Everytime I drive my viper my back hurts. Not sure exactly what it is about the seats but they always end up hurting my back. Anyone else have this problem? Anyone have a solution, or a good source for replacement seats that are more comfortable?
Uncomfortable Seats
- Thread starter proggod
- Start date
ulllose
Viper Owner
age?? just face it, quit blaming the seats!!....lol
mike & juli
Enthusiast
What year Viper do you have? Our '05 has VERY comfy seats...they hug ya so you don't even move...no probs with our seats. Are you very tall, and maybe need your seat lowered? Or very short and need the seat highered? Got me on a roll here...I will stop!~
~juli
~juli
SNKEBIT
Enthusiast
I know this is gonna bring some flak. I've been in alot of vipers and the most comfortable for me is the gen.1 seats by far.
Andrew/USPWR
Enthusiast
When my back is sore it bothers it to get in and out of the Viper but no issue once I'm in.
I've noticed our 04 seats are very narrow, but our 06 seats are wider and more comfortable for me (I'm a big guy). My wife who is much smaller is more comfortable in the 04. This always seemed strange to me. I wonder if they changed supplier or seat specs between 04 and 06.
Andrew/USPWR
Enthusiast
I've never heard anybody make that observation. I wonder what catagory the 05 fell in.
mike & juli
Enthusiast
Seeing as we have an '05, and neither of us is big or tall, we are VERY comfy in our seats. They really hug ya, so you don't move doing those VERY fast corners!!!! I'm imagining the '04 seats are the same as ours...but if you're a big guy, it IS a mite 'snug' ~juli
Andrew/USPWR
Enthusiast
I do recall driving in a friends 04 and complaining that the seat were too small but, I’ve never felt that way in my 05. And I’m 6’2’’ 220lbs. Maybe they are bigger.
mike & juli
Enthusiast
What Bob said...you have adjustable pedals, right? Your seat up straight? Do you feel since you lowered your seat, you maybe are straining/tensed up? Lots of factors here!
Don't know--but hope you still enjoy getting that Viper out there!!! ~juli
Don't know--but hope you still enjoy getting that Viper out there!!! ~juli
dave6666
Enthusiast
I know this is an SRT thread and I'm a GTS guy, but the first thing that was on my list when purchasing whatever it was going to be, was will I fit. Whether it would have been a GEN 1 2 or 3. I'm 6ft 4in 200#, and what saved me is the 200#. The 6ft 4in hurting a little, but I do fit.
Point is, that if you are of bigger stature or width, should have thought of that before ya bought the car!
Point is, that if you are of bigger stature or width, should have thought of that before ya bought the car!
I have noticed that if my seat is not in the right position.. It does cause my back to hurt...
Play around with it.... Move the seat up a little bit and then lean it back... or do the opposite....
I am 6'3" 230lbs... Stock 2005 seats...
Joe
Play around with it.... Move the seat up a little bit and then lean it back... or do the opposite....
I am 6'3" 230lbs... Stock 2005 seats...
Joe
Andrew/USPWR
Enthusiast
My drivers seat is lowered in inch as well.
ive noticed a lack of lumbar support. at least to me.
i routinely spend 2-3 hours in my viper at a time and i believe thats where my discomfort comes from during extended drives.
not terrible or anything, but i can see what u might mean.
i routinely spend 2-3 hours in my viper at a time and i believe thats where my discomfort comes from during extended drives.
not terrible or anything, but i can see what u might mean.
Kai SRT10
Enthusiast
I love my (2004) stock seats. I take my car on long cross country road trips, and have never had any back issues. I've had two ruptured vertebrae, so not all seats work for me. I do drive with my seat pretty far reclined, so perhaps that has something to do with it.
Thats exactly what it is, on top of that the sides push in, so my back doesn't make solid contact. I think I'm going to go to a custom interior place and get them to redo the seats. Remove most of the side padding, and add lumbar support.
I love my solstice, vette and expediton. But driving my viper is a pain.
DocAdam
Viper Owner
Let's face it, if you are a decent sized guy there is only one position available for the seat and pedals, there is no adjustment.
The pedals go all the way down and the seat goes all the way back. From there you have a very limited adjustability as the seat will only recline so much. I wish they had put just a little more room behind the seat so I could recline a little more. I find the seating position to be uncomfortable at times, but I have found that in every car I have ever owned (including my wife's Lexus and her previous Benz), I am only truly comfortable in the truck like seating position (I'm on my third Tahoe).
The pedals go all the way down and the seat goes all the way back. From there you have a very limited adjustability as the seat will only recline so much. I wish they had put just a little more room behind the seat so I could recline a little more. I find the seating position to be uncomfortable at times, but I have found that in every car I have ever owned (including my wife's Lexus and her previous Benz), I am only truly comfortable in the truck like seating position (I'm on my third Tahoe).
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proggod,
We're about the same size (I'm 6'4" / 250 - linebacker size). I have lowered my seats two inches and they are fully reclined. This helps. I also drive with the pedals all the way forward and wish they'd move farther forward.
I also made one other change that really helps me get more comfortable in my SRT-10. I read a thread by the Viper seat designer a few years ago. He advised me to remove the seats and simply step on the lower side bolsters and bend them outward a bit at a time, sit in them and keep doing this until I fit better in the seat. The seats are metal re-inforced and designed to do this. They can be simply bent back into original shape if you don't like it. I did this and it made a huge difference in my overall seating comfort.
