Does anyone else find the front seats uncomfortable?

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Virginia Donkey

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I have an 02 V6 premium that I bought last year with 23K miles on it. I am now up to 31K and I took it on a 5 hour work trip last week....its first trip of more than an hour. The ride was nice and smooth, but my god......did my ass hurt and my right leg throb after 2.5 hours.

No matter how much I adjusted the seat, it just was not comfortable. Anyone else find the seat to be uncomfortable?
 
Can't say that I do. Maybe you can switch the seat bottom from the passenger side, where I'm sure its seen much less butt contact.
 
I know this subject has been covered before. I think the seats are quite the contrary...very comfy. The only other car I have every owned with very comfortable seats was my '89 Grand Prix SE.
If you believe the seats in the LS are not comfortable, you should sit in my GF's Santa Fe. I think sitting on a wooden stool is more comfortable than that. LOL
 
As for the original question, mine seem comfortable enough (could always be better). I have taken several too long trips. However, both of mine are gen II, and the gen II seats are a little different.
 
I've been on road trips in which you drive all day---700 + miles---get some sleep and go on the second day. And no problems.

I see no breakdown of the seats and I have somewhere approaching 170K miles on my '02 Sport. No matter how 'cushy' the seats might be, if you are in an unusual position by sitting, it seems as if that might be your problem.

KS
 
The seat isn't broken down, this car only has 31K on it. Funny thing (OK, it's not so funny) is I have a Mazda 3 that I can drive 10+ hours in and I feel fine at the end of the trip...and that car has 120K on it.
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WP_20150921_003.jpg
 
Like the others I found the Gen1 seats to be extremely comfortable; even more comfortable then the Gen2 seats. I remember spending the night in a motel with such an uncomfortable mattress I couldn't wait to get back in the LS; my back was killing me!!! After about a half hour in the driver's my back felt much better. We routinely drive 700+ miles/12 hours per day on vacation.

With the virtually unlimited adjustments on the seats you should find a comfortable position after a little experimentation.... Having the seat bottom and back on separate controls helps. Something I wish my BMW had; but I'm slowly but surely finding the "perfect" set-up.
 
When my back is out of alignment,ANY seat will feel irritating after an hour or less.If your lower vertebrae are misaligned [I'm not a chiropractor but I appreciate them immensely) it can ruin your trip. don-ohio :)^)
 
Yeah I can't speak for op but my seats are THE most comfortable I've ever experienced in a car ever.
 
I like the seats in mine. (2nd gen) Sure, they are firm, but they don't cause my ass to hurt my any means. taken the car on a few long drives and never had ass fatigue. The firmness works well for me, as my lower back sometimes gets really pained if I don't have good support.
 
Oddly, I was thinking today that my seats were not as comfortable as I remember. I have driven my LS across country and up and down the east coast several times. And, I always thought that the seats were very comfortable. I don't know what was different today. But I must say, my Explorer Sport seats are more comfortable on long trips.
 
I'm with you on the seats, Donkey. I drive from Tulsa OK to Fort Smith AR on a regular basis, and prefer to take my truck because the LS seats hurt my butt and back more than the truck seats do (former owner of the truck HAD to weigh 350+lbs from the difference in the driver vs passenger, and the truck has about 300K miles on it to boot; LS seats are newer and the car only has 140K miles). I have to constantly adjust them. When my wife goes along I have to take the car, and due to an auto accident that left her with a fused back she has to lay in the back seat for the drive down and back. Last year I rented a 2013 Charger to visit my son in Denver, and that car had excellent seats. My wife was able to ride sitting up in the front seat for the entire trip, and that car was a base V6 car and not one of the high dollar ones with the premium seats.

On the LS seats, I think the problem with them is the leather is not a very high quality product. It's too stiff. They would be much more comfortable with a softer leather, and perhaps a decent memory foam pad under the leather. I don't know if there is an aftermarket seat kit available but any decent upholstery shop should be able to knock up a seat of seat covers and add the memory foam for a reasonable cost. While they are in there you can have them work on the ducting for the heated/cooled seat function if you have them as they are known to suffer crush damage.
 
FYI - there was a TSB for the lower seat foam on the early 2000 model year. You were supposed to replace it with a more comfortable version of the foam pad.
 
I cant really complain about how mine feel, I quite often I drive from Detroit to either Knoxville Tn or Huntsville AL. the only problem (and tends to be with ANY car I drive) is that if its over an hour long, I cant sit with my wallet in my back pocket... take that out and I'm good for hours. sure my back gets a little sore after sitting and riding for 8 hours, but I have yet to drive a car that didn't make me feel that way... the benefit with the LS is, after every few hours, I'll turn the heated seat on high for a few mins and it relaxes every thing again and I dont need to get out and stretch.
 
