Uncomfortable seats for tall driver

[kenheld]

I'm a new 560SL owner and I'm planning a 700+ mile road trip this weekend. I'm 6'3" tall and find the lack of thigh support very uncomfortable on long drives. I took a 300 mile trip 2 weeks ago and by the time I got home my legs were cramping. In my C280 I just raise the front to the max and lower the rear to the max and find it comfortable. Anyone have any suggestions for an after market cushion I could use?

Ken

[kip Foss]

I bought a 450slc last Oct. and took it on a 6,500 mile trip from Texas to Canada to the east coast to Fla and back. Not a comfortable trip. The problem, I soon learned, is that the seat sits too close to the floor making your legs go out at a flatter angle than in a normal car. Its like riding in an old MG-TD. I found that by the time I couldn't stand it any more it was time to gas up. A 15 minute pit stop and I was good for another 250 miles. I am 60 and 6ft. tall and although the seats are deceptively comfortable at first over the long haul they are killers. Good luck on your trip.

[kenheld]

Kip

I think I'll try rolling up a beach towel and tucking it under my legs for support. I'll also take a pit stop every few hours. The seating position reminds me of the Triumph Spitfire I had in college. I'll let you know how the towel thing works out.

Ken

[abe g]

Dear Ken: I am 6ft 2 inches (and 75 years old) so can appreciate your problem with the 107 sl's. Try to adjust seat cams to upper position, will give you a better angle to the gas pedal. They are at the rear of the seat slide and there is a plastic turn handle. Good luck, Abe G

[kenheld]

Abe
You must have a different seat then mine (88 560sl). The only adjustments I have are foward/backward, big knob on backrest for tilting backrest and a lever on the side of the seat to raise and lower the rear of the seat bottom (I need to keep this at the lowest position or my head hits the ceiling). I don't see the "cams" you were refering to.

Ken

[abe g]

Dear Ken: My 450sl is a 1977 so advice to you does not apply! Sorry, PS Always describe model and year for correct (possibly) advice. Reards, Abe G

[4NDELIT]

I've seen both (my car has the knobs your turn, but ericdee's has the lever) but I'm 6'1" and I have to keep the seat all the way down or my head hits the top. I think the seats don't have enough side support for the hard cornering... I actually prefer the older BMW seats (E34 and E32).

[kenheld]

Update
Just returned from my 700+ mile trip in the 1986 560SL.
I rolled up a beach towel and slid it under my legs for support. This seemed to work fairly well. I stopped every few hundred miles for a streatch and ddidn't have any major discomfort. The car is still a little small for a big guy like me (6'3") but now I may consider our next journey....Az to So.Cal. and up Hwy 1 to Washington.
Gas mileage was odd on the trip. I averaged 16.5 MPG (which I'm happy with) but I had one leg with 14.8 MPG and one leg with 18.8 MPG it was all freeway driving at 75MPH. Does this sound right? Also are the gas gauges inaccurate on these cars? With the needle just above E I only added 17.4 gallons. The book says 22.5 gallons with a 3 gallon reserve.

Ken

[4NDELIT]

congrats on your trip, 18 MPG seems a little high, but that's just me, I have an old cast-iron block (560's are aluminum, right??). The best I've seen is 16.

BTW, tell me if you're gonna hit san diego... we could hang out or somethin.

[SteveStromberg]

I am 6'2" 260 and I find the head room tight.Iam thinking abut a Momo seat that would sit lower to the floor. I would have it recovered in Tan leather to match the Interior.

I was wondering about the seat travel rearward. My wife is soon to acquire an 87 560sl from her father's estate. Height is not so much the problem as distance from the wheel. I noticed there is a pin in one rail about 4 inches in from the rear of the seat rail--keeping the seat from extending to it's maximum travel. I'm assuming this is so items will not be crushed when stowed behind the seat. Can this be removed or will the seat come off the rail at full exstension? I am 6' 1 and the fit is tight behind the wheel for me. We had a new Miata that had this same problem and I just removed that pin with no negative effects on the seat mechanism/travel. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

[kenheld]

I don't think removing the pin to make the seat go back further will fix anything. With the seat in the "normal" full back position the back rest is in a rather upright position. This is because the top corner of the seat back hits the "boot" where the soft top is stowed. If you make the seat go back past the limit the back rest would be leaning foward because of this interference.