anybody replaced the stock seats? I like the car, but don't like the seats. Little to much pressure on the outside edges for my (overweight) frame. I feel like im sitting one 2 padded rails about a foot apart, no support in center. I have a bad back (don't we all) with 2 fussed vertebra done many years ago. I prefer a very laid back position which this car does not allow, so I'm putting much more weight on my butt then im used too. Not blaming the car, the owner is the issue, but just wondering if anybody has done anything with the seats? I am surprised, my Vette seat are like sitting in a bucket, your butt don't move an inch and i have no issue with them, but again i can lean them back much more. Maybe i will just grow into them, but thought i would check here.

 

Fact is the rails are a lot closer together than the Reatta's and I traced my right hip pain to my leg being pushed in.


Since there are a lot of XFs in Florida I was able to locate one that had been totalled and bought the driver's seat. I then removed seat bottom cover (instructions in the online service manual) and carved out the foam side bolsters (electric knife is good for this).


I then raised the center of the seat about 1/4" with foam so it was much more of a level surface and reattached the seat cover. No more hip pain.


Also performed major sugery on the rear bulkhead of my coupe (sawzall, air grinder, etc.) so that with the seat reclined 30 degrees it now goes back about 2" further.


That is what it took for me (5'10") to be comfortable for hours at a time since often go down to Boynton from O'town (183 miles) non-stop.


ps the top 6" of the coupe bulkhead is just left over from the roadster chassis and not structural - does not even go all the way across. Below that is a subfloor and below that is the gas tank do do not go further. Also only cut out enough for the driver's seat, passengers have not complained. Did need to make a new and much narrower cover.


pps I like small nimble cars (Fiero, FIAT XI/9) and 2 seaters (Reattae, 'velltes, Jags) & while I have had to change the seat back angle in American cars before (I prefer to drive reclined at 30-40 degrees) the XF was the first time I could not get the seat back far enough for my short legs (29" inseam) to be comfortable and an "arms out" position.


but it was closer to what I wanted (6 cy/6 speed) than anything else "American" and have a convertible so a coupe in which I could modify the seating position to what I wanted was possible.


I suspect a good upholstery shop could modify the seat and while out can carve away the bulkhead. I also added a 3" seatbelt extender since with the seat in its new (higher and farther back) it was hard to reach.


and in my '07, 2 screws and the plastic 3" high dead pedal was gone and I could stretch my left leg out when not needed for clutching (rare on the interstate).

 

Reatta and fiero, own both I have rebuilt the fiero seats as the foam in a 30 year old car with 100,000 is worn out. I will be pulling mine and seeing what i can do, strange the thought never occurred to me, the fiero seats where shot (foam) the crossfire seats are not, so i never even thought of doctoring um till you mentioned it (thanks). I have slid the seat ahead a bit and got a angle i can live with, but the bulk head may get some work too. Right now the right leg is at a bit of angle, not sure if It will be comfortable of not on long drives. There is plenty of leg room as my left leg cant hit the end when extended, but the steering wheel and seat limit you, i cant slide the seat any more ahead or i have trouble getting in and out.

Have a blown sub so will be looking at bulkhead in a few days, gotta admit if i could lean back a bit more it would be nice.

 

I'm sorry you guys are having a hard time. I'm not really even sure why I read the post. Lol
I am 5'2" and this is maybe the most comfortable car (for me) I have owned.
I always have a hard time finding a comfortable angle in cars because when you are tiny
you have to be "in the steering wheel" and still stretch for the petals! I had wondered about
how y'all guys fit, seeing as how it is so perfect for me. Good luck on the seat mods

 

Comes partly from my SCCA days (Corvettes mostly but some Formula cars) and partly from the Jags of my yout, my comfortable position is almost lying down and with arms nearly straight out in front of me. Other cars (including the Judge) all have tilt wheels set all of the way down when driving but since the XF wheel does not tilt I raised the seat a but (first car I ever did that). Have lowered the wheel in a Corvair that didn't with spacers but the knee air bag ('07) makes that impossible so had to raise the seat which also helped the raked seat go back further and the top six inches of the bulkhead is where contact was made so removed the plastic cover and carved out the metal a bit


Position is important since on occation I make long trips and have found reclining the seat & leaning back puts most of my weight on my shoulders and not my spine. Most recent long trip was 1300 miles stopping only for meals and gas. Left early one moning and arrived a few hours earlier the next. No pain.


As you can see the seat top is now about even with the B pillar. I could probably carve out another inch but am comfortable here.

 

check srt-6.com photos. Interior galleries. We have bucket seats in the srt-6 black series.

 

Wow...I am 6' 3 230 and I fit good.

 

Agree with OP, this car has many excellent characteristics, and a couple of really poor ones, and the driver's seat is the poorest one in my opinion. The bolsters on the seat are too narrow, forcing your legs and knees inward when they need to be headed outward to reach the pedals, the bolsters on the seatback are too narrow and flare in the wrong place, the headrest is too far back to ever rest your head on while driving normally, and as has been mentioned , the seat doesn't recline far enough. It's like someone designed the seat without paying any attention to the car it was going into.

