cumquat

just curious how you have your seat set when you drive. my mom and sister have the seat set close to perfectly straight and close to the wheel while i like it laid back and a bit farther away (my mom is 5' 2", my sis is 5' 4" and i'm 5' 6"-8"). they both ask me "how can you see?" or "how can you stand laying back so far?" and i say "how can you stand sitting straight up?" and "how do you get in?".

dont get the wrong idea, i "lay" (they exaggerate, but my seat is tilted back somewhat far) while driving because it gives my some back discomfort if i dont (i've had back issues for the past decade... i'm 18), not to look cool. i can see perfectly out the windshield and i have full view of the gauges.

any way, do you have similar discussions with the other drivers in your house or workplace?

Ttam Says Blarg

Im tall.. at 6'3'' with super lanky legs I sit way back. The girl cant drive my car. The seat is electric and doesnt work anymore so she cant reach the pedals.

FahrtAutoRC

I usually sit fairly far back and my legs are fine, I slouch a little, but thats because I am all torso (I guess) and usually touch the roof sitting straight up. I drove my mothers Cobalt SS when she was over the other day and to sit up stright I had to pen the sunroof or every little bump I'd hit my head!

DarkFire989

6' 2" and I have my seat all the way back in my Corolla and my legs are still bent, I dont know if it matters but I drive a stick.

Lunchboxer

Whatever is more comfortable for ya.. !

But for performance driving, you want to sit close enough so when you are holding the steering wheel with both hands, your elbows are bent.. some would use a rough rule of extending your both arms straight and have your wrists at the top of the steering wheel.. this is to make sure you have enough leverage to turn the wheel..

But everyone's different, so there's really no right or wrong answer..

lee172

This. I'm 5' 11" and sit pretty close, but the Clio does have a crap driving position..

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

Kinda depends on the car. If it's an automatic, the seat is usually further back. If it's a manual, the seat is further forward so I can press the clutch without fully extending my leg every time.

Lunchboxer

Nothing wrong w/ sitting close.. although it might not be ideal for street car.. (w/ airbag, etc.) On a race car w/ no airbag and full harness, you always see the driver sitting really close.. give you better leverage on the steering wheel.. also, the shifter is typically moved up as well, so the distance between the steering wheel and the shifter is minimized.. (since your hands should be on the wheel most of the time other than the brief moment when you are shifting..)

The_Shark

6'2 with a 6'6 "wingspan" i have to set the seat ALL the way back, the only car ive ever driven where i wasn't uncomfortable was in a 2008 Chrysler 300.

i sit all the way back, seat tilted maybe 30deg back (like how you sit in a theater seat) lower cushion tilted up 20deg. steering wheel all the way forward, one click up from centered in the column.

my mom sits with the seat straight up, it irritates the hell out of me!

SyCo_VeNoM

Where ever it wants to go(all the way back) seeing its broken, and I've yet to find one in good shape for my model in a junk yard over the past 5 years or so of looking.

The 1st owner of my car was handicapped, and broke the seats getting in and out, along with trashed a good chunk of the upholstery in the front with his wheel chair.

Infuriates me when my sister uses the car seeing she pulls the seat all the way forward, and never returns it to the farthest position.

I'm 6'1, and I've driven a few cars where I felt like I was a clown in a circus getting out of those ridiculously tiny cars. My sisters corolla is one, than she had a 93 chevy cavalier prior to that(I've fallen over getting out cause my legs were completely numb from the cramped quarters.) The cavalier I wanted to rip the front seat out and sit in the back seat to drive it.

I own a 98 chevy monte carlo, and that suckers giving me back issues due to having to squat down to put my face by the steering wheel see traffic lights. Most comfy car I owned was a 1988 delta 88 royal I would love to get that car back it was the only car I've owned that I actually LOVED to drive, and work on.

FahrtAutoRC

The worst one I ever owned was a *shudder* 1996 Ford Aspire, one of the little hatchbacks. The car was so small that when I replaced the drivers seat I sat in the back when it was out of the car and comfortably reached the pedals and the steering wheel! Not to mention it had a whopping 63 Hp, and topped out at 75 downhill [&:]

cumquat

note to self: when i start my car company, build cheap cars for tall people. i will make a fortune!

thatcoolguyfromva

if they keep complaining just everytime you get out push the seat ALL THE WAY UP (caps for emphasis) and just leave it that way lol

cumquat

i've done that. my sis laughed.

