2014 seats are killing my back

Darel Matthews · June 3, 2021

Upgraded my 200k mile 2007 NBS for a 2014. My God, WHAT have they done to these seats?

My '07 had absolutely, hands down, the most comfortable seats ever installed in a road vehicle. Like a 4wd La-Z-Boy.

The '14 (LT, with the split front seat/fold-down center console) seats are absolutely hard as concrete. Like a park bench. The lumbar doesn't "deflate" far enough and my shoulder blades never really touch the seat back. And have I mentioned HARD AS A ROCK?

I am not exaggerating when I say the 15-minute drive home from picking it up, I had to get out of it and go lay down. I don't have back problems or any other kind of health issues and my back was in spasms.

3 days in it's no better. I have a 25-minute drive to work and it's causing me physical pain. I feel like I've tried every seat position I can and this thing is just horrendous.

My 3-hour trip to the base for my drill weekend coming up has me losing sleep.

How could Chevy have gotten something they had absolutely perfected, and screwed it up so badly?

And more importantly, has anyone done anything to fix it? I can't even imagine an aftermarket cover or anything helping, because of the fact that the lumbar pushes so far it's almost like you'd need a pad way up high to fill the gap between your shoulder blades and the seat. And yes, the lumbar is on the absolute lowest setting.

It's like the entire structure of the seatback needs to be changed.

I thought my wife's Mercedes had the worst seats imaginable but that turned into an easy fix, taking the seat bottom apart and bending some support wires. I don't think this will be as easy of a fix.

Help, I'm now stuck with this medieval torture device and need some way to fix it. As I sit here at work typing this I can barely hold myself upright in my office chair because of the pain in my lower back.

DISCLAIMER: Before you say "didn't you at least test drive it", no, I did not, because the truck is a hand-me-down from my father. Beggars can't be choosers and I need to make this one work.

Snowcamo · June 3, 2021

Why post on two diff forums? Same end result. I'll buy that 14 from you for $5?

Darel Matthews · June 3, 2021

Maybe not the same result if it's not the same readers.

It's Tim · June 3, 2021

Whats a bot for $400 Alex.

This is like picking at a paint chip to make it "better".

Edited June 3, 2021 by It's Tim

Amcguy1970 · June 3, 2021

Wow, whine much? The seats aren't anywhere near (hard as a park bench). They may be giving you pain but not that much, and no seats in cars these days aren't as soft and plush as seats were 20 years ago but these aren't bad and they stand up over the years. The foam isn't sagged on mine at 90k (and I am 6'5 and 280) which same can't be said if it was a pillow soft seats like back in the day where the foam would be flattened and the springs would be sagging. So while they are harder than the old seats these aren't bad. I have done long stints of north of 12 hours with out a complaint. People say the Colorado seats are horrid and while not as comfortable as the Silverado of these years they aren't bad either and that is after 10 hours of driving. How to fix I do not know but that was quite the exaggeration post on comfort... Thanks for the entertaining reading today!

Tyler

Edited June 4, 2021 by Amcguy1970

truckguy82 · June 3, 2021

If your back is hurting, you inflate the lumbar.

i have a herniated disc. So i have lumbar all the way out and I have a pad for my lower back

Darel Matthews · June 4, 2021

14 hours ago, truckguy82 said:

If your back is hurting, you inflate the lumbar.

i have a herniated disc. So i have lumbar all the way out and I have a pad for my lower back

I've tried this. For some reason even with it fully deflated it feels like it's pushing into my tailbone (too low) and my shoulder blades aren't even touching the back of the seat. Leaning the seatback WAY back like I've got my mind on my money and my money on my mind seems to "move" the lumbar a little higher up where it's tolerable but again, shoulders not touching, and geez what a ridiculous driving position.

Just thought maybe there was someone out there who had the same experience, and maybe did something like "I took off the back cover and put a 6"x8" piece of hi-density foam in ****** spot" but evidently my 25+ years of wrenching on trucks isn't enough to validate my problems to all you hardcore experts out there.

Anywhoo, sorry to bother you guys with such trivial concerns...you may return to your BroDozer discussions on 22s vs. 20s and 8" lifts on trucks that never see a dirt road.

Grumpy Bear · June 4, 2021

24 minutes ago, Darel Matthews said:

Just thought maybe there was someone out there who had the same experience, and maybe did something like "I took off the back cover and put a 6"x8" piece of hi-density foam in ****** spot" but evidently my 25+ years of wrenching on trucks isn't enough to validate my problems to all you hardcore experts out there.

I have shoes older than that! Not kidding but not making fun either.

When I got my 15 I though the seats a pain as well...literally. Same seat you have. 20 minutes and I was done. Tailbone on fire done get me out of here. It's now five years later and it is the only seat I can sit in all day long for days on end and I do have some back issues. 6'1" and 215, old and arthritic back.

I rode motorcycles for decades and every spring I'd go through this for a month or so. Called it getting my road butt.

For about the first year I got an egg crate gel foam seat cushion. The thick one BB&B use to sell. I'd use it awhile, let the dog use it awhile...stow it behind the seat a few hours. Just change it up some. Play with the lumbar. Toss a towel down. Sooner or later your back side OR the seat will break in. Now I sit in it until the pig fly. No issues. 140,000 on her.

