Keep working the adjustments. I just finished a 62 hour round-trip over 8 days with no pain or problems in my 14 way seats.

 

I'm a little surprised at the back pain problems with Porsche seats. I've had lower back pain on and off since I was 18 years old (congenital defect in lower spine) and that was many, many moons ago and used to really suffer after long car trips in anything from a bench-type American car to a bucket seat FIAT. My first Porsche was a 924 and I couldn't believe it the first time I drove 200 miles in about 3 hours, got out, and felt no pain! Same was true with my 944, 993, and now 991. My 991 has 14-way seats and I can't even tell you where the lumbar is set but I think its about mid-way, definitely not all the way flat. Driving a FIAT 124 for many years, I developed the habit of an Italian style driving position where my arms are nearly fully extended. Now on my 991 my wheel is in (or out, however you define it, toward the dash) as far as it will go because it doesn't move on comfort entry and the seat is set about mid-way.

With 14 adjustments, my suggestion would be to try different combinations, - there might be 14 factorial combos possible! - until you find the right combination .

Good luck and if anybody has a trick for getting in and out, which is hardest for these tired old bones, let's hear it!

Pete

 

ditto... I've had 18 way 2x and now the 14 way. The lower part of the back sticks out too far.. I've been playing with it for weeks trying to get it comfy... I have deflated the lumbar all the way. Never had this problem with the 18. I have a sore lower back for many years so this doesn't help. Im going to look for the pad mentioned above while I continue to play with it. I can drive 2 hours but would prefer more comfort.

^ as for getting out, I put my left leg out of the car and grab the seat with my left arm and contort with the most ungraceful move ever. Seems to work. However, the 18 way while more comfortable, are harder to get out of. IMO.

 

Tilt the rear of the lower cushion up and the front down. I used to think it was better to feel like you were tucked into the seat with the back down and the front up, but learned later that was not ideal from a back perspective. Plus, i use no lumbar support whatsoever. Seems to work well for me.

 

I made an adjustment like you suggest last night. Definitely made an improvement. I typically like to sit low with front up to support legs. Might need to rotate back up and front lower to a more forward position.

 

It might also be that your back pain is from getting accustomed to a "correct" seating posture. By moving from a slouching comfortable position to a correctly supported posture you're going to be using muscles that are not used to the exertion once you're out of the seat. This might be why it's comfortable while in the seat but there is pain when not in it.

This happened to me when I moved to ergonomic office chairs at work and at home. I have a aeron at work and a steelcase leap at home. After the first couple of weeks I was getting pretty bad pain outside of the seats, but while sitting it was fine. This eventually went away and I'm guessing it's because my back finally got stronger.

If I were you and you have a job that makes you sit for long periods of time, maybe try a standing desk or changing your office chair to something more ergonomic. It should speed up the strengthening of your back and your overall posture should get better.

 

Wow thanks for all the info this site is fantastic. I'm 6'2". I am in very good physical condition and don't have issues with my back. For some reason though this seat is just killing me. I drove the car for 1/2 hour last night and by the end I had back pain which is still slightly there. I tired it with the lumbar all the way in. I guess I'll have to just keep messing around and see what I can come up with. It feels great when I sit initially just the pain creeps in after a while. I'll look through these and give each one of these suggestions a try and I'm sure one is going to work.

 

I have the 18 ways, and they're the best seats I've ever owned. Infinitely more comfortable than Ferrari's park benches (daytonas), if you ask me, and also superior to BMW's best. If you have pain without back issues and fitting in the seats well (not too fat), I'd blame it on your adjustments. The 18 ways have much more lumbar adjustability, but I also have it deflated all the way. And in my case, as low as it goes both front and back, with the seatback reclined barely clearing my head. But I'm used to sport seats. The rear leaves barely enough space to store the Porsche sunshield. Seats fit like a glove for my 5'10" and 160# frame. Don't know how larger folks fit comfortably, when I have no room to spare (fully deflated bolsters), but glad I do. Good luck.

 

Some useful tips:

 

Despite my screen name, I am 5'10" 175lbs and an avid rock climber, so I have a wide back and relatively narrow waist. I have never had an issue getting comfortable in a car seat, but my lower back would be shot after driving more than an hour in my C2S.

After another painful drive, I decided to do some research into making any car seat more comfortable. The only thing I was not doing, but kept coming up as a suggestion, was rolling up a towel and putting it in the lumbar area.

Like many here have suggested, I had the lumbar section completely deflated, which left a gap in my lower-back area and made it feel like the upper bolsters were too tight. Instead of rolling up a towel, I just fully inflated the lumbar section and the gap was filled.

I have not driven more than 45 min since the change, but it feels MUCH better. My wife is just over 5' and 105 lbs; she fully inflated the passenger's seat lumbar and agreed that it felt much better.

I feel like someone with a more "normal" build (i.e. Smaller waist/back spread) would fit better between the upper bolsters and therefore not need the lumbar inflated.

 

great video - would be nice to see him try this with the 18-ways

 

I think my car also had 18 way seats. I found them quite uncomfortable for long drives and quite firm. Passengers agreed the seats are not very comfortable in general. For short drives though no problems at all.

 

That matches my bias. My last production-based race car had a welded aluminum stock car type seat that put me in a very upright position. Coupled with a relatively close steering wheel, I had both great vision and great mobility and leverage in arms and legs.

Unless you are driving a vintage Lotus formula car, sitting in a dramatic recline, with arms straight out to reach a distant steering wheel, is just for foolish image.

 

I get back pain in seats w/o good lumbar support but when I inflate the lumbar all the way out in the 14-ways it feels amazing. They're definitely not set up for slouching though.

 

Interesting thread.
Going from MT to PDK or vice versa will also require further adjustment as you now have 1 or 2 working legs; this is where getting the lower lumber right and the seat depth can be important.
Age, accidents, weight and size are also variables; for me the 18 way turned out to be the most relaxing after some serious trial and error.
Old frame, bad neck, 155 lbs. and 6'.