Heres how to raise the front of your drivers seat frame

Here's how to raise the front of your driver's seat frame

Folks,

Well, I scared the begeezus out of myself, but finally managed to lift the front of my driver's seat frame. As has been suggested by some, this might make the driver's seat a whole lot more comfortable. So, here's how I did it:

First, a picture of bolts 'n stuff:



The black bolt is what holds our seats to the floor of the car. These just screw into proverbial "holes in the floor" -- there are no "nuts underneath" to worry about or anything like that. These bolts have 14mm heads, and are TIGHT. I had to go get a longer-handled wrench to get enough leverage to budge them.

I took this bolt to my local Lowe's Home Improvement store, and with the help of their handy-dandy little "sockets" you can screw your bolts into, it turns out this is a 10mm x 1.25 bolt. The original bolt gets smaller at the end, but that doesn't appear to have any real function, except for maybe making it easier to get the thing started fitting into the threads.

So, my plan was to use one of the 1 x 1/2 x 3/8 nylon spacers in between the seat frame and the floor of the car, using a longer bolt. I wound up using the 10mm - 1.25 x 40mm (40mm long) bolt. I also got a washer to fit on the bolt like you see on the original bolt, and then I added two rubber washers at the top and two washers at the bottom of the nylon spacer, to help things fit together nicely. Oh, by the way... Lowe's didn't have any 10mm - 1.25 bolts, so I wound up going to Home Depot, which had them in spades. And, these bolts have 17mm heads.

Man, this was a TOUGH job -- bring a friend if you try to do this yourself. Basically, you take out the two bolts on the front of the seat frame, and loosen up the bolts on the back of the seat frame. The rear bolts are under plastic covers you can pop off, and the "inside" rear bolt actually screws into the side of the "transmission hump," not into the "floor" as such.

Well, I had BIG PROBLEMS trying to get the new bolts to "start" going into the hole threads. The bolts actually have to "angle in" towards the back of the car -- the bottom of the bolts are "nearer the back" of the car, while the bolt heads are a bit more "towards the front" of the car. I just couldn't get them to go in without totally removing the rear bolts, so I wound up doing that.

That helped whole bunches, and I got the front bolts finally started, and screwed in a bit. Then, I had to screw the rear bolts back in. The "outside" bolt that screws "down" didn't put up too much of a fight, but I found it NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to get the "inside" bolt in -- the one that goes into the side of the "transmission hump." This is where a friend would have helped a ton, but I wasn't going to ask someone to drive over in the ice and snow just to help carry out my crazy plan. I eventually got it in there, but I was absolutely TERRIFIED that I might not have gotten it correctly in the threads -- "smooth move," stripping out the threads that hold your driver's seat in place. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief as I started tightening everything up, and those rear bolts go to a point where I could screw them in a ways "by hand" -- they were properly in the threads!! Man, I finally started breathing again!!

So, I just tightened everything up, and finally had things pretty well in shape. I found that I was able to tighten, tighten, tighten the front bolts, and then I could tighten, tighten, tighten them some more. Sure enough, as I got down there to look -- I was "squishing" a bunch of the height out of the darn nylon spacers. I actually wound up "loosening them up" a few turns, to give them a little more height.

Everything worked quite well when I was done -- nothing loose, no "chair rocking" or anything like that. And, even though I had "squished" the nylon spacers quite a bit, I could feel a DRAMATIC raise in the front of the seat. Really, I had raised it not a whole lot more than, say, a quarter of an inch, but it made a huge difference.

If anyone tries this, I would recommend using something other than these nylon spacers -- probably a perfectly fine thing to use to raise the seat would just be a 10mm - 1.25 "nut" that would fit the bolts. I'd probably recommend putting maybe even three rubber washers atop and below the thing, to help everything seat nicely, but that'd give you a bit more of a raise than I wound up with, without the "squishing," so you could make it extra "nice and tight."

So, how does it feel? Well........ :roll:

I really like the raise -- I've always felt "ready to fall forward" in the seat, even at its "lowest back" position." I haven't been able to overcome that by, say, lowering the seat back, because then I'm too far away from the steering wheel. This little raise at the front just TOTALLY changes the balance of things, so you can settle back in the seat and relax. So, "all good" there.

But..... :roll:

The one thing that has bugged me the most is something that has usually kicked in after maybe fifteen minutes on the opern road -- my left thigh seems to get "trapped" in an uncomfortable position. No amount of squirming has been able to relieve it -- it's kind of like a "thigh wedgie" you can't pull out. I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the ultra-ultra-ultra grippy cloth seat material, and I think it also has to do with just the shape of the seat right there -- about where the side-to-side "line" in the seat starts, and out towards the edge of the front of the seat.

And, with this new "raise" in the seat, at least so far, it has been "instant thigh wedgie." No more waiting fifteen minutes before that bothers me -- it's there the minute I sit down in the dang thing. So, this is NOT good.

