Tacoma Seats are horrible. Help?

The cheapo knock-off's on Amazon are just as nice, aluminum and less than half the price.

Love the idea, but I'm not paying over twice as much, just because somebody had the idea first.

 

I actually don't mind the seats, but I think they were designed for people my size - 5'5" to 5'10" 125lbs to 165lbs. I'm 5'6" 130lbs and when adjusted I find the seats to be quite comfortable even on longer drives. Yes I am a small human but that's who the truck seems to be designed for.

 

Nope, I don't even know why I tried the seat jackers, just thought I might try them and see if it was better. My lower back was bugging me on my last long trip, which it never did before, so I removed them. Immediately felt better.

The seat in the Tacoma is super low to the floor. I think that is part of the challenge. Another is that until they added electric seats, there's not a lot of adjustment -- basically forward/back, tilt of the back, and sometimes lumbar. Finding the right combination along with steering wheel adjustment seems to be a challenge for some people. I just happen to be about average in/at all things, so I probably fit right into the sweet spot. My daughter even commented last week that the seat was really comfortable.

 

I have more of an issue with getting comfortable. Electric seats have so many adjustments once you find that right spot. (death to person who makes an adjustment) I am also 6' 1 and found that I can't raise the seat up to much or I can't see out the top of the windshield at stop light. No to re adjust the RC seat cover so it stops moving.

 

I'm 6'5", and have to fold myself to get in, but that's true on most vehicles for me. My seats were stock with Katskinz upholstery when I got the Taco, and I found that my thighs would try to cramp on long drives. So, after checking around here, I decided to try the front Seat Jackers (and have no issue supporting those that tried and marketed first, and support the community so well), and by raising the front edge of the seat, thereby putting some actual support under my thighs, It made all the difference in the world to long distance drive comfort! YMMV

 

The seat was to low for me. So raising the whole seat helped with the "comfort ".
Just the front made it feel like I was always riding up hill

 

I’ve had quite a few Toyota trucks over the years, the older models with the bench seats just plain sucked. Seems I always bought them from fat guys that had destroyed the seats!
I found replacement with bucket seats out of a Honda civic that were very comfortable, but it did take some fiddling with height/angle to find the sweet spot.
My current 06 Tacoma has comfortable seats with the lumbar adjust, which helps some, but is really too low for my back ailment, so I sometimes use a cushion.
I’m 5’11”, 175#, I think I must happen to fit into the designers window.
My fishing buddy is 6’4”, 230#, and he hates my truck!

 

Im 5’11”, 215, with a destroyed lower back
I love the power seat in my Sport
The SeatJackers add to the leg lumbar support
They also help my lower back support

A ten hour drive towing an MG to the middle of Minnesota was good test. I did have to change adjustments on the drive back the second day. But for me, that would have happened in a Cadillac

 

This... I'm 5'11" with a longer torso and sit as tall as my neighbor who is 6'4" and all legs.

 

I thought this same thing (too stiff) when I got my Taco. I went back to the dealer a few days later and sat in a couple other trucks, then went to the parts counter and had the guy look up the part number for the bottom seat foam. They are a different part number for the TRD Off Road and the SR5.
I agree with the OP. It's not a seat angle thing, they are simply extremely stiff.
I ended up taking my seat apart, cut some of the original foam out, and glued in some softer material. Then I shaped it with a flap wheel on a grinder. It's a bit of work, but much better now.

 

Let's see the pics of the mess you made. just kidding but I would like to see the end result.

 

Interesting. So despite the obvious difference in seat fabric between SR/SR5 and TRD models, you’re saying the actual construction or density of seat foam is different between the two?

 

Correct. But he said the seats are like riding on bricks. Hard seats as bricks are hard.

 

I don’t understand rear only seat jackers. Front only to get your legs kicked up without raising your head into the roof makes sense, or both of you are short. Rear only is going to have you sliding off?

 

LOL, I have totally the opposite reaction. Front seat jackers would have me folded up like a taco unless I kicked the seat back into a reclining position. Then I'd have to move the seat closer so I could reach the steering wheel, and then my legs would be hitting the dash and I'd feel like I was driving a 'vette or something rather than a truck.

I'm not tall, but not short, right at 6' tall. Rears didn't have me sliding off at all and were mostly fine, but stock position seems to spread my weight out more evenly and feels better on my lower back.

You know, they do "bike fittings" to get your bike set up properly for your body type -- we are all built differently. At some companies you can get an ergonomist in to get your workstation set up properly for you body type. I think we need something for vehicles. I don't think most people really know how to adjust things properly. I don't, but I know what pain feels like. I just don't always know what to tweak, and some things can be counter-intuitive.

Check out "ape index." Length of legs (both upper and lower), torso, and arms all go into it.

 

I'm 5'9" & wife is 5'5". We both prefer the seat risers on both front & back of the rails. We bought an Amazon kit which gave us the front block riser & 3 different giant washers for the back. We chose the medium size spacer for the rear of the front seats combined with the front block riser. WAYYYY better driven position, it sits more like a truck now & not a car!

 

I’ve seen more put them on the front then rear for thigh support, which is what I did and 100% helped. What is the reason for adding to the rear?

 

The seats were horrible for me too. The butt part sits so low, so your knees sit up a little too high, and they are firm.

I have 3 years work disability for a spinal injury. I bought one of these for my Tacoma seat, and it works great. It lifts my butt up so that the hips are not so low, and it also provides great cushion.

I am off-road once or twice per week on pretty brutal roads. The kind of brutal washboard that at even 30mph in 4wd on the flats, my truck can fly sideways just hammering away. Teeth flying loose...

That does a number on your tailbone too when you drive 30 miles of that in and out.

This is not the exact one I bought, but it is the same shape and size. Notice the cutout for the tailbone so it feels no pressure when driving off-road.

I paid $75 for mine from a medical supply store. A cheap solution for something that actually works and requires no installation of F'g around. Other nice part is it raises your viewpoint a bit so you can see over your hood better.

BTW, I am 6 ft 2 inches and 200 pounds and I still have good clearance above my head with the wedge in place.

This is the link from the site where I grabbed that screenshot.

https://medexsupply.com/jobri-back-...-plus-18-x-13-x-1-black-only/?sku=JBR-A1003BK

 

The seat jackers help a bit. Before them I felt like I was going downhill all the time in the seat even at its highest setting to raise the front of the seat up. I think part of the issue is that the seats are not very deep. The cushion from the front edge to the back edge should be a bit longer.