Best car for bad back

Tea 1000

MattChiro wrote: »

As chiropractors we think the Skoda Yeti is best for backs. It has a high ride height and you can get it with 16 inch wheels (important!).

Many cars out there with high ride heights, and better suspension on some cars can more than counteract the help from higher profile tyres.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

Jesus.

Lads, what auld bangers are out there - say around 1,500 quids worth - with good, firm seats in them? I have to change the Motor as my back can't stand these soft seats.

According to the first page of this thread, Volvo's aren't bad in this regard???

Coolbreeze2809

Jesus. wrote: »

Lads, what auld bangers are out there - say around 1,500 quids worth - with good, firm seats in them? I have to change the Motor as my back can't stand these soft seats.

According to the first page of this thread, Volvo's aren't bad in this regard???

Well I just picked up a 99 Golf GTI with heather black leather Recaros for about that money a few weeks ago. Lovely seats. My back normally gets quite stiff on long journeys. I used to have a 1.4 with cloth seats that were nowhere near as nice. Drove from Dublin to Kerry at the weekend and they were super comfortable. No back issues at all.

debabyjesus

Jesus. wrote: »

Lads, what auld bangers are out there - say around 1,500 quids worth - with good, firm seats in them? I have to change the Motor as my back can't stand these soft seats.

According to the first page of this thread, Volvo's aren't bad in this regard???

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2003-citroen-c5-diesel-new-nct-today/6469755

I'd go C5 there Jesus!

GTE

Jesus. wrote: »

Lads, what auld bangers are out there - say around 1,500 quids worth - with good, firm seats in them? I have to change the Motor as my back can't stand these soft seats.

According to the first page of this thread, Volvo's aren't bad in this regard???

I would hate to call my car an old banger, but if you can find a mark 4 Golf or Bora with Highline seats, that should do it.

On my car, I swapped out the basic seats with Highline ones as I have a bad back and needed the lumbar support, they are also fairly firm. Very comfortable car now.

colm_mcm

Don't C5s have really soft seats?

toastedpickles

colm_mcm wrote: »

Don't C5s have really soft seats?

So do 406's

and coming from someone who's lower back is in tatters from years of "extreme sports" the seats in my saab at the minute are like clouds, heated clouds.... don't be put off by the lack of parts that's a load of bull

debabyjesus

Comfortable and supportive I'd say, rather than soft. Anyway however you describe the seats, it's definately a car that won't kill you on a long journey.

kay 9

Most of the jags are like sitting in an arm chair beside the fire at home. Most comfortable cars I ever sat in. Never owned one though, but If I had a bad back on the other hand I'd have one in the morning as it's justified

Mycroft H

colm_mcm wrote: »

Don't C5s have really soft seats?

They do. That's both a blessing and a curse. You need to lift yourself out of them every few hours or things go numb. As seats go, they tend to be rather good though.

Jesus.

debabyjesus wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2003-citroen-c5-diesel-new-nct-today/6469755
I'd go C5 there Jesus!

Alright Mini-Me!!!!

I could be wrong mate but I'm thinking maybe a Citroen or a Pug or other Froggie motors would possibly all have soft seats like their Renault cousin?

Or is that ridiculously over-simplistic?!!

ba_barabus

bbk wrote: »

I would hate to call my car an old banger, but if you can find a mark 4 Golf or Bora with Highline seats, that should do it.

On my car, I swapped out the basic seats with Highline ones as I have a bad back and needed the lumbar support, they are also fairly firm. Very comfortable car now.

Couldn't disagree more. The highline seats in my 2003 Golf caused me much discomfort. Yes they were hard and had good side bolstering but there was no lumbar support (literally none, straight backed seat with no way to adjust the lumber). My back was in agony on a long journey. They felt great on first impressions but were terrible on a long journey. I've heard others say the same thing.

Jesus.

debabyjesus wrote: »

Comfortable and supportive I'd say, rather than soft. Anyway however you describe the seats, it's definately a car that won't kill you on a long journey.

That's the thing about car seats. Everyone's back is different. Everyone that's sat in my Laguna has said its lovely and comfortable yet my back does be in bits after driving it. I've used all sorts of back supports but its no good. I find good, stiff seats like in the missus' Rio or my last car, an Almera, perfect for my dodgy Hammer and Tack. The sister's Octy also has grand firm seats.

I was looking online and there's an 03 S40 for sale over the road. What would the seats in it be like?

ba_barabus

Jesus. wrote: »

That's the thing about car seats. Everyone's back is different. Everyone that's sat in my Laguna has said its lovely and comfortable yet my back does be in bits after driving it.

I never liked the type of seats which in your Laguna. Never found them comfortable at all.

debabyjesus

Obviously a subjective topic. Different strokes I guess!

Mycroft H

Discovery II has excellent supportive seats in my experience. A real surprise.

slimjimmc

Jesus. wrote: »

Alright Mini-Me!!!!

I could be wrong mate but I'm thinking maybe a Citroen or a Pug or other Froggie motors would possibly all have soft seats like their Renault cousin?

Or is that ridiculously over-simplistic?!!

