Moving the seat back

Quigley

Quigley

TJ Enthusiast
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Oct 20, 2018
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Kingston, WA
Misch seat extenders

So I’m looking at these brackets to run for literally just another inch leg room for me and much more leg room for passengers.

I’m 5’11” but I feel my position has always been a bit close a far as arm length. I’ve driven 8,000 miles cross country one summer and survived it , but it could be better. I’m always all the way back but I like my seat one click back from straight up. I just want to know if anyone has run these before. I figure it moves the seat back 4” so the closest setting will be like the stock farthest back setting for me and more for my dad who’s 6’3”, old, and not a contortionist by trade.

in full disclosure I’m a freak ! I have size 13 feet and shorter legs with a longer torso. I had my back surgery at 19 and the doc said there goes hitting 6’. I’m like the Michael Phelps of the jeeping world.

My arms just feel to close and with my flippers I could click back some... I think 🤔 anyone else try these or have a diy method to moving the seat back?
 
I think a couple of guys run them, I would note it could effect safety: crash ratings, airbag deploy locations, etc are based on the stock seat position.
 
An easier alternative might be to raise or lower the seats. The 03-06 seats and brackets are an inch lower, or you could purchase spacers to make your seats taller. Depending upon your posture, raising/lowering might fix your issue
 
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I'm 6'2" of spinal cord too. My little gopher legs always make the steering wheel location "difficult". Both my several CJ5's,CJ7's, and an ex's YJ all fit me poorly in that respect. I've recently picked up an '06 and have for the first time not had to set the seat at max extension. Due to a sciatic issue I have to have the seat almost straight up too. And I am as comfortable as my lower back will allow. No steering wheel jammed up too close. Why don't you try an '03 to '06 and see if they fit you any better.
 
I'm not sure how you could guarantee it would not fail in an accident. And as others have said, You will be affecting the airbag performance too.

They dropped the seats in '03 specifically to improve airbag performance.

I'm curious what that 4th bolt that anchors the seat belt bolts to.
OR if there is a way to bolt it thru the floor.

But I've used Misch products before and they always bolt in with ease. I'd likely try them.
 
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Forgot about the Air Bags. I'm not worried about the safety component just the insurance component if I were in an accident. If I get into switching seats I'd probably do suspension, but that has to wait for when its a full time fun toy. If the 03 and newer seats are lower, do they go back farther at all?
 
6'5", mostly legs. I have the brackets. They are stout, nothing to break. I think it moves the seat about 3 inches back. Having the airbag further away from your face is a good thing.
 
I am 6'8" and have them too. I like them a lot. Very well made and nice thick steel. I was actually suprised by the thickness and weight when I opened the box.

IMG_20190521_161036.jpgIMG_20190521_161048.jpg

Regarding the airbag concern, before the extenders my knees were touching the dash. In a front end crash I would be cut off at the knees. I like having a little more space between me and the metal parts, the airbag will be fine.
 
I have the Misch Big Boy Brackets. And they work great. They give you another 4" travel to the rear. And I believe eat up the front 4" of travel you had before. I could be wrong about that last part. But even so - it's 4" up front you weren't using to begin with if your over 6' tall. And the passenger seat is way more comfortable pushed 4" further to the rear. Really gives them and you legroom. That was tighter than normal in a US car IMHO. These brackets give you back the leg room you'd normally have in a car.

I also agree with the above. My knees were way too close to the dash. And in a front end collision my knees would be completely destroyed. I actually think using these is safer if your over 6 feet and in need of more legroom.

I love them. It's one of the best improvements I've done to my Jeep.

They've also been selling them for years. And are made of very thick steel. Like maybe 3/8th's or thicker. Way thicker than anything on the stock seat bracket. I doubt they would still be selling them if there was an airbag or safety problem. I just installed mine. And don't see any difference between how the seats mounted stock and how they mount with these bars in place. The hardware they supply is also top notch. The bolts supplied are just as thick as stock. And I believe the same or higher grade than stock. Except for the 4th bolt which is bigger. I believe the 4th bolt is 1/2". Way thicker than the other three. Or the stock bolts.

I honestly think they are safer than seat risers. I won't go into a long scientific explanation of why. But think of it like a building in an earthquake. But worse - cause it would be an auto collision. A one story house shifting violently side to side is going to be alot more stable than a 6 story building. Or whatever the equivalent would be comparing seat risers to these bars to extend legroom.

One thing to remember is they do raise the seat some. Maybe as much as .5" is my guess. So don't waste any money on seat risers. As your head will be crammed against the roll bar if you added seat risers. If your over 6 foot and need more legroom. Chances are your heads already high enough.

But that extra .5" will give you a bit more calf length - if that makes sense. Might make the seats a bit more comfortable than stock height. But if you're tall you want as little lift as possible. So my advice is to avoid risers if your head height is already high.

I've personally never had the need for risers. I'm 6'3". And if anything wish both the early and late model seats were shorter. I have to crane my neck to see a stop light. Which is kind of a hassle. But the only thing I dislike about my Jeep. More reason to take the top off I guess. :)
 
Another happy Big Boy Bracket owner here. With a manual it moves the seat back so far I can't work the clutch properly! With an automatic these would be even better!
 
