atang79

Does anyone else have the problem of not being able to get comfortable in their seat inside the TSX. I have tried numerous position adjustments lately, but I have not yet been able to get really comfortable. After sitting there for like 30 minutes or so, it feels like my lower back notices the discomfort. Any known fixes????

AlterZgo

Yes. I had this problem initially. I ended up taking the seat apart, removing the leather cover, and putting in some viscoelastic memory foam in the lumbar area. It's a PITA b/c the seat is very heavy and the leather is attached w/ a bunch of upholstery hooks. You have to cut off the upholstery hooks and, once you've added the foam, re-attach the seat cover with more upholstery hooks. After all that, you have to put everything back in and test it out. You may have to repeat the process for several more tries to get the foam just right. Using memory foam makes it easier b/c it's made to just contour to your spine.

A word of caution - there is a side airbag in the seat. Make sure you disconnect all of the electrical harnesses under the seat. Additionally, there are two straps which go over the side airbag that are then attached to the seat frame. Take some pictures so you will remember exactly how those straps should be properly attached.

brian913

I initaily found the seats a real pain and used a wedge under me, being vertically challanged, to get my back to align with the curve in the back of the seat. I did find that I slowly accustomed to the seat, but it was still too "buckety" and found that getting longer bolts and a stack of washers for the rear mounts moved the back of the seat up enough to get comfortable. After about 6 months I find that I can live without the wedge under me now and they are faily comfotable, so perhaps my body did accomidate to the seat some too. I have take the seat out also and done some disassembly but did not put anything in it yet. They are not easy to get out , and very complicated to take apart.

atang79

Wow, I'm almost glad to hear I'm not the only one that experienced this problem. For a moment there, I thought it was just me. The fix seems to be far more complicated that what I would feel comfortable doing on my own. I may have to just live with the problem and hope that I will sooner or later adjust to the seat itself. Thanks for the tips though!

curls

I thought and still think that the seats are AWESOME, personally. Tons of bolstering and support, good lumbar, and really comfortable. I usually drive around with the seat heater on low if my back is acting up that day and the aches and pains vanish.

Still Water

Hey atang79 - Help us out here and tell us your height, weight, etc. and how long have you had the car?

I must tell you that I think you won't find too many people complaining about the TSX seats. I for one am very pleased with how they are designed and function. When you consider all the seat adjustments available and the adjustable steering wheel the possible combinations are very extreme. Unless of course if you're 4' nothing and weigh over 300lbs. or just this side of 7' tall. Also, if you didn't already know, most of your "sport/driver's" type cars have firm, form fitting seats that do need a little butt time in order to be truly broken in.



P.S. - The bun warmer feature is one of my favorite features. I hear the new "you'll never be able to afford this" limited production Lexus will have a shiatsu massage option. I wonder if it takes quarters???

jlukja

It took me the longest time to make all the seat adjustments and get it to where it felt comfortable. But, once I did, it fit like a glove.

Still Water

Me too.

In fact, just the other day I barely moved the seat a little forward and SHAZAM - the wheel turns easier and the pedal action & "hand/arm alignment feels more natural.

atang79

Well, I'm 5'9" and 170 LBS. I've had the car a little over a year now. It seems like if I tilt the seat cushion all the way up my rear end gets more support. But then my legs don't get enough cushioning right around my knee area. Now if I lower the rear cusioning so my rear end feels secure, then the seat back bothers my lower back. Am I too picky?!?!?!

atang79

LOL...there was a time when I felt like I was very comfortable, but then I took the car to the wash and the guy moved my seat to his comfort. Like him driving it out of the wash required him to be comfortable. Well, needless to say, I've never been as comfortable in my seat again.

jlukja

for not washing it yourself, for letting someone mess with your seat settings.


I know what you mean, my wife moves it around when she drives it. Luckily, she's been moving it forward only and not changing the other settings.

Still Water

Long read warning...

You & I are about the same size so I know you can dial it in if you just break it down into "one part at a time" trials. Have you ever heard the saying/fact that you can't solve an equation that has two or more unknowns? The moral of the story is eliminate the unknowns.

I would suggest that you first set your steering wheel to neutral/middle.
2nd - Level up the seat bottom and then find a comfortable distance from the pedals to start your adjustments.

3rd - Now drop the height down to where it feels too low and then up to where it feels too high. Now zero-in on a happy medium and DON'T change the height until you're finished (fine-tuning it later).

4th - Now understand that the bottom of the seat should support your legs behind the knees without taking too much of the weight off your heels. You don't want to feel like you can slide forward nor do you want to feel like you're sitting in a hole.

5th - Next adjust the back so as to take your weight - mostly at the area just below your shoulder blades (here's where the limber adjustments can help fine tune). Avoid "cupping" your shoulders forward when holding the wheel in a 10-2 position. You can check for this if when turning the wheel fast & a full rotation+ you end up leaning forward with the outside turn shoulder. Just imagine having to quickly do the same turn in the opposite direction and you can see how important it is to keep your body neutral to the turn.

