Is there anyway to make the seat on my 2007 XK recline further back? When my wife goes into the store, sometimes I just want to recline the seat back and close my eyes and relax while she is shopping. In all my other past cars I could do that...but not this one. Thoughts?

 

No on getting the seat recline more, I think it is what it is. When my ladies wanted to go into the store shopping, I didn't want to close my eyes I wanted to slit my wrists between the cost, duration, then the stories that followed about how they saved money... that's my thoughts

 

lol...now that is funny. You made my day with that one.

 

The XK is designed to get you and your luggage between hotels.

Book a Hotel room near the store.

 

I'm not certain, but you might be able to make the driver's seat recline further back if you first move the seat bottom as far down and forward as possible and then recline the seat back (assuming you can still fit in that position).

Speaking about going shopping with the wife, the last time I did that she lost her wallet including her Neiman Marcus card. I decided to not report it because the woman who found it was charging less on it than my wife!

 

It won't let you lay out, like I could in my 80's Porsche though. Just airline recline. Granted, I'm 6' 2", so my normal seating position is pretty close to the back stop.

 

In order to recline the seat much, and there's definitely a stop limit to the recline, the seat bottom would be so far up you'd need to have your legs removed... trust me I've been contorting something fierce in doing this restitching over the last couple weeks. One would think that with the looks and attraction of the XK that a seat that lays flat would be top of the designers mind but NOOOOOO! It ain't made for anything but driving sadly

 

The other possibility I was thinking of is to remove the front bolts that hold down the front frame of the seat to the floor and put a pair of risers in place and then with longer bolts I can screw it back down. This could give an additional one inch incline in the seat which might make things more comfortable.

 

except you'd have to make slanted risers for the front as well as the rear as that track won't bend... a LOT of work for little return. I have a hard enough time with my seat being canted back and things sliding out of my pockets into the abyss between the seat and center console.

 

It may have to do with the side airbag design, its an intentional limit for liability if an airbag goes off. Having a restricted area a human occupies certainly makes it easier for crash protection design.

That, or they fit broader seats than fit in the chassis and considered the wider seats worth it to certain customers. It does bias it to travel plans of multi day cross country trips with hotel stops, rather than a day and a half with just fuel and two drivers swapping at gas stops from coast to coast.

 

What? You and your passenger don't just stretch out in the back seat for a nice snooze when not driving?

 

I just tried sitting in the back seat to complete my stitching... holy mother of God even with the front seat all the way up and forward the rear seat is a torture device! Even if I was 4 years old again that thing would be at least as painful as watching Whoopi Goldberg undress! I'm 6'3" and there is NO way I could ever consider going any distance back there. When I drive the front seat is all the way back giving @ 3/8" between the front and rear seats so I could fit a couple letters or perhaps an unfolded t-shirt back there

 

Leeper can I ask you a favor? Can you verify how far your drivers seat can recline back. Maybe you can take a couple of pics and post them here. I am suspicious that mine might not be going back as far as it should.

 

Happy to oblige however it is pouring rain (don't believe that song "It never rains in California") at this moment. I'll try to remember to supply a bunch tomorrow if that's OK.

I can recline it enough to where the front seats back portion will smash into the body piece behind it if that helps. Clearly the previous owner had done this more than once as the leather is worn away on the part right behind the doors. I'll take some pics of the seat all the way forward and all the way back with the seat back in different positions too. Do you care if it is driver or passenger seat?

 

Tomorrow is fine. Drivers seat please!

 

you got it! That should also correspond with my being done with my stitching project. I'll post your pics here

 

Ah , the title of this post brings me back to my youth. My sister used to date a guy who has a 56 Ford 2 dr coupe. Had bench seats in the front and a lever down on the lower left side of the seat. Just pull it and the seat back dropped. He let me use it one night to take a date to the drive in. It changed my image of my sister.

 

Here you go Michael -


this is the drivers seat in my usual driving position - note how little room there is to the body cross member




This is the driver seat bottom moved all the way forward then the back reclined as far as it will go




This is showing how little room there is in the pseudo-back seat when my seat is in my normal driving position. This coupled with the atrociously uncomfortable back seat I pity anyone who has ever been forced back there.


If you want more just ask, hope this helps

 

Thank you for the photos. You have confirmed my suspicions...my drivers seat is missing about an inch of reclining room. When I sit in the passenger seat- it feels really good, but in the drivers seat...I just can't get comfortable. I really need that extra inch of reclining. My seat controls work perfectly all around but for some strange reason I am loosing an inch of reclining room. I used your pic to diagram exactly where my problem is. The back of my seat is one inch forward of the white arrow mark that I put and no matter how many different ways I manipulate the seat buttons,,,it just won't give me that inch. I read online that the dealer can do a seat 'recalibration'..has anybody done this before? I really want to get this fixed.