Long trip reflections - mostly good but then...

So I put about 2000 miles this week on my brand new old 21 Tundra. Drove it to Big Bend and all over Texas for that matter. Man this truck is absolutely beautiful and it drives like butter? silk? so effing smooth and it needs nothing, literally. I was thinking about switching to 20" and BFG KO2 like I have my 2013 but after this trip I am like, why screw such a smooth ride? So I will stay with the 18" and the Michelin's

The negatives, one that is not Toyota related, my BAKFlip MX4 cover is leaking somewhere in the middle, really disappointed. I already had a bad experience with BAK on my 2013 and here we go again. I think I am just gonna return this focker and never buy BAK again, Brand new cover.

But here it is now, the Toyota bad. My driver seat is absolutely effing and clearly uncomfortable as hell. It broke my fat arse after 3 hours of drive. Tried everything, but I never got comfortable and my arse was numb after few hours. What am I missing here? I just now researched and read several reviews about this issue. Is the cushion, the material, the design? I am about to swap to Katzkins seat covers and I will ask my guy to add some extra cushion to the diver seat. I hope this is gonna fix. If not, what other options do I have? Can I just upgrade just the driver seat to a Platinum or or 1794? Will it be plug and play from a SR5 Off Road?

I just hit 2400 miles on it, can you believe it

 

My 14 Limited seats were like yours. Uncomfortable on long trips. My 07 cloth seats were quite comfy in comparison. Cheaper seat but a pleasure on long trips. I guess adding some extra padding is the way to go. Can't hurt.

 

Love Big Bend, been that way several times, it's either there or Key West this January depending on the weather. One of my wife and I's favorite areas.

As for the seats. One of the main reasons that I keep my '18 Platinum is that they are so darn comfortable. We do looonnng cross country road trips. I find the Platinum seats amazingly comfortable as does my wife.

 

Had a Bakflip on my 2014. It leaked too.

I've never felt uncomfortable in Tundra seats. We have a Sequoia with leather and it's not uncomfortable either. Comfort levels are subjective, of course.

 

A lot of people on here swear by seat jackers. Maybe snag a set and try it out? Worth a try before dropping the coin for Katskins or a platinum/1794 seat. Good luck!

 

+1 more for seat jackers, night and day difference on my 21. Added to driver and passenger front seats. Got the multi-mount bracket later and mounted a fire extinguisher to it, solid mount.

https://desertdoesit.com/collections/all/Tundra-----2007-2021

 

Our truck makes a few 12 to 15 hr straight trips every year. It's a limited package with leather.

I added seat jackers and this helped me. It helped more with my lower back than making the seat more plush. Those seats seam to take quite awhile to somewhat break in. The seat jackers will raise the front of the seat and you will gain some leg support.

The only downside we have had with the seat jackers is my wife is only 5'2", she has trouble reaching the pedals and has to have the seat real close to the steering wheel to be able to drive.

 

Interesting, while not the most comfortable ever, my SR5 seats I feel are great! We do 20+ hour jaunts a few times a year and I'm not fatigued at all. Can't say the same for the Ford's we had before.

I do want to try the jackers though.

 

I milled my seat jackers down a bit, think it was a 1/4 or 1/2”? Made it just perfect for us.

 

Anyone try a 3rd gen seat in a 2nd gen swap yet?

 

I'm not sure it's the seat jackers as much as the seat itself is just stiff and no side support. I don't have seat jackers but I can raise the thigh part with the power seats.

 

This. These will change the angles and remove that numbing issue for you.

Adding Katskinz, Clazzio, or other aftermarket leather (as long as it is decent stuff) will improve the cushioning aspect of your seat (going from the Sr5 cloth upholstery).

I cant speak for the plug n play-ability of the limited or platinum seats, but 2.5 Gen limited leather seats are pretty notorious around here for being tough and uncomfortable. Obviously the frame mounts etc will be universal for swapping seats, but functionality of the higher trim (heated/cooled) might require a little more than just clipping into some existing harnesses.

 

When you added the Katzkins leather they have added a thin foam pad that the cloth never had and makes the seat more pillow like and I don't have any comfort problems on long trips but every a$$ is different.

 

I use a rugged liner HC3. I used to have a bakflip, but I wasn't a fan of someone using a wirehanger to defeat the locking mechanism while the cover was locked. With the HC3, water also doesn't get in when it's raining.

