Short people who drive a Chim
Discussion
Being 5'8" or there abouts, I'm not exactly vertically blessed although I fit the Chim like a glove and find it really easy to get comfy. My girlfriend however is around 5'1" (I think) and is struggling to drive the Chim. Normally this would be great news, but as she owns half the car it's a bit unfair that she can't drive it!
I've wound the pedals right out so that now the clutch and brake are much higher than the throttle putting heel & toe out to stud
The steering wheel is fine and the seat adjusts fully, but the seat belt seems to be quite short so that when the seat is further forward the belt pins you back very hard. My poor g/f can't move once strapped in. Again, normally this is a good thing
but when behind the wheel of the Chim it's a different story. I think the O/S belt seems shorter than the N/S one.
Are they just universal inertia reel belts or are they angle-sensitive and lifted from another car? I'm wondering if I can find one with more length
Has anyone else carried out any mods to make them more user friendly to the vertically challenged?
Cheers!
I've wound the pedals right out so that now the clutch and brake are much higher than the throttle putting heel & toe out to stud
The steering wheel is fine and the seat adjusts fully, but the seat belt seems to be quite short so that when the seat is further forward the belt pins you back very hard. My poor g/f can't move once strapped in. Again, normally this is a good thing
but when behind the wheel of the Chim it's a different story. I think the O/S belt seems shorter than the N/S one.Are they just universal inertia reel belts or are they angle-sensitive and lifted from another car? I'm wondering if I can find one with more length
Has anyone else carried out any mods to make them more user friendly to the vertically challenged?
Cheers!
Edited by Kitchski on Wednesday 2nd January 23:10
You need a comfy cushion! I'm 5'3 and require the seat to be as far forward as possible, the seat tilted back though so I don't look squashed up against the wheel, and the pedals completely extended plus a cushion for back support! And despite a few comments, a killer pair of heels (not necessary though) 
It can be done, enjoy!
It can be done, enjoy!
I had the same problem and resorted to moving the seat forward a couple of inches to enable the wife to be able to drive the car properly , it enables you to keep the pedals set up ok and if the seat belt causes problems you can install a guide that keeps it away from the neck area - clive f sells them .
Cat01 said:
You need a comfy cushion! I'm 5'3 and require the seat to be as far forward as possible, the seat tilted back though so I don't look squashed up against the wheel, and the pedals completely extended plus a cushion for back support! And despite a few comments, a killer pair of heels (not necessary though)
It can be done, enjoy!
Where did you get those lights??Fabulous conversion.It can be done, enjoy!
Had this problem in our Cerb.
I couldn't reach to get the power down, or to brake properly. A set of pedal extenders from Leven, and I had no trouble at all after that.
Dave 500 said:
Which is how I know this is good advice. I couldn't reach to get the power down, or to brake properly. A set of pedal extenders from Leven, and I had no trouble at all after that.
Codshead said:
Cat01 said:
You need a comfy cushion! I'm 5'3 and require the seat to be as far forward as possible, the seat tilted back though so I don't look squashed up against the wheel, and the pedals completely extended plus a cushion for back support! And despite a few comments, a killer pair of heels (not necessary though)
It can be done, enjoy!
Where did you get those lights??Fabulous conversion.It can be done, enjoy!
I'm fairly short (5'5 with short legs) and with the clutch and brake wound right out I can get them down fine, but I now have a similar problem to the OP with the accelerator, ie it's below the brake and getting it all the way down is a bit of a stretch. I'm going to have a look sometime to see if the throttle cable has any more adjustability to it - otherwise it'll have to be the extendible Leven pedals (annoyingly the car already seems to have non-standard pedals, which I assume are from Leven, but they're not extendible ones).
One thing I did was to recline the seat a bit more. It seems counter intuitive, but if you lean back a bit more then it pushes your bum forward and hence your legs stick out a bit more - and I found the position more comfortable in the TVR than my previous more upright position inherited from more boring cars. It also means you don't feel so squashed up against the steering wheel and you have more room to move your arms. The only problem is it makes it harder to see the front of the bonnet, but you can always lean forward a bit when manoevering.
Apart from the accelerator issue I'm pretty impressed by the Chim ergonomically - it is the only car I have ever driven where I can operate all the controls, including the heater and radio, without having to stretch or lean forward in my seat.
One thing I did was to recline the seat a bit more. It seems counter intuitive, but if you lean back a bit more then it pushes your bum forward and hence your legs stick out a bit more - and I found the position more comfortable in the TVR than my previous more upright position inherited from more boring cars. It also means you don't feel so squashed up against the steering wheel and you have more room to move your arms. The only problem is it makes it harder to see the front of the bonnet, but you can always lean forward a bit when manoevering.
Apart from the accelerator issue I'm pretty impressed by the Chim ergonomically - it is the only car I have ever driven where I can operate all the controls, including the heater and radio, without having to stretch or lean forward in my seat.
Just to add, the seat belt in mine seems to give plenty of room with the seat right forward, so there may be something not quite right with yours. If there appears to be more room on the passenger side I think it's because the passenger seat is further back than the driver's (because of the battery taking up space in the passenger footwell).
if you are not fussed about the buckle the seat belt goes into i can get a set of seatblets with buckles.
instead of the buckles being on a solid rod they are on webbing....and the inertia reel is mounted in a closed black plastick housing....plus the actual belt is extra long!!!
Drop me a mail if you are intrested
instead of the buckles being on a solid rod they are on webbing....and the inertia reel is mounted in a closed black plastick housing....plus the actual belt is extra long!!!
Drop me a mail if you are intrested
Can't help with the belts or extendable pedals but I can tell you that Fernhurst have a kit comprising IIRC of 1.5 inch spacers and longer bolts that they use to RAISE either or both seats.
They did my passenger seat which resulted in making the passenger legroom slightly more acceptable for tall passengers (lifting the seat effectively increses the distance from hip to end of tunnel) as well as eliminating that complaint "I can only see out through the wipers" from 'less' tall ones!
They did my passenger seat which resulted in making the passenger legroom slightly more acceptable for tall passengers (lifting the seat effectively increses the distance from hip to end of tunnel) as well as eliminating that complaint "I can only see out through the wipers" from 'less' tall ones!
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