Model 3 seats are horrible compromise decision

[run-the-joules]

The lack of under-thigh support either from making the squab longer or having an adjustable support like many manufacturers do is really, really bothering me at this point. These seats are not very good for tall people… and I'm never going to forgive the lack of cooled seats as an option.

These seats need much more adjustability, and the range of adjustment needs improvement. Normally I could just tilt the squab more to tilt me backwards a bit more and take the pressure off of my thighs, but that's not possible. I'm probably going to look into shimming the seat rails to lift the front of the seat by a small amount to see if it helps on long drives.

 

[run-the-joules]

Do push ups, pull ups and sits up everyday to strengthen your back and any car seat will be comfortable


Model 3's seats are the most cushioned seats in a car I've ever sat in. I love them

Tell me which one of those exercises compensates for the fact that there's no under-thigh support.

 

[holmgang]

Model 3's seats are the most cushioned seats in a car I've ever sat in. I love them

Cushioning != Comfortable.
Ergonomics trumps cushioning.

I also feel they should have included at least a thigh extension. Did anyone try installing aftermarket Recaro seats?

One my my cars had OEM variant of the Recaro Sportster hardshell, upholstered in leather. Even without any adjustment except for tilt, it was supreme comfortable, even for multi-country continental roadtrips.

(Looks are deceiving, as Volvo and Saab have benchcouch-looking things but they're ultra comfortable as well)

 

[ElectricGhost]

Cushioning != Comfortable.
Ergonomics trumps cushioning.


One my my cars had OEM variant of the Recaro Sportster hardshell, upholstered in leather. Even without any adjustment except for tilt, it was supreme comfortable, even for multi-country continental roadtrips.

(Looks are deceiving, as Volvo and Saab have benchcouch-looking things but they're ultra comfortable as well)

I like these but wonder about the safety implications. You loss the air bags in the OEM seats. Also how do you bipass the seat air bag sensors? Would love to see someone do these as this is towards the top of my interested list.

 

[holmgang]

I like these but wonder about the safety implications. You loss the air bags in the OEM seats. Also how do you bipass the seat air bag sensors? Would love to see someone do these as this is towards the top of my interested list.

it depends on how manufacturers integrate or homologate, but in my renault it had side airbags

it looks like the aftermarket version also has side-airbag option.

https://www.recaro-automotive.com/e...s/recaro-sportster-cs-cross-sportster-cs.html

Options (at additional cost)

• Universal side airbag
• 2-level seat heating

 

[rlb4]

For me the problem is the seat cushion is too soft as I sink in too deep. This acts like a hammock, causing the sides to squeeze into my hips too much. The seats are very narrow to begin with and this just makes it worse. If I lift my butt off of the seat a little the pressure is reduced on the sides of my hips. I think that adding some additional firmer padding in the seat bottom will elevate me and prevent the sinking in hammock effect. I am going to test this by using a seat cushion. I think this sholdn't be too difficult for an upholsterer to do vs widening the seat side bolsters.

So after having constant pain in my L hip/butt I decided to try a seat cover/cushion. I saw this in a seat cover thread and decided to give it a try. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M2AMOCO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Well this has to be one of the best $20 investments I have ever made. It looks almost like stock and most people will never know something is there. It adds a little extra cushion and reduces the sinking in hammock effect. The lumbar area even felt less intrusive. The reduction of pain was immediate. It's not 100% but I would say at least 75+% better. My seat is now livable. I didn't want to really spend $$$ and have someone tear apart my seat trying unknown fixes but for $20 there was nothing to lose and it looks like stock, not some cushion that just sits on top of the seat and moves around. For anyone who is having pain from the sinking in and narrowness of the seats I would definitely recommend trying this.

 

[Watts_Up]

So after having constant pain in my L hip/butt I decided to try a seat cover/cushion.

I found at Costco some $20 Gel Seat Cushion, I use for a computer chair at home but would certainly work for a car.

Note: I spend more time on a computer chair than a car seat. I wish it was the opposit

May be with FSD, I woud be able to work and drive at the same time, and use my car as an office!

 

[ediflyer]

I love my Model 3 LR AWD apart from the seats. Now at 2,500 miles and having recurrent issues with left leg numbness/hamstring discomfort (RHD model). Never once had this in >50k miles in my Audi A5. Now looking into seat cushions, etc. but really disappointed to be having to do something like this for such an expensive car.

 

[rlb4]

I love my Model 3 LR AWD apart from the seats. Now at 2,500 miles and having recurrent issues with left leg numbness/hamstring discomfort (RHD model). Never once had this in >50k miles in my Audi A5. Now looking into seat cushions, etc. but really disappointed to be having to do something like this for such an expensive car.

See my post #126 above. I felt the same as you. I was miserable. The seat cover/cushion I bought made a huge improvement. Not 100% but very tolerable. The problem is the seats are too narrow and the seat pan sinks in too much causing a hammock effect, making it even narrower and tighter on the hip and sciatic nerve. The seat cushion keeps you from sinking in and elevates you a little above the narrow thigh bolsters. Only $20 and very difficult to tell from the stock seat.

 

[ediflyer]

See my post #126 above. I felt the same as you. I was miserable. The seat cover/cushion I bought made a huge improvement. Not 100% but very tolerable. The problem is the seats are too narrow and the seat pan sinks in too much causing a hammock effect, making it even narrower and tighter on the hip and sciatic nerve. The seat cushion keeps you from sinking in and elevates you a little above the narrow thigh bolsters. Only $20 and very difficult to tell from the stock seat.

