I searched and couldnt find anything about this but wanted to know if anyone else does this aswell! Whenever I have somebody else (mechanic, dad, etc..) drive my car my seat is always a great deal further back and I am almost the same height as all the others Ive mentioned but I can never seem to modulate the clutch (its a 6 speed) from my seat in this position. I usually have my knee bent a great deal because my seat is very close to the steering wheel but is this bad driving technique on my part or is it just a matter of preference? Do any of your guys keep your seats further up because it helps you drive manual??

 

I used to be all the way back before I got the Z. I sit close enough to mash the clutch at a moments notice. I thought the same thing about takin my Z to the dealer to have the trans looked at. and the dude was shorter than me!?

 

I keep my seat as far back as possible, so that when I fully depress the clutch there is a slight bend in my knee. If I seat too close, my right knee usually hits the bottom of the steering wheel when moving between the gas and brake pedal.

 

Yea my knee is close to the steering wheel but wont touch it if i ever have to maneuver quickly but yea thats where i noticed after i got it back from the mechanic the seat was all the way back and i just cant drive like that without having to try super hard to not stall or press the clutch fully

 

Im 6'6" so my seat is always all the way back..lol. But generally in any car Iv had I modulate the clutch prob half and half pivoting my foot and actually pushing with my knee. This makes engaging the clutch smoothly easier for me because you can be more precise than when you move your entire leg up and down.

 

Though you are the same height does not mean you have the same length in Femur, Tibia, Fibula bones thus making a different height of the hips. You should be at a comfortable seating position, so its your preference.

 

True I'm 6'1" but I have very short legs for my height. I have my seat moved forward considerably because I can't fully depress the clutch when it is all the way back.
My dad is the exact opposite.

 

I'm with you on this one. I make sure my knee is partially bent when the clutch is fully depressed, and operate with mostly my ankle and partially with my knee. MUCH more precision that way

 

MOST people actually sit a good deal farther back than they should, at least as far as motorsports are concerned (which I'm assuming is part of your question, given the subforum this is posted in).

I too find that I sit closer than people of similar height, but often they are used to pushing around an automatic and sitting back too far. They generally have terrible hand/wheel movements, rest their hand on the shift ****...etc. Poor habits.

The best test is this: Sit down in your seat, and rest your wrist on the top of the steering wheel (12 o-clock.) You should be able to do this without pulling your shoulder off from the seatback. This is a GENERAL indicator of good seating position, as it should allow you to steer and shift properly ASSUMING you have good coverage of the pedals (which you should, unless you are built very strangely.) Only exceptions I have seen here are for VERY tall guys, who have to sit farther back than is ideal so as not to hit their knees on the wheel/hands on their knees, but even then they generally have longer arms so an approximation is still close.

As to your question...you are probably better off sitting close as you do. Congrats.

 

I find that if I stretch out, my reaction time goes way up. I react much slower that way.
If I'm at the proper position, my reaction time seems to be much more hair-trigger.

 

This is one of the ways I was measured when I was fitted for my custom mounted racing seat. (The other ways being measured on my shoulder height for the harness and view so that I did not sit too low). It does feel like you are very close, but then again this was always how close i was to the wheel. Except perhaps before the fixed back seat I would slightly recline my OEM seat, however after getting used to the new seating position I prefer it now.

 

Check You Tube, I think Billy Johnson did a quick vid about seating/driver set-up. May be under FX also (as in the car/team he was driving for).