Uncomfortable Front Seat(s) / Thigh Bolster Mod

[medphys3]

TL/DR: I removed approximately 3/8” of foam from the thigh bolsters of the front driver’s seat.

I realize that the Model 3 front seat comfort is a hot topic- some love them; others, not so much. I’m in the later group.

The thigh bolsters push inwards a bit too much and I can never really get comfortable. I first tried a fix that helped- inserting about a 3/8” thick stack of paper between the seat support springs and the seat foam. That was better, but it still didn’t feel right to me; less side pressure, but I felt I was sitting too high in the seat.

Today I finally did what I’d been planning to do for a long while:

I removed the seat, pulled back the seat cover from the sides and removed about 3/8” of foam from the thigh bolsters.

And I love it. It’s so much more comfortable and I find it really amazing how such a small change can make a huge difference.

If you are someone that knows how to work on cars, it’s easy. You don’t need to disassemble the seat. Just remove it and unhook a bunch of stuff to allow you to pull the seat covers back and expose the foam. It’s fairly simple once you see it.

It took me about two hours, with some breaks in between.

The foam surface after cutting isn’t 100% smooth, but once the cover is pulled back, you can’t really tell and I can’t feel the imperfections when sitting in the seat.

Hopefully this helps some of you.

Now to fix the backrest

 

[roblab]

A serrated knife would get you a cleaner cut on the foam, but I agree. The thigh bolsters are too thick. My large frame (meaning butt) sits ON the bolsters, and is uncomfortable. I have cut a piece of 3/4" foam for the center of the seat and then put a foam seat cover over it, which helps.

I wish Tesla had figured out that we're not all built the same and there should be SOME way to adjust the seat rather than hack the foam all up. I was very uncomfortable until I did some chopping.

You listening, Tesla???

 

[medphys3]

A serrated knife would get you a cleaner cut on the foam, but I agree. The thigh bolsters are too thick. My large frame (meaning butt) sits ON the bolsters, and is uncomfortable. I have cut a piece of 3/4" foam for the center of the seat and then put a foam seat cover over it, which helps.

I wish Tesla had figured out that we're not all built the same and there should be SOME way to adjust the seat rather than hack the foam all up. I was very uncomfortable until I did some chopping.

You listening, Tesla???

Yeah, I just used a box cutter blade for this. It worked, but not ideal.

And used seat bottoms aren’t too pricey on eBay so if I blew it, I figure I’d just buy a replacement lol.

 

[Noflash]

Nice. Any tips on removing the seat and bottom cover?

 

[civicdrivr]

And here I am trying to figure out an elegant/easy way to add more bolstering. I feel like the factory seats - while comfortable - have zero support.

Good job

 

[medphys3]

And here I am trying to figure out an elegant/easy way to add more bolstering. I feel like the factory seats - while comfortable - have zero support.

Good job

If you want additional “support” from the backrest, you can pull the headrest & back cover. This exposes the heavy springs that support the foam. At the top of the back seat, bend the wires with a big pipe wrench by putting it on the wire and pushing UP thereby moving the springs away from the foam. This lets your back sink a bit deeper into the seat.

It makes sense when you see it. You don’t need to remove the seat either.

 

[medphys3]

Nice. Any tips on removing the seat and bottom cover?

You just need to remove the seat & go for it. There’s just a bunch of clips & straps & springs that need undone. Then you can roll the sides of the cover up and over the foam.

*I did not remover the seat cover, I just exposed the foam.

 

[medphys3]

There’s a decent video on this web page.

Ventilated Seats Kit for Tesla Model 3 & Y

Are you tired of sweating during hot summer days and on long sunny road trips in your Tesla Model 3 or Y? Look no further, this kit will add ventilated seats to your stock Tesla seats. It's quiet operation but robust performance will ensure you stay cool and refreshed throughout your drive...

the-evshop.com

 

[medphys3]

I wish Tesla had figured out that we're not all built the same and there should be SOME way to adjust the seat rather than hack the foam all up. I was very uncomfortable until I did some chopping.

You listening, Tesla???

The thigh bolsters should be adjustable air bladders like the lumbar support.

Someone tweet Elon, but give me credit

 

[brykster]

I was very excited to see this thread. I'm interested in buying a 3 but sat in it and the seats made it outside of realm of possibility. It was like knives in the middle of my thighs. I love the idea of the mod; but I'm just a bit reluctant to plunk down 50 grand for a car I will need to perform surgery on : ) Anyone think about taking this to a pro to get it done? Is it really that simple? What if I mess it up? I NEED encouragement. Thanks guys.

 

[BMWM3Man]

Although initially I had a similar problem....after 3 months mine softened and are perfect. If I removed foam they'd be weird now that they have broken in.

 

[ev_go123]

Although initially I had a similar problem....after 3 months mine softened and are perfect. If I removed foam they'd be weird now that they have broken in.

That's good, I have hoped it would break in, but for me no such luck, it's also been about 3 months and the seat is still uncomfortable. Since the passenger seat is very comfortable, I was investigating a bit more and it seems that the foam itself is more dense in the driver seat's bolsters. I doubt it's designed that way, my guess is just manufacturing variance.