Thanks - looks like it is available from Amazon UK too, but quoting early/mid Dec. Thought I'd give this a go first - it's available for Prime delivery tomorrow so thought I'd give it a shot! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medipaq-Co.../B00GTSVZ9W/ref=wl_mb_wl_huc_clickstream_2_dp

I read some comments suggesting tilting up at the base of the seat as far as it would go (mimicking what this would do I guess) and it has helped a bit but definitely need to get a better way to sort it. Just a shame after never even thinking about it for years!

 

[rlb4]

Thanks - looks like it is available from Amazon UK too, but quoting early/mid Dec. Thought I'd give this a go first - it's available for Prime delivery tomorrow so thought I'd give it a shot! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Medipaq-Co.../B00GTSVZ9W/ref=wl_mb_wl_huc_clickstream_2_dp

I read some comments suggesting tilting up at the base of the seat as far as it would go (mimicking what this would do I guess) and it has helped a bit but definitely need to get a better way to sort it. Just a shame after never even thinking about it for years!

That should help. I tried a seat cushion and it helped a lot. I just didn't like the look of something sitting on my seat and it slid around a bit. That is why I went with the seat cover for long term use. It does the same thing as the cushion but looks like it is part of the stock seat and does not move around.

 

[ediflyer]

Sounds good - if this does the trick I might buy the same one! Wasn't sure if it would provide enough of a boost but it's encouraging it worked for you

 

[smodtactical]

The seats are fantastic.

They can sometimes become slightly creased if you don't smooth them out sometimes but thats a minor issue.

Love the synthetic leather and how soft yet supportive they are.

 

[super20g]

See my post #126 above. I felt the same as you. I was miserable. The seat cover/cushion I bought made a huge improvement. Not 100% but very tolerable. The problem is the seats are too narrow and the seat pan sinks in too much causing a hammock effect, making it even narrower and tighter on the hip and sciatic nerve. The seat cushion keeps you from sinking in and elevates you a little above the narrow thigh bolsters. Only $20 and very difficult to tell from the stock seat.

Same! The width is terrible. Those bolsters... Grrr. I just drive around town and I can never get comfortable, I can't imagine driving far. Going to have to look into adding a cushion if that helps because that is my biggest gripe with the car.

 

[ediflyer]

Same! The width is terrible. Those bolsters... Grrr. I just drive around town and I can never get comfortable, I can't imagine driving far. Going to have to look into adding a cushion if that helps because that is my biggest gripe with the car.

So far I've noticed a definite improvement with the cushion I mentioned in #130 above - I'm still wondering if something is wrong with the padding in my seat though as I never had this issue with any previous car nor for when I first got it!

 

[super20g]

So far I've noticed a definite improvement with the cushion I mentioned in #130 above - I'm still wondering if something is wrong with the padding in my seat though as I never had this issue with any previous car nor for when I first got it!

I actually had them replace the seat bottom on my first model 3 and it didn't change a thing... I thought it was defective as well. I bought my wife a model 3 a few months later, white interior this time. Same feel, same problem. No difference whether white or black interior, 2018 or 2019 model. Never had the problem before. Never had such soft and compressible seats before either.

 

[ediflyer]

Ah OK, thanks anyway @super20g

 

[Candleflame]

The lack of under-thigh support either from making the squab longer or having an adjustable support like many manufacturers do is really, really bothering me at this point. These seats are not very good for tall people… and I'm never going to forgive the lack of cooled seats as an option.

These seats need much more adjustability, and the range of adjustment needs improvement. Normally I could just tilt the squab more to tilt me backwards a bit more and take the pressure off of my thighs, but that's not possible. I'm probably going to look into shimming the seat rails to lift the front of the seat by a small amount to see if it helps on long drives.

indeed, the Model 3 seats are really, really good for small people but suck for tall people. They are for one too short and they dont really go low enough

 

[GoldCountryCA]

The seats feel different on various 3 production runs. No way theses are "hard" seats, your perception of hard is poor materials and design. Good luck finding any car made today with foam as soft as these. I'll bet Tesla changes them. In addition after 500 miles mine are creasing and wrinkling in spots. Complete low grade materials even for a base economy car. My Nissan LEAF seats from 2011 were better made.

Mine are doing the same. Seats are starting to deform at just 500 miles. Look worse than my other older seats by far.

 

[GoldCountryCA]

I don’t have a problem with comfort but I only have a little over a thousand miles and they already showing wear! They were showing wear even at a few hundred miles, for reference I am of normal weight and I am not rough on the seats. I can see lines where the foam padding is underneath.

Same

The seats are fantastic.

They can sometimes become slightly creased if you don't smooth them out sometimes but thats a minor issue.

Love the synthetic leather and how soft yet supportive they are.

How do you “smooth them out”? I am extremely anal about how I get in. I never drag across the bolster and I sit straight down, then elevate my butt and make sure I’m centered and not putting uneven pressure as I sit back down…

The driver seat looks like crap already.

I actually had them replace the seat bottom on my first model 3 and it didn't change a thing... I thought it was defective as well. I bought my wife a model 3 a few months later, white interior this time. Same feel, same problem. No difference whether white or black interior, 2018 or 2019 model. Never had the problem before. Never had such soft and compressible seats before either.

How did you talk them into replacing the seat? I’d like to give that a shot…