Try it without the foam you put in...you'll be shocked. There was plenty of padding in there in the first place. To re-pad, you need to put in a longer crossbar as per Mike-bikes original post, otherwise the pressure from that plastic plate remains the same on your back.

 

Took all the foam back out. Took 2 minutes. I will drive around tomorrow and give an update. I have a herniated disc L4, so I hope this helps. Thanks for responding.

 

Took out lower bar. What a difference in lower back. No more bulge in lower back. Fun to drive again.

 

hey !!! great write up. I just got my 2009 EX Coupe and already the lumbar is bothering me.

Was curious, would the fix still work if the white lumbar plate was removed and you didnt put the foam in there and also just used the two black horizontal wires that were in there before?

 

I unhooked both bars and it felt the same. If you sit in seat and tilt headrest forward you can feel the budge in back. I put a piece of foam behind back and this helps.

 

Thank Mikebike125!
Your wonderful write-up is going to help reducing my back pain a lot.

 

I took everything out and never looked back - wires, lumbar plate, bars everything that would come out without too much trouble. My back thanks me every day. I couldn't care less about not having active head restraint. The seat is much more comfortable and much more supportive.

 

Thanks to everyone who has added to this original thread. I really am surprized how well this has taken off. I knew I couldn't be the only one with this problem. From the pictures that Goingpostal and others have posted it seems that Honda has changed the design of the seat internals although they have not fixed the comfort of the seat.

My advice when making any of these modifications is to see which bar does what before pulling it out. Forinstance, the two vertical bars on Goingpostals seat might be what actuates the 2010 seat. If they are, then they may need to be modified. Another easy fix is to leave the mechanics of the seat alone and just add foam around the lump. This will kind of minimize the lump and give you a flatter more comfortable seat. In my opinion, it all comes down to how much the lump sticks out and how to minimize it. That is all your trying to accomplish. Get that done and your pain should go away. If not, buy a Toyota. (Side note, I just got a 2012 Toyota Sienna and it has very nice seats!!)

 

If replacing the wire support in the lumbar region, the temper of the wire should be considered. Using a wire that is soft enough to bend, probably will bend more (and not return to shape) if a heavy person uses the seat, or if there is impact from an accident. Does anyone a DIY procedure for tempering a support wire after it has been bent to the deisred shape? Is the steel rod stock at Home Depot suitable material?

 

Thanks so much for posting this!! I thought maybe I would get used to seats, but the constant discomfort and hours of pain afterwards were too much. I was very close to selling the car, but after reading your post and spending 5 min making the change we are good to go!!

I took the entire system, including lumbar, out of the seat. I didn't add any extra padding and the seat feels perfect.

Thanks again!

-Jason