driver seat best position? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

nanotube · 12-13-2006, 05:44 PM

I'm not sure if I can post this topic here, let me know if i should 'move'. Thanks!

I own the 07 camry and have been driving for a month or so. Recently when I commuted to and from work (with traffic it takes me 45 mins to 1 hour per trip), my right leg has started to feel funny. it's like you bend you leg for too long and you leg lost feelings. Before this camry, i drove a corolla. never had the problem. so, I assume because i'm driving a bigger car? or i just have bad luck? I've tried to adjust the driver seat so many times but my leg still hurts. can someone give me a suggestion on how to adjust my seat perfectly??? thank you very much!!!!

maybe i'll give you some of my background information. I'm a 25 years old female, very cautious, SAFE but NOT a good driver (my cousin said i was too nervous when driving)....no, i dont drive fast, i'm too scared. Very appreciate your reply.

***wireless*** · 12-13-2006, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanotube

I'm not sure if I can post this topic here, let me know if i should 'move'. Thanks!

I own the 07 camry and have been driving for a month or so. Recently when I commuted to and from work (with traffic it takes me 45 mins to 1 hour per trip), my right leg has started to feel funny. it's like you bend you leg for too long and you leg lost feelings. Before this camry, i drove a corolla. never had the problem. so, I assume because i'm driving a bigger car? or i just have bad luck? I've tried to adjust the driver seat so many times but my leg still hurts. can someone give me a suggestion on how to adjust my seat perfectly??? thank you very much!!!!

maybe i'll give you some of my background information. I'm a 25 years old female, very cautious, SAFE but NOT a good driver (my cousin said i was too nervous when driving)....no, i dont drive fast, i'm too scared. Very appreciate your reply.

If you want it 100% right, see an ergonomics/physiology specialist. If you want amateur anecdotal information, I get a similar issue and resolve it by making sure the seat (the part you sit your butt on) has the front leaning slightly down to lessen the contact on your leg just behind the knee.

onsknht · 12-13-2006, 06:15 PM

While I offer no "professional" advice, other than 22 years of legal driving... Have you tried to readjust the seat a little while driving?

FWIW - I hate lumbar, but if I'm driving for a long time I might crank it up for 15-20 minutes, then reset it to nothing. Another favorite adjustment for me, I tilt the rear part of the seat down for about 15-20 minutes, then I reset it by raising the rear or sometimes lowering the front.

nanotube · 12-13-2006, 06:37 PM

I tried to adjust the seat when driving home today but my leg was 'gone' already so didn't notice the difference. I'll do it again tomorrow and hope I can get rid of the leg issue.

Thanks!

drjames · 12-13-2006, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanotube

I'm not sure if I can post this topic here, let me know if i should 'move'. Thanks!

I own the 07 camry and have been driving for a month or so. Recently when I commuted to and from work (with traffic it takes me 45 mins to 1 hour per trip), my right leg has started to feel funny. it's like you bend you leg for too long and you leg lost feelings. Before this camry, i drove a corolla. never had the problem. so, I assume because i'm driving a bigger car? or i just have bad luck? I've tried to adjust the driver seat so many times but my leg still hurts. can someone give me a suggestion on how to adjust my seat perfectly??? thank you very much!!!!

maybe i'll give you some of my background information. I'm a 25 years old female, very cautious, SAFE but NOT a good driver (my cousin said i was too nervous when driving)....no, i dont drive fast, i'm too scared. Very appreciate your reply.

I might be able to offer you some usefull advice. However, I'd need to know when this pain exactly began. How long does it take while sitting before this pain begins? Describe the type of pain.... is it sharp, dull, numbing? Does the pain radiate anywhere? Be specific. Does it begin in the low back and travel down to the toes? Which toes and where does the pain travel down? Is the pain just localized in the calf and hamstring? Do you smoke? Are you on birth control? What makes it feel better? How long till it does feel better? Is it anytime you're sitting in the seat? Have you ever had anything like this before? ....

You can see that some of the questions are extremely personal. And if you don't want to answer some of them here, that's fine too. However, without an actual physical exam of your chief complaint, it's difficult to diagnose from here and be accurate.

Camrygen6 · 12-13-2006, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanotube

I'm not sure if I can post this topic here, let me know if i should 'move'. Thanks!

