)4.5 Seats Suck Eggs

[RankRam]

It's a slow day at the french fryer today... . they're bored!

Now that's funny! :-laf

 

[Udaloy]

Why is it that me and others disliking the design of the seats strike such a nerve with some of you guys. This thread was started by someone who was less than pleased with his seats and since I'm less than happy myself I replied.

I agree Rosco. If you are having a bad time with the seats, why not see if it's just yours or if others agree. I happen to have the base model seats, and I don't have an issue with them. I think most of the complaints are from people with the upgraded seat options. I do however, believe these seats are as cheap as can be. No longer do they use springs and such, just foam. They will end up being crap in a couple or three years. That cannot be acceptable with a $40k vehicle!

 

[macdaddy]

Hey Brent

I had ordered the SLT with some doubt because of the seats. It's just that they were not the same quality as my 99 SLT, those were excellent seats. I must have gone back to the dealer five or six times and changed my mind before the order went in. Turns out shelling out the extra cost for the Laramie and the leather was worth it. But I will agree with allot of people when they say they are FIRM. This is good and bad. Good in that the firm feel is good on my lower back, and bad because they tend to work your a** cheeks a little if your not able to have the cruise on and move around a little in the seat while you are driving.

Mac

 

[BHolm]

It is ALL the trim levels in ALL the third gen trucks if mine are any representation. My '03 reg cab ST is the worst, the '03 Quad SLT is better but the same as my '05 Laramie. I traded a Chev for the '03 QC and a Chev for the '05, one a mid level trim and one a top level. I don't much care for a LOT of things on those GM trucks but I have to say they have it all over the Dodge in the seating department. The seats in my '03 Chev LT trim crew cab 4x4 were at LEAST 1000 times more comfortable than the ones in any of my Dodges. For over $40k we deserve MUCH better. I could do 15 hrs easy in the Chev, 3 or 4 in the Dodge and I am not a happy camper, though I guess you get used to them after a while



Thankfully it looks as though the center console section is seperate from the seats so an aftermarket seat may be an option. I hate to think what it might cost to try and match the seude/leather combo though

 

[opiefire]

I have the same problem with the seat in my 04. 5. I'm 275 and 6' 2 and my butt seems like its sitting on the metal frame. I mentioned this to my dealer the other day when i had it in for the launch shudder problem and he said that he would get the district manager involved if it continued to give me problems. I plan to take it in for the the radio fix and i will try to get the seat problem resolved. I looked into aftermarket seats, but the nice ones are over 1800. 00, and i just don't think we should have to pay that much to get some nice seats installed since we paid so much for the truck.

Muddyduck,

What seats have you looked at that cost $1800. 00? I have a 03 Laramie and I haven't been happy with the seats since my first long road trip. Has anyone sat in the seats of the SRT-10 truck with the viper motor? The local dealer had one on the lot, and I have to say that the seats in the SRT-10 where much better than my trucks. The leather was softer, and most importantly the seat felt more supportive. I asked the dealer if I could order some SRT-10 seats and he said it would cost around 1200. 00 per seat... ... Now I'm thinking it might be a good deal.

 

[BrentKaiser]

Hey Brent

I had ordered the SLT with some doubt because of the seats. It's just that they were not the same quality as my 99 SLT, those were excellent seats. I must have gone back to the dealer five or six times and changed my mind before the order went in. Turns out shelling out the extra cost for the Laramie and the leather was worth it. But I will agree with allot of people when they say they are FIRM. This is good and bad. Good in that the firm feel is good on my lower back, and bad because they tend to work your a** cheeks a little if your not able to have the cruise on and move around a little in the seat while you are driving.

Mac

Thanks Mac, I might look into some nice and firm Laramie seats.

 

[Tim]

Why is it that me and others disliking the design of the seats strike such a nerve with some of you guys. This thread was started by someone who was less than pleased with his seats and since I'm less than happy myself I replied.



However, people making comments along the lines of "it should be uncomfortable it's a heavy duty truck" or "From the the looks of your sig bla. . bla. . bla. . " are not really constructive.

It doesn't strike a nerve. If you don't like the seats, swap them out. All these guys are whining about the seats and that they're going to sell their truck, etc. Seats are easily replaced. If you don't like them, yank them out and replace them with something that will support you better, that's the whole idea.



We don't like the stock exhaust, we cut it off. We want more than an oil pressure and water temp gauge, so we add gauges. We don't like the stock tires so we put bigger ones on. Why wouldn't we swap the seats if we didn't like them?



That said, I don't like EVERYTHING about any of the big 3's trucks. I bought the one that had the things that I wanted that I didn't want to swap, and I'll swap the rest to fit my needs. It's a simple process.

