[Emig5m]

Hi, I'm new to Honda vehicles and just purchased a brand new 2017 Honda Civic SI Coupe and it's also my first smaller 4 cylinder vehicle (traded in a V8 full size). The seats felt ok and snug on the short test drive but now that I've been on longer drives after owning it the side bolsters are really too tight and hurting my sides in my mid torso which I can feel after getting out of the car and is making my ribs sore and is a major disappointment because I love everything else about the car. Any ideas what I can do? If only the seats where 2" wider (only in the back, the bottom of the seat is fine) I think that they would be perfect. Is there wider after market seats available? Would the leather seats from the Accord fit in the Civic? Can the bolsters be modded? Please help because even though the car is brand new I'm already thinking about trading it back for a full size vehicle only because of the discomfort the seats give me in the mid sides of my torso. I'm also wondering it a seat swap from a regular Civic model would be an idea but I figured if I'm going to do a seat swap might as well do leather. Are the leather Accord seats comfortable?

My 2004 Ford Lightning's seats are fairly perfect. My previous Camaro 2SS seats where perfection. I'm loving this Civic SI except the seat side bolsters starting to wear me out. So bummed because I REALLY enjoy driving this car and everything else about it! Please help!

 

[10genSi]

Lose weight or buy different seats. These are the best seats in an si so far and only what you can expect when purchasing a sport edition of a vehicle.

 

[Emig5m]

Lose weight or buy different seats. These are the best seats in an si so far and only what you can expect when purchasing a sport edition of a vehicle.

My Ford Lightning and Camaro 2SS are both sport editions and their seats are perfectly comfortable with sporty side bolstering and in fact the 5th gen Camaro 2SS is currently my all time favorite seats with regards to comfort. I'm also not fat but wide shoulders so I have that more manly V-shaped torso. I think what it more or less is that it's a small car and the seats have to be compromised in some way to fit like all smaller economy cars which makes them smaller and narrower and the bolstering is REALLY just too aggressive in this car. The Lightning and Camaro's bolstering is more on an angle and the Civic SI bottom to mid side bolstering is more straight forward. If the bottom to mid was more on the angle of the upper bolstering I might not have an issue. I drove it for 2hrs straight today to simulate my normal daily commute and the seats where nagging me the more I drove it to the point I actually tried to take my hoodie that I had in the trunk and put it behind my back to try to push me out of the seat more which helped slightly but not a real solution. It's so bad that after an hour of being outside the car I can still feel discomfort in my sides from it. IMO good seats should be like good shoes - you shouldn't even notice that they are there and especially after you take them off.

 

[AegeanBlueSi]

The Si seats fit my frame well, but I can totally understand how a bigger person might feel discomfort.

See how much you can stretch them out with wear, otherwise an aftermarket seat will be your go-to

 

[Emig5m]

I wonder if a auto upholstery shop might be my answer. If they can cut the foam of the lower half of the bolsters to match the angle of the top half then I think the seat will be much better.

With regards to aftermarket seats, what about the air bags? Would they have to be disabled in the computer or something? And can anyone recommend aftermarket seats that will work in the 2017 Civic?

 

[Emig5m]

The Si seats fit my frame well, but I can totally understand how a bigger person might feel discomfort.

See how much you can stretch them out with wear, otherwise an aftermarket seat will be your go-to

Just curious for comparison what size waste you are? I'm a 33", I don't think that's overly big considering a lot of the USA is fat/obese...? I do need to find a solution because the seat really does hurt me.

Also, does your passenger seat feel the same as your drivers seat? My passenger seat's back feels a little wider and better than the drivers. Are both seats supposed to be the same width or is the drivers seat supposed to be tighter?

 

[Emig5m]

So I was able to fix the seats very easily without even taking them out of the car. I unzipped the back of the seat covers and stuffed three folded towels between the seat foam and seat frame pushing the seat foam out which pushes the side bolsters mostly out of the steal frame, flattens the seat more so it's less like sitting in a hole, and most importantly, it lets the side bolsters sit on more of a 45 degree angle instead of straight forward greatly improving the comfort and lumbar support. Now they feel more like my Ford Lightning's seats instead of a torture chair. They still hold you snug and I would say that they're right between the stock and leather touring seats. So much better now that I don't have to deal with side/rib pain. WTF was Honda thinking with this crappy seat design!? Trust me guys, it's not right. The SVT Lightning is more of a performance vehicle than this Civic. The Camaro 2SS is more of a performance vehicle than the Civic. They both have sporty bolstering for holding you in place and both seats are perfectly comfortable.

Honda Corp told me that they design the seats for the size of an average person which I have to wonder is their own opinion or based on actual data because:

https://www.collectivewizdom.com/NormalWaistforaMan.html

Under the guidelines of the International Diabetes Federation, a
normal waist measurement for a man is 38 inches or less.

Many doctors are even more stringent, recommending a target
of 35 inches for a man.

Your height matters of course. A man who is 6 feet tall will
have a larger waist than a man is 5 feet 4, even though both
may look fit.

And I'm only a 33"!!! So where the **** are they getting their idea of average size from!?! Ethiopia?