I own the 07 camry and have been driving for a month or so. Recently when I commuted to and from work (with traffic it takes me 45 mins to 1 hour per trip), my right leg has started to feel funny. it's like you bend you leg for too long and you leg lost feelings. Before this camry, i drove a corolla. never had the problem. so, I assume because i'm driving a bigger car? or i just have bad luck? I've tried to adjust the driver seat so many times but my leg still hurts. can someone give me a suggestion on how to adjust my seat perfectly??? thank you very much!!!!

maybe i'll give you some of my background information. I'm a 25 years old female, very cautious, SAFE but NOT a good driver (my cousin said i was too nervous when driving)....no, i dont drive fast, i'm too scared. Very appreciate your reply.

I feel exactly on my right knee when driving our Camry and not on our Honda Oyssey and only during traffic, were my right foot keeps alternating from gas to brake pedals. I just stretch my right leg inwards until my right knee (make sure keep your right foot where it is) almost touch my left knee for a few seconds and several times, just to relieve fatigue and pressure and it works. Like you said, you are a safe and nervous driver, try to relax and most likely than not you always anticipate braking hence you tend to rest your right foot to the brake pedal even when not braking so it creates fatigue. Try to relax and loosen up.

nanotube · 12-13-2006, 08:17 PM

How long does it take while sitting before this pain begins?
usually it's after 20 mins driving, or longer

Describe the type of pain.... is it sharp, dull, numbing? Does the pain radiate anywhere? Be specific. Does it begin in the low back and travel down to the toes? Which toes and where does the pain travel down? Is the pain just localized in the calf and hamstring?
it's not a sharp pain, it's not pain at all. my right just felt numb. at first it's my foot, then go to the calf. then the numbness stayed until i got out of the car. when i pressed on the pedal, my entire leg felt like being stretched. i tried to move my leg around when i was driving, tried to get rid of the numb feeling. it didnt help and i believe it's because of the limited space..

Do you smoke? Are you on birth control?
No and Yes

What makes it feel better? How long till it does feel better? Is it anytime you're sitting in the seat? Have you ever had anything like this before?
nothing makes it feel better, still trying to figure it out. i got better only when i got out of the car. never had this 'leg issue' before until recently i started to drive the camry.

I tried my best to answer your questions as detail as possible. Thanks so much!

thoots · 12-14-2006, 12:08 AM

Some very interesting discussion so far. This is indeed an entirely relevant topic -- "seat comfort" has become my number one concern as the years have gone by, and so I'm very sympathetic to your plight. But, by golly, there are LOTS of things we can adjust here, so I'd sure hope we could help you find a setting that might work well for you.

I would think back to your Corolla -- if you were comfortable there, then I would recommend trying to duplicate the Corolla seating position as much as possible. So, what year was that Corolla? I had one of the current-generation Corollas, which started with the 2003 model. I wound up hating that seat so much that I bailed out of that car within 11 months!! But, that also means that I'm pretty familiar with it, so let's start there.

Presuming that you are indeed talking about the current-generation Corolla, there are two main characteristics of its seat and seating position:

1. While it's not actually part of the "seat" as such, the steering wheel position does have a significant effect upon your seating position. With the current-generation Corolla, that steering wheel doesn't "telescope," and that bugger is VERY, VERY CLOSE to the dashboard. That's what ultimately killed me -- I was OK so long as I sat "bolt upright," but the minute I tried to actually "lean back and relax" while I drove, it was like trying to drive a big Harley chopper, with my hands extended farther than they ever were designed to extend. And this position really put some kind of nasty pressure on my thigh as I sat in the seat, and it just drove me absolutely NUTS!

But, if it worked for you, "let's start with the steering wheel." Instead of trying to find a comfortable position in the seat, and then moving the wheel to meet you, use the telescoping feature to move the wheel as close to the dashboard as you possibly can. Part of what you're feeling may not have much to do with the "seat" at all, but rather, how your entire posture winds up placing your body as you sit in the car and apply pressure to the gas pedal, and so on. So, get in, move the steering wheel as far forward as it will go, and maybe even move it up as high as it will go. Then, adjust your seat so that you can comfortably grab that steering wheel where you've got it now.

