Has anyone made these seats more comfortable for long duration trips?

[Doublestack00]

I love the seats, drove 9 hours in them and they were great.

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[MadMage]

If you're talking about the support pillows, they do help a bit, but I've found that if the road is rough enough (which in PA is almost a certainty), the vibrations from the bumps seem to induce fatigue faster even with the pillow. Maybe a neck support pillow would help, or a combo of both.

Total WAG here, but based upon head/neck support, what about one of the airplane neck support/pillows?

Totally just brainstorming here. Might be totally off-track. But thought I would through it out there. I've had back issues int eh past, and hate to hear about someone else who does, esp in their Type R!

 

[James3spearchucker]

If you're talking about the support pillows, they do help a bit, but I've found that if the road is rough enough (which in PA is almost a certainty), the vibrations from the bumps seem to induce fatigue faster even with the pillow. Maybe a neck support pillow would help, or a combo of both.

Well I had the base cloth seats in HB Sport and I paid 900 dollars for the Type R seats just to try and reduce my back pain. If the overall geometry of a seat is way off, you are not going to solve it easily with small changes. That said the Type R seats are much better for me. I had already inserted some cloth inside the base seats in front if the springs but behind the factory foam. It did not help enough and I could only take an hour of driving before having to stop and get out. Now with the R seats I can drive for like 3-4 hours. They just offer much superior, smooth lumbar support. Whenever you add a pillow for lumbar usually it is not smooth enough or the hip angle is not right. But I still have neck problems. I want to get a pillow made out or red leather and it will probably cost me 50 dollars if that much after materials. I want to sew into it something to attach it to seat so it doesn't move. I may try a neck pillow from Ebay to start the experimenting.

Based on what the OP shared I think first he needs to let out steam with a good outdoor exercise. I was also driving around to let out steam but I added miles to odometer and did not achieve much. I recommend tennis even with a wall, and cycling which is really good for relaxing and stretching out my back. I was afraid of cycling hurting me but it almost always helps at least a little.

Also, I would say the Civic is a sub-optimal vehicle for us people. If he were shorter in stature the model with electric adjustable seats might do well but ultimately the car needs to be designed with a taller driver in mind. The Cruze seats go much further back. The Golf and Volvo hatches are designed with taller 6+ drivers in mind. BMW is another good brand for seats for tall persons and some have lumbar adjustments and extending leg supports. Just about any SUV or truck will pick up the seat bottom off the ground and that naturally means the back rest is more upright. So in short, test drive different vehicles if some exercise and a neck pillow don't help out on the R.

 

[BriteBlue]

I find a lot of vehicle seats uncomfortable. One of the problems is lack of thigh support, which I sometimes see mentioned in a magazine. Makes me feel like I'm sitting on the edge of a picnic table bench & causes leg pain. I think it also throws off the angle of the lower back which causes problems.

Compared to my old Toyota, the Civic seats seem small, as do a lot of other cars. When car shopping most seats are not comfortable. But if sit in large car or a truck it usually feels pretty good. I'm not sure if manufacturers are making seats smaller to save a few bucks or the small seats make the vehicle's interior look roomier.

I find power seats helpful because the angle of the seat cushion can be adjusted to help provide some thigh support which in turn seems to help my back. And of course they need adjustable lumbar support. I don't know why manufacturers don't offer fully adjustable power seats as an option in all their vehicles. Why not be comfortable no matter what you drive.

 

[Aero]

I don't know if it will work for you, but at the begining I had also some issues with the lumbar support of the seats. All the universal pillows seemed too thick and aesthetically horrendous so after some research I ended getting a Bride lumbar pad in red, it is not too thick, it fits the Type-R red trim quite well, the width is perfect for stock seats, and they are cheap.

Good thing is that you can play with it up and down to see if they are suitable for your needs, and with some imagination you can make them permanent adding two black meshed straps going up and down the seat and some velcro sewn to it (the pad has velcro too).

On the other hand, don't you have problems with the S2k seats? I found after moving to the CTR that S2k seats were perfect for me even for long trips.

 

[ez12a]

i see adjustments for forward, back up and down but what about seat back tilt? I find a lot of people actually drive "leaned back" more than i personally drive, and tilting it upright reduces my need to lean forward, improves my posture, and brings things into reach. It's an easy way to get closer to the wheel while maintaining whatever distance from the pedal.

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