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Niro Seat height

Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 6:39 pm
by AlanHo
Those who have migrated from a Venga to a Niro will have noticed that the Niro has a lower seat height. My wife, who has less flexibility than me – misses the higher seating position of the Venga.

After a few grumbles over the past 3 months I decided to do something about it – so I made some 25 mm thick packers from some hardwood and painted them matt black. You need 4 front packers and 4 rear packers if like me you modify both front seats.

Each front seat is fixed with 4 M10 fine thread bolts 25 mm long under the head. Hence I had to buy some replacement bolts 50 mm long.

Fixing the spacers is easy if you first slacken all 4 bolts, leave the rear ones loose and remove just the front bolts. If your car is like mine, you will find that the bolts have been ratcheted very tight. You can now insert the front packers and fit the new M10 bolts. Again don’t tighten them fully.

Now remove the rear bolts, insert the packers so that the bolt hole lines up with the 11 mm dia hole in the packer and the location peg (used on the Assemble track to facilitate aligning the seats) is in the 15 mm dia hole in the packer. Insert and fully tighten the rear bolts, go back to the front bolts and fully tighten them. You are now finished.

https://www.spaldingfasteners.co.uk/met ... et-screws/
Make sure you order M10 fine thread bolts 50 mm long.

Seat Packer Dimensions
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Front Installation
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Rear installation
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I didn’t tell my wife about the mod and was interested to see whether she noticed.

She went out in the car today and upon her return asked me if I had done something with the seat height adjuster – because she slid into the seat rather than dropped down. She remarked – it was just like driving the Venga. So I told her about the mod and it earned a few house points. SUCCESS!!!

It’s amazing what an extra inch can do for a marriage.

Re: Niro Seat height

Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 7:27 pm
by Fred_Bristol
Hi AlanHo
Brilliant! Just what I might need to do. I really want a seat height which is close to that of my current Yeti, and it is one of the reasons I'm looking at the Niro rather than the Ioniq. However I raise the seat height I need the headroom to allow me to do it.
Two questions, if I may:
a) is there any wiring attached to the seat or to seat belt tensioners near the seat fixings?
b) how high is the seat from the ground? (I haven't been able to get near a Niro yet.)
Thanks for the article which I'm going to print off.

Fred

Re: Niro Seat height

Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 8:08 am
by AlanHo
Sorry Fred - I have been away and only just seen your post

The height - from the front of the seat squab (not he wings at the side) down to the road is 642 mm

It was 620 mm before.

Although it is only a small increase in height - it has made a World of difference.

There are some cables attached to the underside of the seat - but you don't need to take the seat out of the car - just follow the procedure I described.

If you undo all 4 bolts at the same time - it is a right palaver re-attaching the seat through the packers. (The voice of experience)

Re: Niro Seat height

Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2017 6:54 pm
by Fred_Bristol
Thanks for the extra information and the tip about not releasing all the bolts. I think there's a bit of a wait for the PHEV version so no hurry. In a couple of weeks time we will be test driving an Ioniq PHEV to get some early experience of how it works. I suspect it will be too low for comfort for me with my restricted leg movement, hence my interest in the Niro. There is also the question of accommodating my mobility scooter plus holiday luggage.

Fred

Re: Niro Seat height

Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 4:54 pm
by Fred_Bristol
Hi
Having measured the seat heights of the Yeti and Zoe they are remarkably close at approximately 68 cm, so a seat height of 64 cm with the modification, improvement though it is, is a disappointment.

That said, its not just seat height, its headroom above the seat in the door way, door opening angle and width and what you can grab hold of, so I'm clearly going to have to try it. The maximum problem is when parked rather close to another car or in the garage when the door cannot be fully opened.

If I don't fit then its no go and look for another option. Our test drive in the Hyundai IONIQ PHEV will be interesting. I expect the seat to be lower than the Niro.

Fred

Re: Niro Seat height

Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 9:18 pm
by JimT
Hi Fred,
My wife has mobility problems and we test drove the ioniq a week or so ago. The seat height on the ioniq is low - quoted at 59cm and was totally unsuitable for my wife to easily get in and out. Lovely car, though. That's when we started looking at the niro and test drove it. Result - going to order one in a couple of days

Re: Niro Seat height

Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:10 am
by Fred_Bristol
Hi JimT
We tried the Ioniq and the Niro back to back on Saturday for access and its the Niro that won hands down. I suspect my wife prefers the Ioniq. We are test driving an Ioniq PHEV shortly to see if the electric only mode suits her. She loves her Renault Zoe but the PCP runs out on that next year and the GMV and limited period battery lease situation makes continuing with that impractical. We have time for the Niro PHEV to arrive before then.
Fred

Re: Niro Seat height

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:53 am
by sunking555
Hmm, very interesting.

I can't, however, help wondering about safety, though. I'm no expert so please feel free to relieve me from my worries but intuitively I feel this might somehow influence the seat stability in accidents...?

Re: Niro Seat height

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 4:17 pm
by Fred_Bristol
Hi sunking555.
If the spacers were steel or aluminium, i.e. not crushable, and replacement bolts are high tensile, strength shouldn't be a problem, but it will be a modified car and hence the insurer will have to be notified.

Some years ago when I was involved in a modification which included fitting seat belts it all had to be tested for strength. I don't know about this modification, and I've no reason to doubt its soundness, but I would expect to have to get it assessed if I copied it.
Fred