old_fairmont_wagon Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 In cars that have that canted forward new style headrest, I use a small pillow that goes from the middle of my back up between my shoulder blades. That adds just enough of an angle to my body against the seat to have the headrest in the exact spot for comfort for me. If you've ever seen one of those HANS devices that racers use, it is designed in a very similar way, except obviously to deal with far higher impact energies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I use a small pillow that goes from the middle of my back up between my shoulder blades. Driving a minivan, sitting on a pillow. Woweee, you are sooooooooooo somebody's dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucky2 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 (edited) A 13.3" widescreen (16:9 aspect) would have a 6.5" height, certainly do-able. What I meant for the S-video connector would be for connecting simple portable media players or media laptops that a family can always have handy (in the Flex, in the hotel room, in an airplane.... etc.) and only needs an external screen. That way the DVDs stay at home nice and safe. I think you're right about SSD integrated into the car itself, the RIAA thugs would piss their pants if they saw that! Maybe along the floor on the front middle console? That's where something that you'd be hooking up would likely rest anyways. Ideally it'd have Composite, S-Video, Component, and HDMI...along with digital optical and digital coax inputs. I realize this is asking a lot... At least that'd cover everything though... Chuck Edited December 18, 2008 by chucky2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucky2 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 It's coming ! IIHS is already doing testing already (they call it "rear crash protection") Flex is rated "Good", the highest rating the IIHS gives out. Go ahead and turn your headrest around. If you get hit in the rear you are guaranteed a nasty whiplash injury or maybe you won't have to worry about any further injuries any more ! Darwin was correct. Oh, I'd never turn it around...if it's supposed to be like that, then that's how it's supposed to be. The problem though is it's not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world for the headrest to be like that. If it's for whiplash protection, wouldn't the straight up headrests be better anyways? Why would a headrest canted forward be better than something straight, which is how the spine is aligned to begin with? I'm sure the answers favor the canted headrest, or they wouldn't be screwing around with putting them in all the vehicles...just would be interesting to see a video of the same crash, one with a canted headrest, one with a normal headrest. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Oh, I'd never turn it around...if it's supposed to be like that, then that's how it's supposed to be. The problem though is it's not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world for the headrest to be like that. If it's for whiplash protection, wouldn't the straight up headrests be better anyways? Why would a headrest canted forward be better than something straight, which is how the spine is aligned to begin with? I'm sure the answers favor the canted headrest, or they wouldn't be screwing around with putting them in all the vehicles...just would be interesting to see a video of the same crash, one with a canted headrest, one with a normal headrest. Chuck The point of the canted headrest is to limit the distance the head travels in a rear impact, so it is moved forward toward the back of the head, as they found through research that most people drove with their heads too far from the upright head restraints for them to help much in an accident. Again, active head restraints would be the ideal answer here, but they do cost more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joihan777 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 (edited) Oh, I'd never turn it around...if it's supposed to be like that, then that's how it's supposed to be. The problem though is it's not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world for the headrest to be like that. If it's for whiplash protection, wouldn't the straight up headrests be better anyways? Why would a headrest canted forward be better than something straight, which is how the spine is aligned to begin with? I'm sure the answers favor the canted headrest, or they wouldn't be screwing around with putting them in all the vehicles...just would be interesting to see a video of the same crash, one with a canted headrest, one with a normal headrest. Chuck The thing about canted forward headreats are that they arrest rearward head movement in rebound phase of whiplash, BEFORE the neck has a chance to 'hyperextend', which is what actually does the damage. The airbag is supposed to reduce anterior cervical spine injury during the forward motion, and the headrest will help prevent posterior spine fractures. So together these mechanisms reduce overall spinal injury. For those that don't know, any spinal injury severe enough to sever the cord is a one way ticket to a wheelchair. And if the injury is high up (higher than C-4), you are on a ventilator the rest of your life, like actor Christopher Reeves. Plus, whiplash gets progressively more dangerous as you get older due to the narrowing of the spinal tract of the vertebrae. THEREFORE, cant-forward headrest=good, old fashioned headrest=bad. Nuff said! Edited December 18, 2008 by joihan777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucky2 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Thanks for the explanations! This active head restraint...is it an airbag in your headrest? Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 The thing about canted forward headreats are that they arrest rearward head movement in rebound phase of whiplash, BEFORE the neck has a chance to 'hyperextend', which is what actually does the damage. The airbag is supposed to reduce anterior cervical spine injury during the forward motion, and the headrest will help prevent posterior spine fractures. So together these mechanisms reduce overall spinal injury. For those that don't know, any spinal injury severe enough to severe the cord is a one way ticket to a wheelchair. And if the injury is high up (higher than C-4), you are on a ventilator the rest of your life, like actor Christopher Reeves. Plus, whiplash gets progressively more dangerous as you get older due to the narrowing of the spinal tract of the vertebrae. THEREFORE, cant-forward headrest=good, old fashioned headrest=bad. Nuff said! don't get me wrong, i FULLY understand the reasoning...just the execution I don't like....kinda like a person that talks to you 3 inches from your face....the headrest is in my space, needs to back off.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Thanks for the explanations! This active head restraint...is it an airbag in your headrest? Chuck It works similarly to an airbag, in that the restraint will move itself forward to meet the head when an impact is detected. I believe this tech was first developed by Volvo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joihan777 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 don't get me wrong, i FULLY understand the reasoning...just the execution I don't like....kinda like a person that talks to you 3 inches from your face....the headrest is in my space, needs to back off.... I understand your point Dean, but I think it is like a seatbelt. It gets in the way every once in a while, but you know its for a good reason and you get used to it being there. As an owner of a S197 Mustang, I can tell you I don't even notice until I need to get something out of my front pants pocket while driving... and that's only at the drive through and what not. So I'm used to it and really don't notice it at all! The only complaints I've heard is from girls I know that say they can't drive with ponytails up, and sometimes they want to do that, especially in a vert! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucky2 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 It works similarly to an airbag, in that the restraint will move itself forward to meet the head when an impact is detected. I believe this tech was first developed by Volvo. Weird then that Ford didn't pursue that more, as having Volvo "in-house" should have given them the expertise to implement it. I'm sure the active system is way more costly than just forming the seat foam though...bummer, for me, an active would be definitely something I'd be willing to pay for. How hard would it be to option? The seats are JIT'd anyways...not like they couldn't make the seat to order.... Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I understand your point Dean, but I think it is like a seatbelt. It gets in the way every once in a while, but you know its for a good reason and you get used to it being there. As an owner of a S197 Mustang, I can tell you I don't even notice until I need to get something out of my front pants pocket while driving... and that's only at the drive through and what not. So I'm used to it and really don't notice it at all! The only complaints I've heard is from girls I know that say they can't drive with ponytails up, and sometimes they want to do that, especially in a vert! all griping aside..and apologies for turning this into a headrest diatribe, I absolutely LOVE the Flex...and SO do the people that own them...not ONE complaint ( barring the telescoping steering wheel and the "just takes time to get used to it Headrests! ) Awesome, and my judgement comes from the fact i too wouldn't mind owning one in the slightest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92merc Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 As I under stand the active systems, the basically work something similar to seat belts. They "sense" the forward momentum as you're stopping. That then triggers a mechanism in the seat backs that pulls downward, thus pushing the headrest closer to the head. There are a few different ways of accomplishing what I've stated above. But they all boil down to more hardware inside the seatbacks that move the headrest forward during sudden deceleration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Weird then that Ford didn't pursue that more, as having Volvo "in-house" should have given them the expertise to implement it. I'm sure the active system is way more costly than just forming the seat foam though...bummer, for me, an active would be definitely something I'd be willing to pay for. How hard would it be to option? The seats are JIT'd anyways...not like they couldn't make the seat to order.... Chuck Oh I definitely agree that active restraints should be available on a vehicle the price of the Flex. On a car like the Fiesta or Focus though, I can see why it would be skipped over. Ford has access to the tech. I'm pretty sure some Volvos currently use them already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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