[cobalt]

To keep from going insane while wating for my Manik's, I had to come up with some sort of upgrade that no one had thought of yet. So I looked around the inside of my Black MDX and thought,. . . . . . . I really hate those tiny little headrest's on the second row. So.....
I called Tim and ordered two more like the one's in the front for the second row. Now that's more like it!! It now looks like someone put some thought into the interior. 4 luxury seats w/full size head rests rather than just the two front ones. I didn't change the middle because I didn't want to block the view from the rear-view mirror. Tim charged $65.81/each for a total of $131.62 for an interor like no one else. Am I hip or what!! My wife even likes the change. Wadda ya think everybody??

 

[ubik]

Speaking of headrests I actually think that their design is stupidly flawed: too thin and not tiltable. I drive with the back of the seat at I would say 35 degrees and cannot keep my head on the headrest or otherwise I'd be looking thru the sunroof. There is a gap of about 10 inches betweeen my head and the headrest which would make it extremely dangerous in case of a rear-end collision. I was even considering switching them with the back row headrests giving their extra thickness. I bet I'm not alone here, any solutions anybody?

 

[MDXcrazed]

hate the headrests

You are not alone, ubik. Those headrests are terrible! They are on my wish list for the 2003 changes. Except when you are asleep, those headrests are useless. They are not tiltable, can't touch my head, can't prevent/minimize whiplash in a collision. If there are after market headrests, I would change them out.....at least for the 2 front seats.

 

[MIKEinTN]

Good idea

Cobalt,

That is a very good idea. I never would have thought about putting front headrests on the backseats.

While I am going to spend my upgrade $ on some other things first, I am sure down the road I'll do the same thing.

Great idea and thanks for sharing it with us.

MIKEinTN

 

[Robyjo]

Great idea Cobalt--how much would you say it affects rear vision (even though you still have the small center rest)?

Good thinking!
Rob

 

[A2MDXer]

Cobalt,

welcome, you are just up the road from me. Nice to see more Mich MDXs showing up on this site.

Good idea on the headrests. Got any pictures to share with us? If not, we can all easily test it for ourselves since we already have the accessory! Thanks.

 

[cobalt]

Hey Robyjo,

Ya know, my wife was also concerned about rearward visability with those larger headrests in the back. But after she has spent some time with them she has no complaints. In fact, she says the view out the back has not suffered at all. I agree with her. All is well

 

[cobalt]

Hello A2MDXer,

I'm from A2 also! Just moved to Canton when I got married I'll look for you driving around town, or perhaps we'll meet while sluggin' down some premium fuel at one of Ann Arbors fine watering holes. Did you buy from A2 Acura?

Anyway, no digital camera for any pics. But like you said, put the ones from the front in the back and check it out. Looks good eh..

P.S. Thanks for the welcome everybody!!

 

[slash007]

headrests

a little tip on the headrests--tempur pedic sells a cushion that is made out of the same material as there famous beds that has a strap to hold it to the head rest. it brings the head rest alot closer and gives you something really comfortable to sink your head in

 

[Acura3]

Headrest Blues

I'm glad this was posted. I thought I was the only one who did not like the headrest angles and set-up. For an almost "perfect" auto, the Honda engineers dropped the ball on this one. I thought maybe they designed the HR angles so one would not get too close to the airbags, however the threat of whiplash injury is increased (I'm guessing). Plus, like previous posters have pointed out, you lean your head back and your sinuses are draining! What up Acura? Betcha the '03's will have adjustable head stoppers!

BTW innovative putting ordering fronts for the back. I'll bet it looks pretty good! Wouldn't mind seeing pics if possible.

 

[msu79gt82]

How about a picture

Can you post a photo of the rear seat now?

 

[ubik]

Re: How about a picture

Can you post a photo of the rear seat now?

I think it would be easier for you to swap them in your 'X and take a look yourself. That way you can even check dead spots!
Just an idea,
ubik

 

[admin]

You know that little compartment in the trunk of the MDX where one can store headrests in case you need to fold down second row. Do front-seat headrests fit in there?

admin.

 

[roadrunner]

It's Not Just Comfort - It's a Safety Thing

It's not just a matter of taste, style and comfort. The MDX (and Acura in general) headrest design is the one serious blemish in an otherwise sterling safety test record.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rated the MDX head restraint design as MARGINAL .
This test is based on a non-test computed basis and apparently the low rating is for too much room between the head and the headrest.
IIHS Head Restraint Test Results
On the brighter side, in the actual frontal offset crash test the same group reported:
RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: GOOD Dummy movement was well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head did not come close to any stiff structure that could cause injury.
MDX Frontal Offset Crash Test Results
So maybe it works better than it looks.
Meep Meep

 

[DaleB]

On a more morbid thread of the same subject, do you think the dummies do better than humans because they are totally relaxed on impact?
Not that we should use death row inmates for these crashes.. but....

 

[ubik]

Re: It's Not Just Comfort - It's a Safety Thing

It's not just a matter of taste, style and comfort. The MDX (and Acura in general) headrest design is the one serious blemish in an otherwise sterling safety test record.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rated the MDX head restraint design as MARGINAL .
This test is based on a non-test computed basis and apparently the low rating is for too much room between the head and the headrest.
IIHS Head Restraint Test Results
On the brighter side, in the actual frontal offset crash test the same group reported:
RESTRAINTS/DUMMY KINEMATICS: GOOD Dummy movement was well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head did not come close to any stiff structure that could cause injury.
MDX Frontal Offset Crash Test Results
So maybe it works better than it looks.
Meep Meep

What about rear-end collision?

 

[GatorGreg]

I'm guessing that Acura will change the 'X headrests for '03 to something along the lines of what's in the 2nd gen 'V in terms of meeting the 2004 whiplash protection standards. According to Honda's Canadian website:

"Whiplash Protection
The 2002 CR-V voluntarily meets proposed government standards for whiplash protection on 2004 vehicles (NHTSA document FMVSS202.) To meet these standards, Honda enhanced the geometry of the headrests and the upper seat cushion on the front seats to uniformly distribute forces between a passenger’s shoulders, neck and head in situations that may have the potential to lead to whiplash."

They are very comfortable IMO, but they seem kind of big and block a lot of rearward visibility. They also don't have holes in them like the 1st gen 'V.

 

[roadrunner]

Re: Re: It's Not Just Comfort - It's a Safety Thing

What about rear-end collision?

As far as I know there is no Govt. safety test for rear-end collisions but in the now famous "Dump Truck - Rear End Collision Test" previously posted on this site - the passengers all faired very well.

The Unimaginable Has Happened


Meep Meep

 

[bhaycraft]

Great Idea

After reading about changing out the headrests I took a good look at my parent's MDX and switched them around. I showed it too them and I think they are ready to buy a front set of headrests for the back seats. I get my MDX in a few more weeks and I am now considering the same change myself. They are pretty comfy in the back seats and they look good and don't obstruct your vision.

 

[Big Al]

If you would like to get a rough idea as to your rear vision with
front rests on the second row, just pull up the ones that are there to next notch . In fact I have left them there until I get a chance to get the larger ones.

Big Al