Cannot get comfortable

[Scylla]

Hi folks

My new-to-me 2016 Cayman has electric seats, with all manner of angles of adjustment. Unfortunately, I’ve fallen into an abyss of never ending tweaking and fiddling in an attempt to get comfortable. It‘s causing me lower back pain.


My 718 had basic seats with no such problems. I could position it flat to the floor, backrest quite upright. But when I lower the electric seat, it also tip backwards, leaving my knees much higher than my hips.


I know we are all different, but I’m asking out if desperation. Any tips? I’m 6’1” and like to sit close to the steering wheel.


Cheers
Damian

 

[Motorhead]

Damian,

I see from an earlier post that you’ve been pointed to the Porsche Human Performance video on finding an optimal seating position. Hasn’t that worked this time?

I would have though that with all that adjustment you ought to be able to find something comfortable. Get back to the basics. []

Jeff

 

[s999sws]

Silly question, but you do know that the steering wheel can move in and out don’t you?

sws

 

[Scylla]

Hi Jeff

Thanks for the reply. I did indeed go back to that very video

The trouble is, the angle of the seat cushion seems very different in this car; tilted back, so that my knees are high up and my lower back under strain. I’ve just been out again and raised the seat, which is slightly better - but now the top of my head is touching the roof. It‘s twisting my melon man. Cheers

Damian

 

[Scylla]

Yes..

 

[s999sws]

Only trying to help. sws

 

[Scylla]

Only trying to help. sws

Oh no I’m really sorry - ! Absolutely nothing meant, seriously. I appreciate your taking the time to reply, truthfully. Imagine if I hadn’t known? It could have solved my problem. So please accept my apology, there was nothing behind what I replied other than an acknowledgment. This is the trouble with forums..

Cheers

Damian

 

[Twinfan]

I'm not sure there's much you can do. I had a similar thing in my old GTS with Sports Seats Plus. I had the seat base on the floor of the car but then the back of my legs didn't touch the seat, pushing all the pressure to my lower back and glutes. I could never get properly comfortable and tended to fidgit a lot.

Bucket seats in my GT4 cured this and I can drive in them all day no problem. Some seats just don't suit some people.

 

[s999sws]

Ok. Good luck with your seating. I have the 14 way memory seats in my 2016 Cayman and it took me a while to get them right. I started off with my seat fully down and pushed fully back against the engine cover, then moved it up and forward until my legs were in a comfortable position for the pedals. I then moved the seat recliner until it felt ok. Then moved the steering wheel into a position where the top of the wheel just started to obscure the top of the Rev counter. Then with my arms stretched out and, just slightly bent, moved the wheel towards me until my inner wrists touched the steering wheel. After that I played around with the lumber adjustments, but sometimes I have to readjust these depending on how long I’m sitting, but the main seat settings stay the same. Hope this is of some help. sws

 

[Scylla]

Ok. Good luck with your seating. I have the 14 way memory seats in my 2016 Cayman and it took me a while to get them right. I started off with my seat fully down and pushed fully back against the engine cover, then moved it up and forward until my legs were in a comfortable position for the pedals. I then moved the seat recliner until it felt ok. Then moved the steering wheel into a position where the top of the wheel just started to obscure the top of the Rev counter. Then with my arms stretched out and, just slightly bent, moved the wheel towards me until my inner wrists touched the steering wheel. After that I played around with the lumber adjustments, but sometimes I have to readjust these depending on how long I’m sitting, but the main seat settings stay the same. Hope this is of some help. sws

Thanks a lot. I’ve done as you suggest (it’s similar guidance to that on the Porsche video), and I’ve found a position with the seat higher than I’d like, but I think I’m going to just stick with it for a week and see where I am. I think part of the problem is I’ve become a bit OCD about it and have not allowed enough time to get used to every adjustment I’m making.

 

[GeeDog]

I'm fairly new to my 981 and I too have been fiddling with the 14 way seats on every short trip as it was never quite right. I'm also 6'1".