I am only 5'10". Not fat. My 03 seat is just about perfect all the way back to the stops and I did raise the seat up an inch as well. I'll wager if I could slide it back another inch I probably would. If I were a big guy, I'd try those extenders in a heartbeat.
 
gbirk said:
I am 6'8" and have them too. I like them a lot. Very well made and nice thick steel. I was actually suprised by the thickness and weight when I opened the box.

View attachment 94946View attachment 94947

Regarding the airbag concern, before the extenders my knees were touching the dash. In a front end crash I would be cut off at the knees. I like having a little more space between me and the metal parts, the airbag will be fine.
Click to expand...


Could you please measure how close the seat is when fully forward to the steering wheel and when fully back? Wow, 6'8" has got to be tough in a TJ.
 
Well, at 6'8" almost any car is tight, but you learn to "fit" in things.
I only have the extenders on the drivers side. Measuring from the bottom lip of the dash to the front of the seat:

Fully forward: ~8.5"
IMG_20190522_122942.jpg

Fully back: ~16"
IMG_20190522_122954.jpg
 
Quigley said:
Could you please measure how close the seat is when fully forward to the steering wheel and when fully back? Wow, 6'8" has got to be tough in a TJ.
Click to expand...

It's gotta be 4" further back when in the rear and front positions. As the big boy bracket changes nothing about how far the actual seat bracket will move forward and back. Make sense? In other words, if the seat had say 12" of play forward and back. Moving the seat back 4" is going to affect both the forward measurement from the dash and the rearward measurement from the dash. Both will be 4" further back.

So based on the above picture. The normal distance when in the forward most position would have been 4.5". But now it's 8.5". Still plenty of room for a normal sized driver.
 
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Equilibrium31 said:
I ordered these recently and am just waiting for them to arrive:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M64G552/?tag=wranglerorg-20

They're cheaper and work for both driver and passenger seat. Status for the order is "out for delivery", so hopefully they'll arrive tonight, but when I get them, I can give some feedback as to how good they are.
Click to expand...

That's great that someone's come up with a less expensive option. I think the Misch ones are a little overpriced to be honest.

But the reviews on these new ones aren't looking to good. No instructions. No returned emails or phone calls when asked for instructions. And you still need two sets to do both sides.

I was going to ask what the other 4 plates were for. But if they come with no instructions. Who knows? They do look a bit thinner. And I don't see the additional bolts you need to install them.

Let us know how it goes. Maybe you can figure out some simple instructions to share. You could follow the Misch instructions on their website. As they look almost like exact copies. They are missing the larger 4th bolt hole. But I guess you could drill it out and get a bigger bolt.

Let us know how it goes. I'll be interested to hear more about them. I'm all for competition. But these look like simple knock offs without any instructions. But hopefully you can make them work.
 
moab said:
That's great that someone's come up with a less expensive option. I think the Misch ones are a little overpriced to be honest.

But the reviews on these new ones aren't looking to good. No instructions. No returned emails or phone calls when asked for instructions. And you still need two sets to do both sides.

I was going to ask what the other 4 plates were for. But if they come with no instructions. Who knows? They do look a bit thinner. And I don't see the additional bolts you need to install them.

Let us know how it goes. Maybe you can figure out some simple instructions to share. You could follow the Misch instructions on their website. As they look almost like exact copies. They are missing the larger 4th bolt hole. But I guess you could drill it out and get a bigger bolt.

Let us know how it goes. I'll be interested to hear more about them. I'm all for competition. But these look like simple knock offs without any instructions. But hopefully you can make them work.
Click to expand...
Yea, I just got them last night and there's no instructions. I figure it can't be rocket science to figure it out though. Haven't tried installing them yet, but they are just as solid and thick as the Misch ones appear to be, but they definitely look a little different, particularly for the passenger side. The Misch ones have a bit of extra metal for their passenger ones, so I'm not sure if it will make a difference. I figure for the price, it's worth the risk of trying.

Hopefully I'll be able to get them installed tonight. If not, then likely this weekend. Will let ya know how it goes and if that goes well, maybe I'll even put a brief write up in the How To section for anyone else interested since they don't have instructions.

95365
 
Equilibrium31 said:
Yea, I just got them last night and there's no instructions. I figure it can't be rocket science to figure it out though. Haven't tried installing them yet, but they are just as solid and thick as the Misch ones appear to be, but they definitely look a little different, particularly for the passenger side. The Misch ones have a bit of extra metal for their passenger ones, so I'm not sure if it will make a difference. I figure for the price, it's worth the risk of trying.

Hopefully I'll be able to get them installed tonight. If not, then likely this weekend. Will let ya know how it goes and if that goes well, maybe I'll even put a brief write up in the How To section for anyone else interested since they don't have instructions.

View attachment 95365
Click to expand...

That extra piece of metal is to hold the oem jack in place. HAs anyone figured out how to make it work? I could not get mine to fit properly. It looked like if I ground it down a bit and it wasn't so long - it would work.
 
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