Jaisin

I can't lowride in the 8. My friend hit a pole driving his car because he couldn't see over the wheel and lost control. I have to sit up straight. Everyone makes fun of me, but I'd rather have control than look cool. I sit pretty close to the wheel with the bottom all the way up and back almost straight up. I also have the steering wheel tilted all the way up. I sometimes sit low, but I always make sure I can see over the wheel. I don't understand how peole can drive around all day with their heads visible out the back window. How do you guys position your seats?

bmcc49er

Should serve notice to his friends how stupid they look and how dangerous it is. Nothing like putting innocent people at risk so you think your looking cool to your friends. Glad you don't follow.

Rhawb

Yeah, I sit way jacked up in my seat (I'm 5'4 and my hair brushes the headliner). If for no other reason, you can have a whole lot more fun driving through twisties if you're in a proper seating position. Need to be able to see where the car's pointed in order to have fun.

BlueEyes

That is one of my pet peeves with young drivers, improper seating position. They look like total schmucks. I often imitate it if I am at stoplight next to someone like this. Makes many people laugh, except of course the driver, but often the drivers passengers if they are girls.

I'm too lazy to write about proper seating, so I googled images and found this, looks about right


Oh yeah, tell your freind he is a dumbass for me.

Jaisin

Is it because of the fast and the furious? I went to watch some people who street race and they do it to. They sit so far back that their arm is really straight.

G8rboy

That crap annoys the hell out of me... I know guys driving around like that can't see anything except the sky. I might look like a dork, but I keep my seat at about 5 degrees off of vertical... I learned proper seating and wheel positions from performance driving instruction and it works well on the street.

BlueEyes

I bet a lot of it is because of the F&F movies. You cannot control a car well with your arms locked. There are a couple videos on this site which show the driver in the 8, you can probably get a good idea of proper 8 seating position from them.

Click on the raceway
Then on the guy standing on the bridge
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/disp...eParameter=bod

Jaisin

That is one of the greatest quotes I have ever read.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/aut...-2920437c.html

RenesisRacer

Whats low-riding?

Rhawb

It's an informal competition among young drivers to see who can sit the farthest back and most horizontal while not crashing their car...bonus points seem to be awarded for leaning into the passenger seat as well. :p

Rotary Nut

I heard that is a fad that was started by the gang bangers. When you sit so far back and so low others can't see who is driving the car and also for protection from drive by shootings.

BlueEyes

This is low riding

:D

Rhawb

Can I change my answer? :D

Gord96BRG

That has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Not you, but the concept that lying back in the seat with no visibility and no control is somehow cool. Who are these morons that you call friends? You really need some new ones. Try going to a local autocross, and watch the seating positions used by drivers who actually have a clue. Then make friends with them, and then you and your new, actually cool friends, can make fun of your former friends when they're doing stupid, dimwitted nonsense like lowriding, and laugh at how those half-brained twits think they're cool.

Oh, and do your former friends a favour - tell them they're apparently idiots who have no idea what cool really means. :D

Regards,
Gordon

Jaisin

Is it bad to sit straight up. I feel like I am in a box. I position my self 10 inches from the wheel sitting straight up. I am 5'3" but it still feels like a box. I can control the car like no other though. I think that part of the reason I had my accident. Is it better to sit straight up and fairly close. It just feels weird.

Rhawb

Let me see if I can get all the steps to setting up your seat correctly...It's a bit late, but we'll see how this goes...

-First, use your left foot to judge your clutch. Your leg should extend naturally without reaching or stomping.
-Next, adjust the seat vertically - you want about 3-4 "fingers" above your head (stand your hand on its side, also make sure the vertical motion hasn't changed your orientation with the clutch).
-After you've got the vertical and horzontal components, set the seatback to a comfortable level and then adjust the steering wheel so it more or less squarely faces you...if you extend your arm to the top of the wheel, your wrist should just reach the center top of the wheel and be able to bend over it a bit.

As you drive, when you're not shifting, put your foot on the dead pedal over to the left. It'll hold you in the seat while cornering and it'll keep your foot from meddling with the cluch when it doesn't need to be meddled with. Steering wheel should be held at the 9 and 3 spokes.

NomisR

Well, probably best to seat yourself so your legs are slightly bent still when your the pedals are fully depressed. Your arms are not fully extended so you have room to manuver during turns. You don't have to position yourself perfectly straight. Don't know if this makes sense or not.

Jaisin

It does. You don't have to be perfectly straight, but can you be? I don't mind being bent. I looked at that video, but I couldn't get anything from it because he is a lot bigger than me therfore he sits back farther.

RX-GR8

good points and i am guilty of riding the clutch somewhat. i rarely use the dead pedal. i'm lazy with that left foot and leave it on the clutch pedal. :D

RX-GR8

i read somewhere where it said your arms should extend fairly straight to deteremine distance from wheel for air bag deployment safety. of course that's another thing entirely. :D

Rhawb

Seating position is actually relatively independant of height (remember, I'm only 5'4). Sure, you're going to be closer, but you want to look like that guy when you drive. Relaxed arms and everything comfortably within reach (including pedals) should give you solid command over the car. You don't have to sit like you have a 2x4 jammed in your cornhole, the seat can be reclined some, but if that's what's comfortable to you, go for it. If you put your seat up all the way, you can actually still recline your seat quite a bit while still being within the "4 finger rule" (that rule isn't concrete either, it's just to give you a ballpark of about how close you should be).

Rhawb

Who needs airbags when you can avoid the accident all together! :p
Agh, those sound mysteriously like famous last words...

G8rboy

Bingo!

My favorite last words are the old redneck classic, "hold my beer and watch this!" :D

RenesisRacer

Thats hot... :D

I never thought much about how I sit in the car... so long as I am comfortable...

I have noticed though that the sides are much higher than on most cars, or at least the MINI.

therm8

it originated in my opinion with 'gangbangers' carrying their guns in their front waistband and therefore had to sit all leaned back to extract the weapon when 'necessary'. Which of course made it into hollywood productions and then to the general public.