Lexs400

Started driving a 01 LX and to my utter disappointment, the driver's seat is nowhere as comfortable as the LS. The leg space is very limited, and there is half the support for the legs as the bess is probably 3/4 if not 1/2 the length as the LS seat. After an hour of driving it started to hurt the back ! Has anyone else experienced this problem ?
I'm thinking to swap the seat with something better if that's even possible.

Lexs400

has anyone tried any aftermarket back padding/support gadgets on the seats, add-on units to help increase the padding in the back to help the situation ?

ShadyJC

iTrader: (2)

Funny you should say that, I think the seats in my 01 LX are the most comfortable of any car I've ever sat in. How tall are you?

Lexs400

After searching the net I've found a couple of posts where tall drivers seem to have similar issues with the seating positions not adequate to make them comfortable.
With the back of the seat fully supporting my back the legs are too close to the steering wheel. If i tilt the seat backwards to make room, that leaves the back with little or no support.
I've driven pretty much all of the lexus line of cars and suv's and they all seem to have excellent seats and legroom with the exception of LX which is the one i love the most but have started to hate it the most as well since I can't drive it due to this issue !

Lexs400

I'm contemplating the possibility of installing the lx450 seats on the 470 if the base is similar. I've concluded that one of the reasons for the seat feeling so uncomfortable is the fact that the base of the seat is too short where it doesnt provide enough thigh support, versus the ls400 where the seat extends much more.
The other thing i've noticed is that the seating position on the lx is designed to be too hight compared to gx470 or rx330. Too high to the point of not being comfortably seated in relation to the steering wheel.
anyone else cares to share their thoughts ?

ShadyJC

iTrader: (2)

At the risk of stating the obvious, the seat height and angle as well as steering wheel extension and angle are adjustable, still no good?

Lexs400

shady,
tried all the different adjustments. no luck.
I've found some sites where they actually turn the seat sliding rails 180 degrees and gain 2 to 3 inch of legroom. I'm going to find out if that can be done on this model as well.

here are the websites for example.

http://www.classiccruisers.com/pages/customparts.html
(look on the bottom of the page on r.h.s

http://www.bigboybrackets.com/
(not for toyota but still same concept)

pemarsh

Just FYI...I have a 2004 LX 470 and the driver seat was beyond uncomfortable. Lexus tried doing several repairs...none worked. They finally replaced the whole entire seat and I have been problem free since! I love my dealer!! (McGrath Lexus Westmont, IL)

Lexs400

what was the problem with the seat ?
when you mention uncomfortable what was the issue ?

Lexs400

well for starters,
this base needs to be longer extending more towards the steering column to provide leg support. Is there a way to take this off, and reposition it ?

pemarsh

The left side of the seat cushion was very uncomfortable.
I agree with the length issue of the seat....sequoia has a nicer seat cushion in terms of length.

dougjohn

I doubt the 450 seat will be any better than the 470 seat. Won't likely fit either.
You might be able to get brackets fabricated for the seats to allow them to slide back a little more, if you think that would help.

Lexs400

allright, after much experimentation I found out that the problem is not with the base of the seat, but it is the lack of back cushioning for the lumbar support.
I compared it with the LS and the other cars as well and the back seems to be thinner than any of the comparison. So i went and bought a back seat cushion from the local auto store and have been using that for now. seems to do to the trick and no more fatigue while driving ! however I just dont like the fact that I have to have that extra padding with different color in the truck.
any ideas where I can find aftermarket back support cushion that would match the tan interior color ?

Lexs400

here's a seat from the previous gen. lx50 for comparison.
take a look at the amount of back support (cushioning). I wonder why lexus took that away in the current lx !

Lexs400

versus the new...
the back support on these new seats feel like a straight board with no cushioning at all compared the older ones... any ideas as to why ?