You must have a posture like Shrek? I mean I have NOT met a person yet that thinks there GREAT ...
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There are 4-way adjustable head restraints for the Bronc...
Yeah, they are actually officially called head restraints not headrests. They are a safety feature, not a comfort feature.
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Yes, but it's designed wrong. The head restraint is not supposed to actually touch your head.
It should be about 1.5-2" behind your head, so that in the event of a rear end collision head movement is minimized.
It should never touch your head during normal driving
It's a matter of degree(s) (both figuratively and literally).
Does a head have more time to move backwards relative to the head restraint when the gap is increased, sure, yes, basic physics. However, what the restraint does is both limit acceleration and more importantly limit the maximum angle of travel of one's neck.
The amount of additional acceleration in this adjusted configuration is so minimal compared to perhaps 70 degrees of movement without the restraint, it just isn't consequential.
The modified version will do its job fully.
Did Ford fo extensive simulation and testing and purposefully decide an that angle, based on data - indeed very likely. Although cosmetics are always involved too. Is there any real world, statistically significant risk of a greater likelihood or greater severity of injury from this very small adjustment. HIGHLY doubtful.
It's really basic cause and effect where the size of the effect is directly proportional to the size of the cause. No, not always, and not always directly, but this is the principle here.
Wife said I kinda have tech neck and I need to work on my posture. Thinking about why, while driving, I realized my non-adjustable headrests push my head unnaturally forward when I rest my head on it and I’ve had my seat adjusted a little farther back to compensate and it’s uncomfortable to put my head against the headrest. So, looked into buying the adjustable headrests so that I can lean them back, and planning on swapping over covers. Pulled one of mine off to look at how cover comes off. Free will kicked in, and I put one prong at a time fully into my receiver hitch and bent them straighter until they were comfortable. You can feel in the foam the top of the prongs form a U shape, grab the top of the head rest and around that headrest frame there.
Best free mod ever idk how I went 3 years with them so far forward like that! Pics are passenger side stock. 2nd is how I held them in my hitch and pulled upwards making small adjustment at a time and making sure to get them perfectly even. Then 3rd pic is after, drivers side done and passenger side not done yet.
Perform this mod at your own risk, end result may be more likely to cause injury in a bad rear end crash. Didn’t feel like the metal work hardened or lost any integrity, but if you’re scared then pay up for the adjustable ones. I didn’t care if I broke them because I was going to buy new ones anyways.
I applaud your way of thinking! But a word of warning… If you’re ever in an accident, especially if you’re rear ended, DO NOT mention your adjustment to ANYONE! ANYONE!! If the insurance company, yours or another, find out that you made adjustments to your vehicle safety equipment, which is the primary purpose of headrests, they will guaranteed refuse to pay!!
And there could be repercussions from anyone injured in your car while riding with you. Including a lawsuit holding you responsible for injuries the insurance company won’t pay! Safe travels, be well!
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I have the leather seats, so this is not an issue. I had a loaner for a while with cloth seats and found the headrests to be incredibly annoying. It made it hard to turn my head and look backwards (Yes, I still do that). I hated the way it pushes your head forward more than any other car I've been in. I wonder how much $ to order the adjustable ones from Ford.
Not all models have the adjustable head restraint.
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I, like the OP, also bent mine head restraint back as the forward angle of the restraint does not allow you to sit with your seat in a more up right position. I prefer the up right position, picture a rally driver, as it allows me better access to all of the controls on my dash, and a stronger ability to properly pressure my brake pedal in an emergency.
If I was to have left the head restraint in the position from factory, I would be visiting a chiropractor on a weekly basis.
If I was to have left the head restraint in the position from factory, I would be visiting a chiropractor on a weekly basis.
I did this in my rental big bend before I bought my heritage. In my heritage, it didn't seem as bad as before, but with my new purple seat cushion (2" height), the head rest doesn't feel that bad. It must be the added height that makes the head rest more comfortable.
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But apparently if you adjust your adjustable headrests back ... you are risking life and limb.
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I like to wear a cowboy hat and the forward tilt does not work with a cowboy hat. So, rather than bend I pulled the headrest out, flipped it around and put it back in the holes. Problem solved and can reverse when not wearing my hat.
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Exactly right. ford is clearly trying to kill people who ordered leather seats.But apparently if you adjust your adjustable headrests back ... you are risking life and limb.
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