Quite right that lumbar would normally be the last parameter to adjust, but this week I had a 320 round trip for work and moved the lumbar height into a better place, backed it off quite a bit then ended up having to re-adjust most other settings to suit. I didn't touch it on the 160 miles back and today got in the car and thought 'yup' as soon as I sat down. So I think you're right about giving it time/miles before it feels familiar (muscle memory?) but also I'd say if the lumbar support is wrong for you, it might be throwing everything else out, perhaps?

 

[ian harvey]

I'm 6.0 ft and can struggle to be comfortable. I like my bum to be low and wheel to be close but often find my thighs to be unsupported with my right leg under constant tension resulting in lower back pain.

The solution for me on my Golf and Cayman is to fit a c50mm spacer under the front of the seat runner and then lower the rear of the seat as far as I like and then trim the backrest. Works extremely well for me, worth a try.

 

[s999sws]

Don’t forget here’s the front part of the seat which moves in and out for your thigh support. sws

 

[Scylla]

Thank you all for the very helpful replies. I think the seat height and lumbar have been at the root of the problem; after yet more fiddling this evening, I think I’m at least heading in the right direction. I drove home from my support bubble house tonight and after raising the height and adjusting the lumbar as suggested, I arrived back without the lower back pain that’s been plaguing me. I’m not as close to the wheel as I’d like but at least I’m not in pain..

In theory, the myriad adjustments available should afford a perfect position for every driver. In practice, for me at least, it’s just more opportunities to get it wrong. The simple manual seats in my 718 were a lot less aggro, and I found my ideal position quickly after watching the Porsche video. Fingers crossed it’ll feel right tomorrow morning. Thanks again

 

[Wollemi]

One difference between the standard seats and the 18 way electric ones is that the standard seats will go 50mm lower than the electric ones. I don’t know if that’s a factor here or not but I thought I’d put it out there.

 

[Scylla]

One difference between the standard seats and the 18 way electric ones is that the standard seats will go 50mm lower than the electric ones. I don’t know if that’s a factor here or not but I thought I’d put it out there.

Thanks. I also think there’s a big difference in the way they “sit” when you lower them. The standard ones seem to sit flat, parallel to the floor whereas the electric ones have this rearward tilt.

 

[JohnCRS]

As indicated above, there is a lot on the forums that could help. Following the Porsche video is a good way to set a baseline, and don’t forget, it may seem uncomfortable at first and take a while to get used to a new position. I do find that the key is support under the thighs. If my knees are raised so that the backs of my legs are not supported by the seat, this puts a load on the back / lumbar region and quickly becomes painful.

Rest assured, you will get there in the end.

 

[Scylla]

I do find that the key is support under the thighs. If my knees are raised so that the backs of my legs are not supported by the seat, this puts a load on the back / lumbar region and quickly becomes painful.

Absolutely. The new position I’ve settled on (in hope and expectation) has the seat higher than I would like, but it does support my thighs and seems to be relieving the load on my back. I actually went straight out for a drive the moment I woke up this morning to see if it still felt right, and so far, so good. I think I am now at least in the right ballpark and I’m going to leave it for a week or so. I might tweak later, but for now, it feels like a big relief. When I lay out this amount of money on a car, it has to be right..!

I appreciate your reply and words of encouragement. I love the car.

 

[Motorhead]

Good to hear that you’re iterating towards a solution Damian. A comfortable driving position is essential for driving enjoyment of any car, let alone a sports car.

I’m amazed that many people buy a car without having ever driven it, something that’s becoming more common now that ‘click and collect’ is becoming the norm for all sorts of consumer goods.

Jeff

 

[Scylla]

Good to hear that you’re iterating towards a solution Damian. A comfortable driving position is essential for driving enjoyment of any car, let alone a sports car.

I’m amazed that many people buy a car without having ever driven it, something that’s becoming more common now that ‘click and collect’ is becoming the norm for all sorts of consumer goods.

Jeff

Thanks a lot. Funnily enough, when I tested the car I noticed straight away that setting the seat the way I had in my 718 didn’t feel quite right, but I just put it down to something I could easily rectify later. As it turned out, it was a significant difference and it’s taken me 6 weeks and a lot of help to start to fix it. That reminds me. Must nip out yet again just to check it’s all still ok..!