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Uncomfortable driver seat
- Thread starter atlchamp
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- thigh support issues
I think so too. My Y has white seats and they’re more comfortable than the black in my 3
So I see the pics. It looks like you only used the middle piece of foam is that right?
Yes cut off the hump so the foam piece you cut out is flat and slightly rectangular. Cut so the width doesn’t overhang the oem side bolsters as this will just make the side of you hips tighter. The goal with this piece is to soften the seating and raise you slighty higher than the V that is created with the side bolsters. Hope this makes sense.
It does! Thank you! I ordered both so I’m hoping I can get this to work!
If you want to make your driver seat comfortable and improve the driving experience, we strongly recommend TESERY Model Y seat covers. These seat covers are made of wear-resistant, breathable, soft, and high-grade Nappa leather, and will protect the Tesla seat to extend the service life, and there will be no tearing and wear in 6-7 years.
The soft and comfortable foam cotton ensures that the user sits comfortably and fits snugly, making driving more enjoyable and relaxing!
Loco_Nomad
Member
Same here, 2023 RWD owner here and man how seats are horrible. In my 2018 X I can find my position right away and it is comfortable, Model 3 is just pain in the back and butt 
TydalForce
Member
Here you go. You can adjust the height of the backrest by shortening the string a bit. I just left it the standard length as it its my lower back just right. I love it for every day driving. If cornering hard not the idea solution but commuting and on trips it is awesome.
I tried that and I didn’t like it. The sides of your butt dig into the sides of the seat cushion so it doesn’t help fix the original issue
Was it the same one? I didn't have any issues so far. I am a pretty big guy and it rated for something like 300+ pounds. I have been supported pretty well by it, actually surprisingly well.
For the the lack of airflow with the stock seat is almost a deal breaker for me to drive the 3. Today the car temps were over 140F again and ambient temps 100F+.
Ctuna
Member
The shortness of the bench is more of a problem than the cushion for me.
I got one of those extension covers the problem was it didn't come up and
support the unsupported part of men leg behind my knee at all . I had a head rest
from a zero g outdoor chair and added that in and it really does the trick.
Now my thigh is supported all the way or most of the way to the knee. I never had
a problem with the seat not being soft enough . Factory cushion is way soft.
I am 6 ft and 225lbs. I was used to the BMW sport seats. The Head cushion had
a strap and I put velcro strips on it additionally to keep it in place.
I got one of those extension covers the problem was it didn't come up and
support the unsupported part of men leg behind my knee at all . I had a head rest
from a zero g outdoor chair and added that in and it really does the trick.
Now my thigh is supported all the way or most of the way to the knee. I never had
a problem with the seat not being soft enough . Factory cushion is way soft.
I am 6 ft and 225lbs. I was used to the BMW sport seats. The Head cushion had
a strap and I put velcro strips on it additionally to keep it in place.
It wasn’t the seat being soft enough for me, it was that the 2020 seat had sunk over time and the V created by the bolsters was pushing hard on my hips. The cushion was mainly for raising my rear higher in the seat.
I didn’t want to tear into the seat like others have done. The beauty of putting cushioning under a seat cover is that you can take the cover off easily and adjust the foam thickness and size easily to suit your needs.
I couldn’t find a one off seat cover other than the elongated one so that’s what I used. If after market standard seat covers could be bought singly instead of in a set, I might have gone that way first. I found that not tightening the straps heavily that go under the stock seat, allows the front thigh/ knee support to raise up when you sit down.
Georgesb2
George Borrelli
I hope to clarify a few things for this audience suffering from Tesla seats and offer some suggestions that are not yet in this thread. I realize this thread started many months back but it got a lot of attention.
I bought a Tesla Model 3 P, in February 2022.
I thought it was great until I took my first multi hour trip. I was in so much pain. Here's the thing.
I have a larger bone build. My hips are slightly wider than the average. I am a larger person, at 6'1” and 240 lbs. But size in weight and height don't tell the real story when it comes to Tesla seat comfort.
The Tesla seats in all models now are narrow in the back. Something like 11 and in some cases 10”. My hips are wider than that. But even that doesn't tell the whole story.
A little background.
