Very interesting responses- I personally completely agree w/the fact that the seating position is excellent for TALLER people- I alluded to this several times already... I think part of my prob is having slightly long limbs- this offsets the relationship b/t steering & pedals... Can't comment on ANYONE else's seats w/out actually sitting in them though...

As I said, I DO like my cloth middles- have also found that full leathers have a hair more lumbar- not sure why, but are more comfortable in THAT regard. But, I can't see how ANYONE can argue that these seats (and it may be that some of your's are different) would have good lower back support- mine round your lower back & shoulders forward for God's sakes- REVERSE lumbar maybe & most I've talked to about these cars have said the same thing about theirs (although not as drastically)... Most people who get in my car don't actually complain, per se, but when asked, DEFINATELY don't respond positively- I've NEVER had anyone say that they were especially comfortable, & I've had at least 100 people in my car over the past 4yrs of ownership...

At any rate- we ARE forward of the SR compared to most cars- it's nice that it's so large, IF, slightly BEHIND the driver...


SoCal- I'm not sure how you got the idea that I'm wanting to sit further forward, since my whole post is about getting SPACERS to sit further back(?)... I WOULD like to be SLIGHTLY more upright- hence the wheel spacer to be ~1/2" shorter than pedal spacers- I feel as if I'm having to recline the seat a HAIR too much to get the right relationship...

Bill- the seat goes ALL the way back just fine- what I meant (where I probably confused you) was that I have the seat as far back as I can stand it- otherwise, I wouldn't be able to reach the wheel OR pedals- I can go back several more full inches from where I have it & could also go DOWN about 1/2". BUT- I want to be able to move it back MORE & STILL be able to grab the wheel & touch the pedals, just as I do now, albeit SLIGHTLY more upright...

...hence, spacers, to sit further back in the car, more comfortably- as that was the main point of this post- not to rag on Porsche's seating position- I think these cars would work well for people up to about 6'4" to 6"6"- not many smaller SC's would do that...unfortunately, though I'm a short guy.

Hugh- thanks- I was wondering if ANYONE was going to address the original request...

 

Robby-

I am having trouble trying to understand your request. You want to bring the pedals and steering wheel closer to you, yet you have long limbs. You want the steering wheel closer, but as the steering wheel gets closer, it gets higher, but you want it lower or more towards vertical. You want to only have a .5" difference between the realtion ship of the steering wheel and the pedals. Am I getting this right?

Anyway it seems to me you are asking for some conflicting stuff. You have long limbs but yet you want the pedals and steering wheel closer? Since your arms ane legs are longer, I would think bringing the pedals and steeringwheel closer toyou would make the car more uncomfortable. It sounds like you have the SR set at one fixed distance and want to adjust the pedals and steeringwheel to compensate.

 

I find that there is a lack of lumbar support as well, but they're more comfortable than my Exploder WITH lumbar. Go figure. I'm about 5'6", and you're not gonna get my weight However, I have the sport seats in my 951 and I find them MUCH more comfortable than the regular seats in my 944. Have you had the chance to try out the sport seats?

 

You're pretty much there Riff, but not quite...

Okay- I'm a short guy- there is NO WAY I could slide the seat all the way back to it's furthest back position & be able to reach- I'm not even trying to do that- I have slightly long arms- I'm not talking monkey-boy arms, but they are a little long for my body, IMO. As of now, I have the seat almost as LOW as it will go & the height is fine- I don't want to go lower- I have it adjusted about midway in it's forward to back adjustment- I sit w/my arms fairly stretched out to reach the wheel- I can still hold the wheel until I get the wheel about halfway around- I bought a book (Porsche High-Performance Driving Handbook) & am about like the guy in the photos (Vic Elford) as far as seating position.

I WANT to be able to move FURTHER BACK into the car, yet, STILL be able to REACH the pedals & wheel, JUST as I do now- sure, I COULD slide the seat back further anyway, but, then I wouldn't be able to reach... I would like to get back ~4-6 inches, but, the wheel (& pedals) would look ridiculous spaced this much. I'm thinking somewhere in the 1" to 2" range- the wheel can only be spaced ~1.5" at most, w/out looking silly. SO, I want to bring the wheel ~1.25" closer & the pedals ~1.5" - 1.75" closer- YES, I would like the pedals to be brought a hair closer to me than the wheel- just a tiny bit (~1/4" - 1/2")- this would allow me to sit more upright than I am now, which would be a bit more comfortable- I don't want to sit straight up- just a little more upright than now...

