Lindenwood
Active Member
Tesla isn’t selling a million+ cars a year with seats that cause bodily pain. You guys should seriously see a doctor or at least a physical therapist or massage therapist.
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Uncomfortable Front Seat(s) / Thigh Bolster Mod
- Thread starter medphys3
- Start date
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- Tags
- thigh support issues
Candleflame
Active Member
the issue is caused by the gen 1 seats having too little bolster, so for gen 2 they increased the bolstering but didnt make the seat wider and longer to accomodate for that.
The rear seat has the same problem - they used to fold flat in gen 1. Then in gen 2 they added more bolstering because people complained. But they didnt redesign the fold-down mechanism so now they dont fold flat.
Lindenwood
Active Member
But this wouldn’t be causing issues in <200lb people. I have driven cars with much tighter bolstering with no issues at 5’11 / 180lb. Truly, changing what are very normal seats to prevent limping and debilitating pain is a bandaid on some other serious health issue…
I don't know about the others here, but I definitely haven't had any issues in that area of my body before, ever. It's only an issue with these seats, and it doesn't seem all that surprising to me that something pressing hard on a small area of the body for a couple of hours would end up feeling uncomfortable/sore, without there being any existing health issue there.
So I'm still wondering (as with many other issues I've heard of people having with their Teslas, which others don't have at all) whether it might be down to variations between the cars, rather than the people. I can't see how anyone can say for sure unless they've actually tried the car of someone who's had the opposite experience of theirs.
Although on the weight factor, I'm also now wondering whether it's possible that larger/heavier people might actually have less of an issue with it as they might be sitting on top of more of the bolster and also squashing it down more with their weight, meaning that it's actually not pressing into the side of them (as they're more on top of it) and any pressure is also spread over a larger area. I think it's really just the edge/a small part of the bolster that's pressing into me, but hard.
A relative of mine, who does happen to be large and heavy, sat in the driver's seat of mine briefly earlier tonight, and said that it was very comfortable. But I can't tell much from that, as it was only for a minute or two, and he didn't try driving - I've found that I can get slightly more comfortable with Autopilot on and my foot off the accelerator, which I think might be due to some of my thigh muscles (in the spot that the bolster is pressing against) being more tensed when my foot is in position on the accelerator rather than just relaxed on the floor (UK RHD car, in case that makes any difference, and it does seem to be worse on the right bolster, but I think that might be due to the accelerator foot thing)
Well that sounds... bad. Do you know when exactly they changed to Gen 2, and is there an obvious visual difference between them?
Candleflame
Active Member
Nah. I drove a VW Beetle then a Golf for 9 years, and had an Eos and now have and Audi A4 & Q5 in the family (same seats basically) and had zero issues with those seats.
Tesla is up to Gen3 or 4 seats now with all the changes they are continuously making in these cars. I believe the post-2021 refresh had some changes (and In not thinking of the removal of lumbar suppport on the passenger side) to the front/rear seats vs the Gen2s, and now recently they changed something yet again.
Masi
Member
Thank you! I noticed the same thing on the passenger side I was just going to buy that plastic piece from eBay to Throw on the driver side. I told Tesla this and they thought I was crazy. Going to do this next weekend.
You really don't need to be that fancy. A stack of notebook paper (or even an old magazine) works just as well.
So the idea here is to raise the center so that the side bolsters are a little farther out at the new height?
Has that brought relief in your case?
I have been thinking for over a year now that I wish the bolsters were spread a little wider. They are uncomfortable to me as well.
Georgesb2
George Borrelli
I modified the entire seat and now loving it.
I'm larger and initially the bolsters hurt. Then the entire seat and head rest.
I pulled the stock foam from the bottom and replaced it entirely. I experimented with formed foam from other cars' seats.
I now love the seat bottom.
I removed the head rest and bent it back. Then shimmed.
I removed the lumbar cushion.
The seat is now excellent.
I have made custom seats for others.
I'm George Borrelli Crystal River Florida
I'm larger and initially the bolsters hurt. Then the entire seat and head rest.
I pulled the stock foam from the bottom and replaced it entirely. I experimented with formed foam from other cars' seats.
I now love the seat bottom.
I removed the head rest and bent it back. Then shimmed.
I removed the lumbar cushion.
The seat is now excellent.
I have made custom seats for others.
I'm George Borrelli Crystal River Florida
Georgesb2
George Borrelli
I tried cutting the bolsters and after much driving and testing it wasn't enough of a change.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
View attachment 783281View attachment 783283View attachment 783284
The fundamental problem is the Tesla stock foam is super soft and sits very low. If you are wide in the legs and hips, you'll feel the metal base.
Also, because the Tesla foam is so soft, you have zero suspension. The base underneath is metal. Solid metal all around and super stiff "springs" in the middle. The springs are just about useless. I removed the Tesla foam entirely and replaced it with a much more robust foam from a better car, having a much better car seat. Better, as proven by 10's of thousands of miles driven with zero problems. I custom installed the stock Tesla seat cover over and into the foam replacement. We have a winner.
For some people, minor changes might work well, you are lucky! I'm over 6 foot tall and over 250 lbs with sustantial bone structure meaning wider hips. I need a better seat than what Tesla builds.
I bought the Tesla seat frame and another car's seat frame. I've been experimenting with many, many ideas and foams.
