Edina__Monsoon
Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2017
- Threads
- 13
- Messages
- 28
- Reaction score
- 5
- Location
- Florida
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 Civic Touring - White Orchid Pearl
- Thread starter
- #1
I first posted this in a thread on the R-Type section. A poster kindly pointed that out to me and suggested I repost it in the general section. Apologies if you've read this more than once. I'll try and keep things streamlined...
My car:
2018 Honda Civic Touring (obviously, leather seats), purchased this month
Me:
Male, 37, 5' 10", 190lbs, muscular build (could stand to lose about 10 lbs). Have a naturally very broad back from the shoulders down to waist. I workout regularly and I have no recent injuries or strains. My most recent car was a 2008 Camry Hybrid. However, I haven't owned a car recently. With a lot of travel for work, instead, I've been renting new cars for a year. That has ranged from bottom of the trim-level economy cars like Sentras to luxury sedans, to muscle cars like the Mustang GT, to giant SUVs -- it just depended upon what was available at the rental agency when my late night flights arrived. Bottom line, I've driven a wide variety of cars over the past year and haven't experienced this type of issue on even the lowest trim rentals.
The problem:
I am experiencing back pain/soreness/discomfort after driving 30+ minutes. I did not experience this on my two test drives. The pain is primarily in my mid to upper part of my lower back. I feel discomfort during the drive; the pain/soreness comes shortly after getting out of the car. I have tried a variety of seat height and angle as well as steering wheel adjustments thus far. Since I've only had the car a few days, I'll keep trying this for the time being, but if I continue to not find a position that relieves the pain, I'll look at a supplemental support cushion, though doing so on a brand new car feels ridiculous to me.
If neither solution works, I guess I'll have to consider something radical, like even trading it back in for a different vehicle. That seems even crazier, but I can't deal with 5 years of back pain for the car I like.
I've read that some people find the Civic seats don't provide enough lumbar support. We're all built differently, but I'm surprised to read that as I find it provides way too much lumbar support now that I've driven it for a few days. If a car has adjustable lumbar support, I tend to push it out as far back as it goes. I find the supposed virtues of lumbar support-oriented seating to be a literal pain in the back. It's why I can't stand those supposedly great Herman Miller office chairs. Anyway, just offering that info as I'm not looking for more lumbar support.
A colleague with a similar build tried the driver's seat out for a trip we were on this morning and described it like so: "way too much lumbar support and, overall, the seats are so firm and rigid that, rather than it feeling like you are sitting on/in the seat, it feels like the seat is digging into you." I'd agree with this sentiment. And, I'd note that neither of us enjoys a mushy seat, but, to me at least, there's a difference between support and rigidity.
Anyone in a similar situation? Did you find a solution? Any supplemental cushion recommendations?
My car:
2018 Honda Civic Touring (obviously, leather seats), purchased this month
Me:
Male, 37, 5' 10", 190lbs, muscular build (could stand to lose about 10 lbs). Have a naturally very broad back from the shoulders down to waist. I workout regularly and I have no recent injuries or strains. My most recent car was a 2008 Camry Hybrid. However, I haven't owned a car recently. With a lot of travel for work, instead, I've been renting new cars for a year. That has ranged from bottom of the trim-level economy cars like Sentras to luxury sedans, to muscle cars like the Mustang GT, to giant SUVs -- it just depended upon what was available at the rental agency when my late night flights arrived. Bottom line, I've driven a wide variety of cars over the past year and haven't experienced this type of issue on even the lowest trim rentals.
The problem:
I am experiencing back pain/soreness/discomfort after driving 30+ minutes. I did not experience this on my two test drives. The pain is primarily in my mid to upper part of my lower back. I feel discomfort during the drive; the pain/soreness comes shortly after getting out of the car. I have tried a variety of seat height and angle as well as steering wheel adjustments thus far. Since I've only had the car a few days, I'll keep trying this for the time being, but if I continue to not find a position that relieves the pain, I'll look at a supplemental support cushion, though doing so on a brand new car feels ridiculous to me.
If neither solution works, I guess I'll have to consider something radical, like even trading it back in for a different vehicle. That seems even crazier, but I can't deal with 5 years of back pain for the car I like.
I've read that some people find the Civic seats don't provide enough lumbar support. We're all built differently, but I'm surprised to read that as I find it provides way too much lumbar support now that I've driven it for a few days. If a car has adjustable lumbar support, I tend to push it out as far back as it goes. I find the supposed virtues of lumbar support-oriented seating to be a literal pain in the back. It's why I can't stand those supposedly great Herman Miller office chairs. Anyway, just offering that info as I'm not looking for more lumbar support.
A colleague with a similar build tried the driver's seat out for a trip we were on this morning and described it like so: "way too much lumbar support and, overall, the seats are so firm and rigid that, rather than it feeling like you are sitting on/in the seat, it feels like the seat is digging into you." I'd agree with this sentiment. And, I'd note that neither of us enjoys a mushy seat, but, to me at least, there's a difference between support and rigidity.
Anyone in a similar situation? Did you find a solution? Any supplemental cushion recommendations?
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