How to get more headroom?

ThatRed4thGen

ThatRed4thGen

New member
I love my T4R, it's my dream car, but the headroom situation with the sunroof is terrible. PS, I don't care if headroom isn't an issue for you so please save your comment.

Has anyone found a way to lower the seat more or push the ceiling up? I'm about $4k deep in mods, so trading for a GX isn't worth it. I tried the desert does it seat rises, but all it did was make my head sit even closer to the ceiling. Sitting farther back does help, but it's not as comfortable for my arms, so I also considered looking for something that extends the steering wheel closer.

I also looked into modifying the seat brackets but every shop I took it to refused to modify it due to liability issues from modifying a safety system.

Any other ideas? Anything you have tried that worked?
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I thought Ive seen a seat lowering bracket for the back of the seat. kind like the riser for the front
if I come across it again Ill try to share the link
 
I'm 6'5" and daily drive my sunroof 2008 SE. I have no issues with the head room. I agree it is tight but there is no way yo solve this issue without a low profile seat and custom brackets.
 
Snipersteve said:
I thought Ive seen a seat lowering bracket for the back of the seat. kind like the riser for the front
if I come across it again Ill try to share the link
Click to expand...

I don't see how that would be possible; the back of the seat is already down as far as it can get.

One thing I did find helpful though: I added a pair of "ExtendMySeat" brackets. It's incredibly easy to do. They allow the seat to go wayyyy farther back than stock. While it's not a direct solution to more headroom, it still gives you a lot more space. Especially welcome on long road trips. Kinda spendy, but they seem incredibly sturdy and well-fabricated and they are dead simple to install.
 
if you sit back, is your steering wheel extended out also? its not only up and down, but you can also push it in or pull it out some, unless you have some t-rex arms.
 
I agree OP I'm only 6ft and when my hair needs cutting I can tell because I can feel it rubbing on the sunroof 'surround'!

I can't remember this happening in any other cars I've driven with a sunroof, including small ones like a mk4 Ford Fiesta.

I know it's a raised vehicle with the 4WD driveline etc but they could have done with an few inches more roof height.
 
Pull your headliner out. Not the most appealing solution but apparently it adds quite a bit of space according to a few builds that installed cages in these rigs. That’s the only economical solution that will yield a little extra room.


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Delete your sunroof and install a sunroof-less headliner. Pretty sure thats what [MENTION=87687]LTDSC[/MENTION] did, you'll need to check through his build thread as I don't remember the exact page and I believe he has sold his T4R now
 
For context I am 6'4", 190lbs, 34" inseam with a 2008 4runner that has power cloth seats and sunroof. Currently I have just under an inch of clearance above my head. When I was test driving 4runners I sat in one identical to the one I have now but with leather. I actually sat higher in the seat with the leather compared to the cloth seats I have now. That leather was very old, stiff and rigid which is probably why I sat a little higher. If you have stiff leather that could be something you could think about replacing.

In my younger years I actually drove a 1991 Mazda Miata and had to make some major adjustments to fit in that comfortably. What I did in the miata was take out two inches in the seat bottom cushion which allowed me to sit lower. I removed the entire cushion from the car, removed the cover, then cut an inch off the top and bottom of the cushion itself. This wasnt that hard to do if youre mechanically inclined and made it so much more enjoyable to sit in the car. I recommend you try doing that before modifying the seat attachment structure to the car.
 
Bagels said:
In my younger years I actually drove a 1991 Mazda Miata and had to make some major adjustments to fit in that comfortably. What I did in the Miata was take out two inches in the seat bottom cushion which allowed me to sit lower. I removed the entire cushion from the car, removed the cover, then cut an inch off the top and bottom of the cushion itself. This wasn't that hard to do if you're mechanically inclined and made it so much more enjoyable to sit in the car. I recommend you try doing that before modifying the seat attachment structure to the car.
Click to expand...

I too had a 1997 Miata M and did the same thing, I have lived with my 4 runner as is I am 6'6". I might take a look at the lower cushion and try the Miata trick. will report back as to what I find. Not all seats have that extra bucket foam like the Miata had though.
 
KrazedJD said:
I too had a 1997 Miata M and did the same thing, I have lived with my 4 runner as is I am 6'6". I might take a look at the lower cushion and try the Miata trick. will report back as to what I find. Not all seats have that extra bucket foam like the Miata had though.
Click to expand...
Let us know what you find
 
Removing layers of the cushion is possible on every car. It's just a matter of how much you're willing to sacrifice comfort and the fit/finish of the cover. When I removed 2" of foam out of the Miata seat bottom cushion to gain an extra inch of headroom I could feel the difference in the cushion. Not major, it just felt as you would expect if you cut out some of the foam, less comfortable and you'll sink into it more. Like sitting in a worn out office chair compared to sitting in a brand new one. The dress cover was also slightly looser because the cushion wasnt as thick anymore.

In my opinion the positives out weighed the negatives by a long shot, gaining headroom was so important in that car.
 
I've sat in my friends' 3rd gen Tacoma and there's like a 1' between my head and the headliner. Meanwhile in my 4th gen I am constantly grazing my head along the headliner.

The 4th gen has really good seat adjustment but if I sit too low and far back I impair my ability to see over the hood directly in front of the vehicle. It seems like removing the headliner would be the best option but I've chosen to just live with it.

Maybe we can start a support group for tall 4th gen owners! :grouphug:
 
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