You are correct on the angle thing- it would ruin the whole thing to have the wheel spacer be flat, as it would make the wheel continue to rise up off the seat height-wise- it's already ~1/2" higher due to the decreased diameter of the wheel (380mm Momo). SO, I would need the spacer to be sloped so that the wheel would not continue sloping upward...

Your last line:
"It sounds like you have the SR set at one fixed distance and want to adjust the pedals and steeringwheel to compensate"
I'm not sure how one could adjust the SR, but, yes, you have it right- the SR IS WHERE it IS- I can't move it, SOOOO, I would like to be able to slide back underneath it a little bit more- 1"-2" worth of pedal & wheel spacers should do it...

Does this make sense? The spacers just need to be LIGHT- ESPECIALLY the pedal spacers... I'm THINKING that some sort of bolt/sleeve set-up could be made to work for the pedal covers- I'm just not sure HOW all of these aftermarket pedals (Momo's, etc) are mounted- IF I have to drill a hole to slide bolts through to mount them(?), I'm thinking that I could get longer bolts & get some sort of thick sleeve (in the thickness I want- ~1.5") OR several washers (again, ~1.5" worth) & put it b/t the pedal cover & pedal & then slide the bolt through, thereby allowing the steel sleeve (washers?) to support the weight & act as a spacer, BUT, the pedals aren't very large (except for the accelerator pedal) & it would require at LEAST 2, preferably 3 or 4 to balance & be strong, etc... I'm not sure how they're mounted to begin with, at ALL, so if ANYONE has any pics or anything, I would REALLY appreciate it...

THANKS A LOT!

 

Amen to that! I'm 6'4", can drive with the seat all the way back. My brother who is 6'2" has to pull the seat forward one/two notches to get the clutch all the way in.

It's depressing to go to a new car dealship and have to tell them "before you waste an hour of my time, let me sit in the car to see if I fit". Then you realize that the car was designed for good ergonomics if you're Herve Villechaize (aka Tattoo from "Fantasy Island").

Kevin

 

Oh come on Michelle, we're all friends here I really don't even want any spacers at all- this was all just a ploy to get your measurements...

But seriously- YES- I have tried the Sport seats- they ARE much better! And, they're really not as heavy as many people think, so, despite the fact that I'm wanting to remove some weight- I would buy some of them if I could find them for the right price- especially if I could get the heated element & find a way to hook it up... Are YOUR's the 12-way elec adj ones? Are they heated? Still cool, no matter what configuration... it's rare to find Sport seats in these cars...

 

Hi Robby-

My misunderstanding. When you said SR I thought your were talking about the Momo Street Racer seat, not the Sun Roof. Much clearer now on what you are trying to accomplish. Sounds like you want to create a more "open air" feeling when the SR is out and you are sitting. I guess it is all a matter of perception on the SR. I find that I enjoy the sunroof just fine in my seating position and we are the same height, though I think I got you on the weight...

Cheers,

 

So,
It sound like you want to sit father back in the car.

Ok to help us understand please answer these questions.

1) When sit in the car can you place the seat so that you are perfectly comfortable with respect to the steering wheel (just worry about the wheel right now)?

If so are the pedals too close or too far away? Are you too upright in the seat, too reclined or just right?


2) Can you set-up the seat so your pedals are perfect? (Again just worry about pedals).
Is the steering wheel too close or too far? Are you too upright in the seat, too reclined or just right?



If you can get the seat so you are at arms length (wrist just over the wheel) and can still comfortable fully depress the clutch you are as far back as you can go. I can't understant why you would want to move both the pedals and the steering wheel back. Seems to me that it easier to move the seat forward.

 

Ahh,
I just read Riff's post.

