940 - Front seat upgrade?

[Mertz]

Hi all,

Looking to change out my 940s front seats for something a little more sporty but without going to a full bucket seat.

Yes, factory seats aren't bad but my drivers seat base has collapsed. I have the parts to repair but before I do, I'm thinking something like E46 Half leather seats for example, could be a nice upgrade?

I'm happy to fabricate seat rails etc... just wondering if anyone else has changed the front seats and has any comments on fitment/comfort/availability/price etc...

If it makes any difference I'm comfortably north of 6ft, will only entertain manual seats and heated is a nice bonus to retain.

[360beast]

The first thing you'll have to find out is does your car have SIPS? If so then you will have air bags in the front seats, unplugging them will throw a SRS fault code and the only way to turn the SRS light off is with a genuine Volvo diagnostics tool which virtually nobody has so you'll be up poop creek without a paddle until you found someone who has the old school diagnostic kit.

[GingerMagic]

We got around this Airbag light issue on the 406s by fitting a resistor ( 2.2amp I think.. ) in the connector which then fools the system.
I can't say whether this works for a Volvo, and obviously there are insurance/safety risks ets ets...

[Mertz]

Not fussed about SIPS or SRS, easy enough to fool with some electronics.

[lynns hubby]

Try telling that to your insurance company if ever you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident and want a pay out for your write off.

[TonyS9]

Sips airbags are rare imo. My 95 has SIPS but no seat airbags.

Anyway I'd repair the seats, in my experience it's hard to get a compromise between sports and comfort.

[DAN AT ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi.
If you have any issues with insurance at all for a change of of seats then please feel free to drop me a line.
Regards,
Dan.

[Mertz]

Originally Posted by lynns hubby

Try telling that to your insurance company if ever you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident and want a pay out for your write off.

All mods declared, thanks. Have done it in the past to other cars. Non issue.

Luckily I have no airbags in the seats in my 940.

Originally Posted by TonyS9

Sips airbags are rare imo. My 95 has SIPS but no seat airbags.

Anyway I'd repair the seats, in my experience it's hard to get a compromise between sports and comfort.

Not seen many with it either come to think of it.

I've repaired the drivers seat now. Moved across the foam, springs, mesh base etc... to my drivers from a spare passenger seat. Still on the search for something else.

[360beast]

A common 240 seat upgrade is Alfa Romeo seats, I think 156 maybe? Might be worth seeing if they will work in a 940.

[Forrest]

I thought Volvo called the way they reinforced the car to displace energy in a side impact SIPS. I didn’t think it necessarily involved airbags.

The airbag in the seat, if fitted, is mechanically actuated and doesn’t have an electrical connection to the SRS controller. The seatbelt tensioners are, however, electrically operated.

There’s a lot of wiring for the SRS under one of the seats so if fitting a different seat you’d need to be careful not to damage any of it.