Do it stay or do it GO?

[jonrjen]

Middle of 2018 I purchased a new 2017 Eco Base Coupe as a toy and inexpensive road trip car. I only had to opportunity to road trip one time which was 400 miles round trip. Both 200 mile lags of the trip were comfortable as to sitting for 3 plus hours at a time. Heck fire, it was so comfy that I could have drive hour upon hours more.
I have since traded the 2017 Eco coupe in on a new 2018 GT Premium and took the same road trip this week in the GT. After two hours or less my right leg was crapping up to point of pretty major pain. I had to stop and walk it off the pain was so bad. At first I thought maybe it was going to be a one time deal, but on the return leg of the trip yesterday it was the same...2 hours, pain sets in, start squirming around rubbing to get the pain out until I finally had to pull over and walk it out.
I can't figure out the issue behind the sitting position. Both cars had the electric seats and I tried multiple seating configurations. Now the Eco Coupe did have the cloth seats, where the GT of course is leather. The GT seats do feel more firm or less padded than the Eco Base seats were.
Any others out there had this problem and found a solution to finding seating comfort.
A road trip car that ain't comfortable to drive for more than a few hours just don't/won't cut it.

My other problem is that there is really nothing else out there that interest me right now. I do like the Focus ST, and they are fun for what they are. But, I want to buy a automatic so that my wife if need be can drive I should the need arise.

One thing for sure is that if I do end up letting the GT go I will be removing the aftermarket add on parts like the CatchCan, Jacking Rails, PedalMax, Strut and Cowl Braces, 3D floormats, wheels spacers, Black quad tip MBRP exhaust. Geeze that stuff adds up real quick. Please don't contact me asking about selling any parts, If I do sell the car I will list these parts in the Classified Section. Honestly I am hoping that I can find a solution to the comfort problem.

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[jonrjen]

Hummm, I wonder if, and this would be a pretty big IF, the leg cramping would be caused by footwear choice.
In the summer I would have been wearing more of a lightweight tennis/running shoe. This trip I wore Dr Martens going and Cole Haan leather boots on the trip home.

 

[frank s]

Any physical changes to your self, or just to the car? Maybe if you get back on the workout routine the body will handle mistreatment better.

 

[jonrjen]

Only the differences between the two cars.

well come to think of it, a day or two before this last trip I did rotate the tires, remove the wheel spacers, and install a full set of Rokblox mud flaps.
While these won't change the seating position it was a lot of squat, lift, crawl, torquing, and tool chasing.

 

[Nomadic]

When I drive over 2 hours my hamstrings/quads usually cramp up like crazy too. I have to get out of the car and walk around for 15 min and drive again only to have same thing happen 40 min later or less. The longest one way trip I've taken in my '19 GT base is 90 min or so and was fine. But my Jetta....which arguably is more comfortable to drive than the Mustang kills me after a few hours. And I have to drive it 7hrs 2x/yr to lend the car to my parents.
Last time I drove I put this thing on the seat. I freakin' stopped once in 7 hours. No pain. I think it's probably due to how much support this thing lends. Only use on long trips b/c it does eat up a little space in the lower seat cushion.

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[NightmareMoon]

IDK I did 8 hours in the Recaros, so...

If your leg is cramping up, thats where I’d focus, make sure your’re using the cruise control and try to find a comfortable distance from the pedals where you dont need to hold more tension in your leg than you need to. There is a ton of adjustment in the premium seats so I doubt the car is the problem. Pre-trip install-fests can definitely wear out all sorts of muscles.

 

[keiths2kgt]

I have made several 11 hour trips to Florida in mine. Never had any cramps or had to get out and walk around. I workout 6 days a week though and have for years.

 

[Allentown]

You may have a pinched nerve, an alignment problem, a strain, issue with your shoes, first time experience the old sciatica etc.

I doubt it is the car itself. The car may be exacerbating the problem but no more so than many other cars or activities might.

 

[Fatguy]

There are plenty of complaints on the premium seats. In my opinion the cloth seats are better but they could have used a more durable material and then they would be perfect. But those premium seats are bad and the culprit seems to be the padding. I’m just going by the complainants so take my rant for what it is...

 

[Rock&Roll]

Whenever I do a long drive I have to pull out my wallet out of my back pocket or I get a cramp in my legs.

 

[obgod3]

Sounds physical to me....I would check to be sure you dont have a DVT or maybe like already mentioned a pinched nerve or something. I had something similar for years and only when I drove, it turned out to be bone growth in my hip and required surgery. I had been riding dirt bikes for years and it didnt bother me, only when I drove long distance.

 

[Endokendal]

There are plenty of complaints on the premium seats. In my opinion the cloth seats are better but they could have used a more durable material and then they would be perfect. But those premium seats are bad and the culprit seems to be the padding. I’m just going by the complainants so take my rant for what it is...

Totally disagree. Love my premium seats. Extremely comfortable, even on a 1400 mile trip in a weekend.

 

[RugbyRef]

You may have a pinched nerve, an alignment problem, a strain, issue with your shoes, first time experience the old sciatica etc.

I doubt it is the car itself. The car may be exacerbating the problem but no more so than many other cars or activities might.

This^^^!

 

[wanted33]

jon, I understand your pain. My wife has nerve damage in her back, and before we buy any car we have to make sure she can get comfortable in the seats. It was the same for her '18 GT premium. Here's what we have found over the years. Give the seat (leather & padding) time to break in, it will soften up the more you drive. If the bottom seat bolsters are a problem (and that may be what you are experiencing) get a cushion that sits in between those bolsters to raise you up a bit so there won't be so much pressure on you thighs, and upper leg. Luckily her '18 has become more comfortable, and the cushion is gone. Try a few things that have been suggested, and maybe you won't have to do without your Mustang. Good luck.

And to add, I have found no matter the seat as I've gotten more mature (reld ) I can't ride in anything as long as I used too. So, we stop at around 90 minutes whether we need to or not.

 

[Bluelightning]

I would think it's something physical. I went on a 4,500 mile road trip with mine, with a couple of 12+ hour driving days. I was super comfortable the whole time and not fatigued at all.

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