The SR is the sun roof. You want to sit far back so you can be under the opening of the sunroof and still reach the pedal & wheels. Ahh I get it now.

When you have the seat back enough to be under the open part of the rood you can't reach. So move both back and you can.

Well that is an entirely different problem as I really don't car where I sit in relation to the sunroof. The location of sunroof is determined by the shape of the roofline so I never gave it a second though. In fact most of my driving is with the roof in so I never cared very much. It always felt natural to me.

 

short??? you said you are 5'9" and i'm 5'10" i doubt an inch would make a lick of difference as far as adjusting. every car i've driven is fine... sounds like you need to...

A. read a performance driving book (at least the section on seating position)

B. adjust so you can comfortably reach the steering wheel and pedals, and then raise the seat so you can just see over the steering wheel. the lower the better.

-Michael-

 

Riff & M758- you have it exactly right- but, as I mentioned, I WOULD like to get a tiny bit more upright- I could do this by just getting the pedals a TINY bit closer (~1/2") & NOT changing the wheel at all, OR, spacing them both closer but bringing the pedals a little moreso... Any ideas on how to do the pedals using aftermarket pedal covers? How do they mount, etc? Thanks a lot for trying to help guys...

Does anyone out there HAVE aftermarket pedal covers?

Michael- Yes, short- 5'9" isn't exactly TALL & I'm probably 1/2" short of that actually- I would put 5'11" as being average for a male in the US, but 5'9" is definately on the shoirt side- not REALLY short or anything, but short, nonetheless... Plus, I already mentioned that I am going by Vic Elford's description... I've owned the car for 4yrs & have tried it every way there is... you obviously haven't read my request...

 

Have you tried driving with the seat forward? My PCA instructor(s) said you should be able to rest your wrist on the top of the steering wheel whilst you are seated with your shoulders touching the backrest of your seat. You are pretty close to the steering wheel.

I'm 5' 7'' and my seat is near the maximum forward travel. This makes the cockpit very cozy and makes ingress and egress somewhat contortional but once you get used to it you won't want to change back. This position allows very good control of your steering wheel as you could make sharp turns with your elbows flexed. This allows you to make 180 degree turns without taking your hands off the steering wheel (important at the track). Try that with your arms fully extended. If you watch world rally challenge, Nascar or most other types of racing, the drivers have their steering wheels very close to their chest (when they are driving, their elbows are at right angles 90 degrees to their arms). They are so close to their steering wheels that the steering wheel is detachable so they can get in and get out of the car.

 

you missed the point big time- I DO have the seat set so that my wrist will rest w/my arm locked out on the wheel... You're saying to try to move the seat FORWARD???? How will moving the seat FORWARD get me further BACK in the car????

 

Robby- I'm a hair under 6'1" and I do understand what you're having problems with. I may be a grandma, but I've always subscribed to the notion of being close enough to the wheel to rest your wrists on the wheel as M758 and other's mentioned. I like to be more upright, but because of my height, my head gets very close to the very front of where the sunroof meets the roofline. I pretty much watch the road through the top 5th of the windshield. I sure would like to move back and enjoy the open roof more as I drive daily without it(even in winter--New Orleans.) I've resigned myself to placing myself to drive safely, correctly and fast first, then to enjoy the roof. Maybe I need to really spend some time adjusting and trying a few more adjustments. Other than the roof, I find the seats ultimately comfortable. Although I've always loved German cars, there was a time I got into Japanese cars, after one(240sx) I found I can't fit into those tiny, short little seats, after even thirty minutes my back aches.
Maybe you could get those shoes people wear to build up there calves. Hey walking pedal spacers!!!

 

Sounds like YOU would benefit from some sort of pedal spacer (wheel spacers?) too- I've got three total e-mails from people w/these cars, saved from the past few times I've mentioned this, who want the same thing- there are a few people who would like to adjust the driving position of these cars...

as I said- I can rest my wrists on the wheel fine- I'm in the correct seating position- I just want to be able to STAY in the perfect position & be further back in the car...

I'm wondering if I might have gotten a more positive response from the group had said I wanted to do this to get further back in the car for better weight distribution(?)- then I probably would have had people willing to try to make something...