next-gen seats ergonomic issue

[JAFO]

There's a thread somewhere here where I'm moaning about the Tesla seats, so I don't need to go into detail again.

TLDR - NG Seats gave me back pain. I'm broad shouldered just under 6ft, got a few extra pounds.

So I bought another car to see if the back pain was me or the Tesla seat. Three days after driving in the new car - no more back pain. For me I have isolated it down to the way the NG seats are shaped.

The side bolstering (for my MS) makes the seat concave all the way up to the headrest, which lurches forward dramatically. This pinches my shoulders and pushes my neck forward. Those of you with narrower shoulders might never see this problem because the seat wraps around you.

Compare this to the seats in my BMW...

The bolstering stops before my ribs end and my shoulders can stay flat against the seat.

You get the same good ergonomics in the Benz S550...

... the seat doesn't collapse under your upper back.


Is there any way to make the MS seats firmer, maybe less concave? Do the old seats do this? Can an upholsterer do anything?

Tesla have no idea and apparently no fix.

 

[jmsurpri]

Never had back pain in a car until my S with next-gen seats. I'm 5'8" 150 pounds so even for my smaller build, these seats are horrible. One thing that seemed to help a little for me was to make the seat back way more vertical than I'm used to. Almost seems like I'm leaning a little forward but it helps to fill the upper back void.

 

[wdolson]

I had problems with the original seats, but the next gen work great for me. It seems Tesla seats are very binary, some people find them very comfortable while others are torture. With the original pattern seats the bolstering was more minimal, but the headrest leaned forward, that's what messed up my back and neck. The next gen seats have a straight headrest which works better for me.

I'm on the thin side and don't have super wide shoulders, so I rarely notice the bolsters.

 

[JAFO]

The MS sat in the garage for 5 months and I drove another car, but I got this seat... tried it today on my commute and it seems to fix ergonomic issues.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EJP0OS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Let's see how this plays out.

 

[kev1n]

It sounds like you might want to retrofit the older style seats into your car. they arent as narrow

 

[SUN-day Driver]

Never had back pain in a car until my S with next-gen seats. I'm 5'8" 150 pounds so even for my smaller build, these seats are horrible. One thing that seemed to help a little for me was to make the seat back way more vertical than I'm used to. Almost seems like I'm leaning a little forward but it helps to fill the upper back void.

My husband is about the same build, and he says the seats in our 2016 S are torture on his back, even for short drives. No other car we've had has caused this problem, so there is definitely something about the design of the seats that is different. He says they were designed by a sadist.

 

[JAFO]

My husband is about the same build, and he says the seats in our 2016 S are torture on his back, even for short drives. No other car we've had has caused this problem, so there is definitely something about the design of the seats that is different. He says they were designed by a sadist.

Try the ergonomic seat insert I linked to up a few posts... I've tried much more expensive options and this one immediately feels better. Saves buying a new car or early depreciation. I'm still working out if it's really better than the sacro-eaze seat, but I'm optimistic.

And yes, the designer of the tesla seats is a sadist.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EJP0OS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[JAFO]

Update.. did 125 miles today, just got back from a 75 mile stretch.... and my back actually felt good using the seat insert.

 

[tennisman]

For what it's worth, I have the "latest seat" (a 2017 Model S) and find them extremely comfortable for long trips - as a reference point, I'm 5'8" / 160 lbs and a 40R. I had a 2014 Model S with the original seats and found them not as comfortable - flatter seat and did not hold you in cornering.

 

[cruiserlarry]

I've got the NG seats in my 2017 MS90D, and I love 'em. I'm 6'7" 215lbs. My wife, on the other hand, hates 'em - she's 5'2" and 115lbs.

So, maybe the seat designer wasn't a sadist, but just a tall thin person who decided to design something for us us tall slender folks for a change lol

 

[JAFO]

Seat update.

The ergonomic insert I bought on Amazon works.

I think my problems are solved.

 

[MDR SEA]

Thanks for the tip Jafo.
I ordered mine today.

 

[SUN-day Driver]

Seat update.

The ergonomic insert I bought on Amazon works.

I think my problems are solved.

We finally got these ahead of a long weekend road trip. They don't fit very well in the Tesla seats and probably we will need to make small seat adjustments to get it just right, but we didn't have th back pain we used to get from driving not-so-long distances in the Tesla seats, so it's a thumbs up. Thanks, JAFO, for the recommendation!