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Old 11-23-2019, 08:37 PM   #1
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Vista Driver Seat modification

My 2018 32YE Vista had what appeared to be nice seats, simulated leather material, looked plush. However after a few trips in the rig my butt was not as happy as my old rig.

I still had my old 1999 Pace Arrow with Flexsteel seats, and those were awesome. So I compared the structures and angles of everything in an attempt to pinpoint the problem.

It turned out the new 32YE seat bottom was flatter than the old RV, meaning the front of the seat bottom was higher on the old RV. This seat bottom angle appeared to be a contributing factor. I think the higher angle in the old RV helped keep my butt pushed back into the seat better, and support the bottom of my thighs better, having less weight focused on my butt.

Today I bought some fender washers and jacked up the front of the seat on my 32YE.

There are 3 bolts on each side of the seat (total of 6) that hold the seat to the swivel pedestal. Since the bolts were not evenly spaced it was a trial and error effort to accurately determine the correct number of washers to use, in order to keep the sliding seat rail true. It was important to use the right stack height for each bolt, given the odd bolt spacing of the three bolts on each side. I ended up using 7 washers on the front bolt (5/16" high) and 2 washers on the middle bolt, on each side. The rear bolts got no extra washers. Each of the 6 bolts for the seat were plenty long to add the washer spacers. This modification cost me $3 for 18 fender washers, each about 2" diameter with 5/16 hole. The actual installation of the washers took about 15min.

Although I haven't taken a trip, I can already tell it's going to be much better, by just sitting in it. It's interesting how such a little change can improve the posture and comfort of a driver seat. I'll report back after my next trip.
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Old 11-24-2019, 06:19 AM   #2
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I did a similar thing on my previous rig, but mine only had 4 bolts holding it to the base so the change took less trial and error. I raised the front about 3/8 inch and it made a big difference in seat comfort for longer drives.
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Old 11-24-2019, 06:47 AM   #3
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I’m for sure going to give this a try. My 32YE seats also only have four bolts holding the seat to the slider/swivel brackets, and another four bolts holding the slider/swivel bracket to the base. I think I’ll try placing the spacers between the seat and slider brackets. They're pretty easy to get to, I removed the passenger seat with those when I replaced the seat cover a few months ago.
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Old 11-24-2019, 07:40 AM   #4
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Hmm, they must have gone to a different maker since the seats on our 2010. I have a power seat that will allow me to raise the nose of the seat up to do this.
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Old 11-24-2019, 07:48 AM   #5
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Quote:
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Hmm, they must have gone to a different maker since the seats on our 2010. I have a power seat that will allow me to raise the nose of the seat up to do this.

Mine doesn't have power seats or a tilt feature. Just slide front/back & swivel, and the seat back angle adjusts. I believe the LX models may have the better power seat mounts, not sure though.
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Old 11-28-2019, 10:46 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by thompwil View Post
I’m for sure going to give this a try. My 32YE seats also only have four bolts holding the seat to the slider/swivel brackets, and another four bolts holding the slider/swivel bracket to the base. I think I’ll try placing the spacers between the seat and slider brackets. They're pretty easy to get to, I removed the passenger seat with those when I replaced the seat cover a few months ago.
Maybe I didn't describe my modification accurately. I actually put the spacer washers between the slider and the pedestal swivel platform. The slider had 3 bolts on each slider, total of 6 for both sliders. The front and rear bolt was about 9" apart, but the center bolt was about 3" from the rear. It wasn't centered between the front and rear. The rear bolt was kinda hidden, but was easy remove the nuts underneath with a 1/2" deep socket. All the bolts were 5/16" diameter.

When I got all the nuts removed, I didn't remove the seat. I simply leaned the seat left, exposing the right side bolt enough to install the washers on the right side, then leaned the seat right to install the washers on the left side.
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Old 12-03-2019, 09:26 PM   #7
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I am assuming the bolt heads face up. When they are removed, are nuts used to tighten them or are they threaded into the frame? This sounds like a great mod for my 2017 31BE. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 12-03-2019, 11:31 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Vandave View Post
I am assuming the bolt heads face up. When they are removed, are nuts used to tighten them or are they threaded into the frame? This sounds like a great mod for my 2017 31BE. Thanks for sharing.
On my seat, the bolt heads were on top. The nuts were on the bottom, easy to access. A deep socket was required for the rear bolts that were deep-set in the swivel pedestal framework that holds the seat belts.

As mentioned in post #6, I didn't remove the bolts. After I got all the nuts removed, I just tipped the seat left to expose the bolts and put the washers in place on the right side bolts. That MUCH easier than lifting the seat off the pedestal and trying to line things up again. Just lean it left and right, easy-peesy simply to install the washers, one side at a time.
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Old 03-01-2021, 02:49 PM   #9
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Did this affect the ability to swivel the seat all the way around , either in a positive or negative way?
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Old 03-01-2021, 09:53 PM   #10
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Did this affect the ability to swivel the seat all the way around , either in a positive or negative way?
No, there's no effect since it doesn't tilt the pedestal. It only tilts the seat bottom.
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