Perfect Driving Position?

Blayde

Blayde

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Bahrain
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'06 Honda Civic EXi, '11 Kia Sportage EX
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How would you define the perfect driving position? And in this day and age, how is it that some cars don't have it, even though the seats have fully adjustable controls, and the steering has rake and reach. I've heard JC say many a times that this car has it and the other doesn't, but can't he adjust the seat to reach it?Also, does height of the person or any other factor affect the driving position?
 
the reason its not perfect on all cars is plainly because not everyone is shaped like Jeremy, and not everyone is shaped liked Hammond...

and then on some cars its just because the guy who designed the seats is a blithering idiot...
 
i understood that, but then im still wondering what is the perfect driving position? Is there a specific angle of the wheel, and the height of the seat in relation to the car and the wheel as well?
 
Blayde said:
i understood that, but then im still wondering what is the perfect driving position? Is there a specific angle of the wheel, and the height of the seat in relation to the car and the wheel as well?
Click to expand...

For me, it's the angle of the floor or dead pedal. My ankle gets more sore from driving my girlfriend's automatic civic than it does in any manual car.
 
Well, I'm about average size, and every car I've driven so far could be adjusted to my liking...
 
Some cars have seats that just don't go back enough. In the Clio I learned to drive in I had the seat fully back and the steering wheel rubbed on my knees. Also in some cars the centre console or the door card is far too close and my legs can't rest properly. The Polo I drive fits me perfectly even though some reviews complain about lack of space.
 
Even though there is quite a bit of adjustment in virtually all cars, there is still some difference in structure and basic build, leading to a slightly different position. That's how you get the feeling of sitting on the car, not in it, or the steering wheel being too close to your legs or too far away from your body, etc.
I personally like a rather low seating position, such as in a sports car, makes me feel far more comfortable. All others now feel a little odd and not quite right...
 
Hmm for me its back of seat up straight, legs bent in a comfortable manner so I have a lot of feel for gas and what not. Seatbelt pretensioned to keep me in place and seat close enough to wheel so I can turn the wheel fully without having to do any weird moves.
 
The problem with the majority of cars ive driven in terms of driving position are the mis-matched seat height to pedal angle. In a Mazda 3 for example, my ankle ached within 1 minute using the accelerator. Braking presicely was impossible because to use the brake you had to "float" your foot without the heel being anchored on the floor so you mostly overbraked, or over and underbraked as you went over bumps. The same problems occur to a lesser extent in the Jaguar X-Type, Mondeo and C-Max.

The one car i've driven that was perfect, the seat is lower and the pedals positioned so that your legs flow in a comfortable angle from the end of the seat to the floor and pedals.

Compared to that, the other matters of driving position are less important, but i do sit quite far back and with the angle of the seat-back quite a bit back. What my dad referred to as "practically hori-bloody-zontal", but then he sits bolt upright 3 inches from the wheel...
 
Hmm, so there is no set perfect position, it varies person to person, but a rough setting can be drawn from all the variations.

Thanks.
 
I'm a bit on the short side so I'm often forced to sit with the wheel in my chest in order to fully press the clutch. It's soooo uncomforable and it sucks. :( Ideally I'd like to sit upright with my elbows and knees bent slightly. I also like cars with a more chairlike seating position as opposed to a flat F1 style.
 
Well prehaps try sitting in the seat facing the window screen :happy:
Try not to slouch or you will have a sore arse when u get out, but sitting up straight is not exactly confortable.
Try not to get dopy when driving and promise yourself regular breaks.
 
If you intend to go fast you should sit closer to the wheel that you'd expect. Watch the WRC guys closely and you see what I mean. Otherwise comfortable will do, as in the diagram above by Greatgraddage.
 
Can't take credit for the diagram, it's from a Saab advert, I think sniff petron parodied it at one time or other. Mind you of all the cars I've been in (not that many admitedly) my dad's Saab is by far the most comfortable, even for a lanky bugger like me.
 
My driving school teacher once said I had a bad driving position and told me to push the seat back so my leg would be almost straight when the clutch is fully depressed, and the steering wheel where my wristwatch would be with my arms straight. My driving improved quickly after this.....
 
Think slightly bent.

Knee slightly bent with the ball and toes of your foot on the floor under the brake pedal. Right elbow slightly bent with your hand on the shifter in 5th gear, and left elbow slightly bent when you grip the wheel. (Reverse the hands in UK/AU/SA/JP, obviously -- no driving with your arms crossed)

Recline as far as you like without blocking the view (either out the front with the dash, or out the side with the b-pillar.)

If you can't do all of these things, either your body or the car is not designed properly and you'll just have to live with it.
 
Cobol74 said:
If you intend to go fast you should sit closer to the wheel that you'd expect. Watch the WRC guys closely and you see what I mean. Otherwise comfortable will do, as in the diagram above by Greatgraddage.
Click to expand...
Nah futher away coz then if u crash the airbag is more effective.
 
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