Rear seats are soft but I never considered the front seats to be particularly soft or firm, just supportive and comfy.

alias no.9

Jesus. wrote: »

Lads, what auld bangers are out there - say around 1,500 quids worth - with good, firm seats in them? I have to change the Motor as my back can't stand these soft seats.

According to the first page of this thread, Volvo's aren't bad in this regard???

I've an s60 as my current banger with heated leather. The seats are good but for longer journeys my wifes scenic has a better seating posture. I need to get back to an automatic too, the clutch it probably the worst thing in a low seating position.
Edit... My back condition is far from typical though so horses for courses.

Noccy_Mondy

I don't know what I'm doing wrong/if the lumbar support is wrong, but after even an hour in the car, my back is broke. Hope it's the seats, I'm only a young garsún yet!

toyotaavensis

OP Saab seats cant be beaten.
Another thing to consider is that the likes of a citroen will have a soft suspension making the car comfier. With back pain a rock hard german suspension results in you absorbing the bumps rather than the car.

coolbeans

This is all very speculative. One man's backbreaker is another man's backsaver. Although the Swedes are widely acknowledged to make the best seats they'll be no use if you've got a chronic condition. I reckon the best way forward for the OP would be to get decent treatment through a qualified and scientifically based medical professional, beware the quacks, and to investigate the possibility of a custom seat.

GTE

ba_barabus wrote: »

Couldn't disagree more. The highline seats in my 2003 Golf caused me much discomfort. Yes they were hard and had good side bolstering but there was no lumbar support (literally none, straight backed seat with no way to adjust the lumber). My back was in agony on a long journey. They felt great on first impressions but were terrible on a long journey. I've heard others say the same thing.

Hmmm, maybe the one with the lumbar adjust isn't Highline or there were different Highline configs. Whatever I fitted sure got rid of the back trouble on long journeys. I only got them because of the adjustable support.

GTE

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

I don't know what I'm doing wrong/if the lumbar support is wrong, but after even an hour in the car, my back is broke. Hope it's the seats, I'm only a young garsún yet!

Is it definitely has an adjustable lumbar support? My back was so bad that I had to bring a pillow with me on long journeys but the replacements I have been talking about cleared everything up. I hope it is something you can replace fairly easily.

Noccy_Mondy

bbk wrote: »

Is it definitely has an adjustable lumbar support? My back was so bad that I had to bring a pillow with me on long journeys but the replacements I have been talking about cleared everything up. I hope it is something you can replace fairly easily.

Ya I'm sure it does, it's just the middle of my back, that's where there's no support. Will mess around with it and see..

ba_barabus

bbk wrote: »

Hmmm, maybe the one with the lumbar adjust isn't Highline or there were different Highline configs. Whatever I fitted sure got rid of the back trouble on long journeys. I only got them because of the adjustable support.

The ones I had were bucked seats. Are you talking about the comfort line seats maybe? I loved them. The seats in my 2007 Passat were also unbeatable. Very comfortable.

anthony4335

As this thread is proving ,car seats with respect to back pain is very personal. I suffer quite badly from back pain, initially has a lovely 318CI convertible which absolutely killed me every time I drove it, so I traded it in for a Saab 95 after some research .But after a short while ,a week or so I begin to have issues with the seats. It seemed that with my height (5 ft 7 in the morning) the seats were too big ,causing me to hunch over and I had to always have a large cushion between my back and the seat, which helped slightly. So I sold her on which was a pity as I loved the car otherwise ,and bought a gen 3 Prius, which by all accounts on the forums has the worst seats in the world. Yet I find them almost perfect (lumbar support is too high for me, dam you genetics ) So the only real way is to try an borrow a car for a couple of days any try it out to see if it suits you. But in general the few no no's seem to be ,low to the ground, stiff suspension and lack of lumbar support, which eliminates most of the cars I like.

dr.fuzzenstein

^^^
I suffer from a really bad back and I find my CMax to be the best car I've had so far, because of the firm but comfortable seats and (most importantly!) the upright seating position.
The funniest thing: It has lumbar support which I never use, because it does my back in. As anthony4335 said, there is no single winning formula, what suits one person, might not work for the next.
Trial and error, really.
Though it is pretty clear that you'd want a car with a fairly upright seating position, something that you lie into F1 style is not going to be good for a bad back.

monseiur

Although every back problem is unique and there's no 'one size fits all' type of soloution - with many low back issues it helps, when seated, to have the knee lower than the hip joint, less downward pressure on the hip joint, spine etc.
Seats like low level sofas etc. are a killer for the back.
So driving a high seated vehicle like VW Transporter, Ford Transit, Toyota Hi Ace, Hyundai Santa Fe etc. gives huge relief to many chronic sufferers who otherwise could not drive. Unfortunately the running costs etc. of these type of vehicles are not within the budget of many families.
The other alternative is to get a custom made seat, and on long commutes to take a break of two and go for a 5 minute brisk walk..but not always practicle

M.

GTE

ba_barabus wrote: »

The ones I had were bucked seats. Are you talking about the comfort line seats maybe? I loved them. The seats in my 2007 Passat were also unbeatable. Very comfortable.

http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/rr15/lynchshaun/blackinterior.jpg

That shape, colour and design but it has the lumbar adjusting control.