 

[WStoops]

Another thing to consider when some say their seats are comfortable is the differences in anatomy. I think it is fair to say that somewill find the seats just right, others will be in agony. I did not feel the hard areas on the sides of the SLT seats in my 03 were a factory as my rear is narrow and I sat pretty much between the metal supports. On the Laramie 04. 5, same thing. The narrow rear is pretty much centered on the cushy part of the seat. I do agree that the bottoms are too short as I am 6'2" and don't get enough of my leg on the seat. If you can sit on your butt and the back of your leg the load, so to speak, is spread out over more area. I guess I'm saying that there are a few issues that are more aggravating than the seats. , Thin metal behind the door hinges, vibrations, lousy headlights, poor instrumentation, defective door seals and maybe a few other things I don't know about. Still, I like the truck better than the other 2 which I have just road tested in the last week. Each has it's proponents depending on what is important to you. Personally, the mighty Cummins is a HUGE factor in what I like.

 

[Tim]

Personally, the mighty Cummins is a HUGE factor in what I like.

Exactly. I really didn't want a Dodge. I bought a Cummins and it came with a free Dodge.

 

[tschwab]

Another thing to consider when some say their seats are comfortable is the differences in anatomy. I think it is fair to say that somewill find the seats just right, others will be in agony. I did not feel the hard areas on the sides of the SLT seats in my 03 were a factory as my rear is narrow and I sat pretty much between the metal supports. On the Laramie 04. 5, same thing. The narrow rear is pretty much centered on the cushy part of the seat. I do agree that the bottoms are too short as I am 6'2" and don't get enough of my leg on the seat. If you can sit on your butt and the back of your leg the load, so to speak, is spread out over more area. I guess I'm saying that there are a few issues that are more aggravating than the seats. , Thin metal behind the door hinges, vibrations, lousy headlights, poor instrumentation, defective door seals and maybe a few other things I don't know about. Still, I like the truck better than the other 2 which I have just road tested in the last week. Each has it's proponents depending on what is important to you. Personally, the mighty Cummins is a HUGE factor in what I like.

I'm confused? I have no complaints about "poor instrumentation?", thin metal? Vibrations (none on mine) Lousy headlights? Mine are fine, door seals are fine and so far, the leather heated seats are awesome on my anatomy. My ONLY complaint is the poor sound from the "premium Infinity sound system"

 

[Chris Thom]

Those that do not have a problem with the seat will never understand the full extent of pain and the possible nerve damage that these seats can cause. I have suffered a great deal and currently sit on 3-4 inches of bathroom towel to raise me off of the bars (it kind of works). I have talked with a doctor and chiropractor about the problems arising from having the bars push directly on the ciadic (spelling should be close enough) nerve. The nerve is not protected and long term damage could occur from the large amount of prossure being placed on it, damaged nerves heal slowly at best. When I sit in the seat with out extra pad, I feal almost no support from the pad between the bars and all of the wieght that shoud be evenly distributed is placed right over the bars and it feals like I am riding on a set of rail road tracks. I am looking at my options for replacement seats and will make my decison soon. I have talked with several uphostery shops and have recieved mixed answers from adding pad should help to It would only help for a short period of time and then the padding will be broken down again. I have riden in some very poorly designed seats ( from trucks to tractors to motorcycles to sports cars), but theses are by far the worst ever. The seat were ok for about the first 2500 mile and never really bothered me much. At that point I took a 1015 mile trip one way in 16 hours only stopping for fuel and food for a hunt in Montana. After that trip I realised just how bad the seats were.

I also understand why some one would opt to trade rather that spend $1000 or more for a set of seats when trading for new could only be a small amount more, and not every one is a bomber or wants to customize, and alot of people are not brand loyal. I am not brand loyal and will buy from whoever I feel builds the best product. Right now I feel that dodge puts the lowest quality seats in there pick-ups and that could be why dodge is cheaper than ford or chevy.

 

[WStoops]

I'm confused? I have no complaints about "poor instrumentation?", thin metal? Vibrations (none on mine) Lousy headlights? Mine are fine, door seals are fine and so far, the leather heated seats are awesome on my anatomy. My ONLY complaint is the poor sound from the "premium Infinity sound system"



Well let's take it one thing at a time. poor instrumentation: Oil pressure gauge does not show actual pressure. No EGT even though a stock engine CAN exceed 1350 degrees pre-turbo, a number that is generally accepted as being the maximum.

Thin sheet metal: open your drivers door to the stop, GENTLY, and watch the door frame in the hinge area flex like it is made of rubber.

Poor headlights: So many posts on this one. Have you heard of "Brite Box"? There is a whole new industry started to deal with this one. I changed the headlamps to Sylvania Silverstars and added a pair of H3 Halogen driving lights. We don't have street lights where I live.

