After watching Top Gear tonight (why do i still bother?) it struck me how badly they possition themselves in the car, Kate Humble is particularilly bad.

A few years ago a friend of mine was struggleing to be competitive in his racing car. I decided to go and watch him on the circuit as i was allways in the pits running the car.

I went to some of the corners at Oulton Park and could see he was missing all the apex's by a good couple of feet, making his speed through the corner slower than was possible.

I asked him why he was missing the apex and he said he was struggleing to get the car to turn fully after about a quarter lock, but hadn't realy made a mental note of it so never complained.

I sat him back in the car and strapped him in, then asked him to put his hand on the top of the stearing wheel, he could do this but his arm was fully straight with his elbow locked solid.

We got the car back to the workshop and made a new steering wheel boss to move the steering wheel 4 inches closer to him, this meant that even when his hand was at it's furthest away from his body on top of the steering wheel, there was still some bend in his elbow, this allowed him to still apply some torque to the steering when his arm was at full stretch.

The effect of this was very dramatic, on the next run at oulton he was hitting all the apex's and went 3 seconds a lap quicker. That's a huge amount of time in racing, it put the car on the front row for the first time and he got his first podium finish ever.

Now, why the hell am i telling you this.

Next time you sit in your scooby, see if you still have some bend in your elbow when you have your hand on the top of the steering wheel. If you havn't, and i guarantee some of you wont, then there is no way you will be able to drive the car to its potential and feel the grip available through the steering wheel. Its incredibaly important if you need to react quickly in an emergency.

Look at Kate Humbles driving possition next time (no, not her **** , sorry penni) and you will see how bad it is.

go on, try a different possition (oh err ) you will be amazed at the difference.

 

John,

Your post has highlighted the only problem that I have with the Impreza - its the only car I've driven in a very long time in which I find it impossible to get the optimum driving position you describe. It seems to me that the pedal/wheel/seat distances are reminiscent of the italian cars of a few years ago (best suited to drivers with short legs & long arms). As my knuckles don't rub the ground when I walk, and I'm of average height I find all this a major pain. In order to minimise the problem I have fitted a sparco seat cushion to the front of the seat which extends the seat squab forward by 2" and enables me to be a comfortable distance for heel&toe without having my legs waving about unsupported, but surprise surprise I am now too far from the wheel - can't fit a boss extender 'cos of airbag & control stalks.

Any bright ideas, and does anyone else find this a problem. If not I'll conclude that I'm deformed in some way!

Oh for a reach adjustable steering column!

Cheers

Gaffer
MY99 5D

 

Agreed. Whilst it's comfortable to slouch in your seat, it does you no good when you try and get out and walk later. Irrespective of whether you are driving or not.

I find to get a reasonable slant for the seat back, and reach the wheel properly, my seat is slightly too far forward, so I tend to drive with the outer part of my legs resting against the seat side bolsters over long distances. It looks a bit crude, but must be a boon to fertility as you get more air circulation round the essentials

And if you find yourself not held securely enough by the seat back round your rib cage, get down the gym and do some lattisimus pull downs/chin ups, those 'V' shaped back muscles will give the seats something to grip (as well as your wife or husband)

 

Try getting an ideal driving position if you're 6'7" like me!.

Actually, the Scooby isn't too bad in terms of comfort and support for my upper torso, and I'd be hard pushed to be sitting too far away from the wheel. I use the seat back slightly reclined and make sure that my backside is as far back on the seat squab as possible, i.e. hard up against the backrest.

My main problems are that the pedals are too close which forces me to adopt a sort of 'john wayne' bow-legged position. When combined with the too-large steering wheel it tends to make heel and toe a bit tricky. It also forces my legs to be lifted away from the seat at the front edge which already aren't supported well enough by the seat base, which is too short. If you have an STI or >MY99 try adjusting the seat angle adjuster - your thighs should be evenly supported by the seat base without excessive pressure or pinch points in any area.

Still, I've driven 800 miles in a day so it can't be that bad.

I used to own a Renault 4 with broken seat runners - that was great because I could move the seat back so far that I couldn't even touch the pedals!. Suprisingly, bigger cars don't seem to be any better for tall people, or maybe it is just the ones I've tried.

Cheers,

Alex

 

With modern cars being fitted with steering wheel airbags, you have to be careful not to sit TOO close to the wheel. There have been incidents where the airbag has done more damage to the driver than the crash would have done without it. Why are there no guidelines as to what is a safe distance between chest and steering wheel?

Brian

 

Hi all,

I damaged my back a few years back and suffer like hell with it. I visited a consultant who showed me how to sit in a car seat correctly as it was driving that gave me the most pain. His advice has helped me a load ...

1. The back rest MUST support your back, sounds stupid I know but it must not be straight up vertical as when you corner your lower back muscles work hard to prevent you from shifting across, it should be lowered so gravity goes through your shoulders and holds you into the seat and relaxes your lower back muscles.

2. The seat must be positioned so when you depress you're clutch you leg never "locks out", it should just be almost straight and forward enough to be just supported under your thigh by the seat (ideal in a scoob as it has the tilt to the seat base, my old car never had one).

3. A simple way he showed me for the wheel was to have your wrists resting on top of the wheel without the need to stretch etc, this gives the ideal position.

4. NO bead or sponge inserts or seat covers and never wear a jacket or coat.Bead covers would'nt bother us surely ..... ?

The above felt really awkward for a while but it has made a massive diference on a long run, I can actually get out and walk .... I used to be crippled after a long run, the position is really comfortable when you get used to it and it now feels a natural position.

K