Upgrade / Replace Prius Seats? Desperate!!

BTW, I live in SoCal.

 

Thanks. But, wow expensive! $630 / pair..... Hhhmmm..... A bit steep for my humble pragmatic budget....
I'm the sheeps would say otherwise. :0)

 

I guess you didn't really mean what you said in your original post... [I will pay any price to keep this car and have a better seat.] I believe that price is negotiable. I would agree that it's too high. I paid about 1/2 the price. I would, at least, give Mike a call and tell him that you you got a recommendation from Jim. I believe he will know who you are talking about. See what happens. Can't hurt.

 

BZzap!, in reply to your comment:

"I guess you didn't really mean what you said in your original post... "

I think you have me confused with tart_green who initiated the posting.

I was simply offering suggestions to tart_green on a modification that I made that has really helped me with my back issues on Prius bucket seating.... and it cost me only $23 and a bag of popcorn kernels but nothing as fancy or nice as a sheep skin seat. It does sound wonderful!

Even at 1/2 price, $300 is still too rich for my humble budget. I'll stick with my cheapo mod instead and save up for the next vehicle. I do appreciate your suggestion though. I'm sure for those that can afford it, it would be a great idea.

 

Oops! So sorry!

 

I have the base cloth seats in the Prius, I hated it, my leg would always feel numb after just about 20 mins. My 2nd gen felt better in my opinion. However, after adding the Clazzios leather seat covers, my uncomfortableness went away. I can sit in the car for hours with no issues. There's a memory foam lining in the seat cover that makes it very comfortable.

Not sure if this will help your back pain, but it's worth trying out. It has helped me out a lot.

Btw, I'll be selling my covers soon, lease is coming to an end.

 

Wondering in the Clazzios, about how thick is the foam padding? And would there be enough loose space to add a widge cushion for more lumber support? Lastly, did you have to remove original covers or put on Clazzios? Thanks.

For now I flipped backward on the headrest and added a neck cushion, so my head doesn't need to bent forward.

 

I bought a couple of generic sheepskin covers - $50/seat at Costco. My wife loves them

 

I've got a chronic weak spot somewhere in my back, a connection between muscle and cartilage that occasionally tears. Normally I find the Prius seats fine, but when I've got a back problem it'll take me 3~4 minutes to climb out of the car. But here's the thing: you could throw sheepskin in there, you could pull everything out and replace it with space shuttle seats, it's still gonna take me 3-4 minutes to climb out of the car. And hurt like heck.

OP is spending 8 hours a day in a car, day in day out, and has hit the wall. Likely has a repetitive stress injury.

 

After about 3 hours driving for Uber in my Prius (which is what I assume you are doing) I'd feel really claustrophobic, needing to stretch legs, and tailbone pain from sitting.

I bought a coccyx cushion which helped a little...So my suggestion is cushion or find a Volvo seat out of an S40 and take to a mechanic...I am sure they can make it work and they are very comfortable. You'll just have a mismatched drivers seat (but you'll be more comfortable).

 

I've heard that the power seats found only in the Prius 5 trim levels are more comfortable. I'm pretty sure that someone here did at least one switch. I can't remember if the seat airbags still worked, though. I don't think it should be all that hard to find one.

I'm a big fan of the Recaro seat systems, but they're really pricey, and may need a custom install:
Own something special - Overview aftermarket - RECARO Automotive
(one day, I hope to be able to afford these again)

Personally, I've found that the Obus Forme backrest and seat cushion work well for me when my back starts hurting, primarily because they have a rigid support that doesn't depend on the somewhat-mushy car seat in the Prius.

Lastly, I strongly suspect that the best bang-for-the-buck would be to get the seats re-cushioned at an auto re-upholstery shop. I remember reading that Toyota chose low weight over driver comfort when designing the OEM seats, so higher quality (but heavier) foam might fix the problem permanently.

 

Just to show it can be done, this is a Recaro Specialist M in a Prius:


Can OEM leather heated seats be swapped from a 2010 V to a 2010 III? | PriusChat

Power Seat Conversion (Prius 2) | PriusChat

2015 Prius Two, not II - Front Seat Stock to Power/Lumber OEM Prius Four to Five DIY | PriusChat

 

Get the Clazzio Custom Fit Synthetic Leather Seat cover which allows for foam insert.

Temporary fix would be to buy 2" polyurethane foam from Home Depot for $6 and make your own seat cushion.

 

You can always get Wet Okole seat covers and add all the bells and whistles, e.g. lumbar support, etc

 

This guy finds the seats he put in his ct200h very comfortable. Sparco seats. $3,000 per seat ish

 

I would love to have 2 of those seats! But 3200 bucks each... Gotta find myself a rich sugar mommy

 

There are other options out there that could make life much easier!
Are you located in So-Cal?

 

Glad to hear this story had a happy ending. Enjoy your Prius!

 

edit nvm.

Holy crapezoids... never knew my car had this: