Anybody ever install the rear headrests in the front seats? I checked this out and they give about 1/2" more clearance between the back of your head and the headrest. Currently, the original headrests sort of pushes our heads forward and on a long drive it is annoying. Also, they have no angle adjustment.

 

Haven't tried that, but have been unhappy with the front's angle. I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

 

The front headrest annoyed me to the point that I took the driver's side headrest out, turned it around, and then installed it so that it's facing backwards. It looks goofy, but it works for me. Hadn't thought about swapping one of the ones from the rear seat; gonna have to give that a try.

 

I tried the swap and I give it a thumbs up. The rear headrests give slightly more clearance and they are angled back just a bit when installed on the front seats. They are just enough of a change to get rid of the annoyance but still close enough I feel safe using them. The added bonus is increased visibility when I look over my right shoulder. I can now see through the side club door window. I think they look better too.

 

I tried it, and it's a 'no go' for me. Too low at its highest setting (I have a tall torso).

 

Yea, I'm only 5'8" tall and my wife is 5'3" so it works for us.

 

My wife's 5'2", but I'm almost 6'2".

 

Some 5 months ago I bought a used R53 headrest on eBay. It fits the seat-back sockets on my R55, and makes my wife happy because it doesn't push her head forward. I kept the original on the driver's side.

 

I like to sit up straight and the headrest pushes my head and neck too far forward, so I also turned mine around backwards.

I'll try swapping front to rear for grins.

 

I will try that. I have my headrest turned around and it still hurts my head depending on if I have a hair clip in.

 

My driver's side headrest was turned around when I bought my car, I now know why lol

 

I ordered one of the '08 headrests as an experiment; it's an improvement for sure but still not ideal.

= Mike

 

Nice to hear that they can be swapped with the rear seats. I just placed and order and test drove a hardtop (for a second time) and really noticed the headrest push this time. I have lots of back pain and need to sit up straight to avoid it. We recently flew it Italy and the plane had recently been "upgraded" with new seats which of course meant that they squeezed even more rows into the plane, but the seats had the headrests that push your head forward and I was miserable. Had to use pillows and blankets to prop my back up and could never get comfortable, so I am hyper sensitive to the issue after enduring 24 hours of it counting the round trip.

Seems all new cars have this now to get a better insurance safety rating and because of current regulations. We can only hope that consumer complaints will change this in the future. With things as they are we may be less likely to get whiplash, but think of the physical therapy and chiropracter costs!

I am hoping that they start making them adjustable as a compromise with a range that all will enjoy.

 

We have an '08 with the Lounge Leather in our clubman and the headrest has never been a problem, but when we got a loaner with non-Lounge Leather my wife noticed right away the headrest was hitting her in the back of the head and hated it. She was so happy when we got our car back. Does anyone with the Lounge Leather have this problem too?

 

I think you will find that the headrest shape changed some time after '08 and before '11. Not a difference between Lounge and non-Lounge Leather.

 

That could explain it as the MINI loaner was pretty new and had less than 1,000 miles on it. She absolutely hated they way it hit her ponytail.

 

Tried it in our '12. Slight improvement, but less than 1/2".
Now that the lumbar support is in, I have the seat leaned back a bit more, so the front headrest works better.

 

Interesting. The headrest doesn't bother me, but I'm gonna have to try this just so i can see if it helps visibility through the club door window.

 

I'm worried if it is only 1/2 of an inch. I am an extreme case though. I need to keep my head and back really straight. I sleep on my back without a pillow because I can't stand to have my head pushed forward. I can envision a future where I rip into the headrest and cut off some of the padding because it seems to me like they just added more to meet the new regulations. The new headrests are quite a bit thicker. Maybe I can find a pair of '08 headrests.

 

Well, trying it is free and reversible.
In our '06 Outback, I was able to bend the posts back. Only about 1.5 cm, but enough to alleviate my wife's neck pain, and make it noticably more comfy for me. Those were curved, and it was simple to straighten them in a bench vise.
Dunno that's possible with the MINI.

 

Good tip OhBe1, Thanks.

 

So others can compare model years/styles, I'm attaching photos of the 2009 headrests from my Clubman S. They sure do jut a lot further forward than the '06 MCS I used to have.

 

I ended up going the expensive route and replaced both front seats with the Euro Recaros. It's definitely the way to go if you can afford it.

It does mean that I have a pre-09 headrest in plain black available if someone wants it. $50 local pickup in SF.

= Mike

 

Just a reminder that the annoying headsets undoubtedly better protect you from whiplash. I've gotten "somewhat" used to mine. Just have to change out the Panama for a ball cap when I get in the car.

 

Mine is with Lounge leather and I don't have that problem...but I did add a neck pillow so that might be the difference...