Sad and uncomfortable

[dande]

Hey, MY FIRST POST!

 

I am now driving a '95 Legacy wagon and am dying! I love the car, but my back is killing me. The front seats have no lumbar support at all and I can't stand to sit in them any longer. I've had the car for five years, but my wife drove it. It didn't seem to bother her except on long trips but it has always bothered me. Now that it's my car, I need help! Anyone find a solution for this? I've seen a lot of complaints on the message boards, but few answers.

 

Please help me, I love my car, but love my back too!!

[mtsmiths]

Hey, MY FIRST POST!

 

I am now driving a '95 Legacy wagon and am dying! I love the car, but my back is killing me. The front seats have no lumbar support at all and I can't stand to sit in them any longer. I've had the car for five years, but my wife drove it. It didn't seem to bother her except on long trips but it has always bothered me. Now that it's my car, I need help! Anyone find a solution for this? I've seen a lot of complaints on the message boards, but few answers.

 

Please help me, I love my car, but love my back too!!

 

We bought a shaped foam pillow that has elasic straps over the back to keep it in place. We've had it for years from my wife's previous company cars. When we bought our '87 GLs we didn't need it bacause the seats had adjustable lumbar support. The '95 & '00 Legs both have awful seats.

 

Don't they have any humans in the Subaru interior design department?

 

With the Hawaiian water repellent seat covers on you never even know it's there, until you sit in the car.

 

Thirty bucks or so, works fine.

[dande]

We bought a shaped foam pillow that has elasic straps over the back to keep it in place. We've had it for years from my wife's previous company cars. When we bought our '87 GLs we didn't need it bacause the seats had adjustable lumbar support. The '95 & '00 Legs both have awful seats.

 

Don't they have any humans in the Subaru interior design department?

 

With the Hawaiian water repellent seat covers on you never even know it's there, until you sit in the car.

 

Thirty bucks or so, works fine.

 

I tried one of those and didn't find much success. The seat back was so deep that the pillow sat 4 inches away from the backrest and so my bum always got caught on it on the way down. Perhaps your pillow was better designed than mine was! I finally returned it. Maybe if I had a seat cover over the strapped pillow it would have held it in possition better. I don't know?

[nipper]

Maybe snag a seat from a higher trim level legacy? My 98 seat would bother me, but when i got the 97 with a height adjuster and lumbar support, it made all the difference in the world.

 

 

nipper

[1 Lucky Texan]

Even the seats in our OBW are poor - though they have a lumbar adjustment, it is positioned a little too low.

 

You have several options, from just rolling up a towel and securing it with rubber bands and positioning it where desired, to aftermarket covers, too installing seats from other soobs or a 'racing seat'. Even though its adjustments are more limted than the OBW my '06 WRX has much better feeling seats.

 

Maybe a junkyard would have some Outback or other seats from a newer model? Or is there an aftermarket seat cover with an inflatable bladder or something?

[Cougar]

As another option you may want to try another seat like a Recaro. They make some good equipment.

 

http://www.recaro-nao.com/PDF/positioning_chart.pdf

[1 Lucky Texan]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=seat+car+auto+lumbar+inflatable

[dande]

Thanks for all the feedback. I threw a pillow in today and think that makes a huge difference. I think it isn't so much lumbar support as it is seat hieght. Those seats are so low to the floor and tilted back without any means to raise the seat or tilt it forward. A pillow was working well. One option now is to buy a seat cushion ( or just use an old sears catalogue if I can find one!). The problem is those cushions float around and don't stay put. I'm considering raising the seat with a fabricated block system, but that seams pretty involved and potentially dangerous (I'd hate it come undone iin an accident!).

 

Anyone ever block up a Subaru seat before?

 

I'll also check some salvage yards for a late model seat that might fit and also offer more support!

[nipper]

Go for the fatory seat with the height adjuster if you can find one. It maks all the differnce in the world.

 

 

nipper

[Commuter]

95 was the start of a new model run, right? So a height adjustable seat from a 95 to 99 should fit I would think.

 

I've been using an Obus Forme back support for many years. Makes a world of difference. I commuted 3 hours a day for 13 years. They also have a seat bottom that you might want to check out.

 

Commuter

[cookie]

He had changed the seats in his older Legacy wagon to adjustable seats from an uprated model. You might try pming him, I think it was all bolt on.

[dande]

I'm checking out a later model higher trim line seat for now. A buddy of mine has a son-in-law who works at a salvage yard whose brother also works as a Subaru mechanic. Go figure. Anyway, I'm hoping one of them will come across an LSi or Outback seat from 95-99. That oughta do the trick! Actually, if I had a grand to spend someone on ebay is selling an entire set of limited leather from a 99 outback. Looks nice. Too much cash!

[1 Lucky Texan]

I'm checking out a later model higher trim line seat for now. A buddy of mine has a son-in-law who works at a salvage yard whose brother also works as a Subaru mechanic. Go figure. Anyway, I'm hoping one of them will come across an LSi or Outback seat from 95-99. That oughta do the trick! Actually, if I had a grand to spend someone on ebay is selling an entire set of limited leather from a 99 outback. Looks nice. Too much cash!

 

keep an eye on that sale. If it doesn't reach some reserve or falls through, make sure you have contacted the guy. just in case

[Tiny Clark]

Hmmm, maybe Toyota can figure this out too...

[cookie]

It used to be hard to beat the French. Around here I used to grab late model Volvo seats as volvo had actually figured out that humans rode in them. the seats I suffered with in my last Mercedes were the German type that wore forever, but you vill adjust to zee seats!

