Am I too tall for an Elise?

[Torksey]

I have been thinking of swapping my 2004 Cerbera 4.5 for an Elise SC.

Why? Well the kids have outgrown the rear seats, and it's just too loud and too lairy for a trackday.

I stopped off at Peter Smith's to take a look an the Elise, but sadly there is one problem.

While only 6'0", I am very long in the back. With the seat in a very comfortable position, I can't see the speedo from 40mph to 120mph. The screen is also a bit low for me.

Is there an aftermarket seat, or subframe, which would allow me to sit lower?

My other thought was if there is a slightly larger diameter steering wheel, which will allow me to see the dials? I am not worried if I have to lose the airbag, as many of the sports cars I have owned haven't had them.

Hope you can help.

Cheers

Mike

[21TonyK]

A larger wheel will probably cause problems getting in and out so I'd stick with the seat solution if you can. Haven't seen any other seat rails but I know of a couple of guys who are 6'3 and taller who manage in Exiges* with a lower seat. Not sure what ones they are but any specialist Lotus suppliers whould be able to advise.

• Exiges have even viewable area at the top of the screen due to a bolt on piece covering the hard top edge.

[Richie111s]

My first real post after months of lurking!
I currently have an S2, having previously run an S1 and have managed to squeeze my 6'4 frame into both! The position certainly takes a bit of getting used to but I find it very comfortable even on longer journeys, there has to be some compromise with an Elise! I say take the plunge!

[doggydave]

I am the same as you 6 ft tall and long in the mid section. I never had a problem in my Elise but i did sit ever so slightly forward in the seat to get my position just right. The Exige seat is a bit lower with no problems. Dave.

[kambites]

You should be fine, I think the Elise was designed for people like you. I'm 6 foot with very long legs and I either have to drive with my knees around my ears or without being able to reach the controls. I've got 30mm of spacing behind the wheel at the moment and it's still too far away. I can't space it closer without modifying the stalks and the gear stick so they are closer to me too - that's the next job.

[Mrs Muttleysnoop]

Tony Parramint has been an instructor for many years at Lotus and he is 6' 2" and he does not have any problems.

[Beachbum]

I'm 6' 4" and the only issue I have is the rear view mirror is so damn big and I use the top 20% of the screen that it gets in the way.
Solved that by getting a suction cap mirror from halfords and removing the OEM version.
Other than that its very comfortable for me. I have the non-Probax seats and they couldnt fit me better. Almost as if someone took a mould of my back and designed it from it

[dgr]

There are some aftermarket seat rails available in the US from Sector111. These increase the seat rake to bringing your head lower at the expense of some knee room. The down side is they are expensive to buy and being heavy expensive to ship over. Allegedly the same effect can be had with some penny washers and longer seat bolts I have yet to come across a car with this mod. Thought about doing this mod a few times over the years, simply to bring my head well below the rollbar. I am also over 6 ft and have no issues with visibility or driving the car having driven them as a daily drive for 5 and half years now.

[S Works]

Give Chris Randall @ Hoffmans a ring (posts as randy on here). I'm sure he may have some advice from the racing experience he's had for alternative seat mountings. Either that or Scuffers (Simon Scuffham) or call Andy @ Maidstone Sports Cars, or Wayne/Gill @ Sinclaires, or Steve Williams @ SWLotus. What those folks know about the Elise platform really ain't worth knowing. They'll be able to direct you to the best, safest alternatives available.

[RobM77]

kambites said:

You should be fine, I think the Elise was designed for people like you. I'm 6 foot with very long legs and I either have to drive with my knees around my ears or without being able to reach the controls. I've got 30mm of spacing behind the wheel at the moment and it's still too far away. I can't space it closer without modifying the stalks and the gear stick so they are closer to me too - that's the next job.

It was a big design error on the part of Lotus, and one that sadly they've never fixed. Thankfully the Evora has an adustable steering column, so that's fine for most shapes and sizes.

I've got a longer spacer on my steering wheel than you (50-60mm I think) and just move my hands forward to operate the stalks - I got used to it surprisingly quickly. I also have to lean forward to reach first gear, which I also got used to quite quickly.

[Torksey]

Well we've taken the plunge!

Just bought one of the last 2010 Elise SC models. Didn't particularly like the new 2011 model's looks, and could buy a well specced new 2010 model a fair bit cheaper.

Went to JCT600, who pointed out that its dead easy to remove the sunvisors. This has made all the difference to seeing the road ahead.

As for seeing the speedo, the car has different probax seats to the car I originally sat in. They must be a fraction lower, as I can now see most of the dials now. I just miss 60 to 80 mph now!!!

As for the driving, can't wait for 600 miles on the clock. Still having to run it in, so limited to keeping it below 4500 rpm, but still plenty of power with that super charger.

Cheers

Mike

[RobM77]

congratulations :-) The SC is a fantastic car :-)

[live ade]

iirc you could get a removable steering wheel kit (for the S1 at least)..I think this pushes the wheel a bit further toward the driver..which might help (am sure someone on here has probably experience of this kit). another thought - based on how much older lotus steering columns are attached into the body - you maybe able to add/remove shims under the dash [not sure how easy this would be !] ... I suspect though that you'll just get used to it !!! Welcome to EliseWorld

[RobM77]

live ade said:

iirc you could get a removable steering wheel kit (for the S1 at least)..I think this pushes the wheel a bit further toward the driver..which might help (am sure someone on here has probably experience of this kit). another thought - based on how much older lotus steering columns are attached into the body - you maybe able to add/remove shims under the dash [not sure how easy this would be !] ... I suspect though that you'll just get used to it !!! Welcome to EliseWorld

I find removable wheels annoying because they always have rotational play on them. Just a standard Momo kit will suffice. Kambites and I have both done this - you can then buy Momo 6 hole spacers of pretty much any depth (bear in mind the Momo kit brings the wheel a little closer to start with). My wheel's got a decent sized spacer between it and the Momo boss, which has transformed the driving position from extremely awkward to very nice. I can't sit any further back because I wouldn't be able to get first gear, but it's a good compromise. For my racing Metro my Dad made me a gearchange extension as well The Elise gear knob unscrews in the same way so this is also possible.

If only Lotus hadn't assumed that Elise owners would look like Orangutans What happened was that in the initial design of the S1 they used a WWII template that they called "Agent Orange" (the colour he was in their string based sketches), which is obviously WWII height (5'6" to 5'8" I expect), then just added some more rearward movement of the seat to compensate for a modern 6 foot driver... The problem with that approach of course is that the steering wheel is still in the agent orange position. Not one of the brightest moments of Elise design What makes the Elise especially bad was that it was designed for a very "straight arm" position in the first place, so if you're like me and a bit long in the leg you've got no chance. Thankfully, the lack of airbag in most Elises makes a spacer easy to fit. I'm not sure about airbag equipped Elises though; a Lotus dealer would be able to help with that probably.