2018 Interstate Lounge Ext
High Desert , Las Vegas
, Nevada
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,460
Best Multi-Function Cupholder, Pod, Electronic & Multi-Accessory Mounting System
Best Multi-Function Cupholder, Pod, Electronic & Multi-Accessory Mounting System
Just finished installing this morning, in time for our holiday trip to Brianhead, UT. This is one of the most unique and best mounting systems I have seen for indoor/outdoor use, whether it be car, rv, boat, kayak, bicycle, motorbike, house, airplane, scooter, or even a skateboard.
- Flexible mounting system.
- Horizontal, vertical, tube, or rail mounts.
- Surface or recessed mounts.
- Quick connect & quick disconnect.
- Dozens of mounts & holders for electronics, outdoor gear & accessories, etc.
- Mounting possibilities are only limited by your imagination (see pics).
- I used the recessed mount method which is the most stable and best built-in from factory look. But it will cause irreversible "damage"; i.e. you will cut holes on your armrest ultraleather, armrest alu-metal framing and the black plastic seatbase (to install 2 bolt bolts & 1.25" recessed attachment hole).
Single cup holder with cycling thermos on driver's armrest.
Single cup holder with a handled mug on driver's armrest.
Stowage pod with configurable divider on driver's armrest.
Stowage pod with cycling thermos & handled mug on driver's armrest.
Driver's POV of single cup holder with cycling thermos.
Driver's POV of empty single cup holder.
Driver's POV of stowage pod configured as double holder of cycling thermos & handled mug.
Passenger's POV of single cup holder mounted horizontally on driver's armrest and stowage pod mounted vertically on driver's seat base loaded with 3 containers.
Driver's armrest with stowage pod attached in the full upright position.
^^ That would be my deal-breaker. With the length of driving that I do, I need somewhere to put my WHOLE arm, not just perch an elbow.
So while this is an elegant device and an obvious expert installation, it would not be my personal choice. Hence my own design, cross-posted from another thread (and having just done a 6,162-mile trip, I can confirm that having this was a game-changer):
2018 Interstate Lounge Ext
High Desert , Las Vegas
, Nevada
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,460
Quote:
Originally Posted by 73shark
Where do you put your arm?
73SHARK - I am trying to understand your question but could not. Maybe you did not get the way the system works. I will try to re-word for you - it's big advantage is its flexibility. Remove cupholder in 2 seconds. Replace with another module in 2 seconds. You can even do it while driving, its that easy. If you want to use your armrest, then dont put the cup holder there. Put it on the seatbase by drivers hip. Simple and quick. I have added 2 different driver accessible units that can hold 3 drinks/cups/bottles. Even with armrest cupholder removed, the stowage pod can still carry 2 drinks right next to drivers hip/body. Pretty sure no existing factory equipped AI has that, even 2020's.
By the time my order of extra mounts arrive, I will have a total of 6 mounting bases (2 on driver seat, 2 on passenger seat, 2 on center of dash on either side of Fusion head unit) for a total of 6 drinks minimum to 12 drink containers maximum within reach of driver & passenger (or 8 max if not using armrest). Pictures below that WACHUKO requested for seatbase mounting, maybe that helps you to visualize the system's flexibility better.
As for me, I never use armrests (other than for this newfound accessory mount). Left arm/hands at 9o'clock. Right arm/hands at 3o'clock, unless I am drinking something. As a teen, I flunked my first DMV drive test because I rested my hand on the shifter (it was an automatic) and never heard the end of it from the high school haters making fun of me flunking. So, that got ingrained in my head as a big no-no. Both hands on steering wheel always. Still have a hard time just picking up my bottle to drink a few seconds. My AI driver armrests were always in upright position, until now. Wife uses armrest on passenger seat. She also has the option to use or remove her cupholder. I have driven from Chicago to Cape Cod non-stop (solo) and LA to Chicago non-stop (with a 2nd driver) without EVER using an armrest a single time.
WACHUKO - seatbase pics of mount, with cup holder or stowage pod installed. POV from drivers seat of access to seatbase drinks and armrest usage if you dont care to mount anything on armrest.
I'm reminded of that famous line from the movie "Working Girl" where Sigourney Weaver is called out on her "bony ***". I could use a little more padding in that region myself. On long drives, I use the armrest and my left leg to relieve pressure points. I actually drive long distances bearing considerable weight on my left leg.
Now, if someone does not have that same kind of limitation, it opens up the possibility of not using the arm rest quite as much.
BTW, the Royal Purple seat cushion proved its worth on this trip, both for me and my husband. We noticed that the long driving stretches were better with it than without. It doesn't actually "feel good" per se, but it does alleviate pressure points. Other seat cushions, such as memory foam, seem to feel better overall, but don't do as good a job on the ground zero of the worst pressure points.
