Road trip experience: changes needed immediately

[UndaCuva]

So my wife and I finally take our honeymoon. Roadtrip from Kansas City MO to Las Vegas. (We didn't come back rich) Anyway, there is good news and bad news. GOOD: Averaged 36MPG.....Only spent $260 in gas there and back.BAD: Mountains. The car sucks in the mountains. (2004 Base Auto)Seats: Absolutely the most uncomfortable I've ever sat in. And don't ever try to sleep in the back of the vibe at a rest stop. BAD IDEA!Anyway, the changes.....I need new seats before our next road trip. We travel a lot, and I'd rather lose money and trade the vibe-o-matic in before I took another 20 hour trip in it. I know I can get a little more oomph from Cold air and exhaust. (SC has been overruled) But I need new seats, preferably power adjusting leather. Anyone point me in the right direction?

[Tubaryan12]

Quote, originally posted by UndaCuva »Seats: Absolutely the most uncomfortable I've ever sat in.That only means you've never been in a Kia....

[jwalcik]

i've heard several folks on here complain about the comfort of the vibe seats in the vibe, but i'm not familiar with anyone who's actually replaced them. in my old truck, i added some neoprene seat covers (they were nissan OEM, fit the seats really well) on top of the cheap cloth seats and they improved both the comfort and durability of the seats.for whatever it's worth, i've got the factory seats in mine, with the factory leather upholstery (not powered nor heated). i really don't think there's anything different about the seats other than the material they're wrapped in, but i've never had any trouble with mine (i've done austin, tx to st louis, mo in a day a few times, and i do the three hours from austin to houston every other weekend).

[slvrvibes]

I recall someone here changing the seats out for racing seats.Not the kind of seats you want for long road trips, but it has been done.I've done a few road trips nothing as long as yours, but a few 3 and 4 hour trips, I didn't have any issues with the seats. Then again I think in any car that I had to drive in for 20 hours I would be uncomfortable.

[AKLGT]

wow. i have personally OWNED 7 vehicles myself, not including the dozen or so my family has owned. The vibe has some of the most comfortable seats i've ever ridden in, including my current vehicle's POWER LEATHER seats. and yes, i have ridden as both a passenger and driver for very long road trips to include 2-3 monthly drives from Anchorage to Fairbanks and back as well as our drive from London, Ontario to Anchorage, Alaska last May: Road Trip 2005Summary: 6853.3 km/4258.4 miles

[kostby]

Congrats on the honeymoon!I've taken a number of 8- to 10-hour drives in my Vibe (with breaks every 2-3 hours). On long drives, I find that I consciously need to re-straighten my lower back occasionally, thus pressing my pelvis, (removed), and lower back downward into the bottom seat cushion. Must be something about the location of the padding in the back of the seat cushion, I suppose.

[AKLGT]

interesting. never had that problem in the vibe. in my current car, that's a different story.and as for the AT being a dog in the mts? i'm sure it is, especially if it's loaded down!congrats on the honeymoon.... maybe one day i'll actually get to go on one! LOL

[mcgusto82]

i've made several 7-8 hr drives on the vibe. the seats CAN become unconfortable. I've found that taking your wallet out of your back pocket helps tons. to help you out some. Last year i was experimenting with swapping out my front seats. I found that the last gen Chrysler 300m leathers fit the space. Those seats have everything incorporated on themself. heat, power, and memory. so you keep all of them once wired correctly. The best price i could get them for was 300$ for the set. used ofcourse. now the mounting would have to be custom made at a racing shop probably. i got estimates at around 400$, but i'm sure i'm sure you can find much cheaper. I never went thru with it because i got another car. a town and country, so i don't drive the vibe often. (hell, more like never) if you want actual performance from the auto vibe, you need the S/C or get a stick vibe. The difference is significant.

[Merzbow]

I personally thin the VIbe has really comfortable seats btu that's just me. I've been on plenty of 5-6 hours long road trips in them and also in my '91 Tuarus and they were both comfortable the whole ride. I know the Toyota Corrolla seats for the Vibe brackets almost exactly and they have more support ont eh sides of the seats and by the theigh area...they don't look a whole lot different but they definately are comortable and better for taking corners without falling out the window.

[joholste]

well speaking as one who used to go from Fort bragg NC to Kansas City MO approximately 1100 miles one way. twice a year... i will say the seats can be uncomfortable after a long time but i believe they are very comfortable otherwise... one problem i had was they were hot and would make my back sweat(ewwwww) the only thing i could tell you is to try to find some after market seats that you like better and get some seat rails made for them tofit in the vibe. oh yeah and just last weekend i took the 7 hour trip from Arlington VA to Columbus OH (genvibe meet woot woot)

[northvibe]

congrats on the honeymoon! yah good mileage The seats for me at first were uncomfortable, but after about a couple weeks of driving the car they actually became some of the most comfortable seats if used. See if you can get some seat covers that help with back support, that might help a ton.I havent taken my vibe in any mountains yet so i cant comment on that. But sleeping in the car? havent done that yet either, but with the passanger seat down and the back seats down i can fully stretch out so with some padding it might be alright, at least for some one my height.