I find the seats very comfortable. But my parents had a 2000 base LS and my mother would complain about the seats. She said they cut into the back of her legs on long trips. She is not a large woman so it was not a weight issue. That is the only complaint I have heard about the seats.
 
I took some measurements on the seat bottom, and I think I may have found something.....

the flat part of the LS seat is 12" wide the entire length of the seat, while my Fiesta (which is also very comfortable...but I haven't taken it on a long trip yet)is narrower at the rear and spreads out to 13" at the end. The Mazda3 is similar but is at 12.5" at the end
seat.jpgseat2.jpg

Looks like it's time to vacuum out the Fiesta! LOL

seat.jpg


seat2.jpg
 
Of course then there's the other thing to consider on why some like them and others don't... not every seat fits every butt. Seats are really a "you" thing on whether or not it's comfortable. I've given my take on the LS seat, someone else here might love them.
 
I also find the seats very uncomfortable, especially on long drives. Part of the problem may be that I'm 6'3" and always feel like I have to fold myself into the car. Even with the seat bottom as low as it goes and the tilt wheel as high as it goes, the top of the steering wheel still obstructs the top of the speedometer. And I have the seat moved back as far as it will go but I still feel like the pedals are too close and I have to sit with my knees in something of a butterfly position.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe my seat track is messed up or something because from the beginning I've felt that the driver's area in this car is significantly more cramped than my '92 Cavalier, which is a smaller car.
 
i wish mine <gen2> had the adjustable pedals.. i think that would help with stretching legs/minor switching of positions etc.
my seat bottom is trashed, but in general i would say its about as comfy as possible... pretty sure you could just throw some extra seat cover/foam on there if you needed more...
 
The seats aren't too bad. My trick to (long distance and any other) driving is to have the seat all the way down and all the way back. Seat back is upright. If the back of the seat is laid down my back starts hurting after a few minutes. My rear end is all the way back as well. Steering wheel as far toward the driver as possible. Lumbar support is adjusted as well. I use cruise control as much as possible. In light traffic I place my feet on the floor behind the pedals and alternate with my knees held high next to the steering wheel. The only thing I would like is to have more side bolster support. Also, having a wallet in the back pocket while driving for any length time is a major no-no.

Good luck.
 
I own a 02 Gen I and a 06 Gen II. IMO the Gen I seat is much better. Its softer leather, its much lower, and in the Gen I, I sit down in the Seat and its very comfortable. I've take many long trips in both.

The Gen II seat is higher, harder leather. Much stiffer based on harder leather and newer. In the Gen II I feel like I'm sitting on top of the seat, riding it, as opposed to sitting down in the Gen I seat.

I also notice that I need to slide to the right a little sometimes, because I find myself sitting left on the left side bolsters of the seats sometimes. For reference I am 6'1 about 190 on the tall slim side.
 
theophile said:
I also find the seats very uncomfortable, especially on long drives. Part of the problem may be that I'm 6'3" and always feel like I have to fold myself into the car. Even with the seat bottom as low as it goes and the tilt wheel as high as it goes, the top of the steering wheel still obstructs the top of the speedometer. And I have the seat moved back as far as it will go but I still feel like the pedals are too close and I have to sit with my knees in something of a butterfly position.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe my seat track is messed up or something because from the beginning I've felt that the driver's area in this car is significantly more cramped than my '92 Cavalier, which is a smaller car.
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You might have an issue with yours, like maybe something jammed in the track. I'm 6 foot 4 and fit well into the car. I do have to cram my knees into the ignition for anyone to ride behind me, but when not there's plenty of room. My head does sit even with the pillar the seat belt is attached to when it's where I normally keep it. Don't know what year yours is, mine's a 2003.
 
jgscott said:
I own a 02 Gen I and a 06 Gen II. IMO the Gen I seat is much better. Its softer leather, its much lower, and in the Gen I, I sit down in the Seat and its very comfortable. I've take many long trips in both.

The Gen II seat is higher, harder leather. Much stiffer based on harder leather and newer. In the Gen II I feel like I'm sitting on top of the seat, riding it, as opposed to sitting down in the Gen I seat.

I also notice that I need to slide to the right a little sometimes, because I find myself sitting left on the left side bolsters of the seats sometimes. For reference I am 6'1 about 190 on the tall slim side.
Click to expand...

It's not the leather. In fact, the leather in the Gen2 is softer. The issue is all the plumbing for the heat/cool seats; it causes the foam to be thinner.
 
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