Atom seat-comfortable?

[Bruce Fielding]

6'4" but your arms should definitely be bent, and your legs should be too... I have mine on the furthest back setting. Really, it depends on how your 6' is divided...

[g8kam]

I'm 6 foot, but no car yet (hopefully two wks time) . With your arm bent at 90 deg. I think u're too close to the steering wheel. i've read somewhere that an ideal position is when u hold the wheel, your elbow should be slightly bent at about 40-45 deg. And your leg should still be slightly bent when the clutch pedal is fully depressed.

[Adam T]

Seat sorted.  Went out for another drive in the new position.  Drove like a plonker, totally uncomfortable and still wanted to sit up.  Old seat position fitted, add foam = feel good again.
Thanks for the advice anyway.

[Bruce Fielding]

Good news that you've sorted the position. One other thing you could explore is having a spacer added to the steering wheel. I had one on my Mk1 which brought the wheel an inch or so nearer and it was brilliant.

[Adam T]

That is a good idea Bruce.  Does it work with a detachable steering wheel though?

[Bruce Fielding]

Yup

[Adam T]

Do you know how much that would cost roughly?

[John Lloyd]

[quote="Bruce Fielding"]
6'4" but your arms should definitely be bent, and your legs should be too... I have mine on the furthest back setting. Really, it depends on how your 6' is divided...
[/quote]

5' 4" and I have my seat set on the furthest forward setting.  Arms bent legs bent  ra  ra ra (there's a song there I think!!).

[Bruce Fielding]

[quote="Adam T"]
Do you know how much that would cost roughly?
[/quote]

Not even smoothly! Ask Tom...

[stupot]

I had a very similar issue and spoke to Tom at the Autosport Show and he suggested a spacer - £30 + VAT. It arrived today.

[Mitch Millett]

Stu, did you get that from Ariel?

[Monza]

You can find it on Demontweaks or other car parts dealers.
Concerning seats the "problem" is coming from the new one they have made since April 2005, with flat car bottom.
My first Atom had "normal" seats which were more vertical than the new owns and so much more comfortable.
A french owner had made 2 wholes in the seat to put it more vertical (and so some small centimeters higher), that much better, but he was obliged to do supplementary wholes because it touch the handbrake mechanism...
In the new seats it's impossible to drive the car with helmet in contact with back of the seat so the seat is not in a good position or you need a minimum of 5 to 10cm of foam.. much to much.

[Mitch Millett]

I ordered a steering spacer from Demon Tweeks but it doesn't fit the RaceTech steering wheel hence my question as to where Stu got his spacer from. I know about the seat mods and think mine is pre-modification as it is nearly two years old now.

[coxm]

I'm 6'0" with a deep breath, and that's the setting that I have Puff's seat on.

You need to have your arms bent, otherwise you have very little leverage on the wheel.  I have very long arms, and they are about at right angles with the seating position as described.  Losing the handbrake improves things no end.

The other thing that you can do to make the seat more comfortable and, if you like alter the rake a little, is to get one of the kits of expanding foam that you use in Formula cars.  Set the seat right for your legs, sit where you want to vertically and pour the expanding foam into the gap (in a poly bag).  They are brilliant.  We use them in the Clio for different sized people, so we don't have to move the seat during a race.  I have been meaning to put one in Puff for a while, since I fnd that there is more space than I need width-ways, so I slide around a bit in the seat.  Demon Thieves do them too.

MC

[themann42]

do the recardo seats have many options for adjustment?