Ather

Hi All,
New member, first time post.
I've been a long time fan of 928s and after waiting 20yrs its time to go for the big S4 purchase (mid life crisis). From what I've read, 5spds are more fun to drive than autos. I would love to pick one up but the problem is that I am 6'5'' and long in the legs rather than torso. I was wondering how much room there is for me to work a clutch. There aren't very many out there for sale to begin so I can't really try them on for size. Is there anyone out there that is tall and owns a 5spd? If so, did you have to do anything custom to fit? Just curious.
Thanks,
Ather

pcar928fan

Anther,

Welcome...pretty friendly group here. Lots of tall guys too, so I am sure they will chime in shortly. Auto's are (or can be) plenty of fun to drive as well if you shift them yourself and are easier on you in traffic. If it is a fun car only then probably the 5spd will be a more fun drive for you. There are enough tall guys driving them that I am guessing it is not a big problem.

IcemanG17

I have found the legroom in 928's to be VERY generous.....I am 6-1 with a 32" inseam...& I can slide the seat so far back that I barely can work the pedals!!!

The downside of sunroof equipped 928's is headroom...this becomes quite poor when wearing a helmet....

Mark SF

I am 6ft 5 and just fit. I don't think the clutch will be the problem, headroom will. I have to have the seat raised at the front, fully down at the rear, significant backrest recline, seat all the way back. Then my head JUST clears the headliner - maybe 1/2" at the most.

Hilton

Welcome Ather.

You can move the seats to the rear most bolt holes on the rails and gain another 4cm of legroom - and there will be plenty of room for your clutch pedal.

However as noted you'll run into a headroom issue. Depending on where you are in the world, you may be able to find a non-sunroof 5-speed car, in which case you'll fit just fine. However in some geographies cars without the sunroof option (option code 650) are rare, especially in the later S4 body style.

At 6'2", I can fit into a sunroof car by moving the seats to the rear bolt positions on the rails, fitting an extended hub steering wheel, moving the seat all the way back, and tilting the seat back a little. However I still bump my head occasionally when I forget how close I am to the ceiling (no hair on top so no warning ).

In a non-sunroof car, I don't need to move the seat bolts, don't use an extended hub steering wheel, and don't have my seat all the way back, and am still well clear of the ceiling, plus I'm more comfortable. I'm selling my sunroof manual car after finding another no-sunroof manual S4, and won't buy a 928 with sunroof again.

Your best bet is to find a local 928er who's willing to move the seats back on the rails (takes about 20 mins to unbolt, remove the plastic plug, and re-bolt), and have a try.

Rob Edwards

Fixed it for me. My seatback are reclined more than I would prefer, though the driving position is still fine and comfortable for long distances.


Dwayne is 6'6" and drove my GT once, his knees were pretty badly splayed around the steering wheel.

One more thing- the '87-89's have a driver's side parcel shelf under the pod, while the 90+ cars don't. I don't know which gives more leg/shin room, but it might be a consideration as well.

AO

I think the shelf gives you a bit more room... plus you can remove it if needed.

danglerb

Things can be done, best to try on a couple and get a feel for what you like and dislike.

Podguy

You have to assume the position of the sideways head. However, there is good news. If you look behind the front seat track you will see two plugs in the floor. Remove these and then unbolt the seat and set it back at at the rear position. Make sure the front is secured with the stock bolt blocks. Regular nuts will pull through in a rear end collision.

I know that this does not seem to provide much extra roof clearance but it really does. You can compare the seating to the unadjusted passenger side. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

The steering wheel can be adjusted with a spacer. The dead pedal and accelerate pedal are also adjustable. I think this goes for the other pedals, but I have never attempted that.

The five speed is the only way to go. Hard to find. You might also investigate the older cars. Probably the most fun driving car is the 78-79 CIS cars. They are light and responsive. They have better seats and the manual seats will give you a lot of head room Some even come without sun roofs. The sport package will in the earlier cars had some low mounted sports seats. Manual seats will give you about an inch or so more head room.

Good luck and welcome to the club.

Podguy

Oh if you have not yet bought a 928 I have a PPI that might help you evaluate different cars.

http://www.kondratyev.com/porsche/ppi/ppi.htm

Good Luck - get a good one.

oups59

+1 . Headroom is really the biggest problem

F451

I didn't get any noticeable increase in headroom doing this.

Being 6'6", as others have mentioned, the legroom is no problem, its the headroom.

By the time the seat was adjusted for max headroom, the seat back was tilted way back and it was an uncomfortable reach to the steering wheel, shifter, and radio/hvac controls.

I bought an aftermarket steering wheel with the deepest dish I could find that would extend the steering wheel, I think its about 2" closer.

Much better! Except I don't particularly like the look of the wheel.

I tried the Porsche factory "extended" wheel, but found the extra 1" or so of extension didn't get the wheel close enough.

F451

My ultimate solution is to have a factory seat modified to sit lower. One of these days I will get around to that. Right now I have a manual 944 seat in there and it helps, but I don't like the look.

PorKen

You can still get 15mm spacers from Porsche for the clutch and brake pedals for up to 30mm spacing. Worked great for me. (Combined with my clutchstop, bien sûr. I'm 6'1" with a long torso.)

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Ather

Wow! I wasn't expecting so many responses with so many ideas! You guys rock!
Thanks so much. I never thought that headroom would be more of a problem and that I should consider cars without a sunroof...good info. I will also try to look at removing the plugs on the seat rail as well. The spacers is another option to consider. Thanks again.
Ather