[Atomb]

[sarcasm] wow, isn't it amazing how different people that probably have completely different body types can find the vibe seats comfortable or uncomfortable?![/sarcasm]Not sure if even changing the seats out would help, UndaCuva, as i think most of the 'uncomfort' may simply come from the ergonomica position in the vibe.good luck, but in the end i'd say you'll probably end up selling the vibe and finding another car if the uncomfortableness is that bad.

[ToolGuy]

My wife actually likes the seats in her Vibe. Now my PT Cruiser on the other hand! I tell people you sit on the seats and not in them! My wife just drove the PT four hours to her moms and back and said she could not wait to get back into her car seats...I could see the Vibe a little under powered in the Mts. however did you turn the over drive off while negotiating the hills?

[jake75]

I have made a few 11 hour trips from Columbus, OH to Wilmington, NC through the "mountains" of West Virginia in my Vibe and thought it was most comfortable for my 5'7" 200 lb body. Performanace was adequate - sure it slows a bit going up the hills but the gas savings is well worth that. My T&C V-6 Van performs better but of course costs more to drive. At $2.90 a gallon I'll put up with the Vibe if it is just the two of us.(My former Voyager 4 banger was much worse than the Vibe in those hills.)

[Mavrik]

I'm glad my Vibe doesn't have your seats. I've had an incredible amount of non-stop seat time in my Vibe and they are the best I have ever had. No sore back or anything. And I'm a tall guy who needs to stretch out a bit. Maybe next time your on a trip, try adjusting the seat a little bit. Sometimes the most "ideal" for driving distances is not the position you would normally drive in.

[the1stacekiller]

I've gone on 2 Hour Trips and have found the seats very comfortable.. and for sleeping in the Vibe.. well its the only car that size and that gets great mileage you can actually fit in without curling up in a ball.. all the seats fold down and you can lay down straight .. but thats me Hope your next trip is more comfortable

[JohnC]

Put us down as "we like the the seat on long trips", we have taken the Vibe on several western US states road trips with 3 or 4 full size people and thought it was very comfortable to travel in.Going uphill with a full load is another matter, we just had to get used to slowing down a little and letting the trans downshift alot.

[michiganguy]

well I just put in 2 200 mile trips over the weekend in my new Vibe, and found the seats to be failry comfortable. I have leather, but doubt that would make much difference. I think the seating position is definitely different from the Taurus I was driving, and I noticed that difference, but can't say it was uncomfortable.And I have to say, I was very pleased with the way the Vibe handled on the "open road".

[SeattleJeremy]

Last weekend I was moving my Fiance back to Seattle from Walla Walla, WA. It's about 500miles round trip. I went over Friday night, came back Saturday afternoon. Then Repeated the trip on Sunday, for all the stuff we thought would fit in the Vibe, but didn't. On Sunday we left seattle, around noon, and got back to seattle around 1am. I really miss my 05 WRX seats. They where heated, wrapped around my body just right in corners, and where always comfy. I'm 6'6" with a lean build, and the Vibe seats just don't quite do it.But if I still had the WRX, it would have taken three trips because the sedan couldn't hold as much, and at 22mpg (premium) it would have cost a lot more. Even fully loaded the Vibe (5sp) got up and down the mountains just fine. Had to shift in to 4th a few times, but only spent a couple miles in 3rd.

[UndaCuva]

I spent a LOT of time adjusting the seats (driver and passenger) in the vibe during this trip, but it didn't help. I need something with more adjustment. I'd probably be ok if the steering wheel telescoped out about 2 inches, but my wife still misses the reclining/tilting of her Oldsmobile Intrigue. I'm going to ask a few shops about pricing custom mounts for some 300M leather seats, see what I can come up with. Thanks for everyone's input.

[AKLGT]

good luck!

[UndaCuva]

Oh yeah, and we didn't have any padding in the car when we slept because we hadn't planned on sleeping in the car. We were supposed to drive straight through, but turned out to be a bad idea. I'm torn now, the vibe has so much potential, but I messed up getting a base model with an auto trans. Life continues.....after I close on the house, I'll probably end up getting a truck. Or who knows, maybe I'll stop whining and drive the vibe for 150 thousand more miles (It's got 50K now) I'll keep ya'll posted if I ever get around to any mods, aesthetic or performance wise. (So far, just a bug guard, bosch windshield wipers, and vent visors)

[UndaCuva]

Thanks.

[DHelm72]

When climbing mountains, I always turn off the overdrive right before a long grade. I can hold 65mph up a 7% grade with the OD locked out and the RPM is only around 3500 ish. These little engines need to rev. Don't be afraid to let it rev. With OD locked out I can maintain highway speeds without constant upshifting and downshifting. I turn the OD back on as soon as I crest the hill. For small hills I don't even worry about it since the transmission will downshift once and by the time it upshifts I have usually crested the hill. This helps out quite a bit for me.

[808 Vibes]

Congrats on the honeymoon I agree with trdvibe-I too think the Vibe seats are some of the most comfortable. Also, I live in a higher elevation area; I haven't had any problems.