[himanshugoswami]

the comments on this thread come as a bit of a surprise to me. i have an SX4 zxi for almost 2 years now and have done quite a few long drives, including a non-stop hyderabad mumbai drive and have felt absolutely nofatigue whatsoever. And given the fact the my previous car was a tata safari (arguably the most comfrtable long distance cruiser in this country), that says a lot. I do have art leather seat covers on my car, not sure if the thin layer of padding on them has in anyway contributed to the comfort, but the car sure is super comfy for a six footer driver like me.

[phamilyman]

Maglev,

Interesting thread - I only wish I'd seen it before. You've gone the high risk high reward route unfortunately. And I wish its high reward. How much did it cost?

I own a Swift, done 62k in 29 months. Won't comment on your particular seat but I can tell you as a person with 4 problematic discs that bad backs are universal. Once such a problem hits for whatsoever reason, please realise that your car, your seat, everything has to be tailored to YOU! I bought myself an Amron lumbar support add-on (800 bucks) but it worsened the under thigh support. In the end, I took it to a local sofa guy who reduced the width in 100 bucks while maintaining the overall shape. Been 2 months now and couldn't be happier.

Stock seats while good or bad are still PU moulded in industrial dies - any shop will not be able to modify it as nicely - unless all they do is add on a moulded PU insert like I mentioned above! If it still pains, go & get it adjusted. Iterate till its okay. It shouldn't make things worse under any circumstance.

Ultimately you need to sort yourself out. How's your back and are you on a back fitness regime? Otherwise money spent in seat modification is a waste.

@MAS: NO way. The japs know their stuff. btw, the only rubbish OEM seats I've seen are the Logan's backseat. Any car seat will give you pain if your back is out of shape and your posture is wrong.

More than the density or the structure of the seat of the car, it all depends on the posture you have when you sit in case that helps you. What I have observed with any of the cars I have driven is that you need to sit straight with the lower back sticking to the lower part of the back rest of the seat. Adjust the back rest to accordingly. Also, try to keep the shoulders straight without leaning towards the steering wheel. This gives optimum support to the lower back. Just my two cents.

Secondly, in SX4 ZXi, make sure that you keep the seat and steering wheel adjusted to the highest possible level according to your height to give you the best lower back support. I have driven my SX4 for more than 1000kms at a stretch without getting any back pains following a good posture.

Has anybody tried the water pillows available to be kept on the seat to keep your A$$ cool. I have been using this stuff for sometime and I feel its really a boon on long drives.

[maglev]

@ Ragul, Himanshu, Phamilyman, Abanka


Guys I Totally understand the importance of correct posture and strong back muscles. But the only reason I was blaming the SX4 is because of the age of people whom I personally know with the same problem.

3 of the people living in my neighborhood have the same issue. The most surprising thing is their age which is as follows: 20, 26, 23.

Its the age which makes me question the design of the seats. As only the one who is 26 has a weight problem.

Also when I drive the Skoda, Accent my back doesn't hurt. (The Octavia has Lumbar support which is what I miss in my car)


Now Details and review of the seat modification:

The seat mod was done last saturday, and the seat feels way better as additional foam added is much harder as compared to the original soft ones. I've spent only Rs 800/- on the seat modification and it feels absolutely worth it. Have driven the car about 350km since the seat adjustment and its hurt twice out of the 6 days I drove it.

I had been using the Amron Backrest for quite some time now, but as Phamilyman pointed it out the Amron Backrest affects under thigh support to a very large extent and additionally robs the upper back of support. In fact my orthopedic doctor told me not to use that and instead use a pillow.

I have been advised to do both abdominal as well as lower back strengthening exercises and walk for about 5km daily.

[parik_ind]

Very interesting thread, its a pity I missed it earlier. I have been driving my SX4 for a little over 6 months and have not had any back pain per say but I must admit that I find the seats very uncomfortable. I frequently drive to chennai and am pretty tired by the time I complete the 350 odd kms. Never had this issue when I had my Ikon.

When the car goes through pot hotes I am thrown around which I find very annoying. My build is nowhere close to being small and yet I cant find sufficient shoulder support.

I also strongly miss any sort of thigh support.

I guess the only option is to get better padding installed.

Parik

[kirantp]

Friends,

My BIL has an SX4 since 1yr and off late he complains of frequent back pain. The last time I remember he was advised complete bed rest for 4-5 days was 4 months ago. May be I need to talk to him after reading this useful thread and suggest him to go for redoing the driver seat to his comfort.

Thanks everyone.

[atul.sxna]

I recently got my hands on a very well maintained SX4 VXi and have been driving it locally in Delhi for the last 2 days.

What I've realised is that I end up with a stiff neck and a funny shoulder once back home. I feel the lack of height adjusting feature in the VXi can be blamed partly.

I'm 5'11.

I have tried to play around with the height of the steering but haven't been able to find a comfy position yet.

This is a very interesting thread i stumbled upon while searching the forum for owners complaining about the driving position in SX4.

Originally Posted by maglev

Thanks for the replies guys. I haven't been driving my SX4 for the past 10 days or so and my back does feel better. I any case I've found a guy by the name of Aditya from Autokraft aka Cult leather. He says he can add lumbar support to the seats for Rs: 1500/- per seat. If any of you has any idea about him or are aware of anyone else in the Delhi-NCR region then please let me know.

Dude, could you kindly PM me the details of this guy you went to. Also, could you update on the comfort level of your modded seats.

Originally Posted by parik_ind

My build is nowhere close to being small and yet I cant find sufficient shoulder support.

I also strongly miss any sort of thigh support.

Parik, have you since been able to find any suitable solution ?

[maglev]

Originally Posted by parik_ind

Very interesting ... ....... Parik

Originally Posted by kirantp

Friends..... Thanks everyone.

Originally Posted by atul.sxna

Dude, could you kindly PM me the.................comfort level of your modded seats.

I couldn't have been happier, the seat modification has made the seats supremely comfortable. The longest I've ever driven is ~600 km in a day without any issues.

The modifications were carried out at AutoKraft / Cult Leather, located in Moti Nagar, New Delhi, Contact number: +91-99100-48583. Have driven 63K kms in a little over 5 years and am in love with the comfort my seats provide.



PS: If you want, you can come over and have a look at my seats before taking a call.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by maglev

PS: If you want, you can come over and have a look at my seats before taking a call.

Sir jee, please post shots for those of us not located in delhi

thanks!

[maglev]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Sir jee, please post shots for those of us not located in delhi

thanks!

Give me a day or two, will try to post pictures of mine and my friends SX4 (OE Seats) to facilitate a comparison.

[atul.sxna]

Originally Posted by maglev

PS: If you want, you can come over and have a look at my seats before taking a call.

Thanks for the invite dude.

I actually don't mind taking you up on that offer. Kindly PM me your contact details.

SX4 seems like a well strung unit so far lest for the seating issue that I face.