My current Forester is not too bad with the stock seats, on trips they have been pretty reasonable.

[1 Lucky Texan]

It used to be hard to beat the French. Around here I used to grab late model Volvo seats as volvo had actually figured out that humans rode in them. the seats I suffered with in my last Mercedes were the German type that wore forever, but you vill adjust to zee seats!

My current Forester is not too bad with the stock seats, on trips they have been pretty reasonable.

 

Hmmm, I'd heard that Renault seats were comfy. interesting.

[cookie]

I bought it from a musician friend in Maine for $150 when it would not pass Maine inspection and brought it to NYC. It cruised at 90 like being in a living room and the seats were like an easy chair. You could not get parts for it at all, and luckily I could adapt VW carb parts as that was all I had trouble with. At the end of the summer I just gave it to a friend, which is as close as I have ever been to Elvis Presley.

I still miss the seats.

[TheBrian]

I'm considering raising the seat with a fabricated block system, but that seams pretty involved and potentially dangerous (I'd hate it come undone iin an accident!).

 

Anyone ever block up a Subaru seat before?

Yes, the previous owner of my car did. It's neither complicated nor (I don't think) dangerous. Your seat is currently held on by four bolts. He made a lift kit for the seat out of two-inch sections of ~.75in box beam. Basically, bolt the seat to the spacer, and the spacer to the frame.

As long as your spacer is stronger than your seat's bracket, and your bolts are as strong as the ones you took out, the seat is just as well fastened as it was before.

My thighs fit under the wheel, no problem, and I know exactly where my hood ends.

 

I would actually hate La-Z-Boy car seats. My grandfather's Buick luxury barge has thick, soft, leather benches front and rear. You slide all around in them. I much prefer Subaru's somewhat sporty seats, even for highway cruising. But then, my computer chair is uncushioned steel.

[Gnuman]

He had changed the seats in his older Legacy wagon to adjustable seats from an uprated model. You might try pming him, I think it was all bolt on.

very bolt on, in fact. direct swap, except that the wiring that went to the seat had a different plug (the seat was older than the car. 91 seat, 92 car. they changed a few things in 92. . .). I have been working with a few later model Outbacks lately, and I noticed that they are the same seats as the 91 LSi (that I robbed for seats and stereo) had. Well, not exactly, the headrests on the LSi were better. . .

 

Grab seats from a higher rated Legacy or an Outback. should be a plug and play solution.

[ron917]

I used to grab late model Volvo seats as volvo had actually figured out that humans rode in them.

 

Have you ever mounted Volvo seats in a a Subaru? That's one of the things I keep thinking I might try. The seats are my only complaint about my '99 OBW and I've got a Volvo 240 parts car in the yard.

 

Volvo truly does make the best seats, no exception.

[cookie]

I used Volvo seats in a Greyhound bus, a Jeep, and older Volvos.

The tough bit now would be the wiring. Making brakets or beefing up the floor is not too hard, but now you can have seat heaters, belt attachments, and have the seat have sensors for the airbags.

If your car is early enough to avoid these pitfalls no problem. Otherwise you would have to change wiring, attach sensors, etc. This might mean it is easier to use a seat from a later or up market Subaru so things are more similar.

Don't forget the seats you are about to use need to have similar dimensions to the original.

If you already have the Volvo seats it may be worth a little time with a tape measure. Internal sensors can be switched off the stock seats.

One thing to beware of in airbag systems is that if you turn the key on with the seat out it can cause the airbag system to thow a code that needs to be reset with a special SRS tool. I am not sure if Subarus are this way or not. When I remove a seat I put my key on the shop bench until I'm done so I don't space out and turn the key to put on the radio.

[ron917]

Good points, Cookie. The donor Volvo is too old for airbags and sensors, but it does have heated seats. I don't know what's in my '99 OBW seats, besides the bun warmers. Heater connections should be trivial to work around, sensors (if any) would need to be swapped over. I'll definitely check if/when I try this.

[cookie]

come apart fairly easily. I had to buy some hog rings and hog ring pliars to put them back together, but that was it.

I would probably take the bottom apart on the Vovo seat and install the Subaru bun warmer and any sensors. Then it would be plug in on the wiring. I have a 99 Forester and I have never looked under the seat since it is not bad, I expect it to be similar to my 99 BMW which I have had apart. The BMW has airbag sensors and a plug for the seat heater, as well as one for the electric seat movement.

Let us know how it turns out as this might be the hot set up.

[HX-20S]

I've been using an Obus Forme back support for many years. Makes a world of difference. I commuted 3 hours a day for 13 years. They also have a seat bottom that you might want to check out.

 

Commuter

 

I can second this. My wife has used an Obus Forme (seat and back support) for years too and has found it to be excellent. It's so worn that we'll be getting a new one sometime. We recently bought an Impreza HX-20S, which has Recaro-style seats (I don't know if Recaro actually supplied them to Subaru). I find they are far better than regular seats. My wife still uses her Obus Forme to get extra height as she's on the short side. The Obus Forme fits well into the bucket shape of the Impreza's seats.

[Commuter]

It's so worn that we'll be getting a new one sometime.

You can order just the cover for like 1/4 the price. I've done that. If you haven't worn thru to the foam undereath, it's fine. Up to you though.

 

They use to have a heated, vibrating model that I wanted to get. I found out that they had discontinued it, but were planning to replace it. I don't know if they did. My commute is now down to 40 minutes a day, although I still do a couple 3 hours trips per week.

 

Commuter