Small Wife vs Modern Car Seats

[Harv]

When all else fails, ask the TBN brain trust.

Need a new car for the wife, which of course means a good kid hauler among other things, so it ain't gonna be no sub-compact. We've been shopping for a couple of weeks and we keep running into the same problem, namely, the driver's seats are not designed for the, uh... vertically challenged.

My li'l gal is 5 feet, zero inches tall (100 lbs on a strong gravity day), so her legs don't always reach the ground, if you know what I mean. In the past it hasn't been all that much trouble finding cars where she can reach the pedals, but it seems like today's high-tech, "infinitely" adjustable, ergonomic seats have evolved into just the wrong shape for her.

On most of the vehicles we tried, she can just reach the pedals, but to push down on them requires that she force her upper leg down into the seat cushion. After just 10 or 15 minutes (conicidentally the duration of a test drive), she is experiencing muscle fatigue and pain in her hips. And of course she thinks driving is not supposed to be a painful experience. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

Naturally, the vehicles that have all the features we are looking for have the most uncomfortable seats for her. The one or two where the driver's seat is okay are the ones I dislike the most. Sorry, Wifey -- if we're gonna spend the bucks (which we really don't have), it has to at least have adequate horsepower and it dang well better have more cargo space than what we're driving now. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

So a couple of days ago, I took a crude sketch (see attachment) of the driver's seat from our first choice vehicle and went to talk to an auto upholsterer. The sketch shows my rendition of the modification that would make it comfortable for my wife, and at the same time be okay for me. I talked to the shop owner for maybe 20 minutes and he showed me the "naked" seat cushions from some other vehicles to give me an idea of what was involved.

The foam is the easy part and he can tailor the covering (leather, of course /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif) to look like new, he sez. The problem is that all modern seat cushions have embedded support wires to hold the shape of the cushion over years of use. It's a tough, spring steel kinda wire about the guage of a hefty coat hanger. It forms a sparse framework that holds the foam in place while offering just the right amount of "give".

Without seeing the actual seat, he can't be sure just how much foam he can remove without getting too close to the wire. From what he tells me, if we leave the wire too close to the surface, it will eventually wear its way right through and then start on the leather seat covers.

It looks like these wire are embedded right in the foam, so right off the bat they're not easy to modify. This guy said he could probably cut and remove a section, but he wouldn't be able to weld it back into a new location 'cuz torches and foam rubber don't get along very well.

He's the only "professional" I've talked to so far, but I gotta admit, he seemed pretty competent (19 years in the business). Oh, and the rough estimate for the job was about $200, not bad over the total cost of a new vehicle.

So that's where we are today. Weary and frustrated, and the car we're driving now is developing transmission problems. Can't wait much longer.

As you can see from the attached sketch, there's only a couple of inches of squishy stuff between us and a new vehicle. It doesn't look like brain surgery to me, but the wife is a little frightened at the idea of spending about $35K and then seeing if we can make it work for us. Women.

Oh, and before I forget -- the dealers themselves have been absolutey no help whatsoever. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

Thoughts?

 

[Boondox]

Can you find the seat for your new vehicle in a junkyard and have THAT one modified so you know if it's possible before buying the car? If it works, just swap out the seat when you buy the car. If not, you're $200 poorer but much wiser...and not stuck with a vehicle that makes either of you uncomfortable. And trust me, if she is uncomfortable, you'll be uncomfortable! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Pete

 

[MikePA]

Harv, is there a way to adjust the seat or seat frame, perhaps in addition to or as an alternative to, modifying the padding, to lower the front edge?

What about an aftermarket seat that suits you both, e.g., Recaro, that could be modified and covered to match the OEM seats, while you use the vehicle?

 

[lblair]

This might be an option. Im a small Hubbie and the wife is the same Im 5'3". I have a F150 pickup. The same deal with the front of the seat. here is what i did. Take a piece of 2" metal tubing and bolt it to where the seat goes. then bolt the seat to it. useing all the same stock holes in the car. You have to loosen the front bolts to the seat to get it to lif alittle to camber the back of seat up to get the wedge in place. But it raises the back of the seat some and cambers the front down to take away the hump in the front. Its worked real well for me it 2 different trucks. if its got bucket seats well only do the drivers side. Its a cheap easey fix....and you can take it to out resell and its all stock then. It might sound goofy but it sure does work. It makes the world of difference for me.
Goodluck Larry

 

[roysallis]

There are some vehicles that have adjustable pedals. Can't remember which ones . If yhou haven't already checked them out this might be a good option. I you have the seat modified how will affect you or others that may drive the vehicle?

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Morning Harv,

I'm lucky. My wife and me can sit in the same seat without adjusting the mirrors, seats, etc. I've learned to adapt./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Since this vehicle seems to be the wife's let me add my voice to the adjustable pedals or maybe spacers on the pedals versus cutom seat.

If your choice is a full size American pick up off shoot then there's always the custom seat option. The dealers buy trucks from the customizers that have neat seats, trick paint, chrome wheels, and so on. The aftermarket customizer buys specially equiped models and then converts them to crow bait.

You might find a seat combination that will match close enough to the factory ones to offer the boss some relief. And the factory seat is worth substantial in the right market.

But I would seriously look at pedal spacers if I was you.

 

[RobS]

Hey Harv, rather than take the foam out of the seat where your sketch shows, how about taking it off the bottom at the front edge then pulling the covering in tighter and re-attach underneath. That way the embedded wires will maintain their same relationship with the covering and the foam up there. Hard to describe and my artistic skills are no-where near yours /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

If I were you, I would find a way to extend the pedals instead of modifying the seat. The seat is built the way it is for crash purposes. The angle reduces "submarining" under the seatbelt. I used to work for a company the made the metal parts for car seats, the car manufacturers really aren't happy if seat parts aren't exactly what the print calls for.

 

[mikim]

My wife has the same problem - we fixed it by finding a seat that will move far enough forward for her legs to reach, then putting a wedge shaped pillow under her to lift her butt so she can see over the wheel. When I drive her car, I just move the pillow. She also has pain in her hips ---- but she claims it's more from me than from driving. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
mike

 

[lblair]

This may sound selfish, but i didnt buy my truck for others to drive and they DON'T. The amount i modified my seat to i cant see it doing anything in a crash really. When it comes to a crash its all luck in who gets hurt really. Im the type that a bigger truck or car prevails in a crash. Kinda like football. The heavy weight most of the time lands on top. Larry