Piston Slap: The Science of Seating Comfort

by Sajeev Mehta

Updated: May 16th, 2014 Published: May 11th, 2011

piston slap the science of seating comfort

Carlton writes:

It sure would be nice if TTAC would do a piece about seat comfort. My wife has back problems and is not comfortable on long drives in our Mazda 6. I know comfort is largely subjective but are there any objective metrics available? Upright seating position seems to be better for both of us and a firm cushion is much preferred over soft.

I’ll bet many other readers are interested in this subject too.

Sajeev answers:

With enough research, I could write a book on this matter. In my (5) years of TTAC reviewing, seating comfort is far less important than what we experienced 20+ years ago from the same brands. Case in point: the W124 Benz might be a high watermark for automotive seat comfort for any human posterior, and the cushions on a non-AMG W211 are truly tiring after a few hours on the interstate.

My personal favorite was when I sat almost “back to back” (sorry) in a 2005 Ford Five Hundred in the showroom, and a 1986 Fox Body Ford LTD in the junkyard. Validation of my seating “impressions” (sorry) came from a vintage Car and Driver review of said Ford, where they likened the LTD’s thrones to Audis of the day. They were right and even in the junkyard, they still are.

There are seating engineers who dedicate their life to this problem, only to find other people within the Automotive supply chain (chassis designers, bean counters, etc) modify their work to the point of disrespect. I suspect the science of how seats put pressure on nerves/tissue/anatomical components changes almost as rapidly as medical treatments used to diagnose and treat problems in these areas. You can expect the finest 3-D modeling used to measure chassis behavior in crash testing is also implemented for this science.

Before I leave this query to you, Best and Brightest, can anyone attend this Innovative Seating Conference on our behalf?

Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.

#Advice #PistonSlap

Sajeev Mehta

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2 of 102 comments

Supremebrougham on May 12, 2011

The best seats I've ever sat in were in Buicks, in particular the 1992-94 Roadmasters. I could have sat there for days. I also enjoyed the overstuffed seats in the early 80's Park Avenues. Ford seats in the 1990's were very supportive. The two Ford Contours I owned were very comfortable for me. A power seat adjuster makes a big difference for me. If I can raise my legs up at the knee, I'm good to go. The best car I ever made the Florida to Michigan run in was my old 1987 Cutlass Supreme Brougham. I could spend 10-12 hours in that car and I felt great at the end of the day. Now one thing that I never understood was how people could sit with the lumbar pushed all the way out. Completely uncomfortable!!! Whenever I get into a car with it pushed out, I have to get rid of it completely or else I am hurting within seconds...

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Rpn453 on May 13, 2011

Most seats have been acceptable to me. Here are the ones that were not: '99 Pontiac Sunfire cloth. Cover materials feel thin and cheap. Padding too soft. No support. Lumbar support is just a solid bar that can be easily felt through the minimal cushioning. You can move it, but it's always there, digging into your back uncomfortably. '01 Jeep Grand Cherokee cloth. The middle of the seat was like a pit. I decided not to buy the vehicle the second I sat down in the driver's seat. '06 Dodge Ram 2500 cloth. Cushioning is thin, and there's a hard bottom section for about an inch from the back of the seat. You have to slouch to avoid having it dig into your butt. Strangely, the '04 and '05 leather seats are decent.

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