I'm an engineer and I wasn't about to be beaten by the seats, as I loved the car.
So I started to buy and experiment.
I bought Tesla seat base (metal) and Tesla seats.
I studied the design and came to the conclusion that only those of us with wider hip bones at the point will feel the bolsters and mostly in the back but also perhaps down the sides of the thighs as well. It can be VERY PAINFUL!
The reason is that the Tesla seats are made of soft materials in the foam. There's only one foam density used in the Tesla seat design.
There's barely 10 1/2” in the space where the back of your hips settle into the seat and your back is against the upper seat back. If you are that width or larger, you press into the side bolsters. But guess what? The thin soft foam won't protect you from the base metal there. So what you are actually feeling is the metal seat base pressing into your hip bones. This can really hurt!
I tried all the easy fixes. Too many to list.
Ultimately I designed and built a new seat for Tesla. I started with Model 3 that I owned and tested every configuration on trips, until I finally came up with a seat design that was aesthetically pleasing, looked like stock Tesla seat, and I could ride 4 hours long or more without pain.
If you don't have wide hip bones, aren't heavier, don't have a longer upper torso, you probably love the seats. You are lucky...
What I ultimately did for the Model 3 was remove the stock foam, insert my own foam of choice, Custom cut and custom install the “better” foam with denser foam materials into the Tesla OEM stock faux seat leather cover. Then I cut foam blocks of dense foam material and added that to the bottom where I glued it. I moved the driver's seat sensor from the stock foam to the revised denser foam I replaced with. The Tesla OEM stock faux leather cover has the heating elements. So all the electrical capabilities are retained.
After months of driving and feedback from people I built seats for I realized that the upper seat back needed to be addressed. Again this only applies to certain body types. Wider hips, heavier, taller upper torso, and all is significantly exacerbated if there are per-existing back / disc issues.
My final build has been in my car over a year. I've made many trips 4 hours plus in duration. I had no issues getting right back in the car to drive more. I built my own heaven. And again I love the car, now I also love the seat.
The upper back mods I did are very easy to do and any DIY person can do it themselves:
1) remove the stock OEM lumbar bags and swing to the back of the plastic support so they don't do anything
2) Cut a piece of dense foam custom to your needs place it horizontally in the back upper in front of the plastic support. This is very easy to do. This gives genuine lumbar support where it is needed and doesn't move the top of the hips forward as the OEM Tesla seat lumbar did.
3) Cut another piece of dense foam custom to your liking, insert this one vertically starting just above the horizontally placed lumbar foam. This keeps your back from rounding in the vertical plane.
4) Then finally I bent my headrest back some. This allows me to sit up straight without my neck bent over and my head down.
What I achieved is a :
1) "Flatter" seat with no possibility of the hips pressing into the bolsters and the metal seat base. Even the thighs are no longer pressed in.
2) The seat is higher. This achieves two things: Your hips aren't stuck "inside" the limitations of the metal base and you get much more suspension
3) MUCH more suspension. This protects you from a rough ride and bumps. That would be bad for a bad back and exacerbated by poor seating posture due to the seats. You don't want to develop lower back disc problems or make them worse.
4) The upper back has correct lumbar support in the correct location
5) The head and neck are on straight.
I not only helped many people worldwide with Model 3 but also Model Y. The model Y has less headroom and it can be challenging for a taller person. I recently rebuilt a Model X / S seat from a newer model, circa 22. I now know a lot about them as well.
I am willing to help anyone in any way to help those who are suffering with the Tesla seats. And I know we sufferers are in the minority.
I can be found by any online search if you want to message or text or call me. I have done a lot of research and seat building now.
I don't build seats for a living. I just figured all this out for myself. Then I started to offer help to anyone who wants help from me.
Just search my full name in my home town. I also run a school of martial arts called SystemaCrystalRiver.com
I try to keep up with the forums but sometimes miss posts.
Sincerely,
George Borrelli
I bought a Tesla Model 3 P, in February 2022.
I thought it was great until I took my first multi hour trip. I was in so much pain. Here's the thing.
I have a larger bone build. My hips are slightly wider than the average. I am a larger person, at 6'1” and 240 lbs. But size in weight and height don't tell the real story when it comes to Tesla seat comfort.
