au driver positioning

[xr8falcon]

hey peoples. just wanna find out how common this problem is .
I have recently purchased an AUII XR8 220 and with me at around the 6 foot tall mark im having problems staying comfortable when im driving and not the missis. ( i drive it on weekends, she drives it to work while i drive a box hehe). i find my foot position really uncomfortable compared to earlier model falcons. im finding the cruise control my best friend to ease the pain. haha. seats dont go to far back in these things ay.
other than that its a good car that im having alot of fun with.

[JC]

I find the best position for the driver to be in the front right seat, holding the steering wheel.

OK, seriously, I'm only 5' 10" and I find it hard to get a good driving position too. I have now found a setup I like, but every time I take it in for a service, they change the bl00dy seat position - not just the slide back/foward thing, but the seat back and even the wheel as well. I now have marks on the seat back wheel so I now how many turns gets me to the position I like, same with the seat base up/down controls, and the seat forward/back action.

I actually sit a lot closer than a lot of people my height, but I set myself up so that my feet reach the pedals comfortably, and I can easily swap my right foot from throttle to brake, and then set the wheel up so that my wrists sit just on top of the wheel with arms outstretched and elbows slightly bent.

If you find a comfortable position, mark it in some way so that you can get back to it after the missus jumps in. Maybe try lowering the seat base all the way to the floor, set the seat all the way back, and the seat back upright, and then make small adjustments from there. Even once you get it right, you will need to stop at least every 2 or 3 hours on a long trip.

[smally289]

I went from an ED to an AUII and found the seat position less comfortable. I cant get the seat low enough and the left foot rest is in the wrong spot totally!

[AWD Chaser]

I'm 6'2" and I find it's one of the most comfortable cars to drive in... more so then the BA..... I find I have heaps of leg room, though it did take a while to find a commfortable sitting position in the chair...

[xr8falcon]

i find the same with the e series cars. my play car is a 92 nc fairlane 5ltr and thats perfect (i know its a huge car so it should be comfortable). also got a eb sedan and thats more comfortable with the foot positioning.

[ronwest]

Originally Posted by JC

If you find a comfortable position, mark it in some way so that you can get back to it after the missus jumps in.

You might consider AUIII F/Ghia drivers seat with the programmable settings.

Took me a while to get mine comfortable (everything is adjustable) but finally got it right.

If my wife drives it, a push of a button gets it to her settings.

[XR6-VCT-2000]

thats what i need , the AUIII Ghia seat setup , me and the missus are constantly changing as drivers , so the seat is allways all over the place , would be nice to be able to just press a button to reset it back to my setting .

Oh , as far as not enough leg room - you could allways just rip the front seat out and use the backseat to sit on ..lol ( like officer Hightower in the old Police academy movies ) ! ..hahaha

[MRJUCY]

I'm 6.3ish & find it fine, I've got size 14 feet so room in the footwell is important to me & I find it great.
The Blackwood Falcons have for me always had the most comfortable driving position, ergonomics & visability tho they've never quite matched it with the later ones.

[Orbit]

i'm 6'2 and i like the AU, took ages to get a exact spot to get comfy, but it's great now, and the fair lady who drives with me only turns things once, so it's easy to re adjust between drivers. guess i'm lucky.

[AUIIIXR8]

I'm just under 5'8 and it's all good. Hahaha. sorry guys.

[stiddy]

im 6'5 and love it, very comfortable.. i find it better then BA's, but Dads NA Fairlane was better again.
The only complaint with the AU seats are in the back piece, that the leaver on the left of the chair controls, sticks a little to far into my back even when its retracted all the way.

[HOTC2R]

Keep trying until it suits. As other have posted they are comfortable seats, you just have to get it to the position that suits you. I'm 6'4 and also find it comfortable when in the right position. Mainly drive a BA and sometimes the wifes AU and find them much of a muchness.

Well it's easy The answer is :The AU was made for small people like me 5' 7" and my wife @ 5' 2" ,.....Sorry all you tall guys ,maybe you need to buy a magna ..LOL I can't see over the wheel in one of them..LOL

[old_mate]

totally agree

Dad's AU has always felt a little wrong compared to the EL...feels like im sitting too high

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by au3 chaser

I'm 6'2" and I find it's one of the most comfortable cars to drive in... more so then the BA..... I find I have heaps of leg room, though it did take a while to find a commfortable sitting position in the chair...

Same as you mate im about 6'2" and find it great, sorry XR8 Falcon i cannot help...

[Mechan1k]

Took me awhile to find my perfect seating position in the ute ... I am 5'11" ... and I drive the ute quite a lot (being a courier ... and living so far away from my other job).

I find making the seat bottom angled back so my knees come up a bit allows me legs not too be so cramped around the pedals ... I try and keep my seat as low as possible (although it's nowhere near as low as my old Proton ... that was on the ground literally) ... but I find the AU XLS ute seats to be more comfy than the Territory seats ... which kinda feel flat though.