Leather seats: I agree with you on this one. I like mine as well and the heat is nothing short of awesome in the winter. After 3 back surgeries and 20 pieces of titanium in my lower back, I find these seats to be the most comfortable on MY back. I admit, though, that some with different anatomy may have a different view. . My backside is narrow but my legs are long and I could use a longer seat bottom. I don't see how any manufacturer could make a seat that would be great for everyone. That is why road tests are wise and there is no machine to put your head into that will cut your hair.

Infinity Sound: I have that as well as the RB4 GPS. I would agree that for the money the sound system should be better. Even though the GPS lacks the moving map, I have found it to be dead on accurate.

Door seals: actually mine are good too as they were on my 03. No sign of any problem but my best friend had his replaced before 3,000 miles and at 4500 miles they were torn again. But then someone stole his truck while he was at school in Montreal and he did not get another. Multiple posts here about door seals too, as well as vibrations, launch shudders, front end pulls. There are some complaints about the Cummins too but mine is great, good mileage, quiet, smooth. I acknowledge that some may have a different experience.

 

[phicks]

I started this thread with hope there would be an easy repair. My 1998 CTD seats broke down and I repaired them from a members great article in the TDR. After the fix they were the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in. I will disassemble my 04. 5 drivers seat this week end and see if I can do the same repair. Face it members, the 04 and 05 seats have been shortened up, the seats hit the back of your leg about 6" up from your knee, causing nerve pain.

Today,I went over to Elk Grove Ford and sat in the 05, one thing about it, they are comfortable, and extend all the way to your knee. Don't get me wrong, I love the CTD and have owned them for many years, unfortunatley Dodge got really cheap in the seat department.

It seems there are more of us that sit in these things for hours on end and experience the pain.

I will keep the members informed after I remove the cushion and try to do the 98 fix.

 

[WStoops]

I had an Explorer that had some kind of adjustable bolster on the front of the seat bottom that worked pretty well. As I recall you could grab the front of it and pull it in or out to make the seat bottom longer or shorter. Good luck with your experiment.

 

[opiefire]

It doesn't strike a nerve. If you don't like the seats, swap them out. All these guys are whining about the seats and that they're going to sell their truck, etc. Seats are easily replaced. If you don't like them, yank them out and replace them with something that will support you better, that's the whole idea.



We don't like the stock exhaust, we cut it off. We want more than an oil pressure and water temp gauge, so we add gauges. We don't like the stock tires so we put bigger ones on. Why wouldn't we swap the seats if we didn't like them?



That said, I don't like EVERYTHING about any of the big 3's trucks. I bought the one that had the things that I wanted that I didn't want to swap, and I'll swap the rest to fit my needs. It's a simple process.

Hey Tim,

The TDR membership is easily replaced. If you don't like the threads, yank your membership and replace it with something that will support you better, thats just the whole idea.



We don't like Ford, Chevy, so we cut them off. If you don't like the content in this thread then read something else. Just like Rosco said "This thread was started by someone who was less pleased with his seats". Go start a thread about "guys who hate their seats, and why it bothers me" and maybe you'll be satisfied. It's a simple process.

 

[Tim]

Hey Tim,

The TDR membership is easily replaced. If you don't like the threads, yank your membership and replace it with something that will support you better, thats just the whole idea.



We don't like Ford, Chevy, so we cut them off. If you don't like the content in this thread then read something else. Just like Rosco said "This thread was started by someone who was less pleased with his seats". Go start a thread about "guys who hate their seats, and why it bothers me" and maybe you'll be satisfied. It's a simple process.

I offered a solution to the problem. Whining fixes nothing.

 

[tschwab]

I'm confused? I have no complaints about "poor instrumentation?", thin metal? Vibrations (none on mine) Lousy headlights? Mine are fine, door seals are fine and so far, the leather heated seats are awesome on my anatomy. My ONLY complaint is the poor sound from the "premium Infinity sound system"



Well let's take it one thing at a time. poor instrumentation: Oil pressure gauge does not show actual pressure. No EGT even though a stock engine CAN exceed 1350 degrees pre-turbo, a number that is generally accepted as being the maximum.

Thin sheet metal: open your drivers door to the stop, GENTLY, and watch the door frame in the hinge area flex like it is made of rubber.

Poor headlights: So many posts on this one. Have you heard of "Brite Box"? There is a whole new industry started to deal with this one. I changed the headlamps to Sylvania Silverstars and added a pair of H3 Halogen driving lights. We don't have street lights where I live.

Leather seats: I agree with you on this one. I like mine as well and the heat is nothing short of awesome in the winter. After 3 back surgeries and 20 pieces of titanium in my lower back, I find these seats to be the most comfortable on MY back. I admit, though, that some with different anatomy may have a different view. . My backside is narrow but my legs are long and I could use a longer seat bottom. I don't see how any manufacturer could make a seat that would be great for everyone. That is why road tests are wise and there is no machine to put your head into that will cut your hair.