 

I had a 2014 DC with cloth seats that was very comfortable with no issues. I now have a 2020 CM and the seats are not as comfortable as my 2014 cloth seats were, they were stiffer. I had a 2021 Nissan Titan with the most comfortable leather seats I have ever sat in and drove that thing to FL and back and they were awesome. Nissan calls them zero gravity. I had gone back to the 2020 Tundra from the 21 Titan and wished I could have those seats in my Tundra.

 

Nice. Road trippin’ in the new 2021 Tundy.

We just did a 3,000 mile trip seeing fall colors in our limited 2021.

Agreed, the truck is so nice, smooth, powerful and perfect in the stock form. Don’t think I’ll ever mod it.

During long hours in the seat, I found it a big help to simply adjust the seat position. About every 30 minutes or so, or when I remembered. Use all the adjustments. Adjust, to unusual positions, and mix it up. Make the seat too low, then too high, raise up the front of the seat, then lower it.

Point is to change the pressure points. Big help and can be fun. I’ll never go back to a constant position for long drives.

The limited seats have lots of adjustments. Not sure what you have.


Coming out of a 97 Taco with no seat adjustment, these limited seats were an unexpected, pleasant surprise.

 

Coming from the F-150 world, I initially thought the seats on my '21 Limited were going to be less comfortable than my old' 14 F-150. F-150 seats are softer, more bucket, and feels like you're sitting in them. Tundra seat more stiff and felt like I was sitting on top of it.

Took a 1200 mile trip I've done many times, in the Tundra, and can say it was probably the most comfortable I have ever been at the end of the trip. Wasn't in pain and aching to get out like I have been in past. This includes other makes/models of Honda, Lexus, and Ford's I've done the trip in the past with. I usually run the tank to empty before stopping and driving for 6-7 hour stretches for 500+ miles were no problem.

I'm a tall guy and think it is the height of the seat in the Tundra may have played a role. Doesn't go as low to the floor like F-150 did which keeps knees bent and straightens up back.

 

I have BFG KO2 on my 2017 Tundra mounted on TRD Rock Warrior Wheels. After about 20,000 miles they went square, like really out of balance. If I get right on the highway they vibrate like the wheels are loose. After they get warmed up they are fine. I left on a 10 hour drive and almost turned around after 15 minutes. I had my mechanic check the truck and as soon as he saw it he said get rid of those BFG's and come back and see me. I found a set of 20" factory take offs and the ride is supper smooth. My co worker had the same experience with BFG, he siad go for the Nittos.

So stay away from the BFGs

The seats, I had a 2017 4Runner TRD Off Road with Softex. I couldn't sit in it without a cushion . The seats were hard as hell. My Tundra SR5 is pretty comfortable.

 

Another vote for Seat Jackers! We felt like we were sliding out of our seats to the front, and it put more pressure on my legs, caused me sciatic pain on longer trips. Seat Jackers reclined us both a bit...MUCH more comfortable, and I can do 10-11 hours with just the regular stops for gas and Diet Mountain Dew, now.

 

That is weird, I am on my second set of BFG KO2 /20" on my other 2013 Tundra and they run perfect. I got 80K from the first set. I am waiting on the KO3's and give these a try later. So my experience with BFG is the opposite.

I don't plan to upgrade my 18's or swap my rubber on this 2021. It runs so so smooth, like almost butter. Why screw something that runs perfect, right?

 

My 2018 limited leather seats have the same hard feel. I took suffer from being numb after long drives. My girlfriend's tundra the seats are cloth but soft and comfortable.

Does anyone recommend where to get the cushion material replaced in the seats would make them softer? It's like sitting on a wood park bench with lumbar. I started looking for just Sequoia or cloth seats to swap in the truck.

 

My '16 limited leather seats are too firm as well - pretty stark difference from the cloth bench seats in my '03 Tundra.

For years I always thought these were tacky looking ... until I tried them and use them on my motorcycle too: look into sheepskin seat pads, Costco has a set for $80/pair. Added bonus they'll be cooler in the summer when the sun bakes your leather seats and you sit down wearing shorts.

https://www.costco.com/sideless-sheepskin-seat-cover.product.100002831.html

 

So when I had the Katskinz put in I asked the guy to add some extra cushion. I can feel the difference. I yet have to make another long trip to tell if is really working.