long trip - butt hurts

"Old, but not 50"?! Hmmm....something not right there.

In theory, you'd think a larger butt would provide more support for the rest of your body weight and you'd be more comfortable, not less. But the opposite seems to be true. Without putting too fine a point on it, I don't find the seats to be uncomfortable at all. (And I have a Gen II: the Gen III seats are widely reported to be big improvement.) Maybe I'm a little stiff after an all-day drive, but it's nothing that doesn't go away with a bit of sleep and exercise.

I have a working theory that seems to hold true for bicycles - maybe it applies to car seats, maybe not - that the larger the uh...seat, the larger a seat you need. Those hard, skinny little seats are perfect for those hard, skinny little...seats.

 

Try adjusting the seat and steering wheel in different ways. For example, if you're short, maybe you have the seat pretty far up, so your legs are lifted off of the seat, and much of the weight of your legs is thus supported by your butt. You could move the seat up to meet your legs, or the seat and steering wheel back to lower your legs. Or sometimes, you just need a change of position; either by moving things around, or by moving yourself around on the seat.

Personally, I've never had any discomfort from long trips, even driving 8 or 9 hours at a time. Hopefully you find something that works, whether extra padding or some adjustment.

 

I have a 17 drive in a day no problem for me

 

i think autosport has seat cushions.

 

I sit in my taxi for almost a full 12 hour shift, every day, and find that I have no problems with the seat and the comfort of my backside. But I did spend the first week setting the seat and wheel positions to ensure that they are comfortable.

I agree with macman408 that you should try to adjust the seat, especially trying to get the seat to support the back of your thighs, and thus take a lot of the pressure of your body way from the area of discomfort.

The alternative is to do as my wife does with our gen II - she puts a very soft cushion on the seat - she does this more to increase her height so that she can see out the windscreen, but the soft cushion also makes it more comfortable for her.

 

Perhaps you should broaden your search to include PIA. Until you determine the source of the pain, you could put it in a sling.

 

Yes. Definitely something wrong with the seat. Ford Escape Hybrid was more upright which worked for me, plus it had electric seats so infinite adjustment.

The Prius regular seats do get uncomfortable in the butt on long rides.

I think it is the initial low down setting. I cranked them all the way up them reclined it and moved it back but still get a sore but.

 

You young kids ought to stop and smell the roses once in a while...

Unless your running from the law, every 2 - 3 hours (max) stop and and get your butt out of your vehicle and walk around for at least 1 minute. You might discover that there is a lot of world to see on the other side of the windshield.

Keith

P.S. And if you have your wallet in your back pocket, put it in your front pocket. (The pressure of your wallet in the back pocket can slow down circulation a bit.)

 

I have driven two rental 2010 Prii from Minnesota to Florida in the past two years. I split the route into two legs. First leg Minneapolis to Paducah Kentucky stopping only for food & gas. Second leg, after a nights stay in Paducah, to Orlando Florida with same stops for food & gas. Never had any issues with a sore nice person I run the drivers seat height all the way down and set the steering wheel height at it's lowest setting, the seat is set front/back so my wrists fold over the top edge of the steering wheel. Seat back is one click back from full upright.

I find the standard fabric Prius seats to be very comfortable for any trips.

Mike

 

Last year we drove from Cleveland, OH to Winter Haven FL. The trip was 17 hours and we stopped once for gas and a potty break. Our butts were fine.

 

Is that what you told your wife? "Honey, your butt is looking fine" :eyebrows:

Mike :madgrin:

 

for our ages (old, but not 50 yet)

DID YOU REALLY SAY THAT? How old are you that you think you are old while under 50?

Wife and I are 62 and 60 respectively and are not old yet.

Alright, rant over.

 

Hell yea, I'm 46, retired early and still a kid

60 ain't old, now 80 then you'd be an old timer

Mike

 

From the list of suggestions, I'd say the most helpful are to adjust the seat, don't sit on your wallet, and take breaks.

 

The Prius seats are not very good - IMO it is the number one problem with the car and I'm really shocked that Toyota has not done whatever it takes to make the Prius seat the most comfortable in its class.

This has been a complaint since they first came out -- and was an immediate reason I did not buy one before the G3 ... And the G3 is just OK.


For those who have no problems - conceder yourself fortunate. I have no issues with the seat in the trips I use it -- normally 1.25 hours max .... I'm not sure how I would do on a 6 hour trip.

Not sure what the solution is -- some add foam ... we are tying a ortho car seat for some who find it uncomfortable.

 

As far as breaks goes, the general recommendations here in Denmark (and most, if not all of Europe I think) is to take a break at least every 2 hours.

On my holidays, I have practiced both doing long runs of driving and taking a break every 2 hours or less. I prefer taking the breaks by far. The extra time added is nothing compared to the entire journey.

 

Not having taken the Prius on a trip over an hour, I assumed when considering a Prius that the seats were going to be uncomfortable; thinking Toyota has to save weight everywhere they can.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the seats more as comfortable than I expected, but I still got a couple of gel pads anyway. They most definitely make the seats softer.