything to do with the air flow from the seat ventilation. The air doesn't go through the foam. Some people say the comp seat seat bottom foam is firmer than the GT seat but you couldn't prove it by me. I have sat instructed in cars with both types of seats and the are very similar. The GT seat side bolster is as high as the comp seat but it doesn't go as high up on the torso as the comp seat does and of course the GT seat doesn't have the belt pass throughs in the seat back. Looking at the seat bottom the only way you can tell the difference between the seat bottom of the GT seat and the Comp Seat is the Comp Seat has an additional cross seat crease.
I have 52 K on my 2015 Z51 with competition seats. I ordered the car with these seats to use with the shoulder belts of a six point racing harness. That has worked great. The shoulder belts are in the right position when I start trying to get everything hooked up. But we use the car for lots of travel also. My F150 seats are probably more comfortable for a long trip. But these seats have never been a problem. I plan to order the GT2 seats on a 2021 C8
Love my competition seats with suede inserts. Very comfortable on long trips (500+ miles) and great on track and in the twisties! When I bought the GS I wasn't sure I'd like them but no way I'd give them up now. As others have said, I gave up the heated/cooled seats, HUD, etc in the 2LT option but I also have the PDR and M7 tranny. Great trade off and exactly what I wanted!
Bought a used 2017 GS with them and the wife drove the car from Atlanta and said she really liked them, they are a serious departure from my 2010 Camaro SS and makes me wanna find a set of Recaro’s for it.
They are not for everyone when I bought the car I was around 240 an it was a tight fit for sure but after 90 days in India and 30 lbs lost they fit very nice!!! LOL!!!