Infinity Sound: I have that as well as the RB4 GPS. I would agree that for the money the sound system should be better. Even though the GPS lacks the moving map, I have found it to be dead on accurate.

Door seals: actually mine are good too as they were on my 03. No sign of any problem but my best friend had his replaced before 3,000 miles and at 4500 miles they were torn again. But then someone stole his truck while he was at school in Montreal and he did not get another. Multiple posts here about door seals too, as well as vibrations, launch shudders, front end pulls. There are some complaints about the Cummins too but mine is great, good mileage, quiet, smooth. I acknowledge that some may have a different experience.

I guess I look at it as the glass half full, instead of half empty. I don't have any vibration, launch shudder, no front end pull and I have good door seals. As far as the thin metal around the door hinges, this is the first I have heard about them, I personally see no problem with them atleast on my '05. The headlights are plenty bright for me (stock) and YES, I have heard of the Brite Box and Sylvania Silverstars, I don't need them. I knew before I bought the truck that the oil pressure and temperature gauges were "virtual" gauges and I also knew the truck did not come with an EGT gauge from the factory.



I knew this truck would not handle or be as comfortable as a Lexus, but it does what I bought it to do, it is plenty comfortable for me, handles awesome for a 1 Ton truck and I think the fit & finish is very good. I hear alot of guys complaininig... ... did you not test drive and thoroughly check out your truck before you plunked down your hard earned cash? I did, and my experience so far with this truck has been a great one. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Everyone seems to want to bash DC, my experience has been very positive and I think DC derserve's some credit for improving a great product.

 

[Mike Ellis]

Something to consider folks - if your seats are hurting you on long drives, you need to get them fixed or you risk DAMAGING yourself. If you are still a rough-and-ready 20 year old, you can probably endure a lot without much risk, but as you age every year you put under the belt increases your risk of blood clots from sitting for long periods with cramped conditions or with pressure against your nerves/blood vessels.



Do yourself a favor, get out of the truck every couple of hours and take a walk around, even if you have the most comfortable seats in the world. It'll cost you a little bit of time but it sure beats having crippling complications down the road. A blood clot in your leg can even KILL you or cause a stroke, nothing to sneeze at.



My Dad's 2001 F-250 had captain's chairs in it, they were easily the most uncomfortable seats I ever experienced. After a long drive, it felt like somebody had beaten the backs of my thighs with an axe handle - and the ache didn't go away quickly either. I think it was actually messing with the joints in my hips, it would hurt for a couple of days after a trip to Houston and that's only 4. 5 hours. If my Ram's seats hurt me like that, I'd have it at the upholsterer in a heartbeat getting some extra foam or something.



It's pretty sad when a modern truck has $1000 seats that are less comfortable than the bench seats in the old 60s-70s trucks.

 

[opiefire]

I offered a solution to the problem. Whining fixes nothing.

Dido. I offered a solution to your problem. Whining doesn't fix anything.

 

[WStoops]

... ... did you not test drive and thoroughly check out your truck before you plunked down your hard earned cash? I did, and my experience so far with this truck has been a great one. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Everyone seems to want to bash DC, my experience has been very positive and I think DC derserve's some credit for improving a great product



I hadn't really considered fit and finish or even thought about it until your post. Excellent point. I just drove the other 2 this week as mine is in Lemon Law and I have been trying to decide what to do if I am successful. I definitely won't be doing one of the other 2. DC's fit and finish on the Ram is superb and I really think that in a line-up the Ram is far and away, not only the prettiest, but the only really attractive truck. I did road test my truck but as the dealership was not near a highway, and as I had an 03, I just did a comparison road test around town. I had actually been to this site before making the purchase but somehow missed the posts about the vibration. If I did not have that or if DC could fix that, I would be in the column with the rest of the guys who just love the truck. It may very well be that this is largely the dealers fault who has really made no effort to get it fixed. They had gone to the wall, replacing virtually everything in the front end on another truck, unsuccessfully, and were unwilling to go to that much trouble on mine. They just threw it back to DC who has done nothing. My current thinking is that I will get a hemi Durango which will fill my limited towing needs and will get a used, older pickup for my work. I have driven 2, 05 Rams, a 3500 and a 2500. The 3500 was fine, no vibes but pulled hard to the right. The 2500 vibrated even worse than mine. Might reconsider getting another Ram but it will be driven on the highway first. IMHO, you're right, DC does deserve a lot of credit for taking the pickup to a new level, gorgeous good looks and great utility. Still not understanding why they have not fixed a vibration problem that has existed, probably as a small percentage, for 2 full model years??????