I just got my order from Magellan's and the lumbar support is fabulous. It's a mesh on a steel frame and I've never felt anything so comfortable. Better than any pillow type of support I've seen. I put it in my Prius already and am buying two more for home and work. Cool mesh back support. Wasn't as impressed with the seat cushion thing. But I like the window shades Travel Sunshades and the emergency cones pack-a-cones.
Details, Magellan, my wife hates the right seat says it hurts her spine, she needs the lumbar support.
What details do you want? Did you go to the site and look? Trust me, it feels great. And for $12 bucks it's worth a shot. I ordered two more tonight, one for home and one for work.
Went to www.magellan.com., not everyone is a computer expert or car part expert, don't know what magellan is or the web site
Click on the words: "Cool mesh back support" in my original post above. It is a link that takes you directly to the cool mesh back support item at the Magellan's site.
I may try it too. There are only 2 things I don't like about the Prius - the rear visibility and the poor seat comfort. My ten year old Tercel has more comfortable seats. Could this just be because they are new and take getting used to? They just seem too hard.
YOu can fix the rear visibility with one of those 3m parabolic window film like they use in RV's. You get one from an RV dealer, and put it on after trimming with water, in the center of the rear window and you have a good way to see the back of the car to prevent problems
I like the idea of a mesh lumbar support. My husband could really use one (he currently uses a small pillow). I have 2 questions though: It looks like there's not much of a "bulge" in the center of the lumbar support; does it provide enough support to feel good enough? How quick & easy is it to put on/remove? I'll be buying this for his car, but on weekends he drives "my" Prius so we'll be frequently swapping it in & out of either car (I don't want to buy 2, because I don't like using a lumbar support when I drive).
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stevenalice\";p=\"106742)</div> "Good enough" is subjective but it's the most comfortable thing I've tried. It has a center bulge or arc. There is an elastic mesh around the inside with a steel frame. Very sturdy. So the mesh bends back on the top and bottom and forward on the two sides. The middle is three dimensional like no pillow could be. There are two wide nylon bands that go from the top to the bottom to hold it up off of the back of the seat. It has a wide elastic that goes from side to side to keep it in place. You just slip it over the back seat. I moved mine down far enough to go under the side airbag spot. It isn't as fast to switch as a pillow, but it isn't as bad as say....putting on and taking off the GT seat covers. It is easier to put on sitting in the back seat. For $12.85 it's worth a try.
The lumbar bulge is very significant for me. It actually is too much to be comfortable for me. I started getting a kind of sore feeling that I get after working out my back muscles. I think a combination of switching my seat to near vertical (which by itself seems to fix my back support complaints) plus this just puts too much pressure on my lumbar region for comfort. Just a word of warning that this may not be for everyone, but for $20 bucks shipped it's cheap enough to buy and try.
Saw a 14.95 lower back support and spine protector, this seems to be better. My wife's complaint was not lack of lumbar, but tailbone pain, so diff strokes for diff folks., plus I don't really know what my complaints are right now...so I am evaluating. By the way, that seat conforter was available at Walgreen's.
I've got my seat back leaned back a bit. I'm sitting up straight with this mesh support and my shoulders and head are completely free of the seat back. May not be great in an accident, but makes for comfortable driving. I'm hoping it will loosen up just a bit, but not too much, with use. All I can say is it's better then the pillows I've tried.
Would you let me know if it loosens up after breaking it in a bit? I think I would expend some effort breaking it in if I knew it would soften up a bit.
Godiva, quick question: Do you use Cool Mesh all the time, or only for long distance driving? I was wondering if you can just leave it in place in the seat, rather than having to take it on or off the seat. Thanks for pointing this product out, and the further information!
I tried it again last night. It seems comfortable if you are okay with your back only touching the mesh. I was leaning back so my entire back was on the mesh and seat back. That was putting me in a position where I had undue pressure on the mesh.
I leave it on the car all of the time. My second order arrived and I'm using one in the living room now for watching television. There is a wide elastic so that you can put it over the back seat and leave it in place all of the time. In the living room, I just place it on the chair and I can move it if I want. I am okay with just my back touching the mesh. Stuff around my head bugs me anyway and the first thing I do is try to get the headrests as far back away from my head as possible. It doesn't bother me not to rest my shoulders back against the seat either. I feel with the seat slightly back and just resting back against the mesh I am sitting in better posture than when I was just using the seat and leaning back against the entire thing. Whether I still feel this way after a long trip, I don't know. I did drive to L.A. and back without anything on the seat and when I was fine. I'll be driving to L.A. and back again in a few weeks with the mesh so I'll see how I feel then. I didn't offer this as a cure all to everyone, as I know everyone's lumbar complaints and causes are different. Personally, I didn't have any problems with the seats as they were, no fatigue and no pain. But I just found out I have two herniated discs (between L3-4 and L45) and I need to arch more and avoid lifting and arching forward down there. So even though I didn't "need" this, I thought I'd give it a try and it feels really good. So I thought I'd pass the product and vendor on to others in case anyone else wanted to give it a shot. I figured for $12.85 it might be worth a shot. If you hate it you can return it, sell it or give it away. I'm going to return the seat cushion with the cut out for my "tailbone" as I don't find it comfortable or that it helps at all.
Thanks for the imput guys and gals..I am watching the thread, and trying to figure out how to go. Godiva's seat back takes care of straightening or maintaining a positive arc to the spine. On long trips I did seem to notice my mid to low back was arcing inwards into the seat too much or sagging, so I think I need that support, that is LUMBAR in nature. Others (wife) have problems with the lower spine, and feel a lift with a center hole area clear relieves tailbone or spinal pressure there. Others need both.. seemed like a long trip gave me a sagging position in the back, and pain in my upper calf muscles in my legs. I tend to keep the back of the seat upright, and I don't like leaning back when I drive. No question the seats are not 100% confortable, have had better seats in other cars.
