sweenstang Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Gang - I finally took a longer ride in my Shelby and have concluded that I can't live with the stock headrests. They push my head too far forward and can't be adjusted. I've found aftermarket adjustable headrests from MTS that look decent: http://www.mrt-direct.com/11a100.html They supposedly match Mustang GT leather ok, but no word on matching the Shelby leather. Have any of you tried these? Or, have you seen other options to address this nagging problem? I've also heard that Ford is finally delivering the recent 2012 models with adjustable headrests - anyone have these and like them? Maybe I should get to a Ford dealer and try them out, then order them instead of going with aftermarket parts. Your thoughts are welcome... Sween Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davegt500 Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Gang - I finally took a longer ride in my Shelby and have concluded that I can't live with the stock headrests. They push my head too far forward and can't be adjusted. I've found aftermarket adjustable headrests from MTS that look decent: http://www.mrt-direct.com/11a100.html They supposedly match Mustang GT leather ok, but no word on matching the Shelby leather. Have any of you tried these? Or, have you seen other options to address this nagging problem? I've also heard that Ford is finally delivering the recent 2012 models with adjustable headrests - anyone have these and like them? Maybe I should get to a Ford dealer and try them out, then order them instead of going with aftermarket parts. Your thoughts are welcome... Sween Do they still interfere when they are removed and reinserted backwards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweenstang Posted October 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Do they still interfere when they are removed and reinserted backwards? No, they don't, but that puts them back so far that there is minimal protection from whiplash. I'll be doing exactly that to "get by" for now, but I don't want to do it for too long because it's unsafe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeVA Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 I have the MRT ones and they are ok. They have only notched one of the support rods so if you have the headrest up very high it is not as stable as the stock unit. The quality, fit and finish was fine by me. They are more comfortable for me and I'm glad I bought them. I'll probably end up paying someone with a precise jig of some type to notch the second rod but I'm in no hurry as I keep them on the low side anyway and they are stable in that position. Btw I ended up with the charcoal with grabber blue stitching since the car is white with grabber blue stripes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6-Speed Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 I saw these TMI adjustable headrests featured in the July 2011 edition of 5.0 Magazine on page 122. They fit the 2005 to 2009 Mustangs, not sure about later years, but it's something to consider. My wife doesn't care too much for the stock headrests either. http://www.mustangupholstery.com/literature/new_mustang_sell_sheet.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010KonaBlueGT Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 Gang - I finally took a longer ride in my Shelby and have concluded that I can't live with the stock headrests. They push my head too far forward and can't be adjusted. There is a thead somewhere on TS where a guy took his 2010 headrests apart and bent whatever it is that keeps it forward. Others did it and all were happy. I've always planned on doing it, just haven't got around to it. With my bad back I drive with the seat way reclined so the headrest doesn't touch my head but my wife has a problem with it. Frankly, I just don't like the way they LOOK bent forward like that so I won't be doing it for driver comfort, I'll be doing it so it LOOKS right. It's supposed to be real easy to do. I'm terrible with a search engine so I'll let someone else look for it. It is AT LEAST over a year old (the thread). Phill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweenstang Posted October 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 Thanks for your replies everybody. I stopped by my dealership this past week and they quoted me a retail price of $206 each for adjustable headrests. So comparing $412 to the MRT Direct price of $249 per pair, I'll probably go aftermarket since the reviews for them are decent. Only risk is a $50 restocking fee if I don't like them. I might also stop my my local garage and see what they'd charge me to bend the posts on the OEM headrests that came with the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweenstang Posted October 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 I found a thread on another Mustang site that described in detail how a guy placed his headrests into a hydraulic press and bent them to a position that were more comfortable, so I decided to try it. I was poised to lay out between $250 and $400 for new headrests from MRT or Ford, so what did I have to lose? I went to my trusty mechanic who turned out to have a hydraulic press on-site. It took several tries on the first headrest to validate that it takes a LOT of pressure to bend these, but once he had the process calibrated, he got both exactly where I wanted them, which was to move the top edge of the headrest back about 2 inches. I've put them back in, and wow, what a relief! I am now MUCH more comfortable behind the wheel. There is no apparent damage to the headrests, they don't rock or wiggle, so I'd recommend this low-cost approach to anyone unhappy with the position of their headrests. It cost me only 40 bucks. I'd be out enjoying the new comfort right now, but we have mega-lousy weather here in MD today. Hopefully I'll be out cruising tomorrow... Thanks again to all for your comments... Sween Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweenstang Posted October 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 I found a thread on another Mustang site that described in detail how a guy placed his headrests into a hydraulic press and bent them to a position that were more comfortable, so I decided to try it. I was poised to lay out between $250 and $400 for new headrests from MRT or Ford, so what did I have to lose? I went to my trusty mechanic who turned out to have a hydraulic press on-site. It took several tries on the first headrest to validate that it takes a LOT of pressure to bend these, but once he had the process calibrated, he got both exactly where I wanted them, which was to move the top edge of the headrest back about 2 inches. I've put them back in, and wow, what a relief! I am now MUCH more comfortable behind the wheel. There is no apparent damage to the headrests, they don't rock or wiggle, so I'd recommend this low-cost approach to anyone unhappy with the position of their headrests. It cost me only 40 bucks. I'd be out enjoying the new comfort right now, but we have mega-lousy weather here in MD today. Hopefully I'll be out cruising tomorrow... Thanks again to all for your comments... Sween Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burning Blue Star IV Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 I'm surprised people have so much trouble with the head rests...the seats are so adjustable that it's easy to position yourself in a way that the headrest isn't "touching" your head if that's what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweenstang Posted October 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 I'm surprised people have so much trouble with the head rests...the seats are so adjustable that it's easy to position yourself in a way that the headrest isn't "touching" your head if that's what you want. I think it might depend on the driver's height. My reading of other threads seems to indicate that people 5'8" or less are fine with the stock set-up, as are people 6'2" or taller. The ones complaining are in that middle-height range. I'm 5'11" and after having the car for 4 months, I couldn't find a seat position that worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlugs Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 I'm not a fan of our headrests no matter where they're bent. Rather than our towering pillars, I'd prefer something lower & rounder. Maybe some like these: Maybe if I get my hands on a cheap junkyard set of Mustang V6/GT headrests, I'll cut 'em down, reshape & re-wrap 'em. Our stockers are poorly positioned and ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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