The Tesla seats in all models now are narrow in the back. Something like 11 and in some cases 10”. My hips are wider than that. But even that doesn't tell the whole story.
A little background.
I'm an engineer and I wasn't about to be beaten by the seats, as I loved the car.
So I started to buy and experiment.
I bought Tesla seat base (metal) and Tesla seats.
I studied the design and came to the conclusion that only those of us with wider hip bones at the point will feel the bolsters and mostly in the back but also perhaps down the sides of the thighs as well. It can be VERY PAINFUL!
The reason is that the Tesla seats are made of soft materials in the foam. There's only one foam density used in the Tesla seat design.
There's barely 10 1/2” in the space where the back of your hips settle into the seat and your back is against the upper seat back. If you are that width or larger, you press into the side bolsters. But guess what? The thin soft foam won't protect you from the base metal there. So what you are actually feeling is the metal seat base pressing into your hip bones. This can really hurt!
I tried all the easy fixes. Too many to list.
Ultimately I designed and built a new seat for Tesla. I started with Model 3 that I owned and tested every configuration on trips, until I finally came up with a seat design that was aesthetically pleasing, looked like stock Tesla seat, and I could ride 4 hours long or more without pain.
If you don't have wide hip bones, aren't heavier, don't have a longer upper torso, you probably love the seats. You are lucky...
What I ultimately did for the Model 3 was remove the stock foam, insert my own foam of choice, Custom cut and custom install the “better” foam with denser foam materials into the Tesla OEM stock faux seat leather cover. Then I cut foam blocks of dense foam material and added that to the bottom where I glued it. I moved the driver's seat sensor from the stock foam to the revised denser foam I replaced with. The Tesla OEM stock faux leather cover has the heating elements. So all the electrical capabilities are retained.
After months of driving and feedback from people I built seats for I realized that the upper seat back needed to be addressed. Again this only applies to certain body types. Wider hips, heavier, taller upper torso, and all is significantly exacerbated if there are per-existing back / disc issues.
My final build has been in my car over a year. I've made many trips 4 hours plus in duration. I had no issues getting right back in the car to drive more. I built my own heaven. And again I love the car, now I also love the seat.
The upper back mods I did are very easy to do and any DIY person can do it themselves:
1) remove the stock OEM lumbar bags and swing to the back of the plastic support so they don't do anything
2) Cut a piece of dense foam custom to your needs place it horizontally in the back upper in front of the plastic support. This is very easy to do. This gives genuine lumbar support where it is needed and doesn't move the top of the hips forward as the OEM Tesla seat lumbar did.
3) Cut another piece of dense foam custom to your liking, insert this one vertically starting just above the horizontally placed lumbar foam. This keeps your back from rounding in the vertical plane.
4) Then finally I bent my headrest back some. This allows me to sit up straight without my neck bent over and my head down.
What I achieved is a :
1) "Flatter" seat with no possibility of the hips pressing into the bolsters and the metal seat base. Even the thighs are no longer pressed in.
2) The seat is higher. This achieves two things: Your hips aren't stuck "inside" the limitations of the metal base and you get much more suspension
3) MUCH more suspension. This protects you from a rough ride and bumps. That would be bad for a bad back and exacerbated by poor seating posture due to the seats. You don't want to develop lower back disc problems or make them worse.
4) The upper back has correct lumbar support in the correct location
5) The head and neck are on straight.
I not only helped many people worldwide with Model 3 but also Model Y. The model Y has less headroom and it can be challenging for a taller person. I recently rebuilt a Model X / S seat from a newer model, circa 22. I now know a lot about them as well.
I am willing to help anyone in any way to help those who are suffering with the Tesla seats. And I know we sufferers are in the minority.
I can be found by any online search if you want to message or text or call me. I have done a lot of research and seat building now.
I don't build seats for a living. I just figured all this out for myself. Then I started to offer help to anyone who wants help from me.
Just search my full name in my home town. I also run a school of martial arts called SystemaCrystalRiver.com
I try to keep up with the forums but sometimes miss posts.
Sincerely,
George Borrelli
Last edited:
Can you recommend a piece of dense foam or other car seat cushion that you used to make the seat bottom flatter?
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