[NathanVA]

So I have owned a '14 Accord Sport 6MT for just over a month and I have reached the conclusion that it won't be possible to find a comfortable seating position without modifying the driver's seat. I'm actually suprised the power seat buttons haven't burnt out yet. I have the following issues with seating position:

- The shape of the seat back doesn't contour to my back and causes moderate stress on lower back after 10 min.

- The angle of the seat bottom and active head restraints forces me to lean forward and crane my neck, almost as if the seat is pushing me out.

- The steering wheel doesn't come out far enough. If I move the seat up reach the steering wheel, my knees (I'm 6" 3' tall) will rub the lower dashboard. With your shoulders squarely against the seat back, you should be able to rest both wrists over the steering wheel, which I can't because my knees rub.

- The seats are stiff as a board.

I'm considering taking the car to an upholstery shop to get the seat reshaped, have padding added, and I was wondering if anybody has experience with getting this type of work performed, and did the finish product resolve your issue?

On a side note, Honda should be ashamed for sacrificing comfort for 5 star crash test scores. I have owned many cars in my lifetime and this is the first time that an automobile seat has caused discomfort.

 

[BigJ1288]

I'd be curious to see if anybody has ever done this. The seats are fine for me but I might look into a lumbar support as I think that would solve my very minor back issue.

 

[JayDeZ]

I honestly think this is one of the most comfortable cars I've owned. The seats are 100X better than my old car.

Any good upholstery shop should be able to re foam your seat if you tell them what you want. A friend of mine owns a shop that can do that. The only problem is if you have too much foam added or removed the seat cover will not fit right. It will either end up looking wrong or need to be modified or even replaced. It won't end up matching the other seat.

 

[roomatthebottom]

same issue here

Have you made any progress, Nathan? I have the same issue with the seat and perhaps not coincidentally, I'm also 6'3". My main problems are that the lumbar support is too low on my back and too abrupt. Also this might be a symptom of my existing back problems, bit I feel like the front of the seat is too high even in its lowest setting.


In my old prelude i was able to lower the seat bottom relative to the back which have me more headroom bit also better aligned the seat back with the shape of my back. I'm going to see if I can do something simple here, although these seats are a bit more complex. Of I can't easily modify the relative positions if the parts then I'll try to raise the lumbar support mechanism, add more diffuse passing on top of it, and add some passing to the backh of the seat bottom. I'm going to try to keep everything noon destructive so I can revert to stock if needed.

 

[karfreek]

So I have owned a '14 Accord Sport 6MT for just over a month and I have reached the conclusion that it won't be possible to find a comfortable seating position without modifying the driver's seat. I'm actually suprised the power seat buttons haven't burnt out yet. I have the following issues with seating position:

- The shape of the seat back doesn't contour to my back and causes moderate stress on lower back after 10 min.

- The angle of the seat bottom and active head restraints forces me to lean forward and crane my neck, almost as if the seat is pushing me out.

- The steering wheel doesn't come out far enough. If I move the seat up reach the steering wheel, my knees (I'm 6" 3' tall) will rub the lower dashboard. With your shoulders squarely against the seat back, you should be able to rest both wrists over the steering wheel, which I can't because my knees rub.

- The seats are stiff as a board.

I'm considering taking the car to an upholstery shop to get the seat reshaped, have padding added, and I was wondering if anybody has experience with getting this type of work performed, and did the finish product resolve your issue?

On a side note, Honda should be ashamed for sacrificing comfort for 5 star crash test scores. I have owned many cars in my lifetime and this is the first time that an automobile seat has caused discomfort.

Wow. This does not describe my seat at all. Im 5-11, 221lbs so while not the same build its pretty comfortable for me. Comfort is subjective but I do not have the forced out of the seat feeling.

Maybe contact your salesman and see if you can test fit in another car and see if it is the same?

Jay

 

[zincloid]

I also have issues with the seat in my 2014 accord, i had back pain on some short trips too. Try using chair cushions temporarily, if you are ok with it you don't have to change your seat' padding or reshape them.

 

[roomatthebottom]

I also have issues with the seat in my 2014 accord, i had back pain on some short trips too. Try using chair cushions temporarily, if you are ok with it you don't have to change your seat' padding or reshape them.

