A new seat might make your old truck feel good as new.

Your seat, more so than any other part of the truck, dictates how comfortable the ride will be – and just how tired you’ll get while driving. Replacing a truck seat is a do-it-yourself job, if you’ve worked on your truck before and can use standard hand tools. But first it’s important to know your options.

The choice
The chief reason to upgrade your seat is to improve comfort, and seat manufacturers have come up with numerous innovative ways to maximize just that. But how do you decide which features you want and which ones you need? First, look at the seat you have. What do you like about it, and what would like to change?

“A lot of people like the seat that’s in the truck already,” says National Seating’s Michael Brunetti, director of business development for aftermarket and specialty products. “Look at the make and model of what’s there. If you find something you like, it makes sense to keep the basic design. You may want to replace the original seat with something similar, but upgrade the features.”

Be aware of why you’re replacing the seat and try to avoid its problems in the future. Brian Sabo, sales manager at Recaro North America, casts this point as a question: “Are you replacing your seat because you don’t like it, or because it’s worn out or broken?” Set the price you can pay and choose the seat within that range that has the features that are most important to you, keeping in mind, Sabo says, that more features don’t necessarily translate to more comfort.

If bells and whistles are your cup of tea and you’re willing to pay top dollar for top comfort, you might consider a higher-end seat with bonus features like electric seat heating, a cushion extender for shorter-legged drivers or an adjustable shock absorber, which can be helpful if you run off road.