my legs are too long and my arms too short

[jbinbi]

seriously, i wrote a post about trying to get a comfortable driving position in my 128. i am 5'9" with normal lenght arms and legs, but it seems that i have the seat max back that i am just almost straining to work the clutch, but the wheel is still too close. i have the wheel pushed in as far as it goes and was taught that if you have your hands at the 10-2 position, your wrists should be over the wheel with your arms fully extended. performance drivers will say that you should have your hands on the wheel not your wrists with your arms extended.

The only way to get this position to recline the seat more, but it feels like i am laying down.

I would be interested in hearing how others have positioned themselves, how high the seat is, how far back the seat is, the seatback, etc.
thanks.

[jbinbi]

oops, i should have had the title the otherway around.. long day.

[thez99]

Trust me im quite ocd about seat position, it prob took me till bout 2 months of having the car to finally get my perfect seat position n i have it locked in now. I think i had so much trouble with it cuz #1 I dont have lumbar which im used to. #2 the floor in front of the pedals tilts towards the engine whereas other cars ive driven it tilts a lil towards the driver. #3 The lowness of the armrest

All n all though I find it very comfy where im at now thou, only bitch is still no lumber which can be a pain after a long day

[jps]

Really?
I'm 5'10" and also think I'm of normal proportions...?
I actually have the seat up a bit and the steering wheel out a bit! I will admit that I don't like to extend my leg fully for the clutch so some might have the seat back an inch or two but that still doesn't account for how much different we are.

[Hairy]

I'm 6'5" and have the seat slightly forward and the wheel extended toward me. I also have the seat in quite an upright position. But, I'm an old Porsche 911 driver and like the sense of involvement this position gives.

[Sylon]

I'm 6'4" and this is what I did, and this is what BMW's professional test driver Jim Millard (as shown in the Z4 episode of Ultimate Factories) recommends:

"People have a tendency to sit too away from the pedal controls and also the steering wheel. You want to adjust the seat forward so when you press the brake pedal as hard as you possibly can you have a slight bend in the knee. This is going to ensure you get maximum brake pressure.

As far as the seat back goes, most people find it comfortable to sit with the seat back set way back and then find a nice comfortable and relaxed position. This is not a good way to sit in the car it doesn't offer you very good support; especially if you have to get into some pretty active driving. So we recommend that you bring the seat back up to a comfortable but fairly vertical position so when you press on the brake pedal you go back into the seat, you don't slide up the seat. And the way you kinda fine tune this is with the steering wheel, you are going to put your back against the seat and extend the arms to the 12 o'clock position and your wrists should break right over the top of the wheel. That's going to give you a good baseline starting position."


Now you will have to adjust that to whats best for your size, but once I saw this clip, I tried it out in my old car and thats when I realized that after 4 years owning that car that I was sitting in it incorrectly. I then did the same thing with my BMW and my seting position and posture is perfect for any situation, to include track driving and long distance driving.

Hope this helps.

[cvandenhaute]

Originally Posted by Sylon

I'm 6'4" and this is what I did, and this is what BMW's professional test driver Jim Millard (as shown in the Z4 episode of Ultimate Factories) recommends:

"People have a tendency to sit too away from the pedal controls and also the steering wheel. You want to adjust the seat forward so when you press the brake pedal as hard as you possibly can you have a slight bend in the knee. This is going to ensure you get maximum brake pressure.

As far as the seat back goes, most people find it comfortable to sit with the seat back set way back and then find a nice comfortable and relaxed position. This is not a good way to sit in the car it doesn't offer you very good support; especially if you have to get into some pretty active driving. So we recommend that you bring the seat back up to a comfortable but fairly vertical position so when you press on the brake pedal you go back into the seat, you don't slide up the seat. And the way you kinda fine tune this is with the steering wheel, you are going to put your back against the seat and extend the arms to the 12 o'clock position and your wrists should break right over the top of the wheel. That's going to give you a good baseline starting position."


Now you will have to adjust that to whats best for your size, but once I saw this clip, I tried it out in my old car and thats when I realized that after 4 years owning that car that I was sitting in it incorrectly. I then did the same thing with my BMW and my seting position and posture is perfect for any situation, to include track driving and long distance driving.

Hope this helps.

I could not say it better, I always adjust my driving position that way in any car I drive (sport or even SUV). I found that perfect natural position directly in the 128i/135i when I test drove them : it is actually one criteria that made me chose the 128i over the 2011 Mustang.

