A&Q about Lotus
Q:
My wife is only 5ft will she be able to comfortably reach the peddles.
A:
Originally Posted by dawnads
My wife is only 5ft will she be able to comfortably reach the peddles.
I think so. My wife is 5'3" and when she drove the car the most comfortable seat position for her was not as far forward as it goes. The only way to know for sure is to have her test drive one.
A:
Yep, you have to test drive. I know of one person that sold their car because his shorter wife (and she was over 5' I think) did not fit well.
A:
My wife is 5' 4" and when we originally test drove one of the Euro demo cars, she refused to drive it because she could not adjust the seat to where she felt safe. The problem was not in reaching the pedals, but in sitting high enough in the seat. A small seat cushion might easily solve that problem, though. Whenever I get tired of driving it I'll have her try that.
A:
Originally Posted by dawnads
My wife is only 5ft will she be able to comfortably reach the peddles.
I'm 5'3" and was surprised that I didn't have to have the seat completely forward in order to engage the clutch (this made me smile even more) and to fully engage the break-the most important thing.
This was a relief after having the seat all the way forward in our MCoupe and needing a clutch stop. In my husband's E30 M3 I had to put the seat all the way forward AND tilt the seat forward to engage that damn thing. I hated driving that car (I was also learning to drive manual then, too).
This is an easy car for shorties to drive!
A:
Is there a concern with having to sit too close to the airbag, or are modern airbags no longer such a threat?
A:
Originally Posted by ChrisB
The problem was not in reaching the pedals, but in sitting high enough in the seat.
I think it's hot to be IN a car and feel sexy in cars that surrounded me when I drive/ride along in rather than sitting on a seat. It make me feel at one with the car. I hate sitting high (in our Freelander) because I feel exposed. High=boring. In our MCoupe my husband always laughed because I'd put the passenger seat as low and as far back as it would go.
I'm no gansta wanna-be or anything, either or I'd want some fancy dumb-$hit woofer and crap.
I'm a true lover of two-doored vehicles (my first car was a '93 del sol) but as a home-owner and living far from family, I had to give in to haul people and crap around.
A:
Originally Posted by MattG
Is there a concern with having to sit too close to the airbag, or are modern airbags no longer such a threat?
Funny you should ask. I wrecked our MCoupe (as to why we have the Elise) but the front airbag didn't go off (only the sides-have a scar to prove it). I think if the front went off, I wouldn't be on this board right now because I was as close to the steering wheel I could get. I think there would be a concern for those driving with the seat as far forward as it can go but considering the seat doesn't need to be in the fullest forward position for short people to drive this car, I would think it would be fine. I guess the question is if the safety factor of air-bag survival would increase the further back the seat is. Don't want to crash or die to find out.
A:
I too am in the 5'3" group. I find that 1 click back from all the way forward is the optimum seat position for me. The issue is more inseam vs. sitting height, not overall height.
I wish the seat was up 1" and we are working on ideas to raise the front only, rather than the stack of washers that was noted as an earlier mod. The problem with just raising the front causes the seat to slope back.
A:
Thanks for the replies. Car is on order 2006 titanium silver, hard top, touring, sport, November delivery. I could duck tape pieces of wood to her feet if she can't reach the peddles.
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FWIW, the 2006 seats won't just have different padding, they'll be more ergonomic / comfortable. A specialist suggested some changes which were incorporated into the new seats.
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Thats good to know. They seemed just fine on a test drive. Are the seats uncomfortable on long drives in 2005.
A:
Originally Posted by dawnads
Thats good to know. They seemed just fine on a test drive. Are the seats uncomfortable on long drives in 2005.
I'm a big guy and I've taken 5 hour drives without discomfort(6'4",240+)of course I can't see traffic lights
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I think they are fine for long drives. The main source of discomfort for me (5' 11") is that the limited room in the Elise locks one's body into a certain seating position, which can get tiresome. Even though comfortable, the inability to change eventually fatigues various body parts.
The seats, though hard, I feel in the long run are more comfortable than super soft, plush seats. For me their only real drawback is that they could use more lower back support - most cars lack the kind of lower back support I like.
If you are in the 5' range, possibly you might even be more comfortable because you might have more room to move around and vary your seating position on a long drive.
DLY
A:
I can report that after 19 hours straight, the seat bothers you.. but then so does everything else that touches you in the car. Your knee hitting the center console.
For 8-10 hour trips, I find the seat very comfortable. Don't forget to adjust the lumbar support bladder. Totally deflated, I find the seat is a pain.
A:
Any success with the seat raise? I'd love to see some pics. I'm 5'5" and would like to raise the seat an inch or so for daily driving.
As a side note, why is it that everytime someone starts a thread for raising the seat or other issues with driving position for short drivers, some dumb*ss has to chime in and mention and give his 2c only to then mention that he's Bigfoot's cousin. So aggravating...
A:
I had a GF that was 4'-11. She could drive the Exige. She prefered to ride in the passenger seat. Man, she was a shrimpy. OK by me though.