I also noticed that if I sort of pull the seat cover tighter over the sides by just pulling it with my fingers, it helps, but only for as long as I'm pulling. I think the seat cover is pulling the bolster down and out a bit. I wonder if there could be a hack solution there, maybe latching the cover deeper under the seat so it's tighter?

 

[singung81]

Hi, I have a 2022 model 3 performance, and like some of you guys here I found the driver seat to be uncomfortable. My passenger side is ok because the left bolster doesn't seem to bother me. I also realized that the driver seat cushion has less support and sinks in lower. So after doing a little investigation of the under side of both driver and passenger seats, I found out that the driver side is missing some plastic material. what I did was I bought some thin flexible plastic cutting boards Amazon.com from amazon. There is a cable going through the cushion in the middle of the lower/middle section of the seats. These plastic will clear the cable and fit in the lower section. For the middle section, you have to cut about an inch off the length and width of the material to clear the cable and make it fit. I ended up using 8 pieces for the lower, and 4 pieces for the middle section. This will give the seat cushion much more support and will prevent the seat from sinking in too much. Therefore you won't feel the left bolster as much. Hope this will help some of you guys as much as it has help me.

 

[Theadonnan]

How large are you all that need smaller side bolsters? I’m huge and wish they were bigger, not smaller.

 

[tetsuos]

How large are you all that need smaller side bolsters? I’m huge and wish they were bigger, not smaller.

I'm 190 cm (6'3"), 80 kg (175 lbs), and the driver's seat in my HK-version (RHD) Model Y is so painful it's almost unbearable. I'm now walking around with a limp from the pain. I need to find a solution urgently or I can't keep driving this car :-(.

 

[Candleflame]

How large are you all that need smaller side bolsters? I’m huge and wish they were bigger, not smaller.

i also think they are way too small. and what they are too small the bottom seat ones are too big and you sit directly on the bolsters....

 

[Lindenwood]

I'm 190 cm (6'3"), 80 kg (175 lbs), and the driver's seat in my HK-version (RHD) Model Y is so painful it's almost unbearable. I'm now walking around with a limp from the pain. I need to find a solution urgently or I can't keep driving this car :-(.

I am truly not trying to be funny when I say you should probably see a doctor :/ . The car seats may be highlighting an existing issue, but are almost certainly not causing it given your very average weight. (Of note, I am a little shorter but the same weight and put about 3k miles a month on my M3P).

 

[DrivingDelta]

Hi, I have a 2022 model 3 performance, and like some of you guys here I found the driver seat to be uncomfortable. My passenger side is ok because the left bolster doesn't seem to bother me. I also realized that the driver seat cushion has less support and sinks in lower. So after doing a little investigation of the under side of both driver and passenger seats, I found out that the driver side is missing some plastic material. what I did was I bought some thin flexible plastic cutting boards Amazon.com from amazon. There is a cable going through the cushion in the middle of the lower/middle section of the seats. These plastic will clear the cable and fit in the lower section. For the middle section, you have to cut about an inch off the length and width of the material to clear the cable and make it fit. I ended up using 8 pieces for the lower, and 4 pieces for the middle section. This will give the seat cushion much more support and will prevent the seat from sinking in too much. Therefore you won't feel the left bolster as much. Hope this will help some of you guys as much as it has help me.

How has it worked out? Did you have to remove anything to do this? Or just installed from under the seat? Total time to do it? Thx

 

[EddyM2]

Well I've now joined the club of people with this issue (September 2022 UK Model Y - test drives in (early 2022) Model Ys seemed fine, and this one seemed ok at first, but not after driving it for a few hours over a couple of days in a row - my bum/top of thighs are feeling quite sore now, and I now notice the bolsters pressing on them as soon as I get in the car)

To everyone who has (or had) this problem with the seat base bolsters, when were your cars made? (as I heard a rumour that the seats were changed a bit sometime in the middle of this year, so I'm wondering whether that's the cause of the problem, or whether I just didn't notice it on the test drives as they were quite short and perhaps the seats were more worn in like one person mentioned here)

 

[medphys3]

Hi, I have a 2022 model 3 performance, and like some of you guys here I found the driver seat to be uncomfortable. My passenger side is ok because the left bolster doesn't seem to bother me. I also realized that the driver seat cushion has less support and sinks in lower. So after doing a little investigation of the under side of both driver and passenger seats, I found out that the driver side is missing some plastic material. what I did was I bought some thin flexible plastic cutting boards Amazon.com from amazon. There is a cable going through the cushion in the middle of the lower/middle section of the seats. These plastic will clear the cable and fit in the lower section. For the middle section, you have to cut about an inch off the length and width of the material to clear the cable and make it fit. I ended up using 8 pieces for the lower, and 4 pieces for the middle section. This will give the seat cushion much more support and will prevent the seat from sinking in too much. Therefore you won't feel the left bolster as much. Hope this will help some of you guys as much as it has help me.

Yep! Paragraph 3 from my initial post: I used a stack of notebook paper.

Still love this seat mod. My legs are no longer fatigued after my 2 daily 1 hr drives.