I could never ever find such a position in my 2008 VW R32 : wheel is always too high and too far, bo matter how I adjust it, plus it feels way too horizontal (truck-like) no matter how low I tilt it. My 2007 Mazda MX5 had almost that perfect position but the throttle pedal was one inch too close (many people reported same issue on miata.net), which was uncomfortable.

Plus : I LOVE THOSE SPORT SEATS!! I cannot wait to take delivery of my 128i and say bye to the R32!

[jbinbi]

good info. could you comment on the seat height? With the mechanical seats, it is hard to move this , if you are sitting in the seat, pulling up the lever with your wt in it brings it down pretty fast, and unless you lift your butt, it is hard to get the seat back up (in small increments).

I got my car used, and if I had to do it again I would get electric seats, also with lumbar control. I really miss the lumbar support. But since I don't have it, I might as well try to get the best seat position.

In 30 yrs of driving all sorts of cars, I have always set my seat so when I brake, I have the position so my rt knee does just barely touches the steering column. That has been the good position overall. If me knee is always hitting the column, then it is too annoying. If its always missing, usually I am too far away.

[Duckw]

+1 to cvandenhaute and one little addition. Many people fail to notice that you can adjust the angle of the bottom seat; that is, you can adjust the difference in height between the front and the back. Very subtle differences in this adjustment can help place just the right part of your back against just the right part of the (sport) seatback so that when you depress the brake or clutch you'll get the support that you need. If the seat is too flat or angled too sharply toward the rear, you'll feel that you've missed the sweet spot; but, with a little playing around after you've got the other adjustments pretty close, you may find, as I have, that the lumbar support of the sport seats is more than adequate. I've made long highway drives without fatigue.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by Sylon

I'm 6'4" and this is what I did, and this is what BMW's professional test driver Jim Millard (as shown in the Z4 episode of Ultimate Factories) recommends:

"People have a tendency to sit too away from the pedal controls and also the steering wheel. You want to adjust the seat forward so when you press the brake pedal as hard as you possibly can you have a slight bend in the knee. This is going to ensure you get maximum brake pressure.

As far as the seat back goes, most people find it comfortable to sit with the seat back set way back and then find a nice comfortable and relaxed position. This is not a good way to sit in the car it doesn't offer you very good support; especially if you have to get into some pretty active driving. So we recommend that you bring the seat back up to a comfortable but fairly vertical position so when you press on the brake pedal you go back into the seat, you don't slide up the seat. And the way you kinda fine tune this is with the steering wheel, you are going to put your back against the seat and extend the arms to the 12 o'clock position and your wrists should break right over the top of the wheel. That's going to give you a good baseline starting position."


Now you will have to adjust that to whats best for your size, but once I saw this clip, I tried it out in my old car and thats when I realized that after 4 years owning that car that I was sitting in it incorrectly. I then did the same thing with my BMW and my seting position and posture is perfect for any situation, to include track driving and long distance driving.

Hope this helps.

Excellent advice.

When driving I see a majority of people not sitting properly in their seats.
I wonder how many accidents can be attributed to this simple yet overlooked concept, of proper seating position?

Too many drivers sit too far back and they recline the seatback way too much. In an accident the headrest can't do it's job.
This is even more of a problem in automatic cars where people don't have to sit properly to operate the clutch pedal. Even among my friends and family I notice a lot of them put the seat too far back and operate the gas and brake pedals with the tips/toes of their feet with their legs extended fully. I suspect a lot of people might feel "crowded' when they are closer to the wheel and dash.

Then, you have people with the "lean" sytle of driving where their driving position is more suited to a nap than driving. This is the worst position of all, cause not only are the pedals too far away, but they can't even see beyond the top of the dash.

Driving is an active action not a passive one. Adjust your seating position so that you can properly control the vehicle. If it is not comfortable to you, then you need to reset what comfortable is when driving.
BMW seats are a great example of how all car seats should be made, and there are a number of adjustments that can be made to get it right for many drivers.
They are the most comfortable when the driver is in the proper seating position.
I find European car seats are designed with proper driving position in mind. American and Japanese seats tend to be designed for a too reclined position. In many Japanese and American car seats, when I adjust for proper car control, I can never get the seatback to be vertical enough so that the head rests actually work. My head is still too far away from the headrest to give the protection and comfort that it should.

