replace seats for comfort

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(longjohn931\";p=\"99167)</div>

Whoa!!! Hold on a minute... What airbags in the seat back? I checked toyota's web site and they don't list them as an option.

I would be very distressed if I do indeed have airbags in the seat backs. First off, one of the reasons children are limited to the rear seats is because an airbag could kill them.

Second, we have a little DVD player that straps to the seat back. It's usually in my wife's car, but she and my daughter are going to take my prius on 10 hour trip next week, so the DVD player will be in my car. I don't relish the thought of the DVD player getting accelerated into my daughter's face by an airbag.

 

The airbags in the front seat backrests deploy to the side of the driver. (I think) I haven't read anything that indicates that they do anything for or to the rear passenger.

Doug

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Venturer\";p=\"103173)</div>

According to toyota.com, packages 1,3,4,5,6 have side airbags in the front and rear.
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/prius/options.html

 

There's the curtain airbags, that protect front and back passengers, and there are also side impact airbags that deploy from the outside side of front seats.

[Broken External Image]:http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/prius/gallery/interior/large/photo_5.jpg

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin\";p=\"103090)</div>

Pages 72-78 of the 2005 Prius Owner's manual.

 

Some have had the seats removed and put in Recaro seats. The problem is that the sensors are now disconected for the side airbags and they got a continuous airbag warning. That can be fixed with a resistor, I understand.

 

I used 3 large washers under the front seat bolts for a while. The bolts are metric, go to the hardware store and get some that are about a half inch longer then stock. This way the seat mount will not loose any strength in case of an accident.
I also tried a piece of 1" foam on the front half of the seat. This transfers pressure from you butt to your thighs and helps with circulation.
They are way too sticky also.

 

vertigo2k,
How about a pic of the Recaro in your Prius?

 

Has anybody sat in factory leather seats? I am aiming to get the leather seat package, but if they are lousy I would go for the recardo (we have them in our pinzquaer love the feel) and not spend the money on the leather seat.

 

Kragen now sells a black, "leatherette, Recaro style" for only $120. I wonder how strong and safe they are???????

 

2) The seat is *much* lower now, and that is GREAT. I feel so much more like a normal driver now. I'm not all that tall (6'), but my torso is very long, so I felt like a tall person. There are actually three height settings for the seat. It's adjustable by taking out four bolts and moving the seat into one of the slots. Looks pretty easy to do. I'm at the lowest setting.

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Question: did your Prius have the nav-DVD under the driver's seat and still get that low with the Recaro seat?

I don't understand why so many people favor RAISING the front edge of the seat if there is sciatic trouble. Everything I experience tells me to lower the front edge so that there is less pressure on the back of my lower thigh.

 

Raising the front of the seat does put more pressure on the thighs, thus lowering pressure on your butt(and somehow this lowers pressure-or misalignment of your spine). This is a million times more comfortable. You can try this by folding a medium sized towel and placing this under your thighs at the front edge of the seat. Race car seats often have a complete opening for the bottom of your butt.

 

Magellan also offers an inflatable pillow with a strap to hold it in place. I'm trying that now, but a round-trip from LA to SF left me nearly crippled. Seems that the upper part of the seat squeezes my shoulders... I'll start checking those 3rd-party seats mentioned in other posts.
Tom Farr
Silver '05

 

Londo-Cat It's LA FREEWAY! I need your phone number # reply to [email protected]

talk to you soon.

 

I would really love to see some pictures of Recaro seats in a Prius. Anyone have one?

 

I have recaros in our pinzquaer, they are great seats. Not cheap $1000 per

 

Any updates on getting the pics of the Recaro. I would love to get the seat "lowered" a little as I too have issues with front visibility being obstructed by the rear-view mirror.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samoan_ridah @ Apr 5 2006, 02:49 PM) [snapback]235390[/snapback]</div>

I took my 05 Prius to a handicap retrofitter that adjusts cars for Boston Celtics players. They drilled out the two pedestals from the four front seat rails (driver and passenger), welded on three inches of steel to each rail, then welded the pedestals back on the rails three inches forward from the original position. Now the seats slide an extra three inches back. There is still plenty of leg room in the back and my 5'3" girlfriend can easily reach the pedals when she drives. Since the rails angle slightly down to the back, sliding the seat back more lowers it a little.

I would still like to have the seats lower though. I have to duck down to look up at red lights and my vision out the rearview mirror would be better if I was lower. But there doesn't seem to be an easy fix to lower the seat. 4 triangular plates come up from the seat rails to hold each seat. It looks like you could drill lower holes in the plate and bolt the seat lower. This might make the seat an inch lower. I'm not sure it would work though given the shape and bend of the plates. Has anyone found a way to lower the seats?

Thanks, Frank

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jun 30 2005, 01:07 AM) [snapback]102702[/snapback]</div>

Please let me know what you buy. My "bottom" is in jeopardy until I add cushioning to my driver's seat.