Interior Exterior
Q:
I am 6'0" with a 29" inseam and 199lbs (that sounds better than 200) The instruments are visible but if I was about 1/4" taller in the torso I could see where it would be an issue. I fit in the seat just fine
This was an older guy...with maybe a 44 inch waist...like 11 more inches than me...so he was "floating".
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I am 5 11, 188lbs, everything is perfect!
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I'm 6 feet 34 waist 220lbs, no problem with seeing clusters, head room, nor comfort. I'm quite comfortable in my Elise.
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I'm 6'3", 34" waist, and 185 lbs. I fit quite comfortably, but I do wish I had another inch of visibility above what I do through the windshield. When I'm driving down a hill, I find I often have to bend my neck down to see up the next rise. I look at traffic lights just as often (probably more so, actually) over the top of the windshield as through it. Let's not even talk about the visibillity in a right-hand turn through that monstrosity of a mirror.
I seem to fit--just barely--with my helmet on. I brush the soft top. (I didn't even bother to get the hard top, because that just doesn't work for me.) I'm concerned that this means I'll fail the broomstick test. I have yet to take it out for a track day, though. I just hit 2000 miles, so it's about time. I haven't been out in any car for about two months, and I think I'm starting to experience withdrawal symptoms.
So, I'm starting to look into ways to lower my head an inch. I think my overall visibilty out of the car would be vastly improved if I manage it. I'm thinking of just tilting the stock seat back a tiny bit (I've heard of a trick with a couple washers), but it's a bit of a reach to the steering wheel as it is.
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I'm 6'3", 34" waist, and 185 lbs. I fit quite comfortably, but I do wish I had another inch of visibility above what I do through the windshield. When I'm driving down a hill, I find I often have to bend my neck down to see up the next rise. I look at traffic lights just as often (probably more so, actually) over the top of the windshield as through it. Let's not even talk about the visibillity in a right-hand turn through that monstrosity of a mirror.
* Have you yanked the sun visor yet? That can help a bit.
* The seat tilt should help a bit.
* It's easy to yank the huge stock mirror and use a smaller one. Mine is about 5 inches wide, aluminum, and is oval shaped.
* For your height, you might also wish to adjust the pedals...Lotus provides a method to lower the gas pedal about 20 MM for example. Other tweaks are possible and some improve brake pedal height, action and so forth.
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I yanked the sun visor before I drove it off the lot. I do plan to replace the stock mirror. I just have to wade through all the posts to see if there's one I really like. Seems like a rectangular one that's about half as wide and half as high as the stock one would be just about right, given the available visibility out the back window. I don't want to give up the night mode, though.
I have adjusted the brake pedal for heel/toe, although I haven't adjusted the gas pedal. So far, this is enough difference that I can just barely heel/toe, kinda, on the street--at least, I'm no longer hitting the throttle with my ankle. I think it'll be woefully inadequate on the track. So I'll be adjusting the throttle pedal before I go out, I think. Of course, I need to get a fire extinguisher mounted by then, too; requirements of the Ferrari Maserati of Washington rules.
I'll definitely try tilting the seat back as a first round fix. I'm concerned about the steering wheel reach, though. It's about as far away as I'd want as it is. So, needless to say, I'll be curious what folks have to say about the various seat replacements they find. I'm a little skeptical that there's a whole lot to be gained there, though, given that the stock seats are just about sitting on the touring pack carpet as it is. And the padding doesn't seem very thick.
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Stan, how does one go about tilting the seat?
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Now in my car I have the seats from www.eliseparts.com, which fit me much better. Snug fit, no more sliding around and full 6-point harness.. But these can not be used with the normal seatbelts at all, so are not really an option for most people.
So Arno, how do you anchor the lap and crotch belts with the Eliseparts seats?
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He was levitating on his fat *** so to speak!
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So Arno, how do you anchor the lap and crotch belts with the Eliseparts seats?
The seats are bolted to fixed brackets/mounts, which then fix to the car with the normal bolt holes.
You can either attach the lap belts to bolts put through the rear chassis rail, but IMHO that puts the lap belt at a too shallow angle especially if the seat is fixed at it's most forward point, so I attached them to the seat mounting brackets with some added reinforcements to the mounting plates.
In the meantime I have replaced the allen bolt than holds the seat frame to the car with a bolt and reinforcement plate from the bottom of the car (cut small holes in the bottom of the car under the chassis rail and later glued a cover over the hole), so now there's a nut used there. Still need to do the same to the front mounting points.
I then put an L-profile cross-bar (for rigidity) of 4mm tick stainless steel under the seat mounting and bolted the crotch belts to that. The picture is a bit misleading as this was taken when the seat was not fixed in it's final (lower) position and there seems to be a lot of space. At the moment the seat bottom pretty much rests on the cross-bar as it is.
That's also the reason I attached the belt at the bottom of the bar, as it would interfere with the bottom of the seat in the final position when it was mounted at the top.
Everything is done using bolt-in hardware (including the shoulder belts to the harness bar) and not clip-on as I also use it for road use and this means that clip-on style fixings are not legal here.
Bye, Arno.
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Like celling, my problem with the driver's seat in my new Elise is related to pressure from the flanges located at the junction of the back and bottom of the chair. I am 6'5" tall and 201 lbs which means my extra width in the hips is related to bony structure, not to FAT. My extra length, however, means that in order for my knees to clear the steering wheel during clutch and brake use, my legs must be splayed to each side of the steering wheel. That external rotation at the hip leads to significant pressure on the hips by these flanges. When I sit in the passenger seat with my legs straight ahead, I get no such pressure.
The Exige seats clearly have the same flange at the junction of back and bottom, so they will not resolve this problem.
It is not clear from any pictures of the various options out there (Reverie, Corbeau, or the Sector 111 option referred to by Chococar) whether they would address the hip pressure issue.
I am attaching a modified photo from Chococar's prior post illustrating the hip pressure point and comparing the width of the aftermarket seat pan to that of the stock passenger seat. Unfortunately, this latter comparison may not be accurate owing to the angle of the photo.
If anyone has found a solution to this issue, I would be very grateful as this is the only issue diminishing my enjoyment of my Elise.
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I had the same problem -- that's why I switched seats. Where are you located? It would be great if you could sit in my car and see how it feels. I'm in California -- sometimes Bay Area and sometimes Southern California.
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Another thought -- I'll be at Buttonwillow tomorrow for the track day. Will you be there?
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The seats are bolted to fixed brackets/mounts, which then fix to the car with the normal bolt holes.
Thanks Arno, that's very helpful.
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Another thought -- I'll be at Buttonwillow tomorrow for the track day. Will you be there?
Sorry for the late reply. I live in Nebraska. I get to the left coast several times a year. Maybe if I haven't figured out a solution by my next trip, I can see about looking at what you and others in your area are doing with your cars...
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Strappe,
It's hard to measure the seats because it's really a 3-dimension problem. Nonetheless, I measured my new driver's seat and old driver's seat at the places I think you want. The measurement says that there is 2" more room. That feels about right, perhaps a little less. See the attached photo -- but still no substitute for sitting in it.
--Joe