My car seats hurt my back
 

Hey guys, I drive a 2006 WRX. As many of you may or may not know, the WRX seats are pretty hard, and while they hug you on the side of your body and the head, the lower back support is just slightly off.

If I have a long drive, say over and hour or so, I start having some back aches afterward.

What is the best solution for this ? Should I just buy a little pillow to put at the bottom of the seat, or perhaps some sort of seat cover? Any help is appreciated!

My dad has a similar problem with his 2003 Civic (the most uncomfortable seats I've ever sat in with zero lumbar support). He bought one of those strap-on padded seat covers. It did the trick. Also, you may just want to put one of those cylinder shaped bean bags under your lower back.

One of these might help: http://www.ajprindle.com/depts/id-7.html

If you can live with the ad-on lower back supports those ideas mentioned by LS will work. A few years ago I had a company car (Pontiac Grand Prix) on which I didn't like the driver's seat for long rides, so when I mentioned it to the dealer they pulled off the seat cover and added some extra firm foam padding to a few key areas of the seat and recovered it with the same cover ...man, that seat was a LOT more comfortable after that. Of course this was almost 15 years ago but it only cost the company $120.

Ok thanks guys, I'll look into those cushions. There's a lot out there though!

Try a few different seats first. I tried the pillow thing a while back, and it made issues worse. After comfortably driving in a truck for a while, I realized that the upper back and incline position were what was causing the problems.

In my case the uncomfortable seats - a Honda - were the first sign of chronic lower back pain that took me two years to understand and manage. It isn't a big deal now but the first six months were a completely PITA.

I've never looked at people bending over the wrong way the same since.

(that old guy in the corner)

Quoted for truth - every single car I've drove/ridden in that has caused me back problems has been because of the incline of the seat. Try putting it in many different positions - try the vertical incline, the horizontal incline (if you have it), all that. You will probably find a position that is perfect.

Keep in mind that sometimes, the one that is "right" for you may not feel perfect upon first seating.

Is there a correct position to sit in in terms of angles to the steering wheel, clutch, etc ?

does the wrx have a lumbar adjustment? Maybe even try to tilt your steering wheel to 90 degree.

Steering wheel should point at your chest so the airbag doesn't punch you in the face or nuts if it goes off. Your knee should be bent slightly when the clutch is fully depressed