cgthanos

I know that I am too tall for a 911 at 6'10", but I'm surprisingly close to fitting with the manual seats... Headroom is OK, with 10-20 microns to spare, but the steering wheel seems to be the limiting factor. In continuing my quest for a 997 (.1 or .2) , I'm wondering if anybody knows of a way to bring the steering wheel an extra inch or two toward the driver. It just doesn't telescope far enough for me, and I find my knees locked against the wheel while modulating the pedals (especially the clutch). I want to confirm that I can do a modification of this type before going through with a purchase. I've found adjustable hub spacers for racing wheels, but I haven't had much luck with extension options for stock wheels w/ airbags, and the techs at the dealership aren't especially motivated to help me with a solution.

Any guidance on this matter is greatly appreciated. I asked similar questions several years go without much feedback, but now that the 997 has been around for a while, maybe there is new insight. I'm open to other options as well to manipulate the seat instead of the steering wheel. Lastly, would a Targa give me any additional room? There isn't one available to demo in my immediate vicinity, but if it looks promising, I'm willing to travel.

Edgy01

I would suggest that you pose this question to your nearest dealership. This is precisely the place to go with such a specific requirement. They should know (or be able to research) the precise physical ranges these cars can accommodate.

Let us know what you learn.

cgthanos

Dan

Thanks for the response, but unfortunately I've hit a dead end with my local dealership, and they agree that the best thing for me to do is "research the forums." It doesn't make a lot of sense--you would think they would do anything possible to sell me a car... But I've accepted, as with all things related to my height, that I'll have to figure it out myself.

Also, if anyone can recommend a tuner or parts expert that might be able to help, I would appreciate that as well.

DPorcella

I just want to commiserate; nobody seems to think being too tall is ever a disadvantage. At 6'6" I can almost feel your pain at 6'10". Fly coach much? Me neither.

But I DO fit in a 911 with the power comfort seats (is that what you mean by "manual seats"?) I found through trial and error that the pwr seats allowed me the best seating adjustment for my height.

Sorry I can't help with the steering. My advice? Find out what the NBA players in your city drive, besides Escalades! I know Bentley convertibles are popular. Not exactly a sports car, but James Bond drove one (in the Ian Fleming books).

Edgy01

I would press the issue with that dealership. In the meantime, I will run that specific issue by my local dealer and ask them to submit a specific question to PCNA for them to research and get back on,--even if it means that Atlanta would have to call Zuffenhausen.

cgthanos

Good idea about the NBA players (that was almost me), but I'm stuck on the 911 And I'll re-visit the power seats, but my limited research so far has led me to conclude that the manual sport seats are more shallow. I probably wrote off the power seats too early, so that's something to try again.

And Dan, thank you for your effort to pursue this with your dealer in Atlanta... That is very generous of you. Are you talking about Hennessy Porsche by chance? I'm in New England but stumbled upon some of their 2008 and lease specials that look very attractive. Anyway, thank you

Barfly

A hub extension should be available. They are readily available aftermarket for racing. Google "Porsche hub extension" for starters.

mdrums

I feel your pain but not as much as you...I am 6'5" and wish the steering wheel was a little closer but still adjustable for my shorter wife.

I never found anything and hit a dead end at 3 dealers. Let us know what you find.

yemenmocha

I thought the consensus was that the *** seats provided the most headroom. Are the manual seats more roomy? I only tried *** vs. normal sport seats. Now I'm upset if I didn't get the most headroom because my hair does reach the ceiling on bad hair days.

DPorcella

Yemenmocha and cgthanos: everybody (or should I say every body) has different body proportions, obviously. Some people have longer legs, some longer torsos, etc.

I'm just saying I tried out all the seats and the power comfort seats afforded me the best fit. The Adaptive Sport Seat may fit you better. I just recommend driving cars with each seat if you can to see what works best, tall guys!

On a related issue, I recently sat in a cab with the optional hardtop at my dealership. Because it lacks the standard coupe sunroof, there was enough headroom. I know it doesn't make it a coupe, but it was nice to discover, although some think the removable roof is ugly.

bbrc76

With cabs - be mindful of how the location of the rear view mirror. The bar of the top of a cab windshield is often thicker, thus lowering the placement of the mirror on the windshield. And this is complicated by the gadgets in the mirror (i.e. rain sensor for wipers on the forward facing side) which impacts the adjustability of the mirror (only 1 pivot point, where as old school mirrors often have 2 pivot points).

I'm only 6'3" and have a e46 convertable (M3) and the impact of what's discussed above is minimal for me. My father is 6'5" and found the BMW's mirror location to intrusive, so he went with the Audi A4. His research was back in 2003. He looked at many labels, including MBs, Vette's, etc, and only found Audi's and Saab's to be comfortable regarding this issue. I do not think he looked at 911s when doing this research.

jscifres

+1 on the rear view mirror warnings with the Convertible.

I'm 6'7" and fit nicely in the 997, albeit with a fully extended arm to the top of the wheel.

Here's another thought... I opted for the Tiptronic over the manual on my 2006 C2S because I felt that daily use of the clutch would leave my left knee bruised and battered. You might want to consider giving up the manual to give your knees a break. I've actually enjoyed the automatic much more than I thought I would, but I do see a PDK in my future.

Finally, some people have commented on the next gen car (998 - due in ~2years) looking a little bigger than the 997. The 997 was the first 911 I ever fit in, so maybe you can count on the 998 to be the first you fit in!

johnstoy

You might want to check with an aftermarket steering wheel supplier to see what they know. I know that Wheelexperts also sell steering wheels (Techart and maybe others) so they may know of available adaptors/extensions.

Edgy01

My mechanic told me that for some time he has been putting on a wheel extension (between the wheel and the steering wheel mount) to accommodate taller drivers. Apparently these things are available.

fusion85

You might try a 997 GT3 with no sunroof & the manual GT3 seats. This would address both the headroon & legroom issues.