2. The other thing to comprehend about the Corolla seat is that if you ever raised it higher than "as low as it would go," the ratcheting adjustment TILTED THE FRONT OF THE SEAT CUSHION DOWNWARD in concert with how much you raised the seat. So, if you indeed raised the seat, you're probably used to having the front of the seat cushion lowered below the height of the back of the seat cushion -- i.e., "tilting downward at the front" of the seat cushion. That was the other thing that just absolutely killed me about that seat -- I absolutely HATED that "falling into the steering wheel" effect. But, again, maybe that worked well for you. So, you should be able to use the Camry's seat controls to approximate that -- get the seat to a height you want, then start playing with lowering the front of the seat cushion, and see how that goes.

So, give these issues some thought. I would recommend making these adjustments, and then getting out of the car, walking around it a time or two, and then getting back into it, so that you take a fresh "seat" in it after the adjustments have been made, so you'll adjust to it more naturally than you would if you had just sat there after making all of the adjustments. I would go a little bit further and recommend thinking in terms not so much of adjusting the seat cushion or the seat back, but rather the seat height and the distance forward or backward -- again, you may be sitting far further away from the gas pedal than you were in the Corolla, so sit up straighter, and move that seat closer to the dashboard and the pedals.

Again, just food for thought, and good luck with it! Seat comfort is THE most important issue of them all!

BigWillie · 12-14-2006, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fourthpoliceman

I might be able to offer you some usefull advice. However, I'd need to know when this pain exactly began. How long does it take while sitting before this pain begins? Describe the type of pain.... is it sharp, dull, numbing? Does the pain radiate anywhere? Be specific. Does it begin in the low back and travel down to the toes? Which toes and where does the pain travel down? Is the pain just localized in the calf and hamstring? Do you smoke? Are you on birth control? What makes it feel better? How long till it does feel better? Is it anytime you're sitting in the seat? Have you ever had anything like this before? ....

You can see that some of the questions are extremely personal. And if you don't want to answer some of them here, that's fine too. However, without an actual physical exam of your chief complaint, it's difficult to diagnose from here and be accurate.

Hey? What's your sign? And are you free Friday night?

Sorry, had to do it!

JSM1284 · 12-14-2006, 11:16 AM

^^^^ I was kinda thinking the same thing.

njerald · 12-14-2006, 11:24 AM

No problems here!

I've driven for 17 hours straight (with only fuel stops) with no problems with the power drivers seat.

ScottFern · 12-14-2006, 12:15 PM

nanotube, I am in the exact same position as you! It's like you knew what was bothering me too. I have a feeling it has to do with pressing the gas pedal for an extended period of time? But still it shouldn't get these pains.

I have thought about maybe seeing a Chiropractor because I am not even sure who would be best suited to remedy this issue.

Any other tips, hints, or advice for you guys is appreciated!

EDIT: Has anyone thought about getting a GEL-TEC seat cushion? Supposedly truck drivers love it? I have been contemplating a seat cushion for a long time, but I don't want some gimmick, but rather a nice and long lasting cushion.

gjwoodx · 12-14-2006, 06:32 PM

wow! I get the exact same feeling in my right leg when driving my 07 Camry in rush hour traffic for over 30 minutes. I to had a 03 corolla prior to the cam, and never had these feelings of soreness and numbness when driving. I'm constantly adjusting my seat to find the perfect spot, but so far nothing seems to work. My leg feels fine when I'm not moving from gas to break constantly. I've been trying to raise the front of the seat so that my leg close to my knee is touching the seat, and I've tried moving the seat back as far as I can so that my leg is straighter. So far nothing is helping. It seems weird that so many people are having he same issue.

Streaker · 12-14-2006, 06:44 PM

I think the seat base is too short. If your seat is inclined too much when you drive the seat edge puts pressure on your thigh muscle and your Sciatic nerve.Try leveling the seat off. Just a suggestion!

thoots · 12-14-2006, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottFern

Has anyone thought about getting a GEL-TEC seat cushion? Supposedly truck drivers love it? I have been contemplating a seat cushion for a long time, but I don't want some gimmick, but rather a nice and long lasting cushion.

Looks like good-quality stuff, but don't get anything too thick -- this would be about right:

http://geltecproducts.com/detail.aspx?ID=5

I tend to think that, by gosh golly, we SHOULD be able to find a good seating position given the power seat, lumbar support, tilt/telescoping wheel, and so on, but a cushion like this could probably help whole bunches if you do wind up in pain during a trip. In the end, "whatever works" is OK if it actually makes you more comfortable!