Is it just me or are Boxster seats....
 

uncomfortable? I have a Boxster base 2001 with 40k miles on it and I find a local drive is okay on the rear end but longer than that, my rear end gets sore. What are your experiences with it? Do you live with it or.....?

I have driven my 2000 986 for 2.5 hours and only stopped for gas. My butt was happy and I am 6' and 175 lbs.

Two hour commutes every weekend. 5'10, 200 lbs, and I feel just fine. Getting in and out of the car is a different story

It's not you, I have the same issues.
Came from a Volvo background and must admit that I am spoiled by the Swedish seats. When I sit in them it just fits so nice. Not so with the P-car. Maybe the high end optional ones are better than the standard seats.

Six hour drives to beach house. Today makes sixth trip this summer. Love the car. Never notice anything about butt, I fractured my back about five years ago so long drives used to kill me but I only stop for fuel. In last four days I have put 18 hours and almost 1300 miles on it. Very little back pain just a little sore but that is from just sitting. This is best fitting car. 6'1"" and 220lbs.

The stock seats lacked lumbar support for me, so I made adjustable lumbar support by putting a blood pressure cuff behind the seat cushion and then pumping it up until it felt right.

I upgraded to a set of sport seats from an '03 and they were fine as is. I often drive for 6 to 8 hours stopping only for gas and nature and have no pain. Getting out of the car after a few hours in the saddle can be rather unpleasant however.

I replaced mine with Sparco sport seats. I had the same issue with my 928 and 911. Stock seats look good when new...but...

2004 with base seats, 85k, and I'm 6'1" 260lbs. Comfy on 3+ hour drives. :D

and thats why just in case I added an inch of padding all around plus some custom touches

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1343451696.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1343451897.jpg

I'm used to Saab Viggen seats, nothing gets even close.
The main issue I have with the Boxster seats is that they lack lumbar support and that the angle of the back is wrong for me. I have a bad back and the Boxster seats just don't do it for me. Maybe it is just the lack of lumbar support.

That seat reminds me a little of the Buick puffy seats of the 80's...must be comfy though!

I have no problem with long trips on my base seats, 75k+ miles and no back issues, 5'11", 185lbs.

7+ hrs. drive last weekend no back issues with stock seats. :cool:

I was only good for about 2-3 hours in the stock seats and needed a serious stretch. I swapped out to racing shells a while back and still need a stretch after 2-3 hours. No wiggle room. Welcome to sports cars. Our Lexus feels like a leather couch on wheels in comparison.

It is made to reassemble seats of Bentley
And have added side support as well

I think the older 944 seats had more support lumbar and way more laterally, they were also made of tougher leather that held up longer. The boxster base seats let you slide a little, the Spyder seats which get a lot of criticism for not reclining are simply the best seats I ever sat in, given the price they should be, way different than my old car.

Lumbar support is lacking for 6'2 me. Can only stand to drive 2-3 hours and need to get out for a stretch.

I've done several 10+ hour days. No issues with the stock seats in my '99. Personally speaking of course. Not saying that other's complaints are invalid.

While employed as a test driver 2000-2003 I drove new Porsches weekly, as well as virtually every new vehicle available in the U.S. Being average height & weight (5'10" 175 lbs) Porsche seats fit me very well & I enjoyed driving from Dallas to L.A in 1 day with only a 1 hour break in Phoenix. (22 hours) I once drove from LA to North Las Vegas in a 03 C4S with supple seat option where I exchanged it for a Turbo with standard full leather seat & drove back nonstop to Buttonwillow raceway for the Road&Track best handling car competion. The supple seats are slightly softer & more comfortable. Also got to drive Stefanie Powers mint original 1986 Turbo look optioned 911 with perfectly broken in oem seats. I was amazed at how comfortable & wear free the seats were at 16K miles. The leather quality seemed far superior to new Turbo seats & seemed like they would last forever with Stefanie at the wheel.

I am pretty happy with my seats but I did add a tempurpedic lumbar support pillow which makes a world of difference! I have some lower back problems so the extra lumbar support helps. Otherwise, I think the seats are pretty comfortable.

My topic kind of reminds me that when my mother used to drive she used to sit on a cushion to see out because she was only 5 feet tall. It has come full circle. I need a cushion for a different reason. My butt is maybe too skinny(not enough fat) and it is painful to sit too long on my Boxster seat. That is why the good Lord gave us a Camry for long distance trips. :):):)

I'm not a fan of the seats in my Boxster, which are out of a 2002 Carrera.. I've driven across the USA a couple of times and my back and butt aches like nobody's business.