At your size and likely your strength, you can try bending the lower side bolsters outward while the seat is in the car by just pushing on them or you can carefully step on them a bit and bend them outward, then sit in them and see if they are more comfortable.
I hope SRT increases the size of the seats and extends the pedal position in the next generation Viper so that it will accomodate taller, bigger folks more comfortably.
Good luck,
Dan
We're about the same size (I'm 6'4" / 250 - linebacker size). I have lowered my seats two inches and they are fully reclined. This helps. I also drive with the pedals all the way forward and wish they'd move farther forward.
I also made one other change that really helps me get more comfortable in my SRT-10. I read a thread by the Viper seat designer a few years ago. He advised me to remove the seats and simply step on the lower side bolsters and bend them outward a bit at a time, sit in them and keep doing this until I fit better in the seat. The seats are metal re-inforced and designed to do this. They can be simply bent back into original shape if you don't like it. I did this and it made a huge difference in my overall seating comfort.
At your size and likely your strength, you can try bending the lower side bolsters outward while the seat is in the car by just pushing on them or you can carefully step on them a bit and bend them outward, then sit in them and see if they are more comfortable.
I hope SRT increases the size of the seats and extends the pedal position in the next generation Viper so that it will accomodate taller, bigger folks more comfortably.
Good luck,
Dan
proggod,
We're about the same size (I'm 6'4" / 250 - linebacker size). I have lowered my seats two inches and they are fully reclined. This helps. I also drive with the pedals all the way forward and wish they'd move farther forward.
I also made one other change that really helps me get more comfortable in my SRT-10. I read a thread by the Viper seat designer a few years ago. He advised me to remove the seats and simply step on the lower side bolsters and bend them outward a bit at a time, sit in them and keep doing this until I fit better in the seat. The seats are metal re-inforced and designed to do this. They can be simply bent back into original shape if you don't like it. I did this and it made a huge difference in my overall seating comfort.
At your size and likely your strength, you can try bending the lower side bolsters outward while the seat is in the car by just pushing on them or you can carefully step on them a bit and bend them outward, then sit in them and see if they are more comfortable.
I hope SRT increases the size of the seats and extends the pedal position in the next generation Viper so that it will accomodate taller, bigger folks more comfortably.
Good luck,
Dan
Hmm i am going to go out there and give that a try right now. Good idea, because thats defintely my issue. My next resort Is trying and fit some solstice seats in my viper. They are perfect size for me, with great lumbar support
viperbilliam
Enthusiast
Your lower back should make some contact with the seat for it to be properly supported. If no adjustments as mentioned earlier in this thread does that for you, then you should have the seats modified for improved lumbar support. In the meantime stick a soft roll of some kind back there between your lower back and seat - like a wadded up towel with thick rubber bands to keep it rolled.
Personally, I'm pretty fussy about seats (as everyone should be) and have sat in some of the best seats made (including Recaros). I find my stock Viper seats to be excellent but my size has something to do with it. But I have had discomfort build up if I don't make sure I'm sitting properly in the seat (no slouching!). I have taken very long drives in it (10 hrs+). It does help to get out every couple of hours or less to move and stretch but I have found these seats comfortable for the long haul.
Personally, I'm pretty fussy about seats (as everyone should be) and have sat in some of the best seats made (including Recaros). I find my stock Viper seats to be excellent but my size has something to do with it. But I have had discomfort build up if I don't make sure I'm sitting properly in the seat (no slouching!). I have taken very long drives in it (10 hrs+). It does help to get out every couple of hours or less to move and stretch but I have found these seats comfortable for the long haul.
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DII
Viper Owner
Same here, I am the same height / weight. I got used to the way the 04 seats hug me. I am have the seat lowered 2" though.
Sandy G
Enthusiast
I had back problems in my 05 vert, big time. I went to Relax Your Back, a chain of stores. I bougth a"Life-form" memory support pillow! Almost same color as the seats and took all the pain away. "Great item for pack pain". Cost was $135.
Andrew/USPWR
Enthusiast
Man I can't get those seats to bend. Looks like I am going to have to pull them out and jump up and down on them
I tried that with the GTS seats. Very hard to bend.
DocAdam
Viper Owner
I forgot to mention that I have bent my seat rails out as well. I let a friend drive the other day and was amazed at how uncomfortable and cramped the passenger seat felt, but then again I am 6'4" and 240.
I do not have the seat lowering kit and have been worried as I have heard it moves the seat forward a few inches as well as lowering it. I need that extra legroom.
I do not have the seat lowering kit and have been worried as I have heard it moves the seat forward a few inches as well as lowering it. I need that extra legroom.
2" version didn't seem to push it any more forward, it was a big improvement on fitting in the car for me. Now its just a matter of fixing these seats.
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Doc,
You'll like the 2-inch seat lowering kit. I did find that it moved the seat forward just a bit in my SRTC, not as much in my SRT-10.
Not only will you be more comfortable in the seat, you can see out of the car much better with the seat lower. You can also feel what the car is doing much better.
Dan
You'll like the 2-inch seat lowering kit. I did find that it moved the seat forward just a bit in my SRTC, not as much in my SRT-10.
Not only will you be more comfortable in the seat, you can see out of the car much better with the seat lower. You can also feel what the car is doing much better.
Dan
