I love my XK8 but it's so damn uncomfortable!
 

I've had my XK8 for a few months now and I love everything about it except the seat. I just can't get comfortable.

It seems that the middle bit of the seat base (the sort of horseshoe-shaped bit) is too recessed, which puts my weight on my hips, and the back seems to curve in a different way to the human body.

Am I alone in this, or is it common? Is there a solution?

Mine's good. Your lumber support's not pumped up too much is it?

The seats are quite adjustable. My xk8 fits like a glove.

I've tried every adjustment. I'm going to strip the seat down at the weekend just to make sure there isn't anything wrong under the covers.
The main problem for me is that the base seems an odd shape - rather than a reasonably flat seat with lateral support, it seems more like the sides and front are built up and one has to try and sit down into the horseshoe area.

Do you hear anything when you try to inflate the lumbar support? If you do, then the inflatable lumbar support may have a leak in it. Try holding the inflator button down 15-20 seconds and see if there's any movement on your back.

The lumbar support works perfectly. I think the base is the real problem for me.

My wife thinks the front of the seat is too high. I'm fine with it as long as the seat is in the lowest position.

If you're comfortable doing mechanical work this can be done, but to get at the seat foam bottom you'll have to remove the seat from the car then then the cover. That means cutting about two dozen hog rings, all of which you'll have to replace, and disconnecting several electrical harnesses.
As I said quite doable if you know what you're doing, and have tools to do it, but it's not as easy as it might seem.
Regards,

could be the cushion has compressed but when I had mine off a few weeks back replacing the leather, on the seat bottom, there is a piece of hard rubber with several rods stretching it across the seat frame - the cushion is supposed to rest evenly on this. On my driver's side seat, the rubber had split so it no longer provided support to the cushion. Trying to source a replacement now but will try to get a pic

I've taken seats apart before (in fact I have a dismantled set I'm working on as a project for another car), so I have no problem with that.

Interesting comment about the support for the cushion. Could be something like that.

I faced the same comfort problems with my wife . My wife didn't like the relative "hardness" of the seat bottom particularly on longer trips. My solution was a set of sheepskin (the real thing) seat covers. Very comfortable and they look good.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...0a08711dbb.jpg

Very comfortable...

I'm a big bugger and find the seats in my 03 very comfortable, I too have sheep skins, always put them in my convertibles to keep the seats from being to hot, reduce wear on the leather and comfort. I found when I put them on my XK8 that it seemed to raise me out of the seat pocket a little, at first I did not like it but got use to it and am very satisfied. They are not cheap, from CA Custom Car Covers I paid $550, they are custom fit and very well made.

I had a similar issue with seating low in to the center of the seat, traced a torn cushion support. This rubber membrane secured by rods with hook-ends. Dealer was happy to tell me this was only available when purchasing the entire seat frame assembly (3K USD). I fashioned a new cushion support from several (4 or 5, I don't remember) 2" webbing straps, looping the straps around the tubular seat frame and securing them to themselves with rivets and wide washers to keep the rivets from pulling through the webbing under the stress of the driver.


Worked very well, sat higher and the bolsters felt like bolsters again, not the sides of a bucket.


Another trick I had to employ for seating comfort, was to add washers at the rear seat frame mounting points, to tilt the seat slightly forward. Fits me better now.


It all starts with getting the thing out, and looking at what needs to be addressed.


All the best,


Jerry

I'm 5' 7" & was not entirely happy until I boosted the left foot "dead pedal" about 3 1/2". This keeps my hips back into the seat & takes pressure off the underside of my left leg. My wife on the other hand is so "cumfy" she wants me to drive everywhere.
Cheers
TheCounty

Good to know - that sounds like what I'm experiencing, and backs up what sklimii said too, so it's obviously a problem that a few have experienced. I'll have a look this weekend (although my other half has just informed me that the clutch on her MX5 has died, so I may have other things to worry about first!).

Bladerunner and Steve, please keep us posted. I have a 1998 too and have been looking at the seat bottom's compression for a while now. I always figured it was a worn foam rubber pad under the leather, sounds like it is the supports Steve and Jerry mentioned.

I'd like to restore this someday and look forward to hearing about your progress. Thanks, John