Moved seat - much smoother driving

[V8S]

I've never been able to get a comfortable position in the Honda saloon (whereas I can in the Tiv) where I can reach the pedals and not have my nose in the steering wheel, nor get back ache or have my elbows bent too much. I'm not a short arse but I've tended to put the seat forward enough so that I'm not extending too much to use the pedals.

But last night I achieved a much more comfortable position by moving the seat back so that my left leg is now extended almost fully when operating the clutch pedal.

It's amazing how much this made a difference to the smoothness, relaxedness and confidence of my driving now. My arms can now give much more precise movements of the wheel and gearchanges don't seem so hurried.

Is setting up of the driving position part of advanced courses? It seems to make a huge difference if you get it right.


Graham

[Fat Audi 80]

V8S said:

I've never been able to get a comfortable position in the Honda saloon (whereas I can in the Tiv) where I can reach the pedals and not have my nose in the steering wheel, nor get back ache or have my elbows bent too much. I'm not a short arse but I've tended to put the seat forward enough so that I'm not extending too much to use the pedals.

But last night I achieved a much more comfortable position by moving the seat back so that my left leg is now extended almost fully when operating the clutch pedal.

It's amazing how much this made a difference to the smoothness, relaxedness and confidence of my driving now. My arms can now give much more precise movements of the wheel and gearchanges don't seem so hurried.

Is setting up of the driving position part of advanced courses? It seems to make a huge difference if you get it right.


Graham

First thing I was told when having an advanced lesson was that I was too far from the wheel. Yes, it makes a huge difference. Amazing really!

Cheers,

Steve

[Big Fat F'er]

V8S said:

Is setting up of the driving position part of advanced courses? It seems to make a huge difference if you get it right.

Absolutely. Understanding how the driving position affects you is part of the Advanced 'knowledge', and checking the driving position is part of the cockpit drill. On EVERY journey.

It's covered on every Advanced course, civilian or otherwise. It's mentioned in all the publications, the Roadcraft video/DVD, Forces Familiarisation training, etc, etc. etc.

Not only that, any Advanced examiner will describe those candidates that sit too far back, and drive the exam with arms outstretched at 9/3 oclock, and you KNOW that after the exam they are driving home, start to relax, and end up with one hand held at 6 oclock.

[bor]

Last advice I was given:

1. Leg should still be bent when at maximum extension of clutch/brake - reason is in case of accident you won't damage your knee due to extending your leg straight and locking your knee joint.

2. Seat back relatively upright. With your right hand @ 10 o'clock, your shoulder should not be lifting away from the backrest.

This is somewhat awkward for me as I'm 6ft 2", but generally, I'm sitting close to the steering wheel.

[rsvmilly]

I just cannot get properly comfortable in my Evo. There is no up-down adjustment on the bucket seats. I am either slightly too close to the pedals or too far from the steering wheel and gear lever. Basically, the pedal box is too close for me.

[maddog993]

The other thing that is often overlooked- or misunderstood- is the seat height (if it's adjustable). You are supposed to position the seat as low as it will go while still being able to see over the steering-wheel. The theory being that the lower you are the more comfortable you will be and the better you can feel the balance of the car. The majority of drivers tend to sit far too high.

[hanse cronje]

maddog993 said:

The other thing that is often overlooked- or misunderstood- is the seat height (if it's adjustable). You are supposed to position the seat as low as it will go while still being able to see over the steering-wheel. The theory being that the lower you are the more comfortable you will be and the better you can feel the balance of the car. The majority of drivers tend to sit far too high.

that's odd i was told to sit as high as possible as it helped to give better force to braking

and to sit so that the clutch pedal was depressed just beyond the biting point as there was no need to go any further

[Philbes]

I find that a major influence on whether I can get comfortable in a car is its basic construction - the relationship between the wheel, seat and pedals. Are they in-line and square to each other. As our cars are RH drive and many cars are designed to be LH drive we suffer from compromised driving positions. Steering wheels offset and angled relative to the seat and offset pedals are common. Insufficient head room is another problem.

I have refused to even test drive a car because the pedals were offset and my head touched the room (I am just 5 -ffot tall, but long in the body).

I find that japanese xcars (Nissan Primera and Honda Civic & Accord particularly) often suit me. Because they are designed as RH drive?