6th - Now you can adjust the distance from the pedals paying attention to how the bottom of your legs behind you knees move & feel. Too much support can be just as bad as no support.

Finally unlock your steering wheel and adjust it to you not you to it. Let your shoulders and elbows be your guide here. There is a lot of play here so move it around to find that right angle for how you want to hold the wheel. When holding the bottom of the wheel your elbows should be somewhat close to your torso and somewhat level (at plus 15-20 degrees or so) to you thighs. Here is where you can fine tune adjust the height.



I know you can dial it in to the point where you feel more a part of the car. Give it a week or two to get the feel of being more a part of the car. Avoid the desire to keep dicking with it. Eventually you should only be making REAL SMALL adjustments. That's the goal here.

Good luck...

Casey1994

The first TSX I drove was an '05, which seemed to have too much bolstering, but the '06 feels about perfect -- I wonder if they changed the dimensions any from '05 to '06, or if I have molded to the seat?

AlterZgo

Nah. The seat fits some people really well, but not others. It surprised me b/c I've never had any problem w/ any Honda/Acura seats in the past. IMO, the lumbar support on the TSX extends up too high so instead of rendering support to the low back, it kinda jabs my mid back and makes it really uncomfortable.

I didn't really notice this issue on the test drives and the various times I sat in the car at auto shows and dealerships. It only bothered me after about 45 minutes during my commute. I tried all kinds of seat positions to no avail. After modifying the seat, it doesn't bother me anymore, but it's still not as comfortable as a Recaro.

Another less invasive solution is to just use a memory foam pillow for lumbar support. You don't need to install it under the leather.

Alternatively, I've seen some seat covers w/ adjustable lumbar bladders attached that you could put over the seat.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

This is my second TSX and I must say that once you get the seats to the right position, they are incredibly comfortable. In my 2004, I did a full 7 hour, non-stop stint behind the wheel (and when I say non-stop, I mean I didn't leave that seat for 7 hours straight) and stepped out completely unfatigued.

You just gotta work at it to get the seats to work perfectly for you, but once they do, you should be very comfortable.

Still Water

The goal to remember here is to evenly distribute your weight onto the whole seat. From there the adjustment for height and distance as well as wheel tilt is a matter of personal preference.

atang79

I'd have to agree with you on the lumbar support. I didn't notice it at the dealership when I first purchased the car. But now that I want to use it, it feels like the thing is in the mid section of my back vs my lower back.

bibby

I came from a VW Passat, and I thought the TSX wasn't as comfortable as my other car. I've always felt something weird with the seats...but after 5 months of driving it, I think I am used to it now. However, my gf is about 5'1, she can never seem to find a comfortable position to a point that we had to buy a padding underneath it...!

atrussell

I am new to the forum and have had my 2006 TSX for about two weeks. I agree with the concerns about the seat discomfort and the lumbar support. It hits my back too high and even with the support at minimum (lever all the way back), it puts pressure in the wrong spot for me. (I am 6'1 but most of my height is in my legs). I notice from another, older thread that AlterZgo took his to an upholstery shop which modified the padding for $100. Since I am in LA could you point me to that shop? I will probably try a cushion first but may need to go that route. Thanks

AlterZgo

atrussell,

It's been a while now and I forget the name of the shop. It was somewhere in Inglewood. Basically any decent upholstery shop that re-upholsters car seats can do this for you.

After they did their work, I ended up having to re-do it myself many more times until I got it exactly how I like. The key for me was to use viscoelastic memory foam. Since it contours to your low back, you don't need to keep shaping and reshaping the foam to fit perfectly.

atrussell

AlterZgo,
Thanks for all the information. I had a couple of long commutes on Friday and after I fine-tuned my position, I was more comfortable. I am going to hang-in-there for a while before attempting any modifications but I appreciate your input. I find that the firmness of the seats makes positioning fairly critical. In contrast, I drove our other car, a 1996 Volvo Turbo wagon, and the well broken-in seats were very soft in comparison. Thanks again

Spy

I'm still trying to play with my seats (I'va had the car for about 2 months). I'm 6'3", 215lbs, and longer than an hour bothers my back.

junktionfet

I am approximately 6 feet tall and around 160lbs. I find that the TSX physically fits me perfectly.

Though few people agree with me on this, I have always found Honda seats to be perhaps the most uncomfortable in the automotive industry... However, the TSX's seats have an almost European quality. They are soft yet very supportive, and they promote excellent posture. I think it is a great design, especially considering that it comes from Honda.

There is one thing I've noticed though--For some reason I always feel like I end up sitting such that the left side of my body is pressing more against the left seat bolsters. Even when I adjust my body in the seat, over time I end up in the same position. This either means that the seat is misformed, or it is leaning ever-so-slightly to the left. It is very subtle either way, so it is very difficult to pinpoint the root of the problem.

Rajwah

I've had the car about a week and am having exactly the same experience as AlterZgo. Lumbar support hitting too high and jabbing me even in when retracted as far as it will go.