2018 Interstate Lounge Ext
High Desert , Las Vegas
, Nevada
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,460
Quote:
Originally Posted by InterBlog
I'm reminded of that famous line from the movie "Working Girl" where Sigourney Weaver is called out on her "bony ***". I could use a little more padding in that region myself. On long drives, I use the armrest and my left leg to relieve pressure points. I actually drive long distances bearing considerable weight on my left leg.
Now, if someone does not have that same kind of limitation, it opens up the possibility of not using the arm rest quite as much.
BTW, the Royal Purple seat cushion proved its worth on this trip, both for me and my husband. We noticed that the long driving stretches were better with it than without. It doesn't actually "feel good" per se, but it does alleviate pressure points. Other seat cushions, such as memory foam, seem to feel better overall, but don't do as good a job on the ground zero of the worst pressure points.
INTERBLOG - Funny you mention pressure points and the Royal Purple. When I am a passenger (which is not often coz I can not sleep in a moving car anyway) I am more susceptible to pressure points, so I not only use armrest BUT I want 2 armrests (L & R). Since AI only has 1 inboard armrest, I am looking to see if I can add an outboard one for passenger seat.
What is the Royal Purple cushion made of? It looks comfy and your review of it's performance on long drive makes me want to buy just to try. But can it be cut like the foam you used on your armrest table? When I cut up the driver armrest to install my mount, there wasn't really much padding there to begin with, just the thick ultraleather AS used, the black MB fabric and foam underneath. (see pic). I never knew this before since I never used it. I am tempted to redo the passenger folding armrest padding with the Royal Purple if I can cut it to size. Maybe even add it to the door armrest too
I keep both hands on the wheel a 9 and 3, but I do use the armrest. I usually remember to put it down about an hour into a trip. My wife never uses hers.
I would love to have an armrest on the door that matches the UltraLeather and looks original. There are some on the net, but they all look like cheap add-ons.
I do have one black UltraLeather jump seat left from the 2014.5 twin conversion that perfectly matches the 2018 seats. There are a couple of Hispanic upholstery shops here in Austin that are real artists in leather. I'm tempted to create the padded body of a door armrest and take the seat and armrest body to one of those shops and let them cover it professionally, using the jump seat cover. I think the result would be great. I would pull the door panel and attach the armrest from the back.
__________________
John W. Irwin
2018 Interstate GT, "Sabre-Dog V"
WBCCI #9632
2018 Interstate Lounge Ext
High Desert , Las Vegas
, Nevada
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,460
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pahaska
would love to have an armrest on the door that matches the UltraLeather and looks original. There are some on the net, but they all look like cheap add-ons.
I think the result would be great. I would pull the door panel and attach the armrest from the back.
JOHN - Yeah, the pic in my prior post above was from Upfitters Resource and they want $283. There no way I would spend $300 on that. The one from AdvancedRV below is only $89 but it looks even worse. I thought ARV would have done better given their reputation
INTERBLOG -
...
What is the Royal Purple cushion made of? It looks comfy and your review of it's performance on long drive makes me want to buy just to try. But can it be cut like the foam you used on your armrest table? ...
It's made out of high-density gel-like stuff. It could probably be cut, but I would not do it personally. I'm happy with the closed-cell foam thing I made for our armrest. And I'll likely be replacing it as it gets worn.
And it WILL get worn. Here's an example below of how hard I am on armrests. This is my old office chair which is really quite beat up but I still use it (although I keep it out of public view - it's filthy). For my main chair, I replaced this one with a thousand-dollar high-end office chair but the same thing happened to the armrests on that one, too. My husband LOST it, saying "OMG, I refuse to look at that mess yet again!!" So he stripped off both of those other armrests and had a local automotive guy refurbish them with something better. Which turned out to be a fortuitous meeting, because that guy did such good work that we later hired him to create our cab carpeting for the Interstate.
As for this particular mess, I cover it by slipping a black sock over it so it won't be as ugly.
2018 Interstate Lounge Ext
High Desert , Las Vegas
, Nevada
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,460
Passenger Cupholder & Mounts Fnally Arrived
Passenger Cupholder & Mounts Finally Arrived
Finally got the passenger seat cupholder, mounts,and stowage pod installed. Had to insert 1" diameter x3/4" depth metal caps under the recessed mounts so that tightening the 2 mounting bolts does not compress the foam cushioning. The last 2 pics below with loaded water bottles (compared to 1st pic with no cupholder) show the foam cushioning is not compressed at all. The wife is now happy with her own cupholder & stowage pod for our CO trip this weekend. Took a longer time drilling through the passenger armrest metal, it appears to be much heavier gauge than on the driver's side?
Holding off putting the extra mounts on the dash until we decide if really needed. Wife says we got more than enough right now. Will know by end of next week's CO trip Did not want to clutter up dash any more than it is (as is obvious in the pics).
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