Thanks for the suggestion, and I have tried that in a way. I got some polyester pillow fill put it under and behind me in appropriate spots, which did make it much more comfortable. But besides the fact that I don't like how it looks to have cushions on top of the seat, I haven't found any finished ones that actually work for me. With my own wadding I could put just enough where I need it. If I put a big cushion under me then the back shape will be even further in the wrong direction. If I put a cushion or lumbar support behind me then I'm left way too far forward on the seat, with just the very back of my leg supported by the seat and this is very uncomfortable. Even without somethign behind me the seat is just barely long enough so really I can't have anything that'll push my butt forward at all. I've been down that road and it never worked. Like I said, I've had existing back issues so I'm already going to be very sensitive to it, and if I can find a simple solution that will work then I'd love to do it but I feel like customizing the cushions is the only way for me at this point.

 

[Aitken]

Straight leg dead lifts, planks (side and normal), leg lifts. Strengthen that core to cure that sore back.

I'm 6'3" and this car fits me like a glove.

 

[Kamdog]

I was contemplating taking out the seat, and installing a seat from a Bentley Continental Coupé. However, none of those coupés have showed up where I do valet parking. Do you think I can make the exchange during the time of a fine dining experience? Would the Bentley owner notice? Should I have the wine steward send them a bottle of Night Train Express to slow them down?

For those unfamiliar with the vintage, here is an oenophile's review: http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bella/2010/07/night_train_express.php

 

[Bubb@]

This is all fine and good. When you start changing the seating with non Honda parts you could run into issues with its defensive system such as airbags, seatbelt sensors. There also could be sensors in the seat itself. Look under the seat to see if it's wired. I'm sure there some wires there for the seat upper bolster airbag. I'm not saying it can't be done but one might run into compatibility problems which would trigger warning lights. Changing the seats initial design could put yourself at risk of a airbag failure in the event of an accident and void your insurance.

 

[thills]

I have a 2014 LX-S coupe and I share your seat woes the seats are junk. Search this forum for "seats" and you will find many discussion about poor seats. You will also find many people saying how comfortable they are (which is of no help at all). Here is the story about how I made mine a little better. I don't have power seats.

The first thing I did was to install a Rostra power lumbar unit and that is a great easy thing to do, only took 90 minutes, $100 bucks and a few zip ties. I zip-tied the switch to the bottom/front of the seat so no drilling for me. I did this after trying a layer of carpet foam in the setback from top to bottom, then just the lumbar area. (that made the seat feel much different but I'm too o.c.d. to be happy with that, the power unit is great for minor adjustments) The seat backs have zippers so it's easy to stuff in foam and try different things.

After listening to me complain for many weeks about my legs my brother bought me a set of extendmyseat brackets and that helped quite a bit. My legs can stretch out a bit further now. I only needed two more clicks and I got much more if I need it. I can move the seat so far back I can't push the accelerator pedal all the way down. Funny thing is, as the seat goes back your legs straighten out and more of your thigh rests on the seat. This helps address the tilt issue, if only as a side effect. After the install I still wasn't 100% happy, but my knees started feeling much better.

I tried a rolled up towel under my thighs just to see how that helped with the tilt. It helped but was a p.i.t.a. and not a long term solution. But it did convince me I could do something with padding.

Next I found a piece of 1.5 inch thick foam from my old sleep number bed. I'm not sure how to describe the density, but I bet it's like a temperpedic mattress. Not super dense, pretty squishy. Anyhow, I cut a piece to fit over the entire seat base passing between the hinges and well under the back support and inside the back cover. It took some trimming, I cut it big, then sat on it and traced out the final cuts with a marker. After that I tossed an old pillow case of the top for a while just to test it out. Its been two weeks and two 3hour trips and I think I about have fixed it, I'm much, much happier. The thickness of the foam adds some much need thigh support, my heavy butt sinks in and my thighs not weighting as much sit higher on the foam and get some support. I even cut our an extra strip to stick under the leading edge of the seat to introduce some more thigh support but that was too much so I pulled it out. If I had some different thickness of foam I could experiment more w/that. Perhaps I'll try sticking some carpet foam under there if I need a change.

Once I get the foam adjusted 100% I'll go buy a black seat cover and put that over the foam. I thought about just getting some black material and having a seat base cover made at the Amish upholstery shop by me, I could have some elastic loops sewn on and then pull that cover over just zip-tie it to the seat base to hook it to the bottom of the seat. Not sure about the cover material yet.

Anyhow, hope this helps, the thick foam really made a big difference for me. I do have my seat lowered as low as it will go right now and feel it's just a tiny touch too high. I bet if I had some 1 inch thick foam under my rear then blended it to 1.5 inch under my thighs I think that would be perfect.

Good luck, (edit, since I originally wrote this letter to another seat suffering guy, I have taken the foam out and tried it w/o foam for a few weeks. It once again convinced me to get a piece of 1 inch thick foam. I'm going to go to the get some different types of foam over my x-mass vacation and experiment some more. My next car will have kick ass seats, Honda or not.)