I now love, really love the seats in my 22 Tesla Model 3 P. I've invited many people to try and they agree. When driving, I literally float and do not feel the road through my body as before.
I'm George Borrelli, located in Crystal River Florida. I'm willing to build this for others.
This must be something new, I drove my model Y 6400 miles round trip from San Diego to Tennessee and then down to Key West Fl and back, no issues with leg or thigh pains or fatigue. Maybe lower the front of the seat so that it doesn’t cut your circulation.
My Model Y is May 2020 Build.
My Model Y is May 2020 Build.
Candleflame
Active Member
the model 3 seat is incredibly polarizing. its likely a designflaw where people with certain hipwidths/leglenghts cannot properly sit in it.
@rjpjnk What you sit on looked and felt the same to me in 2021 models. The Y seats are much higher off the floor of course, so the seating position feels very different.
Georgesb2
George Borrelli
I have a complete solution for many sufferers.
After buying many seats and foam and seat metal bases and trying, trying trying, I have what is near perfect for us.
I have completely rebuilt my two front seats, and now love the seats and the car. My wife also loves the modification!
Our bodies are all unique. Turns out it's primarily the width of my hips. The seats only have about 11" width, while I need more. But that's not enough. The seat sits quite low into the metal frame (I bought one to test) and if your hips or legs press into the bolsters, you are actually going to hit metal. After many, many trial of modifications, I finally have one that my wife and I love. I pulled the seat bottom out of the car. I then removed the foam. I bought used foam from various cars that I had a feeling would feel good and be a relatively close fit. Then I did some fancy work to tie the OEM Tesla seat cover onto / into the new foam. The new foam is much thicker and denser. I also added dense foam spacer between the bottom of the metal frame and the foam. The result is spectacular. I actually have seat suspension along with zero bolster pressures anywhere.
Additionally I bent the head rest backwards until it followed the upper seat line. And then I shimmed the head rest up a bit.
Finally I removed the lumbar air bags by moving them from the front of the yellow support to the back. The effect is profound, I have more leg room, my body fits into the seat back now. It all works together as a very good system.
I'm working with some others who also have unique body size and back issues. It turns out we get them happy by custom selecting the replacement foam. The art is putting the seat back together to look OEM once the foam is replaced. I replace and use all original electrical parts. All original electrical work as designed by Tesla.
I have some contacts complaining about the upper seat back being too narrow also. It doesn't bother me much but I'm investigating possible methods and will begin experiments on them shortly.
I have posted many videos of many attempts, including how-to videos. My YouTube channel is my name, George Borrelli
Contact me if you need help.
I can do any range of support from simple advise to building a seat for you.
My name is George Borrelli. I now live in Crystal River Florida. I have been fixing and rebuilding auto systems for many years. I just started working seats since I bought my 2022 Tesla Model 3 Performance.
My contact info (disguised):
Seben (the number after six) one 9 - 244 - Seben one two four. Text or voice.
Email: george dot s dot borrelli atsign gmail dot com.
After buying many seats and foam and seat metal bases and trying, trying trying, I have what is near perfect for us.
I have completely rebuilt my two front seats, and now love the seats and the car. My wife also loves the modification!
Our bodies are all unique. Turns out it's primarily the width of my hips. The seats only have about 11" width, while I need more. But that's not enough. The seat sits quite low into the metal frame (I bought one to test) and if your hips or legs press into the bolsters, you are actually going to hit metal. After many, many trial of modifications, I finally have one that my wife and I love. I pulled the seat bottom out of the car. I then removed the foam. I bought used foam from various cars that I had a feeling would feel good and be a relatively close fit. Then I did some fancy work to tie the OEM Tesla seat cover onto / into the new foam. The new foam is much thicker and denser. I also added dense foam spacer between the bottom of the metal frame and the foam. The result is spectacular. I actually have seat suspension along with zero bolster pressures anywhere.
Additionally I bent the head rest backwards until it followed the upper seat line. And then I shimmed the head rest up a bit.
Finally I removed the lumbar air bags by moving them from the front of the yellow support to the back. The effect is profound, I have more leg room, my body fits into the seat back now. It all works together as a very good system.
I'm working with some others who also have unique body size and back issues. It turns out we get them happy by custom selecting the replacement foam. The art is putting the seat back together to look OEM once the foam is replaced. I replace and use all original electrical parts. All original electrical work as designed by Tesla.
I have some contacts complaining about the upper seat back being too narrow also. It doesn't bother me much but I'm investigating possible methods and will begin experiments on them shortly.
I have posted many videos of many attempts, including how-to videos. My YouTube channel is my name, George Borrelli
Contact me if you need help.
I can do any range of support from simple advise to building a seat for you.
My name is George Borrelli. I now live in Crystal River Florida. I have been fixing and rebuilding auto systems for many years. I just started working seats since I bought my 2022 Tesla Model 3 Performance.
My contact info (disguised):
Seben (the number after six) one 9 - 244 - Seben one two four. Text or voice.
Email: george dot s dot borrelli atsign gmail dot com.
skydve1
Member
Good info in the video's - thanks. I was considering options to make my seats more comfortable.
A non-Tesla question - are you the George Borrelli that teaches Systema? (found via google when I was looking for the youtube vids).
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