Uncomfortable in my new Yaris

[TheRealEnth]

i was feeling serious pain in my tailbone

Thats what she said! OH!

Lol j/k in all seriousness. I find that most people (about 87%, Yes exactly 87%) drive with their seat in the wrong position... Ive never been in a bad seat of a car. So whenever someone complains about the seat being uncomfortable, i blame the person.

My doctor agrees that it's the seat

Yes, the seat isnt made to be perfect with your body, but its how you position and sit in it. If you put it in an upright position and sit upright, your tailbone pains will vanish.

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by yaris-me

Can you be more specific? Is it the lumbar support or the angle of the seat? How can a standard seat be so uncomfortable?

that is the problem i had with the yaris seats. there is no lumbar support. (that and for anyone taller putting the seat back far enough makes the steering wheel a real stretch-hopefully to be fixed with a telescoping sw in next gen).

the only real solution i found was using a folded up towel or small cushion behind my lower back.

[firebob]

I have said this before but it’s where your putting your hands on the wheel that causes the problems.

Try putting the seats to a more up right position with your butt all the way in the back of the seat. At this point move the seat till you can work the peddles. At this point drop the wheel down all the way and grab the bottom of the wheel with your palms up. If you try driving like this for a few days you’ll find its best with the wheel down most of the way. Push and slid your hands around the wheel and should not need to move your hands above 3 and 9 unless you’re doing crazy maneuvers. I have driven like this on “the tooth” a few times now with no problems.

I’m 5 8” and 270 pounds. I love the way the car drives and feels.

[Liltoaster]

I have the same issue not enough lumbar support :(

[kustom play]

i agree, on 6 hours drives my back is killing me

but it was a bit nicer with the S seats

[Lafiro]

Driving too long hurts my back. Gets unconfortable after maybe a half hour to an hour. At first its nice and firm, but in no way really supporting the back as well as it should.

But this is different for everyone.

[yaris-me]

Originally Posted by roxy1

that is the problem i had with the yaris seats. there is no lumbar support. (that and for anyone taller putting the seat back far enough makes the steering wheel a real stretch-hopefully to be fixed with a telescoping sw in next gen).

the only real solution i found was using a folded up towel or small cushion behind my lower back.

You're driving a Corolla and that's an improvement?

[LoCodder]

I don't think you completely understand. It's not exactly my back. And the seats ARE comfortable. I like how they are angled on the edges, keeps me in on tight turns. It's my tailbone. Lumbar is fine. Sounds like it's just me. Looks like an expensive seat cushion is the right answer.

[JohnnoEH]

I don't have any trouble with mine, unless I drive for more than 2.5-3 hours or so. Even then it's more just a bit of discomfort, in fact I get the same feeling sitting on the lounge (3yo so not stuffed, good quality too) for that long. It's probably because my back isn't 100% - I blame Coles.

Other than that, I only have back troubles if I'm sitting too far away from the steering wheel, or have the seat reclined too far back.

Your seats might be different to mine though, my ones have one lever to tilt/angle the seat forward as well as the foward/back and back tilt ones. My car has a telescopic steering column too, so that may make a difference.

The only seats I've ever had that were more comfy were the ones in my old 910 Bluebird. You sat down nice and low and they had full adjustment - tilt, lumbar, you name it - all for the measly price of AUD$100. It even had good working air con.

[MUSKOKA800]

I'm 280 and drove three day straight (10-15 hours) back in April with no issues.
Judging by the many responces here, you might look elsewhere for your cause. It's likely just a coincidence that you got the a new ride shortly before your issue arose.

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by yaris-me

You're driving a Corolla and that's an improvement?

seats are a little softer and there is a little lumbar support, so the seats themselves are a bit of an improvement, but not great. however, the comfort owing to the actual driving position is superior due primarily to the telescoping wheel, but also being able to change seat height along with a pretty well placed armrest.

[tomato]

Yeah, that's a good point, too. I forgot about that, since I drive the Yaris on very short trips usually, just use it as a grocery getter mostly.

I have no complaints about the seats ... as long as I don't drive for long periods of time, then it's a different story. But in all fairness, I have that problem in other cars as well, just can't sit for long periods of time anyway without feeling uncomfortable - unless the seat is really sophisticated, designed for the back... Plane seats in coach are the worse.

I have a Herman Miller chair in front of the computer at home, it's TOTALLY, TOTALLY worth the money for someone with a bad back. Makes a huge difference. I bought mine on Craigslist, when a company was going out of business and liquidating their office stuff, and it's probably the best purchase I made in the last 5 years. Really, really helps and highly recommend it.

[bronsin]

As a long time backpain sufferer I sympathize with you. But the fact that most people find the seats comfortable suggests its not the seats but a difficult to identify problem in your back. Hell I wouldnt give two cents for all the doctors advice Ive recieved about my back over the years. They have been ZERO help.
Are you comfortable in another car? Thats encouraging but it would be very expensive to trade in your Yaris for one of those. If a seat cushion works that would be the most economical route to go.
Unless you really dont like the car and are looking for a reason to get rid of it. (That sounds like something my doctors would say!)

[supmet]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Hell I wouldnt give two cents for all the doctors advice Ive recieved about my back over the years. They have been ZERO help.

Back pain can be a signal from almost anywhere in your body. Misaligned teeth can cause back pain. That's why I asked if the doctor did ANY tests. Blaming a cheap car's seats seems like a very easy way out for a doctor.

OP did you ever check the link I gave you for increasing thigh support?

The only other thing I can think of is some guy took his seats to an upholsterer and they redid all the foam and materials, and he said it was a lot more comfortable, but that route costs a lot of money.

In my opinion, a random store bought cushion is just as likely to exacerbate the problem as it is to relieve.

[birdman]

I'm 5'10". With my butt pushed all the way back, my elbow on the armrest I grasp the lower part of the steering wheel with my palm up too and it drives really nice. At first that firm seat bothered me, but after some mighty long road trips I have learned to appreciate how supportive it is. I drove a new Fit and found the seat uncomfortable by comparison. Its rear seat works better but its not enough for me to give up the comfort in my Yaris. Mine has the extendable sun visors. Once you've had em they're mighty hard to do without.

[birdman]

At first my seats seemed way too firm and I wanted to find a way to add foam or something under the seat covers, but after driving it on long road trips I found I wasn't fidgeting as much as I do in other cars. Older Mercedes had very firm seats that gave you better support than softer ones do. Now that I'm used to them I wouldn't change a thing.

[DandiDani]

i dont have any problems either. i have to be driving for an hour or more at a time before i feel any discomfort whatsoever.

[firebob]

I found not using the arm rest is better when doing longer trips. They didn’t build the car around me so there’s a slim chance that the arm rest would be in the right spot for me.