I did the raise-the-seat-front mod and have been enjoying it for the past week.

For those not familiar, Per K pioneered the mod (for our site anyway):
The lengthy discussion of the mod is buried in this Honda Fit thread. This link will get you there:
https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...11/index2.html

These pics are from Per K -- thanks again!



For the review... It's not perfect but it's a huge improvement. It provides more thigh support and is a solid mod. It feels safe. It also gets my knee off the emergency brake handle, which was a major issue.

One thing I notice is that overall I am much higher than ideal. The rear of the seat should be lower, but that is a mod I will not be attempting. I'd prefer to be lower, but I suppose there is an advantage of visibility from the car.

Also, the steering wheel position is slightly more less-than-ideal now. It's a bit further away and lower. I have it at max extension. Not a deal breaker, but not perfect.

Lastly, I can't get in the car at all if my wife has been driving. She raises the seat and my legs simply won't fit between the steering wheel and seat. So, I have to remember to adjust the seat down before I get it.

I have also added about an inch and a half of padding to the seat back. I'd like a little more on the seat bottom, but I'm afraid my head would be hitting the ceiling.

I'd also like to share that I test drove a couple Accords over the holiday while getting my oil changed. Previous generation Accords require leather to get electric seats, which area required to get a seat to adjust for rake. That also guarantees you a sunroof which guarantees the roof is a millimeter from my head. So, an old HAH is out.

The new Accords are much bigger and you can get electric and rake-adjustable seats without leather down to the LX-P level. This is also available without the sunroof, but the car is so much bigger the sunroof is no longer an issue.

The car is pleasant to drive with the four cylinder and the added space is useable and not overdone. The trunk is awesome. The steering wheel feels cheap and I couldn't hold it like I do the HCHII due to the 4-spoke design (v. our 2-spoke). I don't know what deals you could get for the Accord, but the 4-cyl ranges from about $21k-$26k. I imagine it's be easy to average 26mpg -- not great, but prob the best non-hyb full size.

I have not tried out a Toyota Camry Hybrid, but starting at $26k, I bet the better seats are in the limited, which is over $30k.

In conclusion, this is the best seat for me. I couldn't stand to get less than 30mpg or spend $30k for a car. This result is a compromise of many factors that is not perfect, but certainly near perfection. And who wants perfection anyway?

Sorry, for the long post, I just wanted to document everything for the site.

Cheers and Happy New Year, noflash

 

Hi noflash;
Happy Hew Year to you as well. It sounds like you are somewhat pleased with your seats. I to find that the padding could be more but it is not as noticable any more as the comfort has improved so much! Had a 9 hr. drive home Wed. with no soar spots! I had too move my seat slightly closer and the wheel in, I can move the seat up as your wife does. I guess I'm a short ***! And the e-brake is free and clear of my knee, what a relief Is your car repaired or did you mod. your wifes car, first,grin>
Cheers,H

 

Oh yes, my car is repaired and modded.

My wife instructed me not to mess with her car.

nf

 

It's probably still plenty strong, so just food for thought:

The piece you put in looks to be weaker than the original. It's thick, but lacks the ribs and curvature of the OEM piece.In a collision I think the seat would want to move forward, and the flat bar you've added would try to rotate, putting both fasteners in tension.

Very simple improvement at least: put a washer behind the gold colored nut. Putting a washer behind the "driven" component of a bolted connection is standard practice, and this case would help to spread the load.

My 2 cents: I would go back to the stock configuration. I think it's stronger. First off, it might save your bacon, and if there was an injury claim due to the seat breaking loose the adjusters would jump on that mod. I'm sure.

 

I'm thinking that it looks like it would slide to one side or the other over time. If I made that mod I'd want to make the riser out of a single piece of steel that runs across the front of the seat. I'm still thinking of switching to the Si seats. They have better lumbar support, better thigh support and better side bolstering. I'm having the seats reupholstered anyway with blue leather and putty Alcantera to match my interior. I'm going to delete the seat back pockets, I never use them because they just get stretched out and look terrible.