That's the biggest flaw I find in the 1 and current 3 series sport seats. The head rest needs better fore and aft adjustment. My E46 had much better head rests with better adjustment. The best BMW head rest is in the new 6 series. Those head rests are awesome and they have a LOT of adjustment to get it set just right.

[Sylon]

The "lean" style of seating is extremely dangerous as well. So is a sleeping passenger when they lay the seat back. Both are similar, so in the event of a collision, they can slide under the seatbelt, preventing them from receiving the protection they need to survive the crash.

These seats in the BMW are excellent and have so many areas to adjust. There should be no way you can't find an optimal driving position, unless you are Shaq or something, haha.

[cvandenhaute]

Originally Posted by RPM90

Excellent advice.

BMW seats are a great example of how all car seats should be made, and there are a number of adjustments that can be made to get it right for many drivers.
They are the most comfortable when the driver is in the proper seating position.
I find European car seats are designed with proper driving position in mind. American and Japanese seats tend to be designed for a too reclined position. In many Japanese and American car seats, when I adjust for proper car control, I can never get the seatback to be vertical enough so that the head rests actually work. My head is still too far away from the headrest to give the protection and comfort that it should.

I might be crucified for telling it but the very best seats I EVER found are the seats made by Volvo. I never found such a perfect compromise anywhere else, not even BMW's sport seats. The headrest design is the best you can find since it is very forward and always close to the back of your head. Furthermore they support the whole length of your spine, even the shoulders.

Now, if they could make a proper car to go around those seats

[thez99]

I gotta say, now that ive actually found my good seat position in this car, the only thing I wish I had was lumbar and a more forward n bit more cushioned headrest. It just feels alot like I have to set my neck farther back to rest on the headrest, as opposed to just sitting back naturally and having it hit it, doenst "hurt" necessarily just doesnt feel natural over time, I dunno, sometimes I dun notice it, others i do.

[TheRustler]

I'm 6'10" and I have the seat all the way back and as low as possible (otherwise my head will hit the roof haha). However I do not have the steering wheel pushed all the way in. Even with a manual, someone in the five foot range should not have issues with driver body position nor should they have the seat all the way back. Move the seat forward, raise it a bit, and recline the seat slightly. Even a 2 degree change can add inches between your shoulders and the wheel.

[egainer]

Originally Posted by Sylon

I'm 6'4" and this is what I did, and this is what BMW's professional test driver Jim Millard (as shown in the Z4 episode of Ultimate Factories) recommends:

"People have a tendency to sit too away from the pedal controls and also the steering wheel. You want to adjust the seat forward so when you press the brake pedal as hard as you possibly can you have a slight bend in the knee. This is going to ensure you get maximum brake pressure.

As far as the seat back goes, most people find it comfortable to sit with the seat back set way back and then find a nice comfortable and relaxed position. This is not a good way to sit in the car it doesn't offer you very good support; especially if you have to get into some pretty active driving. So we recommend that you bring the seat back up to a comfortable but fairly vertical position so when you press on the brake pedal you go back into the seat, you don't slide up the seat. And the way you kinda fine tune this is with the steering wheel, you are going to put your back against the seat and extend the arms to the 12 o'clock position and your wrists should break right over the top of the wheel. That's going to give you a good baseline starting position."


Now you will have to adjust that to whats best for your size, but once I saw this clip, I tried it out in my old car and thats when I realized that after 4 years owning that car that I was sitting in it incorrectly. I then did the same thing with my BMW and my seting position and posture is perfect for any situation, to include track driving and long distance driving.

Hope this helps.

I went and tried that in my Audi, and I already sit like that. Glad to know it's correct. My brother and I learned from my dad the upright seating position, with the distances, etc.

Didn't know there were instructions though

[cvandenhaute]

... and then you sometimes see teenager driving a camry with a foot out of the window, I still cannot figure out that degree of stupidity...

[BrokenVert]

Hmmm I'm 5' 9" and I tend to think that I'm pretty confortible in the car. I've go on 5hr road trips between college and home often and I've even done a 10 hour stint and beside my legs getting a bit bored in 6th gear highway mode it was confortible as hell.

I have my seat set about 6 inches from the rear seats, fully verticle with the thigh extentention fully out and the bottom of the seat leaned slightly back. I do move it up slightly for autox tho