It will get better. Your back side is just use to what you had and it does take awhile to break in a new seat. Just like a new pair of boots.

Darel Matthews · June 4, 2021

5 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

I have shoes older than that! Not kidding but not making fun either.

When I got my 15 I though the seats a pain as well...literally. Same seat you have. 20 minutes and I was done. Tailbone on fire done get me out of here. It's now five years later and it is the only seat I can sit in all day long for days on end and I do have some back issues. 6'1" and 215, old and arthritic back.

I rode motorcycles for decades and every spring I'd go through this for a month or so. Called it getting my road butt.

For about the first year I got an egg crate gel foam seat cushion. The thick one BB&B use to sell. I'd use it awhile, let the dog use it awhile...stow it behind the seat a few hours. Just change it up some. Play with the lumbar. Toss a towel down. Sooner or later your back side OR the seat will break in. Now I sit in it until the pig fly. No issues. 140,000 on her.

It will get better. Your back side is just use to what you had and it does take awhile to break in a new seat. Just like a new pair of boots.

Were you using the eggcrate under your butt or behind your back?

You're probably right. Thanks for a coherent, useful response.

Grumpy Bear · June 4, 2021

19 minutes ago, Darel Matthews said:

Were you using the eggcrate under your butt or behind your back?

You're probably right. Thanks for a coherent, useful response.

Your welcome.

Under my butt. I also bought some pool noodles and cut them to various lengths and shapes for my lower back and shoulders. Dad use to wad a hanky and put it under his thigh when we were kids on long trips to keep his leg from falling asleep on the 15 hour trip to Denver. Move it every 20 minutes or so. It's all about pressure points. There's some good reading on this topic on a motorcycle seat manufactures site. I think they are called Russel Day Long Saddles.

Ever see those steel tractor seats from 'back in the day'? Most comfortable thing a guy can sit in. Use to go to a bar than had these as bar stools. :crackup: Hard is not uncomfortable IF it's the right shape.

Darel Matthews · June 4, 2021

43 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Your welcome.

Under my butt. I also bought some pool noodles and cut them to various lengths and shapes for my lower back and shoulders. Dad use to wad a hanky and put it under his thigh when we were kids on long trips to keep his leg from falling asleep on the 15 hour trip to Denver. Move it every 20 minutes or so. It's all about pressure points. There's some good reading on this topic on a motorcycle seat manufactures site. I think they are called Russel Day Long Saddles.

Ever see those steel tractor seats from 'back in the day'? Most comfortable thing a guy can sit in. Use to go to a bar than had these as bar stools. Hard is not uncomfortable IF it's the right shape.

The experience that kind of triggered all this (sounds like you did the same) was on my wife's Mercedes, which had similarly rock hard seats but also some structural issues. Me and another guy on the MB forums took our seats apart, added a rolled up towel in the very back of the lower cushion (under the cover), bent some support wires outward and after several trials and back-and-forth figured it out, and now the German seats are fine for my large American butt. Figured I'd see here if someone already had done that homework on the Chevy seats but I guess I'll be the guinea pig.

Thanks!

truckguy82 · June 4, 2021

4 hours ago, Darel Matthews said:

I've tried this. For some reason even with it fully deflated it feels like it's pushing into my tailbone (too low) and my shoulder blades aren't even touching the back of the seat. Leaning the seatback WAY back like I've got my mind on my money and my money on my mind seems to "move" the lumbar a little higher up where it's tolerable but again, shoulders not touching, and geez what a ridiculous driving position.

Just thought maybe there was someone out there who had the same experience, and maybe did something like "I took off the back cover and put a 6"x8" piece of hi-density foam in ****** spot" but evidently my 25+ years of wrenching on trucks isn't enough to validate my problems to all you hardcore experts out there.

Anywhoo, sorry to bother you guys with such trivial concerns...you may return to your BroDozer discussions on 22s vs. 20s and 8" lifts on trucks that never see a dirt road.

I have an epidural scheduled for wednesday. In a ton of pain.

I am driving so gangster right now.

truckguy82 · June 4, 2021

4 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

Your welcome.

Under my butt. I also bought some pool noodles and cut them to various lengths and shapes for my lower back and shoulders. Dad use to wad a hanky and put it under his thigh when we were kids on long trips to keep his leg from falling asleep on the 15 hour trip to Denver. Move it every 20 minutes or so. It's all about pressure points. There's some good reading on this topic on a motorcycle seat manufactures site. I think they are called Russel Day Long Saddles.

Ever see those steel tractor seats from 'back in the day'? Most comfortable thing a guy can sit in. Use to go to a bar than had these as bar stools. Hard is not uncomfortable IF it's the right shape.

I always pondered the idea of building a bed out of cement.

Like pour the bed and somehow lay down on it to form the mold. It should be so perfectly formed in the end it would be like floating in water

Edited June 4, 2021 by truckguy82

Byrds8 · June 6, 2021

The seats were killing my lower back and the backs of my legs before I installed a lift kit for the back of the seat. Not sure if it would help you but it sure helped me having the rear of the seat more level with the fronts.

https://seating-solutions.com/

Edited June 6, 2021 by Byrds8