 

[GradyPhilpott]

My EX has adjustable lumbar support. Doesn't the Sport?

It took me awhile to get the seat adjusted properly at first, mainly because I needed to learn how to use the buttons.

You have to get used to how much pressure you need to move the seat and how long to hold the button.

It reminds me of getting used to the hydraulic system on a front end loader.

At first, you can give yourself whiplash from all the bouncing, but once you get the feel, you get to be as smooth as butter.

 

[WiredTouring]

I'm currently in the process of upgrading my seats. I had taken my car to an upholstery shop to make the seats more comfortable only to be told they couldn't do it. So I decided to do it myself.

First off, Accord sedan front seats have horrible seat back support. It's a joke. The lumbar support is made of plastic and is held in place with coat hanger wire. The seat back is also convex causing lower back pain. All the foam is thin and hard as a rock.

I had tried to increase back support by removing the seat back and placing foam between the lumbar support and the seat cushion which actually worked. But it caused the seat back to be damaged and the seat skin would have had to be modified to remove puckers. So I'm going all the way with new hardware, foam and skins.

I'll post pictures when I'm done.

 

[roomatthebottom]

Wow, I can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

[fusionrx]

Best seats I have ever sat in are the seats in a Lexus LS460. 10-way adjustable and the seat itself can slide forward. Sumptuous.

That being said, I find the seats in this pretty comfortable, no issues. I'm bigger than most (6'9" pushing 300lbs) and fit just fine with the stock seats. Better than most competitive vehicles chairs FWIW.

 

[milan.mastracci]

Aftermarket? Nathan have you considered swapped the accord seats for maybe Recaro seats? They're a tad expensive but they are hands down the nicest seats to sit in. They have many different options in their styles too. They have sport bucket seats, that are still comfy as hell might I had, and they also have the comfort line where they just worry about seating position, lumbar and all that fun stuff.

 

[johnjohn15]

Are all the trims including the hybrid and plug in hybrid get the same exact seat??

 

[71Vette]

Heard about this before

So I have owned a '14 Accord Sport 6MT for just over a month and I have reached the conclusion that it won't be possible to find a comfortable seating position without modifying the driver's seat. I'm actually suprised the power seat buttons haven't burnt out yet. I have the following issues with seating position:

- The shape of the seat back doesn't contour to my back and causes moderate stress on lower back after 10 min.

- The angle of the seat bottom and active head restraints forces me to lean forward and crane my neck, almost as if the seat is pushing me out.

- The steering wheel doesn't come out far enough. If I move the seat up reach the steering wheel, my knees (I'm 6" 3' tall) will rub the lower dashboard. With your shoulders squarely against the seat back, you should be able to rest both wrists over the steering wheel, which I can't because my knees rub.

- The seats are stiff as a board.

I'm considering taking the car to an upholstery shop to get the seat reshaped, have padding added, and I was wondering if anybody has experience with getting this type of work performed, and did the finish product resolve your issue?

On a side note, Honda should be ashamed for sacrificing comfort for 5 star crash test scores. I have owned many cars in my lifetime and this is the first time that an automobile seat has caused discomfort.

Some people have complained about how the head rests are located. My 2014 Sport manual is fine for me, depends how your built. I would look into a possible head rest position change. A good upholstery shop, Im sure could help you , but you need someone who does custom work, some shops are just seat panel replacers. Good luck.

 

[WiredTouring]

I'm still working on it, but here is my solution to the uncomfortable seat problem so far:

I used TLX foam and seat covers on the Accord frames. A real pain but I think worth it for me.

The main problem in my opinion with the Accord sedan front seats is that the seat backs have very little support. I tried stuffing foam between the lumbar support and the seat foam and it helped a lot. But it also pushed the seat back cover off. That is because the upper "spring" of the lumbar support is a very flimsy rod that would probably fail as a coat hanger.

For the driver's side I used the TLX support with 2 extra upper springs:

For the passengers I used the Accord driver's side back support but modified it:

The seat backs of the Accord sedan can be modified to be more comfortable but I think the seat cover would have to have the seams at mid height modified to eliminate puckers.

You can also add foam to the seat cushions for a softer feel. I added 1/2 inch of HR31 to the upper surfaces of mine with good effects. I think HR21 though, which is a softer foam, would make the seats feel better.

I'll post more when I am done.

 

[ousooner2]

I'm glad you know what you're doing because I'd end up with something very odd looking if I tried this