[maddog993]

hanse cronje said:

maddog993 said:

The other thing that is often overlooked- or misunderstood- is the seat height (if it's adjustable). You are supposed to position the seat as low as it will go while still being able to see over the steering-wheel. The theory being that the lower you are the more comfortable you will be and the better you can feel the balance of the car. The majority of drivers tend to sit far too high.

that's odd i was told to sit as high as possible as it helped to give better force to braking

and to sit so that the clutch pedal was depressed just beyond the biting point as there was no need to go any further

In a modern vehicle with competent servo brakes this should not be an issue- as long as fore/aft positioning has been adjusted so that the brake and clutch pedal may both be fully depressed whilst still having a comfortable bend in the knees- there should be no problem in applying the brakes(or clutch) with sufficient force. Also, consider the fact that the higher up you sit, the more you actually restrict the natural range of movement and downward force the legs are able to exert upon the pedals as the seat squab progressively reduces this the higher you go. Really the only way increased force may be applied from a high seating position is if the torso is used in order to almost literally 'stand' on the brakes and if this is the case then your seating position-and driving style-is seriously flawed!

Edited by maddog993 on Saturday 17th June 00:02

[hanse cronje]

maddog993 said:

hanse cronje said:

maddog993 said:

The other thing that is often overlooked- or misunderstood- is the seat height (if it's adjustable). You are supposed to position the seat as low as it will go while still being able to see over the steering-wheel. The theory being that the lower you are the more comfortable you will be and the better you can feel the balance of the car. The majority of drivers tend to sit far too high.

that's odd i was told to sit as high as possible as it helped to give better force to braking

and to sit so that the clutch pedal was depressed just beyond the biting point as there was no need to go any further

In a modern vehicle with competent servo brakes this should not be an issue- as long as fore/aft positioning has been adjusted so that the brake and clutch pedal may both be fully depressed whilst still having a comfortable bend in the knees- there should be no problem in applying the brakes(or clutch) with sufficient force. Also, consider the fact that the higher up you sit, the more you actually restrict the natural range of movement and downward force the legs are able to exert upon the pedals as the seat squab progressively reduces this the higher you go. Really the only way increased force may be applied from a high seating position is if the torso is used in order to almost literally 'stand' on the brakes and if this is the case then your seating position-and driving style-is seriously flawed!

Edited by maddog993 on Saturday 17th June 00:02

no the force comes from my thighs nothing to with my torse

no flaws thanks

[TripleS]

hanse cronje said:

....I was told to sit as high as possible as it helped to give better force to braking

and to sit so that the clutch pedal was depressed just beyond the biting point as there was no need to go any further

I might be wrong, but I would have thought the height of your seating position was unlikely to make a significant difference to the braking force you can apply.

As for the range of clutch pedal movement, being able to move the pedal to just beyond the biting point sounds adequate in theory, though I haven't heard that being advocated before. My own preference is to be able to depress the clutch pedal full travel.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[maddog993]

hanse cronje said:

[quote=maddog993]


no the force comes from my thighs nothing to with my torse

no flaws thanks

Pleased to hear it ,- I use an extreme and slightly facetious example to demonstrate the point - it's highly unlikely you end up standing on the pedals (not to say pretty much physically impossible in most vehicles) but equally it relates to the specious suggestion that more force may be applied to the pedals from a higher seating position. Maximum comfort and leg extension mobility is likely to be attained through a lower seating position- the Quadriceps take care of the rest.
By way of reference check out Vic Elfords 'High-Performance Driving Hand Book' which goes into some detail regarding this point.

[hanse cronje]

maddog993 said:

hanse cronje said:

[quote=maddog993]


no the force comes from my thighs nothing to with my torse

no flaws thanks

Pleased to hear it ,- I use an extreme and slightly facetious example to demonstrate the point - it's highly unlikely you end up standing on the pedals (not to say pretty much physically impossible in most vehicles) but equally it relates to the specious suggestion that more force may be applied to the pedals from a higher seating position. Maximum comfort and leg extension mobility is likely to be attained through a lower seating position- the Quadriceps take care of the rest.
By way of reference check out Vic Elfords 'High-Performance Driving Hand Book' which goes into some detail regarding this point.

isbn no for the book?

trying a slightly lower seat position a little odd for now

[maddog993]

Hanse,
Vic's book -'Porsche High-Performance Driving Hand-Book' -(ignore the porsche bit which is quite misleading as the book is a general reference in terms of driving theory, although Vic's 'special relationship' with Porsche mean a number of anecdotes relate to these and the publishers probably thought they could shift a few more copies aiming it squarely at Porsche'sters!)

ISBN 0-87938-849-8