But ... there's one thing about the Territory seating/pedal adjustments .. they are literally infinite ... I can always find the perfect position .... power adjustable pedal box is awesome ... makes a hell of a difference.

[private9]

I'm 6'2 and find the AU to be a bit uncomfortable for me to drive - much prefer earlier and later models for the driving position!

[Fairlane]

5'10" and i find its not too bad. The steering coloum seems a bit to low and seat a bit to high but it isnt too bad, i find it pretty similar to the old EL.

[xd5.8l]

I'm 6'7" or 200cm and my te50 has a bloody sunroof to compound my problems so most of the time I'm looking into the sunvisor (bloody roofline). I need to convert my seat into a deck chair to have reasonable vision.
I don't care if I had to drive it in a fetal position, It really is that good to drive!!!!!!!!

[HLC]

Originally Posted by smally351

I went from an ED to an AUII and found the seat position less comfortable. I cant get the seat low enough and the left foot rest is in the wrong spot totally!

yeah eh....

i did the same... and i find the back rest in the seat terrible. i always get a sore back. im 5' 11" and i sit very upright, just with the seat almost all the way to the back and it hurts. although, if i lowered the seat to the lowest point on my ED it was too low.

[chief]

I am 6'1''. Dad had a NC Fairlane and was very comfortable. He always complains about the seats. But I personally thinks its the best position.

[AWD Chaser]

I'm not one of those drivers that sits with the seat all the way back and looking at the ceiling, but after years of both bicycle and motorbike riding (which ended up stuffing my back), I find I do need to have my seats on about a 30-45 degree angle (all seats - couches, dinning chairs, computer chairs, and car seats). So, last having a 1989 barina and 1983 Commodore, 6 foot 2, size 17 shoe and a stuffed back, the AU seats do perfect for me... until the Mrs. jumps in... but hopefully a fairmont interior upgrade should fix that....

[MRJUCY]

Originally Posted by Stampy

Well it's easy The answer is :The AU was made for small people like me 5' 7" and my wife @ 5' 2" ,.....Sorry all you tall guys ,maybe you need to buy a magna ..LOL I can't see over the wheel in one of them..LOL

My dad drives a Magna (Verada) it's big inside but I find it really uncomfortable & get a sore back from it & ergonomics are shocking, saying that the couple of times he has driven my car he has said he doesn't like the driving position so I guess it just depends on the person.

[galaxy xr8]

I'm 6'1 and the only problem I find with the AU is the bloody rear veiw mirror and this is probably because off the sloppy windscreen but it annoy's me.

[xr8falcon]

well i guess its different strokes for different folks then ay.

[Mechan1k]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

I'm 6'1 and the only problem I find with the AU is the bloody rear veiw mirror and this is probably because off the sloppy windscreen but it annoy's me.

I have issues with the rear view mirror as well ... it keeps drooping down so all i see is the back wall of the ute ... but I think that's due to having the music turned up too much though. :sm_headba

[XR6Stu]

Originally Posted by smally351

I went from an ED to an AUII and found the seat position less comfortable. I cant get the seat low enough and the left foot rest is in the wrong spot totally!

I get that as well... my EL had a low seat, as does my mates magna, and it comfy as.

[SVR73]

Not a problem for me in the VCT though of course these seats are much better than the futura and forte

It can be tricky though to get it dead set right with the two controls on the right, the actual seat rail setting, steering wheel adjustment and the one on the left (hurts if you have it at two clicks or more, got mine all the way back

The AU is the most comfortable car I have ever sat in and done a short or long trip in (gone to qld six times with the forte back in 2000) in 22 hours without a problem

My settings are
Steering wheel all the way towards driver with it lowered enough to just read the DTE

1st control on the right (closest to driver) - all the way forward
2nd control "" "" - all the way back
Makes it more like a race seat that way

Seat is moved back enough to expose one inch of the seat rail
Will take a pic tomorrow

The headrest is about 2 1/2 inches behind the B pillarll the way behind the B pillar so when I look to the right for oncoming traffic I have to move forward to see (kind of hazardous) but that's how I like it

I have sat in other AU's with people setting the bum of the seat to almost totally level and either all the way up or all the way down and it majorly sucks
Feels awful.

Am only six feet but very long legs and medium build so I have all kinds of trouble with leg room and general positioning in most cars
Vans I cannot even drive as my knee is jammed against gear stick and cannot lift my foot far enough to disengage the clutch as it hits the dash

[Timeshift]

I'm somewhere between 5'11" and 6' and have no problems with a seating position in my AUIII.

The only niggle is that my head is *slightly* a bit higher than the headrest, so if I were to have a crash my head may roll and might increase the likelyhood of a long-term injury. The headrest should be exactly behind your head so if you have a crash, your head simply hits the headrest, instead of your neck arcing and the head rolling.

I also find the seating much more comfortable than other similar cars i've tried. I do havea question though... occasionally, when i'm driving, there is a slight clunking sound in th chair underneath my bum and I kinda feel the seat sink a little bit. Anyone else get this?

[Papa Smurf]

6'5". 120kgs, XR6 AU1, No problems at all getting comfy