Small driver seating
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From: Puerto Rico
Small driver seating
Hi, just found that my 5 ft tall wife cannot reach the clutch pedal in the driver seat
(electric power ), it appears to have about 3 inches less of sliding travel than the manual passenger seat, please if anybody has figured a solution let me know, she
is mad about it ( wants to drive it).
(electric power ), it appears to have about 3 inches less of sliding travel than the manual passenger seat, please if anybody has figured a solution let me know, she
is mad about it ( wants to drive it).
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All kidding aside - pedal position overlaps the issue of airbag safety. IMHO seats in most cars allow the driver to get far too close to their airbag. There are a few cars on the market which also have adjustable pedals, but most people I have talked to either don't think about positioning themselves properly to be compatible with an airbag or they characterize the airbag as "bad" or "always dangerous" rather than "dangerous when misused".
I'm 5'11" so proper position is no problem for me (though I am considering a clutch extender for comfort), but I do encourage my 5'5" wife to maintain a proper distance from her airbags. She would certainly need pedal extenders if she drove my `8.
I'm 5'11" so proper position is no problem for me (though I am considering a clutch extender for comfort), but I do encourage my 5'5" wife to maintain a proper distance from her airbags. She would certainly need pedal extenders if she drove my `8.
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From: Maryland
My wife is also 5 foot (actually 5' and 1/4", she swears). She never has problems driving the 8. She tends to slide the seat up all the way, but then recline a bit more then my tastes prefer. At least this gets her a bit further back from the airbag. Her car is an Acura 2k5 RSX-S. It's great to have two fast 6speeds in the driveway. Sometimes I park my 2.3L 4 banger 92 Ranger in-between them to see if may gain any HP via osmosis. It hasnt worked yet.
Last edited by rprycem; Oct 28, 2005 at 11:25 AM.
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From: Hermosa Beach, CA
My wife is 4'8", and only occassionally drives the Rx'8. When she does, she puts the seat all the way foward and uses a pillow.
I've been pretty uncomfortable with this due to the airbag (Although an airbag did save her life in an accident a few years ago).
Has anyone else tried Omicron's extension?
At the end of that thread it sounds like DaveT found another solution.
I also read somewhere about someone putting on a couple of pedal covers on the clutch to lengthen it.
I've been pretty uncomfortable with this due to the airbag (Although an airbag did save her life in an accident a few years ago).
Has anyone else tried Omicron's extension?
At the end of that thread it sounds like DaveT found another solution.
I also read somewhere about someone putting on a couple of pedal covers on the clutch to lengthen it.
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From: Puerto Rico
Nice good responses, but maybe Mazda should address this design flaw that will cost in sales to the smaller people, also Japan is not the land of the giants, so maybe the JDM version is more friendly to small people.
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