nissan quest: fold flat seats

[vivekiny2k]

Hi guys,

does anyone know what stops a car from having a fold flat seat? My Van's passenger seat is not fold flat (it stops at around 80 degrees from horizontal). is there any mod that can be done to make it fold flat? i am thinking there must be some small stopper that can be removed/sliced/filed.

another question I have is regarding the foam. I think it's made for a typical 200+ pound american. I felt much better when i drove in winter with my thick jacket on. Do you guys think it's worthwhile to look for a softer foam. I know they take all of it out if I go for upholstry change (leather etc). Since i am small frame, I can also look for an extra soft cover without disrupting the original seating.

[Nitin]

Vivek,I remember the salesman at the Mazda dealership telling me that most cars come fitted with seats that do not fold down flat (all the way). Reason given was that bucket seats are more or less standard now,and in pushing them down all the way,the supports on the side tend to lose shape & over time give less support to the body. Hence,a fixture is inserted onto the rods holding the 2 parts of the seat together,and allows movement only upto 80%-85%.
I used to hate this option,since I'd have my rear seats sitting a little high (even after dropping the backrest completely) when I'd store my fishing rod going through into the boot of the car.

You should be able to get the extra-foam seat covers from local upholestry stores. Walmart used to carry those a long time ago,but I doubt if its available anymore.

[vivekiny2k]

thanks, in the van i wanted to use front seat to rest my legs and hence get more leg room. I did it on third row seat after dropping the middle row and it was great, only thing is third row doesn't push back, and I was farthest from the driver.

there are a couple online stores selling foam covers though.