Custom extended seat rails group order

Thanks for posting my photos Problemchild. I couldn't upload them to PC. I just drove 200 miles back from Manhattan. I had the seat all the way back, which on my car is 3 inches farther back than the farthest back OEM position. I was able to fully stretch out my legs. It's nice to have that option.

I'll definitely do this mod again when I get a new Prius, assuming Toyota doesn't provide more legroom on the next generation Prius.

 

Oh so someone is looking for a height adjustable RIGHT front seat?
Oh that should be "a seppo", singular or "some seppos", more than one.

No, but I am just the right weight to be 7' 5".

For those who haven't looked it up, a seppo is short for septic tank, septic tank is rhyming slang for yank. I guess it could have been armoured tank but that wouldn't be any fun.

 

I dont have any slang for Australians myself. I always considered them as friends.

Shame some of your countrymen have differing thoughts about Americans.

 

Hi All:
I have a great idea to increase automotive safety. Instead of an airbag in the steering wheel, install about a pound of plastic explosive. Then see how careful everyone will drive.

 

This seat rail issue is being way over analyzed. I have to agree with Nyprius, the airbag issue is a non-issue, unless you are some scummy attorney foaming at the mouth to file another frivolous lawsuit. Attorneys are adept at convincing the simple-minded members of a jury that chicken poop tastes like chicken soup.

We are talking about a 3 inch extension for crying out loud. The seat could shift/move that much in a accident!

I driving a Ford Fastiva, and rear-ended by a "No Fear" Ninja motocyclist. I was traveling about 50 mph when he hit me at an angle, which propeled me into two-opposing lanes (fortunately I missed oncoming traffic) and eventually to the shoulder facing the opposite direction. The force of the collision broke my seat from its mountings. If you are worried about safety, don't drive, Walk!!!

 

hey i would love to buy some seat rails, i am tall and it would help me soooooo much! im not sure how to use blogs very well so my email address is [email protected], i would be very interested in buying them asap.

 

That's what happens when you drive a cheap s*$# car ......

 

can you tell me where to get them please? [email protected]

 

you cannot. No one will sell them because of the liability. If you really really want them save the pictures from here and take them to a mobility auto service center. These are the kind of guys who modify cars and vans for disabled persons.
Be prepared- they will charge you a lot!

 

I appreciate all the thoughts both pro and con for the seat extension. Having never taken the seat out of my Prius, I'm a little confused on how difficult it would be to mount the extended seat rails.

Would the new seat rails simply bolt in place, or would they have to be welded? I'm assuming the extended rails would allow the seat to have the same forward position, but permit 3 or 4 inches more rearward motion. I agree with all who are concerned about safety. I can only observe that the laws of physics dictate that the most dangerous position for any driver would be with the seat all the way forward. Therefore it "should" be safer to have the seat further back. Ah but how to prove this.

Has anyone compaired the extended seat rail mod, with the seemingly simpler mod of 4 short flat steel brackets that allow the entire seat to be mounted back 4 inches (there are pictures I think in yahoo groups Prius files)? With this mod the seat cannot reach the same forward position, but is permanently shifted back 3 or 4 inches.
If you had drivers that needed the seat all the way up (since I'm tall I can't imagine this) the 4 bracket approach would not work, but it sure seems easier to do.

By the way, I'm assuming that the Prius seats in other countries that allow height adjustment do not allow a further backward position. Although it would seem illogical for Toyota to give more aft positioning for shorter people, it also seems possible fancier seats (with height adjustment) might have additional aft adjustment range. Wouldn't it be a hoot if Toyota was already providing what we need in other countries. By the way answers to the safety issues of lowering the seats may have generally been answered by Toyota, if they provide lower seats in other countries.

 

I wanted to know if the extended rails project ever got off the ground. I think it is something I would like to buy. We own a 2008 Prius and recently I went on a 5 hour trip. My back was a little sore for the trip, but the next day I was really hurting. I would be interested in purchasing something that would make the seat more comfortable for me. I do have issues with the available legroom, but also the general geometry of the seat. It just seems like I can't find the right seat back angle and there is no thigh or lumbar support.

 

This may interest you. . . http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-modifications/50940-operation-volvo-seats-prius-part-2-a.html

Wildkow

 

Not.
Our next door neighbors have an '03. I mod'ed our 2004's brackets and got too familiar with 'em for my own good. So I check their '03s and it's not the same.

 

Do you have any information on how you mod'ed your brackets? I'd like to go for about 3 inch rear extension, but am little leary about the airbag.

 

As described in other posts, I had a professional, handicap retrofitter modify my seat rails so that the movement of the seats was shifted back three inches. It made a huge difference in the comfort of the car.

The air bag is a non issue. It's over engineered with lots of redundancy. It must work for 6 foot tall people that weigh 130 lbs as well as for five foot tall people that weigh 300 lbs. Having the seat a few inches different from where the sensor thinks it is won't affect performance I think.

 

has anyone looked at a european driver seat (left sided) to see if it might be a swap out fit ? anyone have links to the corolla seat use in the prius ??
thanks in advance.
i have had my 09 prius one week and i am thinking of giveing it to my wife who is normal female height. i am only 6 foot and normal weight and find the unadjustable seat intolerable. i do not require backwards adjustment but this seat cries out to be lowered, and slightly tilted upward in the under knees postion. for any one with a normal 6 foot torso, neck and head this seat sucks.

we were thinking of getting the new 2010 prius but if the seat is the same old seat it anint going to happen.

we will be looking elsewhere for our next new age car.
thanks priuschat for this forum.
regards
paul
dunedin,fl 34698

 

Rather than monkey w/ the rails, I chose to make mounting brackets that simply lets the rails mount farther back (only 2 inches, which is enough for my 6'-5" frame), thus not affecting the rail/airback issue. I used grade 8 bolts into the original mount holes, and on the rail mounts. Any harder and the bolts would actually be brittle.

 

I am interested in the seat rail extensions and even something to raise the front of the seat/lower the back
thanks bj