Tall Guy, Uncomfortable Driver Seat
06-30-2013, 04:27 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: 06-30-2013
Location: Raleigh
Posts: 8
Tall Guy, Uncomfortable Driver Seat
Hi everyone. I just purchased my girlfriend's 2007 HHR LT 5 speed, which she's had for about 3 years before buying a Mazda 3 recently. I drove it occasionally and always liked the utilitarian nature of it, and the fuel economy.
Right after I bought it, we drove from Raleigh to upstate NY and back (11 hours in each direction), and then I found I had to drive to St Pete FL to repair the roof on a little house I have there, which was about 12 hours in each direction. The HHR performed well- we towed a loaded Harbor Freight 4x8 utility trailer to NY and got 26 mpg, with the a/c on and averaging between 65-70mpg. The trip to FL, without towing a trailer, I averaged 31-32mpg with a/c and averaging 70 mpg, which is awesome given I had my 21ft folding Gorilla ladder and tools and 15 gallons of roof sealant along for the ride.
So here's my problem- I'm 6'4" tall, about 230 lbs, not flabby. My shoulders are several inches above the seat top, and the upper seat padding pushes against them in a very uncomfortable way. I'm used to adjusting car seats to get a comfortable fit, but it's impossible with this car's seat (and I have rarely had a lasting problem with other seats). The upper padding juts out an inch or so from the rest of the seat. It's probably OK if your shoulders aren't higher than the seat, but it forces my shoulders into a very awkward position, and my lumbar support pillow didn't help. My shoulder muscles are real tight and they still burn today after getting back from FL yesterday.
Has anyone found a remedy for this problem? It looks like it's no easy thing to put an aftermarket seat in (I have no fabricating skill, so if it doesn't bolt in without mods, it's not for me). Plus, I don't have a lot of money to throw at the problem. Maybe some sort of padding? A nice ergo seat cover? Suggestions?
Right after I bought it, we drove from Raleigh to upstate NY and back (11 hours in each direction), and then I found I had to drive to St Pete FL to repair the roof on a little house I have there, which was about 12 hours in each direction. The HHR performed well- we towed a loaded Harbor Freight 4x8 utility trailer to NY and got 26 mpg, with the a/c on and averaging between 65-70mpg. The trip to FL, without towing a trailer, I averaged 31-32mpg with a/c and averaging 70 mpg, which is awesome given I had my 21ft folding Gorilla ladder and tools and 15 gallons of roof sealant along for the ride.
So here's my problem- I'm 6'4" tall, about 230 lbs, not flabby. My shoulders are several inches above the seat top, and the upper seat padding pushes against them in a very uncomfortable way. I'm used to adjusting car seats to get a comfortable fit, but it's impossible with this car's seat (and I have rarely had a lasting problem with other seats). The upper padding juts out an inch or so from the rest of the seat. It's probably OK if your shoulders aren't higher than the seat, but it forces my shoulders into a very awkward position, and my lumbar support pillow didn't help. My shoulder muscles are real tight and they still burn today after getting back from FL yesterday.
Has anyone found a remedy for this problem? It looks like it's no easy thing to put an aftermarket seat in (I have no fabricating skill, so if it doesn't bolt in without mods, it's not for me). Plus, I don't have a lot of money to throw at the problem. Maybe some sort of padding? A nice ergo seat cover? Suggestions?
07-02-2013, 12:04 PM
#5
Thread Starter
Join Date: 06-30-2013
Location: Raleigh
Posts: 8
I see from reading posts on this site that a lot of people feel the HHR seats are pretty comfortable. Undoubtedly I spent an unusually long amount of time in the vehicle, but I hadn't had the same problem in my previous car, a Civic. My neck is still sore a few days later. The Obus seems pretty popular for back support, though I have to admit that the variety of models that company makes confuses me, as to which would work best. And I had a look at Amazon. inputting 'back support'. They literally have thousands of products for back support, it's just hard to narrow it down to the most effective.
07-02-2013, 12:19 PM
#6
Platinum Member
Join Date: 05-09-2006
Location: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 6,805
Mick.....
Sometimes, just sometimes, your anatomy is programmed for a particular shape....especially while sitting in a favorite chair (or car seat). I think, based on your physical problems, that you were subjected to a new "shape" and are in the process of readjusting. That sometimes can be annoying.
I would give it a little time for adjusting and if it does not subside to seek other remedies. JMO
Sometimes, just sometimes, your anatomy is programmed for a particular shape....especially while sitting in a favorite chair (or car seat). I think, based on your physical problems, that you were subjected to a new "shape" and are in the process of readjusting. That sometimes can be annoying.
I would give it a little time for adjusting and if it does not subside to seek other remedies. JMO
07-02-2013, 12:51 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: 11-04-2012
Location: Dedham Maine
Posts: 1,546
Mick do you have the power seat? I just keep adjusting the lumbar support on mine as needed! Plus I lower the seat to lowest level, sit back as far as I can and tweak the angle of the seat as needed!
07-02-2013, 03:40 PM
#8
Thread Starter
Join Date: 06-30-2013
Location: Raleigh
Posts: 8
It's just the basic LT seat, no lumbar adjustment, no power adjustments. My Civic has factory Recaro seats, which are pretty comfortable. Someone on this site put aftermarket seats in his HHR, but he fabbed up his own brackets for them (pretty talented guy). Personally, I really like the fold-down aspect of the factory passenger seat- it's handy for the occasional long item, so I'm not sure aftermarket seats would be at the top of my list, even if they were easy to install. I have 2 leather captains chairs from a Previa- they are real comfortable and fold flat, but I don't have any of the skills needed to adapt them for an install. With my shoulders a few inches over the top of the HHR's factory seat, they, and my neck, feel weirdly unsupported. If I could make the seat back at least 3" taller, it would at least make contact with the top of my shoulders. I haven't had the experience of a short seat back in a vehicle in recent memory, but it's not as if I ride around in a wide variety of vehicles.
07-02-2013, 04:00 PM
#9
Deceased
Join Date: 06-30-2010
Location: Kannapolis NC
Posts: 25,739
I'm with Snoopy on this, especially now knowing you're body is used to the Recaro buckets in your Civic.
The Lear made seats in the HHR are some of the most comfortable buckets I've ever encountered in a GM product. Whether they are the manual or power varieties, my bad back loves them, but I'm only 5' 11 1/2" tall.(never could grow that last half inch)
But to compare them to Recaro seats is an apples to oranges thing, and your body is not adapting to them.
There is an outfit in Raleigh called VanProducts that does seating installations for folks with mobility and custom seating needs. I talked to them last year when it looked like I was going to buy a wheelchair van for my late Father.
They are good people, and they may be able to extend your seat back for you. Here's a link to their site.
http://www.vanproducts.com/
The Lear made seats in the HHR are some of the most comfortable buckets I've ever encountered in a GM product. Whether they are the manual or power varieties, my bad back loves them, but I'm only 5' 11 1/2" tall.(never could grow that last half inch)
But to compare them to Recaro seats is an apples to oranges thing, and your body is not adapting to them.
There is an outfit in Raleigh called VanProducts that does seating installations for folks with mobility and custom seating needs. I talked to them last year when it looked like I was going to buy a wheelchair van for my late Father.
They are good people, and they may be able to extend your seat back for you. Here's a link to their site.
http://www.vanproducts.com/