[stevekh]

I have a 2006 Soltice with 20,000 miles on it. I bought the car a year ago and have made a number of performance improvements since then. DDM Stage 2 supercharge, DDM brace bundle, and Kappa springs.

The car is a lot of fun, but I hate to drive it any distance because the seat is so uncomfortable. I added an inflatable lumbar bladder, but that did not help with the bottom cushion discomfort. The seats are the factory leather ones and are in very nice condition.

I am giving up on these seats and want to replace them. I have done a lot of searches and there are options, but I can't find information on what happens to legroom with various aftermarket seats. I am 6'-4" tall with 34" inseam and 38" waist. With the current seats, my knees are less than 1/2" from the dash panel. I would like to improve this, if possible, and cannot have it get any worse. My goal is to increase both comfort and available legroom.

Are there any tall guys out there that can recommend an alternative seat? I would really appreciate any input.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[BlueMotorsport]

From personal experience, you will have a hard time, if the seat is not custom made. You can get a proper " bucket " seat that will remove all of that extra cushin, and give you more leg room, but it's the cushin that gives you the comfort. I'd imagine getting a recinable " bucket " seat, and then having support pad put in being very reasonable. SOmething like a carbon backet seat from sparco or even NRG, and then place some memory foam pads in the Locations you want them in. I myself am 6,1, and have a 44 inch waise ( i know i'm fat i'm working on it ) point being the Solstice seat is not very comfortable, and a lot of the " fluff" doesn't really seem to do anything. My friend has NRG buckets seats, and they are more comfortable then the solstice oem seat. We took a 4 hour trip, and my back didn't hurt nearly as much as it does in the solstice. His seats had a build in lunbar support, and some nice pads on each side. they look nice as well. I'll look for a link.

edit : Here we are
https://www.getnrg.com/products/interior-products/seats/reclinable-bucket-seats/rsc-400bk

 

[TX08manualGXP]

I'm sure there's a lot of us in the same boat. why couldn't they have added 6in of leg room. I've played with my adjustments a lot and found that if I adjust the seat all the way back first and then adjust the back it gives me the most room but I could still use more. when you reclibe it back, the back lever is the 1st thing to hit the waterfall. I wounder if there's not a mod that could be done that would allow the factory seats to recline more. just a thought.

 

[stevekh]

TX08 - I use the same method for adjusting my seat. Took a while to figure it out, but it did help. I'm ready to pull the trigger on something, I just don't know what. I've considered:

Fixed bucket - Probably can get more room, but I'm concerned that the high sides could be a problem using the car as a daily driver. With a 38" waist, I'm concerned about what will fit and allow me to maximize leg room. The thin back of the Ultrashield Rally Sport looks promising.

Relining bucket - There are a lot of options. Most look to be reasonably comfortable. The key here is to have the seat back be thin enough and conform to the waterfall to maximize how far back the seat can go.

Blue - The NRG RSC-400 looks nice and the price is good. Were the seats in a Solstice when you sat in them?

Keep the comments coming. I want to put something in the car before the snow hits upstate New York. Only 6 - 8 weeks left before the car gets put away.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Treeman]

The 06s don't have adjustable height do they? I am 6 1 with a 34"inseam and fut fine. I have the seat as low as it goes. I also found that lumbar support varies with both seat height and back angle. Can drive you nuts but settings comfortable for long drives once I take my wallet out of my back pocket. So one option may be the newer seats.

Sent from AutoGuide.com App

 

[rob the elder]

One approach you might consider is having the driver's seat back reworked. The factory padding is 2-3 inches thick. You could get at least another couple of inches by making the seat back foam thinner.

Having just replaced my seatcovers I have some pictures of the seatback without the cover installed. It looks to me that it would not be a huge challenge to reshape the foam and either modify the factory seat back cover or potentially reinstalling the factory cover and shrinking it up with heat.

 

[rob the elder]

The 06s don't have adjustable height do they? I am 6 1 with a 34"inseam and fut fine. I have the seat as low as it goes. I also found that lumbar support varies with both seat height and back angle. Can drive you nuts but settings comfortable for long drives once I take my wallet out of my back pocket. So one option may be the newer seats.

Sent from AutoGuide.com App

It may be possible to add the electric seat to a non-equipped car. I have a third driver's seat with motor and the electrical cabling. I am planning on eventually installing it in place of the current passenger's seat in Punisher so both are adjustable. It appears to me that if one were to buy the car side connector you could build your own power lead, use a local fuse under the car seat and use the factory power seat in a non-equipped car.

 

[cdnite]

One approach you might consider is having the driver's seat back reworked. The factory padding is 2-3 inches thick. You could get at least another couple of inches by making the seat back foam thinner.

Having just replaced my seatcovers I have some pictures of the seatback without the cover installed. It looks to me that it would not be a huge challenge to reshape the foam and either modify the factory seat back cover or potentially reinstalling the factory cover and shrinking it up with heat.

I am 6'3" 225lbs and this was my approach ^, Miata guys call it a "foamectamy" I cut out an inch from the back and two from the bottom and now I fit great if not a little to snuggly.

Sparco and Bride both made a "Roadster" seat in the past but they have been discontinued. If you can find these they may fit but they are "fixed" and mounting could be tricky.

Any good upholstery shop should be able to do this for you. You can do it without changing the seat cover, but after we checked this I opted to cut the seems on the inner panels and add some material so it fits better.


--Christian

 

[bobbob160]

An advantage of being 5'4" with a 28" inseam, fits me like a glove with room to spare. Sorry tall guys, being short is in my favor for a change.

Now, if I can find a way to stop looking at the back of people's heads while going to a concert, things would b perfect.

 

[TX08manualGXP]

well, for me, the electric seat is a waste. I have mine as low as it will go which is the equivilant of my 06. the seat itself goes back enough but the problem is lack of recline in that position. I hate to cut on my seats but I wonder if any part of the back could be modified to allow it to recline more. That or mod the waterfall. when I get around to changing out my sub, I'm going to put the seat in with the panel out and see if that makes a difference and go from there.

 

[stevekh]

I've seen the Miata threads regarding the foamectomy. I think I will go ahead and try it this weekend. Nothing to lose. The Miata guys swear by it. Most prefer the foamectomy to replacing seats.

cdnite - Any additional words of wisdom before my seat goes under the knife?

Thanks,
Steve