Foxy

Depends what kind of driving I'm doing. If I'm really going for it (street racing, not that I do anything like that of course - whistles innocently), then I not only adjust the seat but also the wheel itself. The seat goes forward as much as possible, the steering wheel goes down as much as possible, the back of the seat almost upright. I hold the wheel at 10 to 2 with bent elbows and require minimal movement to change gear.

For normal driving, I use a normal driving position, fairly laid back, arm straight with hand on top of the wheel, wheel up a bit to give my knees more room.

There is a correct way to sit when driving fast, and it makes a difference. The rest of the time, whatever makes you comfy!

J.D.T

I agree with Foxy, pretty laid back for street driving but at the dragstrip or racetrack I am up on the wheel as much as possible, at 6'3" thats usually about half way back and only a slight incline to the seat.

proanti1

My Feedback: (2)

I had an 88 Chevy Sprint, 3 cylinder 1 liter Suzuki engine. It was like driving a go kart...

Foxy

Dude, with a disproportionate reach like that you could have been a great boxer.

DarkFire989

In my Dad's 530i I have to have the lower cushion angled back or else my legs are crunched. Pushing the seat all the way back alone will not let me fit comfortably.

The_Shark

yeah my arms are pretty messed up, i decided to test my reach and i found out i can reach something on top of the fridge (not in) while on me knees and can itch any part of my back with the one arm, It also explains why i'm a very good swimmer.

Only thing im still nervous about is the marfan syndrome, which proves to be fatal usually by heart attack, however i don't have a elevated palate, breathing issues or bad eyes- my eyes are above average- mafan sufferers usually have major eye problems such as detached retinas.

who knows? maybe my great grandpa was a orangutan?

flyntruk

My Feedback: (5)

  I like my seat as far back and as flat as it goes ... I like to drive like i'm gonna sleep on my couch ..

SyCo_VeNoM

if its leg room is anything like a camery I feel sorry for ya
When I have to drive my sisters (mainly to pick it up from the shop when shes at work) I feel like a clown in a clown car, and my legs usually go numb...

My 98 monte carlo I also find uncomfortable. I got the seat all the way back, and unfortunately it don't recline cause the original owner broke the seats(He was handicapped getting the chair in and out)

Actually best car I ever drove, and owned for comfort was a 1988 Delta 88 royal I SOOOO MISS that car the seats went so far back I couldn't even touch the pedals(6'1), and it was power everything.
Damn crackheads that tried stealing it, and completely screwed it up trying to hot wire it(seriously they had to be high there was no way to actually steal it where it was parked, along with the sheer amount of damage they did trying to steal it).

The_Shark

Someone tried stealing from my unlocked vette, I completely disable it when I park it making it impossible to hotwire, I guess they didn't want my 8-tracks and physics papers[&:]

locking a car is a double edge sword, you deter thiefs from stealing your things and your car, but if they want something, they will peel back your door, bust windows and take it anyway.

I NEVER have anything of value in my car, and I ALWAYS disable the car from being started, by the time you hotwire it and find out that nothing happens, I will meet you with a .45 revolver in hand.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

ThunderbirdJunkie sits closer to the wheel than his woman (6'1 for ThunderbirdJunkie, 5'8" for the woman)

His thighs are slightly elevated, knees above hips, knees at about a 45* angle, elbows about a 60 degree angle, and seatback at maybe 15-20 degreesish. The Volkswagen has a telescopic wheel, which helps (Holy seat adjustments, Batman! If you can't get comfortable in a modern VW, there's something wrong with you) but he cannot get comfortable in the chick's 2010 Fusion.

Foxy

I never used to lock the s2000 for this reason. Unless they posessed my key (immobiliser in key) or were very professional thieves, after my specific car (in which case there's nothing you can do anyway), they wouldn't have been able to start it, so they would only be after the contents, which was nothing of value. I'd rather they open the door and look for themselves, rather than slice open the soft top for nothing.