On Saturday, I decided to take my TL on a long road trip. I enjoy the car so much I just took off.

Well, after 4 hours of driving, with a couple of breaks, I get home. I get out of the car and my back is KILLING me.

I felt fine when I stopped for lunch after about 2 hours, but the extra time did it to me.

I do not know if this is a fluke or I will have to watch out for this all the time....

After missing work today, I am finally feeling better.

 

Sorry to hear about your seat discomfort. I had a BMW 540I that just killed my back. I find the seats in the TL to be great. I have taken 3 5+hour road trips in it and have had a wonderful time. I find the seats to be great. I am 5'11" and 210lbs, so I am not a small person. You might try playing with the seat back angle and moving the front of the bottom cushion up a little. I find this works in some cars that I drive.

Mark

 

Did the lumbar support help you any?

 

I took a 12 hour trip and I didn't want to stop, the kids forced me to... but I felt great.

maybe you should a small pillow behind your back, it does wonders for your back.

 

My lumbar was set to rock hard in my TL, I let some pressure out until it fit my back better. My back handles it fine now.

 

some ppl don't know about the lumbar yet. i know people who haven't known about the lumbar support in their seats when they've had the same car for >5 years.

 

I don't care for the front seats either. My back hurts after a few minutes. I don't think I could stand a few hours. I've tried the lumbar, but that doesn't help. It's too low. The back of the seat has a hole in it above the lombar area, which allows my spine to relax too much and causes the pain. I keep a pillow in the car to fill in the void to fix the problem. Someday I'll open up the back of the seat and add stuffing in that area to fill in the hole. An old towel works great. Fold it and stuff in between the foam and the springs. Check it and add or take out folds as necessary until it feels right. I did this will another 2003 Honda CR-V and it worked fine. I have a hard time with most of the newer Honda seats. They all give me a back ache. My kids early 90's Hondas are just fine, no problem at all. I can drive them all day.
Good luck.

 

I think you have a problem distinguishable from the TL seat. These seats are among the best in any car. Have you considered seeing a chiropractor? With these fine seats, there must be something else going on with your back.

 

AGREED!... After my accident back in 2001, i've had a bulged disc in my lower back....always had problems in my 98 maxima after that...since i've got the TL, I must say, those seats are the best ever, very very comfortable and supportive, lumbar is amazing.

not to be mean or anything, but yea, you should see a chiropractor.

 

I can beat mgokool's story. I had back surgery last August for a herniated disc. I bought my TL in October. I've taken the car on trips to Houston from Dallas and back on 2 or 3 separate occasions. My back feels fine.

 

if you have a wallet,take it out. that can probably mis-align your back and make it uncomfortable to sit like that.

 

The Accord seats are some of the best ever. The NSX and RL come pretty close. I dunno about the new TL, haven't driven it long enough to get a feel on a roadtrip.

I hope for the '05 RL they keep the seats the same, they're absolutely perfect.

 

Everybody is built differently and will consequently have a different experience in this matter, but I LOVE the seats in the TL. They are supportive without being hard (unlike my Passat which has seats that aren't very supportive and yet hard). The first time I test drove the new TL both me and my friend commented on how comfortable the seats were.

For the record, I'm 6' 2" and 210lbs. and my friend is 5'9" and 155lbs.

 

These are better than my CL seats...except for the fact that the leather looks kinda funky

 

The secret to this is to raise the bottom of the seat under your theighs. You want to take the pressure off your tailbone (saving your back) so raise the front of the seat to let your legs take some of the weight off your back. It feels awkward for 2 minutes then you completely forget about it. Make the seat cradle you!

 

My back is quite comfortable in the TL and the seats don't exacerbate my back problems. The lumbar support in Acuras is always positioned at the right height, unlike the G35, where it's WAY too low.

BUT I do have one problem with the 2004 seats that wasn't present in the 2003: the angle of the bottom cushion is not really adjustable. The front edge of the seat should be allowed to go lower than it is now. As it stands right now, the front edge cuts off circulation to my feet on long drives.

 

I just got back from a long road trip (2250 miles in 9 days) and try as I might, I could not get 100% comfortable in the TL seats. I had my wallet in the cupholder to make sure that wasn't the problem but nothing helped. My back was killing me after a few hours of extended driving and I had to pull over to stretch and try to regain some comfort. The seats are fine for short trips though.

My wife's S60 has the best seats I have ever sat on in any production car. I've driven that car for hours on end without a single trace of discomfort. Next trip we'll be taking the Volvo instead.

 

Yeah, it takes a little playing around with all the seat controls, including the lumbar settings, to get it right. But once done to your liking, I've found the TL seat to be incredibly comfortable.

Now if only the memory issue could get resolved so I don't have to keep fiddling with it

 

Actually I think the lumbar support was the main cause. I am getting better and will try another trip in a few weeks to see if this had anything to do with it.

 

Thanks for the thought, but I always have my wallet in my front pocket.

 

Thanks to all for this. I will be trying some of these suggestions out to get a good setting.

I agree with others that on a short trip, this is a very comfortable seat. After two hours I had NO problems with my back. It was only the next two that did me in.

 

Maybe you can be the first to put in some Recaros