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850 Seat Comfort[ALL/1988] posted by John P on
Wednesday, 28 January 1998, at 6:42 a.m.
My 96 850 is fantastic except for one big problem: It gives me a pain in the right leg on the inside just above the knee. I even went to an Orthopedic doctor and he was really helpful. He asked me what I drove. When I told him he replied that he had the same problem with his wife's 850, that'll be 50 bucks please! Anybody else have a similar problem/solutions?
Re: 850 Seat Comfort[ALL/1988] posted by LKB on
Wednesday, 28 January 1998, at 10:18 a.m.
What kind of car were you driving before you got your 850? I'm no expert, but it might be a ligament; you probably should do some leg and hip stretches until your body gets used to the seat. Ask your doctor first.
I had/have the same problem, but my Orthopedist says it's due to sitting all day in front of a computer, and driving 80 miles(one-way) to and from work. I have actually noticed an improvement since I got my 240 sedan(used). I was driving an '84 Olds station wagon before which had mushy, sofa-type seats, and no back support whatsoever.
I also get seated massages every few weeks which help. I'm overweight, and my problem is that my right hip gets too much of a bend when I'm sitting. Walking regularly also helps.
I sympathize with you, though, because Volvos are expected to have good, supportive seats, and yours doesn't seem to be.
How does the left footrest feel to you? After test driving an 850, I found I could never live with that footrest. I was leaning on my right leg/buttocks too much, while sitting, in order to keep my left foot away from the left footrest. This might also be a factor.
Good luck finding a solution.
Re: 850 Seat Comfort[ALL/1988] posted by Mickey on
Wednesday, 28 January 1998, at 12:15 p.m.
Hi John,
Have you tried all the various adjustments that are possible? I found that having the seat back all the way, which I am used to doing in most cars (I am 185 cm or about 6'1") did not work as well in my 850. I have leather seats, with power on driver side - very nice since it comes with a memory switch, a handy option since my wife and I are about 20 cm, or 8" apart in height! Moving the seat slightly forward and upright worked best for me. Did you try adjusting the lumbar support? Sometimes the pain you are feeling can result from impingememnt of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. Volvo does care about seat comfort - they are one of the leading sponsors of back pain research in the world, and their seats are recognized as leading edge for safety and comfort especially for whiplash prevention. I am sure knowing this won't make you feel any better, but the thought that they have tried to consider body mechanics in the design stage should give you some hope that adjusting the seat could be helpful. Check that the steering wheel is not too high (or low) as well, since this will also affect the load on your spine (from the resulting posture).
Mickey
Re: 850 Seat Comfort[ALL/1988] posted by Mark A Sovereign on
Thursday, 29 January 1998, at 7:34 a.m.
Hi all,
I have a UK version RHD of course and have suffered as ell by not being toltally comfortable. My foot rest is further away because of being on the righthand side so i never really use it. But i did find when moving to the 850 from my pervious Volvo that the steering wheel cross members are lower down and holding the wheel and 10 and 2 felt very uncomfy.
Im 6 feet and have to have the seat all the way back but this doesnt feel far enough as i like my seat upright which is not practable bein of such a large size my are then touch the window so to speak.
Ive had to ompormise by having the seat all the way down and lifting the front up a small amount and trying to get the best reach for long journeys for the wheel. But i still find on a long journey i commute 150 to 200miles round trip here that i move my hands around the wheel to stop the getting tired.
I think if i had to pick a bad point on my car excluding the normal rattle of plastic etc, it would be the seating position.
Take care from a fellow suffer.
Mark 1994-UK 850glt 20v.
Re: 850 Seat Comfort[ALL/1988] posted by Paul Elliott on
Friday, 30 January 1998, at 5:44 p.m.
That's really unusual....With all the positions you can achieve between the tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and the virtually infintite seating positions, I have a hard time believing its the Volvo driver's seat. The one thing the trade magazines all seem to agree on is that this car has the best seats in the business. Are you sure it couldnt be something else? Have you tried loads of different positions? Good Luck.
Re: 850 Seat Comfort[ALL/1988] posted by Richard on
Sunday, 1 February 1998, at 7:29 a.m.
John I know what you're saying, my pain was on the outside of the right thigh.
Had the same problem switching from a volvo that I drove for 8 years to a newer one. My problem slowly went way after adjusting to the new driving position and experimenting with several positions. At the same time I was doing stretching exercises give to me by the theraphist.
The 850 is the best seat I've had out of the 8 bricks I"ve owned.
Good luck