Question for AlterZgo: is it necessary to remove the entire seat, or is it possible to remove just the covering on the rear of the seatback in order to get at the lumbar cushioning?

AlterZgo

I suppose it may be possible to remove just the leather cover for the upright portion of the seat w/o taking the whole seat out of the car, but it will be very difficult because you will run into the center console on the right side and the center door pillar on the left. Ultimately, it would just be easier to take the whole seat out.

Frankly taking the whole seat out of the car is fairly easy - just 4 bolts and 2 harnesses under the seat and you can lift the whole thing out.

The difficult part is getting the leather off and put back on again. Just off the top of my head - first, before you do anything, disconnect the harnesses at the bottom of the seat and disconnect the battery just to ensure that the airbags won't deploy (have your radio and nav codes handy as you will need them when you reconnect the battery) You would then start by removing the headrest, remove the 2 plastic guides that the headrest chrome legs go into, remove the lumbar adjustment lever on the right (it's held on by a C-clip so you have to disengage the C-clip before you pull the lever off), then remove the back panel of the seat by just pulling very hard all around. Then you will see these long plastic hooks that holds the leather to the back of the seat. Just remove those long plastic hooks and start pulling the leather from the back towards the front. On the left side of the seat, there are these metal wires with straps attached to them. These straps go right over the side airbag in the seat and you will have to remove these wires and straps from the side. Once this is done, you continue to pull the leather towards the front. You will now need to bust out some wire cutters to cut the upholstery hooks that hold the leather cover to the front of the seat. The upholstery hooks are all situated right where there are stitches and creases on the seat cover.

After writing this, I would say that it is practically impossible to remove the seat cover w/o taking the whole seat out. In fact, you will need a lot of maneuvering room to take out those wires and straps that go over the side airbag. Again, with just 4 bolts and 2 harnesses to disconnect, removing the seat is literally a 5 minute affair. The hard part is that the seat is heavy and you want to be careful when you move it out as you may scratch up some trim pieces. I just laid a blanket over the side sills to prevent them from getting scratched up.

You know, the truth of the matter is, this is not hard, but neither is it very easy. I would strongly suggest just getting a lumbar pillow or something like that and use it on top of the seat.

Alternatively, you can go with a seat cover and put the lumbar support underneath the seat cover. I've seen seat covers that have pockets that hold lumbar supports, etc.

curls

I remember someone here actually modifying the lumbar on a 2004 seat I believe, as there was a slight design change between the '04 and the '05 seats.

silverback

Regarding, lumbar I completely agree with atrussle. I am 5'9" 175 and I am convinced the lumbar is 3" too high. My back does not get the curvature support it needs. I just leave it fully in the rear position.

Additionally the square butt area with soft foam and the thigh area with hard foam are unbalanced. If the industry we call that dual-firmness or considering the bolsters, this seat is a tri-firmness pad.

My complaint is that when my ass sinks in the soft foam, the hard foam at the left to right trim line between the two firmnesses, jabs into my legs at about crotch level. I wonder if this is a mass production issue with the firmness being out of spec, or if its a design problem.

Does anyone feel this?

I am in the seating industry, and have spent most of my working life making seat foam. Its ironic now that my TSX 06 is the 2nd most uncomfortable seat I have ridden. 1st was 96 Mazda 626 cloth. I am doing Lumbar research now for my company and would love to hear more about what people have done after-market in this area to get more comfortable.

I will try a wedge of foam from one of my factories under my pelvic bone to lift my body upwards as I think this will alleviate both of my complaints.

As a guy who has worked in Japan, doing development of seats, I would guess that the engineers changed the seat firmness specification to meet some other criteria as target Hip Height and inadvertently ruined the comfort.

Please let me know all your complaints about the TSX seats. I may just have a chance to talk to the seating engineers in Japan in the coming year about this.

silverback

one more thing. I did some measurements, and though the lumbar feels 3" off, its more like 1 to 1-1/2" from where I would like it.

jlukja

I've gotten mine pretty comfortable and conforming to my butt dimensions but I agree about the lumbar node being a couple inches too high.

<--- 04 owner

wndrlst

Yeah, it's definitely more a "thoraco-lumbar" support. That part of the design really makes no sense to me. Other than that, I find the seats pretty comfortable. The bolsters don't do much for me because they're spaced too widely apart, but I'm on the smaller end of the size scale for the average consumer. I just slide a bit on the fast turns before they catch me.

jayi41

i have this problem too... I used to drive a manual and kinda developed a lean to the right.. now i drive the auto tsx and i try to sit straight but I feel like the lumbar kinda forces me to lean to the right or puts more pressure on the left side of my back.

Maybe the lumbar is not aligned correctly? (or maybe i just have a facked up back)

Rajwah

I've got at least a temporary solution to the lumbar support problem. I went to a store selling Tempur-Pedic mattress and bought their dog bed, which is a 1" thick piece of foam large enough to cut down to the size of the seatback. There are probably other sources of visco elastic foam, but this was the easiest for me. It works ver well, but I'll probably still have the seat taken apart and permanently fixed when I can find someone competent to do it.