I received great input on a previous question re cloth seats and thought I'd get people's opinion on one more thing. What's the verdict on the sport seat lumbar support? Too much? It fealt great on a test drive, then test driving an 02 it fealt particularly prominent. As I will be taking our future Mini cross country several times in the next few years I'm concerned about seat comfort. Anyone switched seats out for comfort reasons? Thanks in advance for any input. - John

 

It is great, and you can adjust it to suit you :smile:

 

But you can only adjust it if the seat is leather, yes?

 

Oops, yes - full leather and partial leather (like the Tartan Red) as I understand it.

 

We just took delivery on a Mini with sport seats and my wife can not sit in the car without getting a backache. Can the Sport seats be retofitted with the lumbar control?

 

It seems unlikely, but you might post in the Marketplace forum. There are sometimes people selling seats when they turn these cars into race cars. Until then, I'd buy a big bottle of Advil

Good luck.

 

Unless there's a pre-existing problem with one's back, the MINI seats will not cause backaches under normal conditions.

If your back is healthy, your back pain is most likely related to poor driving posture and improper seat position.

Adjust the seat properly, sit upright with the spinal column relatively straight, the backache will go away.

 

Exactly.

 

My wife is 5'0" and I am sure that is part of the problem. I guess they are not made for someone that size.

 

...Get her a booster seat?

 

I don't think so, I'm just over 5' and have no problems.

I have the leather sport seats with the lumbar (MCS)

 

I wouldn't be driving a Mini if it didn't have an adjustable lumbar mechanism.
So my '02 has leather and it treats my back very well.

 

There're many aftermarket lumbar support pads available, which can be placed on the seat when your wife is driving. Tempurpedic makes a nice one. :smile:

 

That's a fantastic idea. But if you're still hoping to replace the seats, this might be a help: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=31861

 

I got back ache after riding in the MINI's stock sport seat - so I ditched it! I got a Sparco Torino and haven't looked back - it's comfortable, grippy, and looks pretty cool too.

I hated the stock seats. I'm 21, so I don't think chronic back ache was a big issue before the MINI, either!

And I have leather, and there was no lumbar support on mine? I have an 03. Strange.

I can't recommend the Sparco highly enough. It's an awesome seat, and I will probably bring it with me to my next car and get a new mounting bracket.

 

I'm 62 and have a bad lower back and I find the cloth sport seat terrific for providing lumbar support (but I'm 6'3"). It's too bad the adjustable feature isn't available with the cloth. More adjustment is almost always better.

 

The lumbar support on the leather seats doesn't have that much range of adjustment. If you have cloth seats and need lumbar support consider the Wet Okole neoprene seats for Mini Cooper. You can order them in several styles and colors and you can by an adjustable lumbar device with them. Check out their website at wetokole.com

 

I have leather and I think that the range is insane. I have never driven a car that lets me adjust it SO FAR that it is too much. I put it about 3/4 of the way and that is plenty for along drive... I love it...

 

Here's a couple:

http://www.reliefmart.com/adjustable...t_supports.htm
http://www.sitincomfort.com/backrests.html

 

I've got an 05 leather and I find the seat incredibly uncomforable due to the lumbar support - it sticks out too far (even with the adjustment, still too far) and it hits me at the part of my back that curves the other way. I'm 5'2" and instead of being at my lower back, it is at my mid back. Appreciate the thought that I should just sit up straight but not helpful advice as my posture is excellent. The problem is that MINI obviously didn't test the seat with someone small. My husband is 6'2" and he's perfectly comfortable in it. I wound up getting a back support but eliminates the bucket seat effect. So, still looking for a decent aftermarket option that won't cost more than the car!

 

Funny to get an email from such an old thread after all this time, it's been 4 years!

Just felt compelled to reply again because at 5'1" I was happy with the leather sport seat lumbar on our 05 MCS, so I suppose that it is not about being small at all but about proportions. With the overall amount of adjustability of the seats I thought it was a pretty good car for shrimpy me actually - way better then having to get pedal extenders as I had to with another car

In any case you might want to consult with an automotive upholsterer (check with a good local body shop perhaps for recs) - I have a feeling it might be cheaper to have them alter the seat to fit you then find and fit aftermarket seats that will also still fold to allow for rear seat access. I could be wrong though, I just remember that when I was looking at seats they were mucho $$ - perhaps there are cheaper options that will work though.

Best of luck, cheers

 

I retro-fitted my Leatherette sport seats with the lumbar support spring that fits inside the seat. Works great. Not much work, and I did not have to mess with the airbag when taking the seat part way apart. Do a search on lumbar supports on this site. There is a great write up by Andrew on how to do the retro-fit. Complete with photos.