However, given the icy and snowy weather we've had lately, I've done a minimal amount of driving so far -- just "to the office and back," for a total of two trips about ten or fifteen minutes long apiece. So, there's a lot of "playing with it" I can do -- changing the seatback, moving the seat closer to or further away from the wheel, fine-tuning the seat adjustment for the back of the seat cushion, and so on. So, I'll be doing a lot of that over the next few weeks. It's at least "one step forward," but it's turning out to be "one step back," so far. Maybe I can find a position that doesn't encourage "thigh wedgies." Maybe I'll re-do it and try my suggestion of using nuts to get the seat up just a bit more.

In the end, though, I think the bottom line is that I'm sure gonna spend some time in that Corolla XRS seat -- it's just getting more and more clear that there is something REALLY REALLY WRONG with this driver's seat. If that XRS seat is a huge improvement, I'll get my hands on one, no matter how much it costs!

At any rate, I hope this helps any of you thinking about doing this kind of thing!

thoots

You may also cinsuder finding a way to make the seat go back mabey another inch. I find I get that thigh wedgie when the front of the seat is too high. It hits tha beack of my leg and cuts off the circulation, and thats what does it. On a long trip I find if I put the cruise on and then put my left leg right UNDER the gas pedal I can almost straight leg it and have it comfotable.

Also I got some seat covers from wally mart that are tweed. I put those on and now I can "Fine adjust" my leg with the small twitches. No more sticky fabrick.

I think a racing seat may be in order for you thoots. Then a 5 point harness to hold you in

Stinky,

Yeah, I think I'm learning about that "back of your leg" thing. I've got plenty of room to go back in the seat, though -- that's what I mean with all of that "I've still got a number of things to try, like different seat positions and such." We've had ice and snow the past few days -- we get a few days of that every other year or three up here, so you either go out and wreck your car, or sit at home and wait for the snow to melt, which is what I'm doing. So, not much time spent so far trying to figure out what works and not.

What I'd really like to find is a seat cover for just the cushion -- like a two-part thing where I just wouldn't need to use the seat-back part. I definitely think getting something more "slippery" for the seat cushion would help whole bunches. Ultimately, I have hopes of getting leather, but then again I think I'll wind up with an XRS seat at the very least, and on and on and on....

In the meantime, it simply looks like this "lack of thigh support" is more a case of "the thigh support isn't 'out on the front end of the seat' where we need it -- it starts right beyond that 'middle of the seat line,' where it gives us these 'thigh wedgies' and cuts off our circulation, etc." In the end, I think I'm gleaning information that I could use to help an upholstery shop slice and dice the seat cushion up for me -- indeed, just do what I said above. Cut back a bit on the padding right in front of that "mid line," and build up the front edge of the seat to move the thigh support up there. Unless I find a magic seating position with this new seat configuration, I think I'll be headed to an upholstery shop pretty darn soon. Then, I can either save up for leather, or figure out if the XRS seat will do any better than whatever the upholstery shops could come up with.

We shall see!

thoots

See what that shop would want to do a leather/vinyl conversion for you too. There are a few shops here that can do it for me for about $500 - $600 CDN. But they need the car for about 1 week. or at least the seats

Stinky,

Oh, yeah, I want to get the whole leather seat treatment some day. But first, I've got to figure out how to get a decent fit on the dang seat itself.

I was able to spend some quality time with the car today, and I played around with a bunch of seat positions and such. Dang, except for that "thigh wedgie," I'm really happy with the results of the front seat raise. I found some ways to get around that for the most part. Finally, though, what kept on coming to mind was to find some way to make the seat under my left thigh more "firm" and "slippery." The thought of "a piece of vinyl" or something came to mind -- like one of those "magnetic vinyl signs" you could stick on the side of your car.

Then, it occurred to me that I had such a thing -- I've got several pieces of magnetic-backed vinyl "heat register closers" -- things you can cover up part or all of a heat vent in the house. I actually have an "extra" one stuck to the side of my washing machine. So, I grabbed that, and put it under my left thigh -- INSTANT RELIEF!! In the end, I think I can make this "raised front" plus some kind of "firmer, slippery surface" on the seat cushion work pretty well, until I can try an XRS seat, which I hope will be a real, final solution.

So, indeed, I'm thinking "leather" or "vinyl" or some such kind of seat cover. Though, I really don't like the usual one-piece things -- I've always wound up being kind of "cupped" in between the seat back and the seat cushion in those things. Most definitely, I'll be looking for a two-piece seat cover, and I'll just use the seat cushion part, and then I think I'll be in pretty good shape. So long as it's nice and tight, and very slick and slippery, I think that would work well!