But I'm an old fart who complains about the rough ride in my BMW 550i because I'd rather be driving my wife's 15 year old Lexus LS400 on a trip of any length.

German cars require you to adapt to them for maximum benefit. American & Japanese cars are designed to adapt to you. ;)

I have back problems while in the Boxster too. I've been using the little lumbar pillow that came with a big ObusForme back support, but I'm now finding that anything more than half an hour and I start to get leg pain too. I tried the inflatable pillow behind the backrest, but it was too high for me.

This is the one thing that makes me think about selling the car sometimes. I'm going to look into the Tempur Pedic pillows.

I have a 986, a 987 and a 996 and all the seats are more comfortable for me than any other cars I've owned. The 986 has the sport seats and they are by far the most comfortable. I am 5' 9" and 175 lbs and they are perfect for me, but I can see how they may be less so for a larger person. I have noticed in the past that if you buy a used one that was owned by a larger person the seats can be wallowed out and a lot less comfortable for someone my size.http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1343575025.jpg

If you are driving long distances with the top down then some of your pain may be coming from dehydration. I find that I need to drink water steady on my day-long top-down drives or I get wicked cramping in my legs.

I struggle too on the long trips. I've always had back issues so it is expected in most cars. I'm 5'7'' 165lb and the previous owner was much bigger and the bottom cushion is a little softer than it should be. There is a metal or plastic bar very low down in the back of the seat and it can cause a sore spot low on a back. I put a folded up towel on the bottom cushion to raise me up and it helps a lot.

I've driven in a friends Cayman R for hours and been pain free, very unusual for me. The seats are the sport ones and I just love them. I found a pair to put in my Boxster but they want $3200 :(. He now has a 991 with the fancy seats and I find them too big and not as good as the Cayman seats.

I'll probably bite the bullet and get the sport seat at some point because I would love to drive to the mountains once a month but just find it too hard. I'm wondering if the standard 987 seat would due but I'm not sure...they certainly are less expensive.

Your first picture illustrates the real problem with the seats in the 986 Boxsters: Note the position of the seat versus the roll bar. If you are a tall person, your head extends above the head rest of the seat and will hit that roll bar in a rear-end collision. This is why I had to sell my 99 Boxster -- wasn't willing to see my head get split wide open. Fortunately they rectified the problem with the 987s, which have a much taller seatback.

My 2000S is nice and comfy. After a few hours my butt needs a rest. It seems any car I owned, while on long trips, I always need a butt rest. Porsche has very little squirm room or leg stretching capabilities.:cheers:

I'm the same size as WhipE350 height and weight-wise (which for some reason I found very surprising) and I can't say I find the seats uncomfortable. I made sure I adjusted it so that I would not be straining myself or holding myself up while driving, so that cut down on the fatigue and discomfort. To be honest I've yet to exceed 1.5hrs or so in the seat, so I don't know that I'd be uncomfortable any longer than that. Still, unless it's a matter of firmness, sometimes it just comes down to finding the right setting for the seat's alignment...and the younger your car, the more likely you are to have some kind of 64-way adjustable seat with about 30lbs of motors and moving parts in it to get you just right.

Hum...not sure how to take this! :) I'm 52 handsome as hell and can bench my weight 10 times...well at least that is what she said about the handsome part.

:cheers:

+1 on the tempurpedic pillow, I had an older one which I measured and cut in half then pulled out the back seat pad where I could reach my hand in and pulled/feed the pillow in, did on both seats and wife now does not complain on long trips, well at least as it relates to the seat issue.............. ;)

total difference in the feel and comfort.

Well I guess if I can maintain the same for 25 more years I'll be where you are, then.

:cheers:

I bought an 01 S (happens to also be my first Porsche) in May. I'm in Milwaukee, car was in Chico, CA. A co-worker lives in SAC area and her parents are in Chico. Aaron Rodgers is from Chico, and the car is "rainforest green" which looks almost like the green of Packers Green & Gold. As a Packers "shareholder", what the only thing amiss was a it has a grey interior instead of the tan/ "gold".

Flew to SAC, co-worker drove me to Chico, and I drove 2,200 miles home over the next 72 hours with stops in Reno, Rawlins WY and Des Moines.

My daily commute is 25 miles each way.

Seat comfort is not an issue.