I have read with interest, a few times, the posts of the gentleman who performed major surgery and lowered the rear bulkhead, which seems to make a lot of sense. But I don't have the ability to do such work, so I would settle for a seat that is a better fit for the average human body and this particular car.

If anyone has successfully installed a superior driver's seat, it would be great if they could share the info with us.
Best regards.

 

Click "Seats" down in my sig.

 

Thanks form posting this Josh. I clicked on the link to "seats" and was able to see the pictures and read your thorough description of the work you did.
Couple of questions:
I googled Bomz racing seats and nothing came up, are they out of business? If so, can you recommend another seat that would fit in this car?

Did you find that you were able to recline the new seat more than the factory seat?

Were you able to preserve the six way power seat and recliner with the new seat? If not, are there any aftermarket seats that can accommodate the power controls for the seat?

Since I don't have the ability or tools to do the work you did, do you think that some sort of car shop would be able to do the install?
Thanks again.

 

I bought mine probably 6 years ago from a friend that had them for years, so it's possible lol. Here's a link to a set: WeSellCarParts.com - Bomz Racing Seats Black with Blue Insert (PAIR) BomzRacingSeatsBlackBlue

The point to the post though was for someone to put in anything they wanted. Almost every race seat has flat tracks, so my design works as a universal bracket.

It seems like it reclines more, but the seats alot thinner so it could be an illusion.

No, manual only. I was looking for comfortability and weight savings, not ease of use.

I believe Needswings sells brackets, after I made mine of course , but yeah, any run of the mill shop could install with brackets in hand.

No worries

 

Thanks for the post and all the great information.

 

Alteration of CF seats? Not comfy during long trips. Just read some threads and looking for some advice. I'm 5'7" and find that the small of my back is not supported. I also find that the space where my butt hits and the area where the seat back and seat base meet may not be filled with body mass. In other words, lack of support from CF seats. Maybe my skinny *** is a detriment. I have a base coupe, cloth seats. Read a post that the leather seats are more comfortable. I can pursue used leather seats from ebay and upgrade to power adjust and maybe some extra comfort or look to find a cushion for the seat. I have tried a lower back support with questionable results. I also tried a seat fusion but it slides around and I don't like the feel of it. I also read about a gel seat for a motorcycle that CF owner suggested. Any advice? My *** and small of my back is killing me. Please don't suggest to eat more, don't think that will solve the problem, (but it might) Thanks to all!

 

Is really simple: Amurricns tend to be a bit larger than europeans. As Srt6girl mentions a slender 5'2" is the perfect size where at 5'10" and not so slender I required a certain amount of surgery (to the car) to be comfortable. This included taking an electric knife to the seat bottom sides and adding a piece of foam to the center (about an hour's work) and the pain in my right hip from being forced sideways went away.

As mentioned in another post I went to an Art show in South Florida today so drove 340 miles RT and feel fine. Had good tunes on my phone and the XF sound system is fine with me.

 

We'll have to start calling you Dr. Padgett. LOL In spite of the fact that I love the seats as they are, I'm glad that your modifications worked for you and the car is now comfortable on long drives. It sure beats giving up a fine car. I wonder of there are Mercedes seats from a larger coupe or sedan that would bolt in directly that would be a better fit for some of our uncomfortable drivers?

 

If by larger you mean fatter that may have been true in the past but Europeans have sadly caught up. Height wise the Europeans are generally as tall, the Dutch for some reason are on average much taller. At 5'10" you would tend to be a bit on the short side, 5'9"is about the average height, you seem (inner?) from your past posts to be a bit short in the leg department and long in the body. You are not average at all, American or European.
I am a tad under 5'11' these days and I fit OK, no problem as my inner seam is 32" and 190lb. My bonny a$$ does give me some trouble on long trips though.

 

6" 180lbs.

I have just returned from a 500 mile trip to visit my family. It is a minimum seven hour drive and five hours in my right hip began to ache so much so that I sat for an hour with both legs pointing towards the door. I know that is not the safest position but the alternative may be going back to driving my '96 Ram. The seats sit much higher, do not have narrow bolsters and have thicker padding. The downside is the 17 mpg. The upside is more storage room and less accumulated miles on the Crossfire.

 

5' 11" 250 lbs and older than dirt.
My solution to that problem was to get a 2" thick gel cushion for an office chair and use that on long trips. I did 700 miles back in June with just 2 stops.

 

I can see your problem immediately, at 6" tall you are just too short, you must be too wide for the seat and holding that periscope must be a big problem.

 

The Crossfire seats are nice to look at and for some, like me, not as nice to sit in. I replaced the seats with a pair from a 2002 Mercedes SLK, they install easily and are much more comfortable. The padding is still firm, even on the SLK seats, but an upholsterer can trim some pad off for more room, or replace some of the padding with softer pad for more comfort. At least that what he told me. Haven't done the padding yet but probably will before summer.


Find a '99 to '03 or '04 SLK for sale in your area and go sit in the seat to see if you find it more comfortable.