Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Pre 'next gen' seats comfort

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Experts - those who have Gen 1 and Gen 1.5 seats, how did you cope with seat discomfort, if any?

I didn't bother much about seats while buying CPO assuming basic comfort should not be concern with any car(let alone luxury cars) these days. The test drives didn't reveal the problem either.

Now, every time I take little longer trip (~ 160 miles round trip), I have back pains.

Forums entries from early days reveal that some have adjusted to it and others have bought cushions.

Wish to revive the topic to check if folks have other ideas or any recommendations for cushions :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: electrique
Gen 1 seat here in my '13 S85 ... It's ok, No back pain, I like the seat, comfort wise its fine, and I really like the look of it....

but then...

A few months ago I test drove a brand new P100D with the gen 2 seats.... and OH MY GOD THEY WERE SOOOO NICE!!! Dare I say, the nicest car seat I've ever been in.... and in my previous life I had a Volvo S60 (which is typically hailed as the benchmark of car seats - I never though they were anything special).

Let me put it this way, no car has ever had a seat that left an impression with me, they've all been "just fine" UNTIL I drove that new P100D.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chancellor32
The early Tesla seats (pre-fall 2014) were not great in my (and a LOT of other people's) opinion. The next-gen Recaro seats that came out with the 2014 P85D were miles better. Those seats migrated to the 85D and smaller batteries over the course of 2015 I believe. And then at some point Tesla replaced the Recaros with their own seats.

You should definitely know what you're getting; there is a huge difference.
 
Tesla new seats are just unbearable for me. The metal bar in the middle of the back cushion is pushing really hard, to the extent that its actullay hurts to drive :(

Driver seat: metal bar in the middle is pushing after just 1 month

test_seat.jpeg
 
The only thing i consistently bitch about in my 13' S is the horrible seats. I am looking to do the next gen replacements when money is not tight. Worth whatever the cost (used to be 5k, cheaper if you DIY)

HATE. THOSE. SEATS. :)


So I assume, Tesla can change the seats? Do you have to go through service center or some other channel? would like to at least learn more about it.
 
So I assume, Tesla can change the seats? Do you have to go through service center or some other channel? would like to at least learn more about it.

They might not offer it anymore, but there was a time that they did. 5K i believe for both fronts, no rear. Theres some finangaling that you have to do with the crash harness etc that makes people uncomfortable. I've read of bodyshops doing it for $$ if you bring them the seats. theres a TSB on it somewhere too that kinda tells you what to do.
 
I fully understand frustration caused by this design flaw. This "mod" below might help - at least it did it for me.

I'm using this mod since about one month now and my problems are gone. Technically, I have increased the spring rates of the "springs" on the rear part of the seatbottom. To do so move the seat in the highest position and max. front position to have best access. Release the two clamps which keeps the lower end of the backcover attached to the seat. Then you may insert the pieces as per attached sketch. The tape enables easy movement as the wood tend to stick to the foam. Hope this is clear enough to follow. otherwise please let me know.

Good luck!

Movie:
18-8-7 Model S front seat mod
 
  • Helpful
Reactions: webcrawler
Experts - those who have Gen 1 and Gen 1.5 seats, how did you cope with seat discomfort, if any?

I didn't bother much about seats while buying CPO assuming basic comfort should not be concern with any car(let alone luxury cars) these days. The test drives didn't reveal the problem either.

Now, every time I take little longer trip (~ 160 miles round trip), I have back pains.

Forums entries from early days reveal that some have adjusted to it and others have bought cushions.

Wish to revive the topic to check if folks have other ideas or any recommendations for cushions :)


I sold the car. Hated them that much. Tesla refused to switch them for Next Gen or the Newer X style seats at any price.
 
@webcrawler, I have trouble with lower back pain. When I bought my 85D w/o next gen seats it was difficult to take road trips due to the back pain. While looking for a possible aftermarket solution on Recaro’s website I found a guide to how to adjust car seats to minimize back pain. Recaro recommended adjusting the seat as high as possible, to insure that your thighs were supported by the seat. This did wonders for me, and I have no issues taking 500-600+ mile/day road trips now.
 
@webcrawler, I have trouble with lower back pain. When I bought my 85D w/o next gen seats it was difficult to take road trips due to the back pain. While looking for a possible aftermarket solution on Recaro’s website I found a guide to how to adjust car seats to minimize back pain. Recaro recommended adjusting the seat as high as possible, to insure that your thighs were supported by the seat. This did wonders for me, and I have no issues taking 500-600+ mile/day road trips now.

How tall are you?
 
@electrique, I am 5’ 10” but with short legs. It took me a while to get used to the view of the instrument cluster and I don’t have much headroom left. However, it was well worth it to fix my back pain on long trips.
 
When I first started my Tesla journey, the person at the gallery told me one of the things I needed to have on my 'must have' list were the next gen seats. After bringing my car in the SC and them giving me a loaner (a 2015 P85 with the original seats), I could see why. Those first gen seats feel like sitting on flat rocks.
 
I have a 2014 85 with the original seats. what made the difference for me was adjusting the front of the seat up until my thighs were supported right along their length (per above post), makes the seat more of a "bucket" shape too so much more supportive. Not had any real problems since, although have to accept they aren't the most comfortable seats. Note you don't need to put the whole seat up, the back of the base can still be right down, just bring the front edge up.
 
@electrique, I am 5’ 10” but with short legs. It took me a while to get used to the view of the instrument cluster and I don’t have much headroom left. However, it was well worth it to fix my back pain on long trips.

Yeah, I definitely think raising the seat helps. I obviously have back issues, but I didn’t experience any pain in my previous SUV. I feel like that’s largely a product of having more vertical space for my legs. I’m pretty tall though, so when I go all the way to the top of the seat position I’m literally just staring into the black headliner. Blah