I had lumber issues with our first ND and improved things considerably by adapting old number plates to slot into the the seat frame backrest. If you unzip the two zips in the back of the seat you can see vertical slots in the frame at either side. The number plates slot into these and the memory foam is inserted between the number plates and the cloth of the seat.
Some lumber supports made out of memory foam were ideal as they have some ‘shape’ and were able to be positioned and held in place firmly.
I drove two hours in an NC to road test a ND for forty minutes without a twinge. I ve had back problems in the past so I’m vulnerable.
This stuff is always anecdotal but I think mostly driving a Mx5 of whatever flavour will help you keep driving an MX5.
It’s become the every old geezer can afford one car. An occasional twinge is the price we pay for having the drive of our life just when we thought everthing was fizzling out.
The other ‘cure’ is to put a blood pressure cuff in the back of the seat as Wardy suggested with number plates. With an inflating bulb you can adjust the degree of lumbar support.
I haven’t needed it but I’ve bought the bits just in case😀( if you buy a BP monitor from Boots for £20 you can check your blood pressure every day. Then, with an addition of an inflation bulb for another fiver you can support your back in an incremental way whilst driving too.
It’s win win.
Unfortunately, my experience is the same as yours. I’ve owned my ND1 (2016 plate) exactly one year. The seats are comfortable yet they are not supportive. Zilch lower back / lumbar support!
So, longer drives = lower back ache!
My solution: I bought a padded lumbar support cushion online. It’s better than nothing, although not always supportive. Hey ho…
I loved my test drives in three different NDs, it’s a fantastic car to drive, but ten to twenty minutes was my limit before major back pain.
I had no problems driving almost 500miles in a day a couple of times in my old NC1 Niseko, no stiffness, no back pain.
My NC3.75 25AE seat is almost as good as the Niseko, but I’m still playing with driving position in it.
I’ve had my ND2 for 3 years with no problems. The better half has back problems anyway regardless of car so she uses a triangular cushion on longer journeys.
I recently watched a YouTube video with Mark McCann and his £1.2m McLaren where he needed to buy a seat bolster as the car didn’t have lumbar support. Go figure that one.
It’s not one size fits all but hopefully you will find something that works for you
That would be probably what I would use now. That, slotted between the numberplates and cloth in place of the memory foam would give some degree of adjustment.
Personally I’d pass on the car/idea as it’ll probably never been remedied to suit your body shape. A lot of money to shell out if you walk out of a test drive with an aching back.
All the other ideas are ‘might work’ rabbit hole ones, which might not. Again, an expensive mistake if that turns out to be the case.
I agree with ND12, you’d be better off keeping what you’ve already got or looking for a replacement NC. Maybe even consider another make, with a bit more room and seats that suit you better. BMW or Mercedes sports models or perhaps even an older Golf cabriolet, if it doesn’t have to be ‘sporty’.
I tested several NDs - I found ones with the Nappa leather seats were more comfortable. I like the fact that the ND has better (and adjustable) support at the front of the seat, which my NC2 lacked. But for long drives my previous NB2 with cloth seats was by far the best. Mazda really do need to make more allowance for taller (and older) drivers with their seat comfort levels though.
My ND2 has Nappa leather and as a 6 footer I can get comfortable. I tend not to do very long trips, an hour or so is about the max I’ve done up to now, so don’t know what a longer journey would be like. But I have to agree my NB with cloth seats was very comfortable.
I think is worth considering how you get out of the car. I’m quite careful but sometimes you find yourself parking where you can’t open the door more than its first default position.
I’m ancient now so I can’t slither out like I would onetime. But you can get out without drawing attention to yourself.
Mazda need to introduce an Orthopaedic version of the mx5 …. With special paint and a stair lift.
Well this post spurred me into action. I bought a couple of inflatable lumber supports years ago to fit into my ND but never got around to it.
I’ve cut pieces of 5mm ply to fit in the frame. Done by trial and error but ended up at 375mm x 150mm. Wiggled them into the frame at the bottom and held in place with a strip of gaffer tape at either end.
Then test fitted the lumbar support between the ply and the seat and gave it a try. So much better.
I’ve had to extend the tubing on them as it wasn’t long enough to get the bulb anywhere accessible. Tubing extended with screen washer tube and adhesive lined shrink down. Pumped up on the kitchen worktop at the moment to check for leaks. If all is well tomorrow I’ll put everything together.
I wouldn’t park if that was the case, full stop. I wouldn’t even park with cars even near me, let alone next to me. Okay, if you parked up on your own and some idiot parked right next to you even though there’s 50 other spaces ,well, you can’t account for stuff like that, but I wouldn’t bother parking next to people- or even withing a few spaces of people. I’d just go home.