Maybe consider an angle piece on the back of the seat mount to the hole behind the mount to reduce twist. I'm of the school that says "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" though. Keep us updated over time to let us know how it holds up.

All in all, I like the mod. nice job.

 

Why would you think a 1/4" piece of steel would be weaker than the 14-16-guage formed stock supports?
In a head-on collision the deceleration forces would indeed be pushing the seat forward. Of course the rear seatbolts would counteract this force, and the forward seat mounts would push against the steel bar, with no force on the top bolt, except possibly some shear force due to the seat rotating about the axis of the rear seat bolts. The bottom (stock) bolt would indeed be in tension, and dependent on the strength of the original body structure.
In a rear-end collision, the forces would be reversed, and top bolt would indeed be in tension. The washer is unnecessary on the front side, since the nut bears on solid steel. However, I did put a washer on the bolt from the back side, since I have a lot less faith in the stamped seat attachment than the 1/4"-inch steel.
And if we are going to live in fear of what the lawyers are going to do if we are in an accident, I think we need to get out of our cars and start walking! I worry a lot more about my comfort in the car than I worry about lawyers!

P.S. I am a licensed engineer with a degree in structural engineering.

 

The stamped gauge steel may be thinner but looks to use it's material more efficiently. It has ribs at it's outer edges, and where it turns the 90 deg corner it has a generous inside radius. With the original design, if the seat tries to move forward, I think the bracket will not deform, due it's efficient shape, and the head of it's bolt will go into simple tension. The flat bar OTOH, will rock, and the nut and bolt at the top will be in tension and bending. Most importantly, the original bracket is much squatter: the flat bar extension make the entire connection an increasingly efficient lever. And not a solid one, there's a single bolt, mid way along the length.

Also, regarding the washer, it is a requirement to put a washer behind the driven component, ie: the nut. And since it so easy to accomplish, why not do it? It's cheap insurance.

Also, with the raising, the horizontal base of the seat is just up in the air. Everytime someone sits in that seat you're relying on the friction in the faying surfaces behind the torqued bolt to prevent the seat going down, or rocking sideways when the car is cornering.

I don't live in fear of lawyers, I do live in fear of going through a windshield though, LOL. Again, just my 2 cents, I would restore the seat to original condition.

P.S.: I'm currently a checker employed by a fabricator, been doing that for about 3 years, have been detailing for about a decade before that, and was a structural designer with consulting engineering firms for about 20 years behind that.

I'm not trying to disparage your design, and I know I am a bit of a worry wart. And I really don't want to get into a butting match over credentials. The main object should be safety. I plunk down in the that same seat and never give it a second thought. I just don't think it's worth the gamble.

 

"Also, with the raising, the horizontal base of the seat is just up in the air. Everytime someone sits in that seat you're relying on the friction in the faying surfaces behind the torqued bolt to prevent the seat going down, or rocking sideways when the car is cornering."

Actually what I am relying on is the shear strength of the bolt, the seat bracket and the extension. With the rear seat bolts in place, how in the world do you get someone sitting in the seat, or taking a corner could get the seat to come down or rock? I would bet if you took a channellock to the bottom of the extension and pulled, the stock bracket would bend a long time before the steel piece would bend.

Anyway,I did this mod on my 96 Maxima, and put about 150,000 miles on it before selling the car.

Worry all you want, I am not the least bit concerned about the setup.

 

Well, you're the P. Eng. I mean that sincerely, whether you believe it or not. Maybe it is ok, just to my layman's eye it looks "compromised" a bit.

 

Well, if you are a fabricator, you can always make an improved version. If I had the tools to do so, I could have used a solid steel, or square tube spacer of appropriate size to put between the seat and the bed where the seat normally rests. Weld a tongue to the spacer and drilll a hole to attach the spacer to the stock seat attachment hole, and drill and tap a hole for a bolt to attach the front seat attachment to the spacer.
You have the skill and tools to do it--let us know how it works out. You could probably sell a few on this website too!