But whatever, I got my #1 complaint with the car alleviated and love everything else about the car. Now I have to figure out a solution to water getting into the first flap of the capless fuel filler because I'm currently using a piece of plastic grocery bag with a rubber band and I think it looks embarrassing playing around with a plastic bag and rubber band ghetto style at the gas station on a brand new car! And it's not just mine, me and a salemen confirmed that another brand new car on the lot had the chamber after the first flap completely filled to the top with water!

 

[FlyinGato]

Hi, I'm new to Honda vehicles and just purchased a brand new 2017 Honda Civic SI Coupe and it's also my first smaller 4 cylinder vehicle (traded in a V8 full size). The seats felt ok and snug on the short test drive but now that I've been on longer drives after owning it the side bolsters are really too tight and hurting my sides in my mid torso which I can feel after getting out of the car and is making my ribs sore and is a major disappointment because I love everything else about the car. Any ideas what I can do? If only the seats where 2" wider (only in the back, the bottom of the seat is fine) I think that they would be perfect. Is there wider after market seats available? Would the leather seats from the Accord fit in the Civic? Can the bolsters be modded? Please help because even though the car is brand new I'm already thinking about trading it back for a full size vehicle only because of the discomfort the seats give me in the mid sides of my torso. I'm also wondering it a seat swap from a regular Civic model would be an idea but I figured if I'm going to do a seat swap might as well do leather. Are the leather Accord seats comfortable?

My 2004 Ford Lightning's seats are fairly perfect. My previous Camaro 2SS seats where perfection. I'm loving this Civic SI except the seat side bolsters starting to wear me out. So bummed because I REALLY enjoy driving this car and everything else about it! Please help!

I'll trade you the seats in my Civic Sport Hatch, they have less bolstering :x

 

[Emig5m]

I'll trade you the seats in my Civic Sport Hatch, they have less bolstering :x

I would of traded but I fixed the comfort issue (easily) and like the idea of it having original seats.

 

[murawski]

help with my seat

Hi, I just got my 2017 civic si sedan
and need help fixing my seat problem like you had.
can you call me at 978-875-3856
so we can discuss exactly how you fixed your seat bolster


Mike Murawski

 

[Glideslope]

Hi, I just got my 2017 civic si sedan
and need help fixing my seat problem like you had.
can you call me at 978-875-3856
so we can discuss exactly how you fixed your seat bolster


Mike Murawski

Not to be negative, but don't you people do a good test drive before your purchase?

 

[5TAR]

I bet someout out there with bolsters to far away on another car will like what we have thus a possible candidate to swap seats with. Its a bit of a stretch but something to look into.

 

[Sifan]

Hi...just bought a 2017 civic si sedan and have the same problem with the seat bolsters being too tight. Mike, did you get a reply about how to fix this issue? I tried to stuff towels into the inside of the seat, but it was way too tight.

 

[Emig5m]

Hi...just bought a 2017 civic si sedan and have the same problem with the seat bolsters being too tight. Mike, did you get a reply about how to fix this issue? I tried to stuff towels into the inside of the seat, but it was way too tight.

Fold three towels long wise so that it fits the shape of the inner seat between the bolsters from the bottom of the seat back to as far to the top as you can.

Before you put the towels between the seat frame and seat cushion make sure to push the seat back cusion out along with the foam for the bolsters so that the bolsters arent fully in metal support that the bolsters sit in.

Then put three towels per seat BETWEEN the seat frame and seat cusion and then zip the seat covers back up and you should be done.

At this point the seat bolsters should be angled more on a 45 degree angle instead of straight forward and the seats should be flattened out a little more instead if sitting im a deep pit.

And for the guy asking if we took a test drive, yes, but not a 2hr test drive like my daily commute to where the seats didn't cause major discomfort. Its like sometimes you buy a pair of shoes that feel passable trying them out in the store for a few minutes but once you're on your feet all day in them then they truly reveal how comfortable the really are. So you're never going to get the full feeling of something and find all of its quirks on a test amd until you've spent some good time with it.

The guy who posted his number sorry I didn't call its been a very busy week. I pretty much explained exactly what I did. If you need amy additional help reply back and I'll give you a call. The seats where so bad that it would of caused me to get rid of the car but now they are very comfortable.

 

[betnow]

So I have the same exact problem and I'm trying to implement your fix.
Couple of questions:

1) Did you do this for the seat bottom or the seat back?
2) What size towels? Regular bath towels? How thick?
3) Did you take any pictures?

I love the car. Everything about it except the seats.

Thanks for the original write up.

 

[10genSi]

You guys think these seats are tight go sit in the Type-R, those seats are insanely tight but would probably be amazing on some back canyon roads or the track. Our Si seats are perfect IMO.

 

[AegeanBlueSi]

At 165 lbs and 5'9, I'm pretty snug. I think I could pack on another 15 - 20 and be ok. Larger than that it might become uncomfortable for some

 

[lessonstar]

Use your left arm to support your body when you go in or out. Don't slide in or out with your thigh and butt. I make a point of "dropping" into the seat or "cross" out of it, without any sliding or putting weight on the bolsters.

 

[Enjyursins]

Just an fyi, the seats break in a bit, especially the bolsters. so, if it was me, I'd wait until they break in before making the adjustments.

Id be worried about over stretching them between break in and modding them.

These cars aren't Americanized with wide flat seats. I'm 5'7, 34" waist 190lbs and the seat, after breaking fits me perfect for daily street use and a little loose for autocross events. I still find myself bracing myself into the seat.