Thread: Stratos seats help required

Can someone here help this gentleman with advice on the Stratos seats thank you. He originally posted this post in General Chat but we thought you guys in the Defender section would know more about them than anywhere else on the forum so his post was moved here.

I've seen the Stratos seats used in a Perentie, not driven it personally. They looked good. But I wonder how thick the seat base is and whether your head will now bump off the roofline in a standard Defender.

Would it be easier to work on the vehicle itself? For a couple of grand you could fit air suspension which might result in at least equivalent vibration reduction. Perhaps a set of 285/75 tyres would also reduce road impact and quieten the ride down.

Might also be worth visiting a different physio or other type of doctor for a second opinion. Just in case the physio is wrong.

Hi Nitram

Poor quality build, something you would expect from China (probably is). The seat squab is 2-3" too high at the front, would be OK in a sports car where you can lay the seat back and the pedals are level with your backside. I had to reverse the tapered mounting brackets to try to lower the front, also added 1" spacers under the rear. I need to send it to an upholsterer to take 2" out of the front of the squab and then it will probably be too thin for comfort.

It would be too high for anyone over 6' and you won't fit anyone over 10 years old in the back of a 110. If you were to make your own bracket to get the base positioned correctly and you were under 5'10' it might be OK.

I spent the money so I am using it. If I was closer to Stratos I would return the seat and get it fixed, but for me freight would be over $500.00 return.

Would I recommend one....................No.

If they fix the quality problems and could reduce the mount base to squab height at the front, it would be OK.

I tested one in a small cab over truck before buying one for the Defender and it made a significant difference to driver comfort. In my opinion, it just can't be made to work 100% in a Defender, unless you are willing to spend more money.

If I can work out how to upload a video, I might be able to show how much movement/sloppiness there is in the base and suspension system.

It does work, but as you may gather I am not overly impressed with the quality.

Rick

Don't scheelmann do one? Pretty jc had a pair at one stage.

I put an older Stratos with no suspension in a 95 110 and it was/ is a real squeeze. Is the seat squab the front part of the seat Rick? If so, yes that part is too thick and the seat does look more suited to a lay down sports car. I had to remove the cubby box and I'm seriously thinking about removing it cos I got it for the wife and it's on the passenger side over the battery box and I couldn't be bothered adjusting the width of the cubby box. Laying the seat down is a challenge cos it's so close to the B pillar and it does seriously restrict the rear seat leg room.

Originally Posted by Didge

I put an older Stratos with no suspension in a 95 110 and it was/ is a real squeeze. Is the seat squab the front part of the seat Rick? If so, yes that part is too thick and the seat does look more suited to a lay down sports car. I had to remove the cubby box and I'm seriously thinking about removing it cos I got it for the wife and it's on the passenger side over the battery box and I couldn't be bothered adjusting the width of the cubby box. Laying the seat down is a challenge cos it's so close to the B pillar and it does seriously restrict the rear seat leg room.

Yes Didge.........all of the above.

One photo shows the current angle of the seat squab and the other, shows the rear spacers and the reversed, redrilled tapered mounting bracket.The seat is currently 70mm higher at the back than if I bolted it straight in as supplied. If I were to raise the rear to level it any further, I would need a viewing pod mounted on the roof.

Hi bushrover thanks for the reply! how tall are you?Does it make a more comfortable ride?............and how much did they cost? I will try anything before getting rid of my truck! I was going to try this first : KDR Seating - Accessories - KAB 21 Module Suspension Unit
but i fear i might have to try the stratos seat unless any folk on here have any bright ideas.........

Did you look at scheelmann seats?