is it possible to increase seat fan speed?

As we all know, the seat fans on the 5th gen 4Runner (and apparently other Toyota rides) SUCK.

Is there a way to increase the speed of the fans? I hear mixed messages about if they suck heat into the seat, or blow air out of the seat. . . if they suck air into the seat (ie pull heat from the body), is it possible to just reverse the polarity of the power wires to switch the direction of the fan so it blows air out?

Alternatively, I see various fans on McMaster-Carr that may fit . . . are there replacement fans that are more powerful? Ideally I'd like them to blow air out of the seat vs sucking air in.

 

When I test the air seem to blow out not suck in -
https://youtu.be/Qf9L-UHBhbw

 

Great! It feels like there is a very slight blowing action to me, but it's so slight that I'm hard pressed to tell if its air moving into the seat or out of it. This vid clarifies that. . .

Now I just need to see if it is possible to increase the fan speed, or just get a more powerful blower in there.
J

 

What is this seat fan? My poor old SR5P doesn't have any and I sure could use some!

 

On my Lexus it would help if I increased the fan speed of the regular A/C unit and directed the air towards the feet and the face (rather than just the face)

 

Yeah, I do that. I even rigged the floor vent with a 90 degree pvc pipe to aim the air directly into the fan intake. That helps a little bit, but not nearly enough (plus this doens't help that back fan).

Really need a stronger fan. Either by speeding up the current fans, or by replacing them.

 

So many threads about ventilated seats. When did this become a thing? My ass has never needed a vent.... Or maybe it does?.....

 

I think it depends on the location. Here in CO I don't need it. Plenty of trees for me to park on the trails I take on a hot day. Even on a 100F day just park under a tree and when its time to go I just open the rear glass drive a bit and all that hot air is out of the vehicle. The air con is doing the job and never needed to cool my A**

 

In South Fl this is a deal breaker. Too dang flipping hot. And getting worse with climate change. The reason for me to go with a limited. Wish i had an option with less body chrome and more ext paint choices but im very happy with the magnetic grey. Having said that, the fan motor could have been a bit more powerful.

 

A good quality ceramic tint can really help reduce the cabin temp and make every fan feel like they’re working better. Just make sure to tint all of the windows, including windshield and moonroof. Look for a high TSER and IRR rating.

 

I second getting ceramic tint. I regret not going that route from the start.

 

Same here in Houston. In fact, I almost regret getting Wet Okoles for that reason. I don't need them that often, but they're hot as hell during the summer.

 

The average high temps in July/Aug in Miami have been the same since the 1950s. Yes it’s toasty, but climate change is not why you need a limited

 

If you use a USB drive to install STUXNET in the OS it will really get those fans spinning. Try it out and report back.

 

Oh I've got the tint, UV coating on the windshield, etc. I drive long distances sometimes and having something that can get thru my blue jeans would be helpful. As it stands now, the back blower is so soft that if you lean back on the seat, it blocks off the air flow, so you feel nothing. Same with the seat, though it seems that the air only comes out of the front half of the seat anyway.

 

I'm not sure if you're serious or not, but if so, how would I do that and would it void warranty due to altering code?

 

Does anybody know the specs of the seat fan and the back fan? If I can get a fan that has more power, it may help. The question is would I need to change the fuse associated with the fans?

 

HA! I just googled STUXNET and figured out it must be a joke! BUT might there be a way to hack in and increase fan speed/power?

 

I never realized how nice it is until I drove a mustang that had it, and the seat fans blew so hard that I had to turn em down. Living in Central Texas with heat in the triple digits most of the summer, those fans are VERY nice. I drive our land in the NC from Oct-Dec, so even though it's cooler, the fans do help when I'm sitting in that seat for hours on end.

 

I settled on white after my favorite color, classic silver metallic, was nowhere to be found in my market. Yesterday, even in a white vehicle, my ORP Softex seats were annoyingly hot. My solution is that I am looking for a seating area only faux sheepskin cover.

I said often, before buying the car, I didn't mind cloth seats. They last forever and they are cooler...

 

I ain't got no AC seats, just "heat seaters" as I like to call em

I will say tho, the Runner dash vents are weak AF imo

 

What I have done is close the back seat vent to increase overall pressure for the fronts. Of course, most of the time I'm driving alone and that's not a problem.

 

Smart man!!

 

soo I'm guessing no one has rigged in stronger fans yet?

 

OK, don’t know how I didn’t break the code earlier but yesterday I realized that by increasing the fan speed for the entire a/c system, (i.e. the main fan speed control), the seat fan speed ALSO increases. In fact, at max fan speed on the main a/c fan speed rocker switch, the seat fan blows like a mofo.

 

I wonder if the fan/controller in seat can be modified so that it thinks the main a/c is on full.

 

Oh i am sure it does with that outgassing you do.....poor seat