I've never seen a "two-piece" seat cover anywhere in town, but I've seen some on the web. So, it's off to the 'net I go!!

thoots

Thoots -

Ingenious! I hope all the hard work pays off in the end. I had the same thigh problem but cured it by yanking out the dead pedal on the left side. It gives so much more room and I no longer get my size 11 foot caught between it and the clutch. Try it, it pulls straight out and can be snapped back in if desired.

I was under the impression that the "dead pedal" was cemented in. So, if you pop it off, it can be put back on without breaking or tearing anything?

Also, after u remove the dead pedal, what does the open spot look like? Does it have to be covered and are there any clips that can be broken by stepping on them?

As stated the dead pedal pulls off easily. It is held on with clips. The area beneath it is carpeted and the clips will be exposed but they only protrude slightly above the carpet. I pulled mine off six months ago and the clips are still intact. This will likely not make any difference with an automatic.

Try it! Pull the overly thick pedal straight out and ride with it for a few days. If it doesn't suit you then click it back in. If you've got big feet like mine, I bet you'll leave the pedal in the garage.

Folks,

Haven't been back for a while -- been up to my a** with ice and snow! Finally have some time to write....

Number 1, I tried the footrest thing -- indeed it pops off the clips that hold it, but those are BIG clips!! Yank hard!!

I hated it hated it hated it hated it!!! I use that dead pedal to push myself back in the seat, and I was just totally lost without it. So, that lasted about one trip, period. That said, I think the dead pedal does have quite a bit to do with "the seat problem" -- it can set you up for discomfort. Can't live with it, can't live without it would be my situation.

Actually, when I play with some of my cushions as described in my "I have HAD it" thread, and actually get some decent thigh support at the front end of the seat, then my left leg feels best with my foot right beside the dead pedal.

Anyway, for what that's worth. I've got much more progress to report.

First of all, I found a nice "leather-like" seat cover by Saddleman, with hopes of breaking that thigh-grip the seat cushion has on me. Looks like this:



In the end, that still really wasn't enough to get around the fact that raising the seat just multiplied the "thigh wedgie" problem tenfold, so I yanked out the spacers and put the seat back into its original configuration with the original bolts. I'm actually quite relieved to be out of that little experiment.

The seat cover then lets me try some things "underneath it" -- I started by putting one of those computer "wrist wrests" up at the front of the seat, and that was a pretty good improvement -- much better than just having the front of the seat raised up. But, still, that thigh wedgie business continued, so I tried the big gun -- that whole Saddleman bolstered seat cushion that I showed in that "I've HAD it" thread. With that under the seat, I finally, totally divorce my butt from the insanity that is the "shape" of the Corolla seat cushion, and I'm finally much more comfortable.

Obviously, that's not the best solution -- it gets me sitting up higher than I need to be, and it's really quite heavy bolstering that ought to be "farther out" towards the edges of the seat, but at least I've got thigh support and no "thigh wedgies." I think this will help me live until I can try an XRS seat, and then we'll see how to proceed. I'm sure a competent upholstery shop could re-design the seat cushion and cover the thing in nice leather, but I'm also sure that a less-than-competent shop could make a horrifying mess of it, so "getting a whole new seat that works" would be much more preferable than would be going to an upholstery shop. So, that's the long-term outlook -- just get by until the XRS comes out, then go test-drive the heck out of that thing. And, if that seat feels as good as it looks, then I'll (ouch!!!) pony up the dough -- whatever it takes -- to get my hands on one of those seats.

So, we shall see what happens!

thoots

there n e way to raise ure seet more then it raises because im only 5"3

Question for ya thoots. I noticed in your interior pic above that you seem to have a cover for the lighter beside the shifter. I think the lighter is ugly there, and was a design afterthought. Where did you get that piece. I like the low profile look! I asked the dealer about something like that when I bought the car, but he wasn't able to help.

TIA,
sailor

I have an LE, same color as thoots'. Mine also has the lighter cover. Matter of fact, it didn't come with a cigarette lighter. I would think somewhere you could find a cover, since the 04's that I've seen have one.

sailor,

Well, first things first, that's a "power port" as far as I'm concerned.

And, the little cover over it just came standard with the car. I'd recommend going to your local Toyota "Parts" department -- sure seems like they should be able to order one for you!

thoots

Hmmm... "Is there any way to raise the seat?" Sounds like a "CE" model question. The "LE" and the "S" models have driver seats with a big knob on the left -- crank that thing, and the back of the seat will raise up -- the front of the seat will just stay put. This should be very handy for shorter folks, as you can darn near crank yourself up until your head hits the roof. And, it's getting you closer to the steering wheel all the time as you go up.

But, I believe the "CE" models don't have such a knob -- therefore, my bet is that's what you've got, as otherwise you'd have tried that seat-raiser knob. So, I think you're stuck. There are a lot of aftermarket "seat cushions," though -- go browse through your local auto parts stores, and I'm sure you'll be able to find something that'll raise you up a good inch or so!

thoots

I have an LE and the seet does raise but not enuff