Headrests!!! They do exist!
 

Hey all I'm new to the site but not to my car. I have an 05 enthisiast twinturbo... Anyway, the most recent problem was that the only time my head touched the headrests was at 10psi WOT... lol. I Kinda modified them a little... It took a small stick of .125 x .5 inch steel, a little paint, and of course a welder, a grinder, and about 2 hours to do both seats. I'm actually Going to get the LeatherSeats dot com kit in leau of aftermarket seats because they are very comfortable now... they look great too, If you didn't own a z, you'd never know. Lemme know what you guys think...

I don't get the point of this.

I think this is an excellent idea. I think the headrests are not safe the way they are. This modification probably makes them a safer headrest and will keep your head from snapping as far back in the case of an accident. I have a Volvo, which are known to have the highest safety rating for their headrests, and they are much further forward to keep head travel to a minimum in an head on collision.

I love those headrests how much would you charge to do that to my car ? I live in colorado... is that a 560sel benz behind the z ? who cares about comfort in a 350z when you have that baby to drive around.. no but really people take your headrest out of your car and you will not even realize it is gone when you do this... I really want to do this.. I wonder if jb weld is strong enough ?

Nissan must have had to go through a crash test with the 350Z to meet North American safety standard in order to be allowed to sell the car... So I would think they would have used a crash test dummy to measure the neck pressure in a crash with it's design...

While this is a pretty um... unique "mod", I'll guess this design was not crash tested to see if this add-on would stand different kinds of force or how different this mod would change the outcome of the OEM design in a crash.

I think I'll stick to the OEM design which was crash tested to meet North American safety standards, but that's just me.

Now if you did this to give yourself some place to relax your head while driving a sports car... I guess it's a nice design, but I wouldn't try to call it a mod to make it safer like some others have tried to point out.

Just because it's crash tested doesn't mean the car is perfect. That is just how the car's crash worthiness is determined. My Durango was documented that due to the way the truck was designed, a person would likely break both their legs in a head on collision. They found that out during crash testing, however, they did not go back and re-design the original Durango.

Nissan may know what the statistical likelihood of getting some neck or spine injury is, but they also know how much it would cost to correct after the seat had already been engineered. I'm sure the actuarians determined it was more cost effective to let the headrests stay the way they are rather than devote more cash to making them right. Think of how many people have been in head on collisions in the Z, and then figure out how many are still around to sue the company. That will help you determine the motivation of the company to fix something like that.

Newer head RESTRAINTS, including the Z's, I believe, are of an active variety that move forward in the evet of a rear collision. Given that, this modification, while turning them into head RESTS, actually makes them more dangerous.

I'd like to see documentation that says they are active headrest restraints if you have it. I've never read that information before.

yeah i think the Z seats are uncomfortable.

Like I mentioned above, given Nissan mandatory crash test and this inventors mod that was not crash tested, I'd choose the one that was crash tested. Maybe I'm just really crazy for having this logic.

I understand completely what you're saying and I'm not trying to convince you otherwise. I was just stating my opinion as well.

I understand your side too.

Hell, if this guy was really pro-active and had good financial backings, he might make some good money if his invention was tested.

Remember that seatbelt thing that lets you safely restrain a child in a car without having the seatbelt be at their throat level. I think it was a small piece of strong plastic or something. I'm sure it was tested before it could be sold. This guy might be onto something if he can back it up with some tests.

https://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg...._1919_73318434

I like seeing new things like this come around. I myself wouldn't have a need for it, but it's a nifty idea. Good game.

I agree with the concept of what you're doing. The first time I sat in my Z I reached back to adjust the headrest angle... and found they did not adjust. They're a little too far back for me, and I'm used to angle adjustments to bring them a little closer to the head. In another post it was suggested it was for helmet use while racing. My TT had adjustable headrests, which allowed me to find the perfect angle.

I would rather modify my headrests to change the tilt/angle, rather than moving them forward like you've done. But you've done a good job.

Doesnt look TOO bad. I'd prefer just putting in some aftermarket seats.

Would you mind making me a set too? :p

The racing seats that I wanted were going to cost me over 3k... And I liked the stock ones with the exception of the bad HeadRest, they only needed to be recovered. They are definetely just as stout as before, all it takes is a few correct settings on the welder. As far as safety, I have no idea how I may have affected it, I am not an automotive engineer... My mercedes is amazingly comfortable, partially due to the seats. The headrests in the mercedes can be adjusted to any position, as can many other vehicles. This tells me that if anything, the affect I've had on the safety of the seats.. is very minimal. I do know that I am now able to use my headrest, what I did WAS based purely on comfort. 7k miles on my car and the first time my head touched them was last week... lol.

I would do this for someone locally maybe for probably 100$... I don't think JB would hold. Problem is that most don't have access to a welder... I don't really want to make a business out of it, I figured there has to be a few people that were just as bothered by the stock rests as I was. :o)

I'll have to try and look it up if I get a chance. Like I said, alot of newer cars use this system, and I thought I read that the Z had them (in the brochure or something), but I'm not positive.

Volff...great idea and nice fab work!

I agree that my head does not touch the headrest, at over 60 miles. I have adjusted my seat so that it comes close to touching, but it is a completly unnatural seating positon that makes the lack of lumbar support worse. Seems to me a headrest should touch the head, why is my head flopping around? I will look into this myself, looks like you are on to something. This and lumbar supports may be the answer to my seat issues rather than 3K for aftermarket seats.