Driving Position Rules, how to find the correct driving position Options

[angelo]

I got my Santy 3.3 Limited recently and still cannot find a comfortable driving position. This is my first SUV and I am not sure how I am supposed to drive...
Granted that the best driving position is the one which makes you feel comfortable, I heard that there are some rules to find the correct one.
I know only one:

1. seat all the way back with your bottom
2. keep your back straight and stuck to the seat
3. stretch your arm horizontally
4. open your hand and lean it on the top of the steering wheel.

Your hand palm should touch the steering wheel exactly in the middle. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap.gif)

Any other useful tricks?

This post has been edited by angelo: Sep 3 2009, 07:10 PM

[jaydee77ca]

I got my Santy 3.3 Limited recently and still cannot find a comfortable driving position. This is my first SUV and I am not sure how I am supposed to drive...
Granted that the best driving position is the one which makes you feel comfortable, I heard that there are some rules to find the correct one.
I know only one:

1. seat all the way back with your bottom
2. keep your back straight and stuck to the seat
3. stretch your arm horizontally
4. open your hand and lean it on the top of the steering wheel.

Your hand palm should touch the steering wheel exactly in the middle. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap.gif)

Any other useful tricks?

Nod your head while rockin' the tunes!

[Volfy]

Depends on whether you are in a "performance driving" mode, or "long haul cruising" mode, and so on.

In spirited or performance driving, you need to cross your arms (start with hands at 9 and 3 o'clock, then turn the wheel 180deg) without lifting your shoulders off the seatback. Adjust steering wheel reach (either with telescoping, if equiped, or seat travel fore-n-aft). For most casual "every-day" drivers, this puts the wheel much closer to the chest than what feels "normal". Next time, look closer at racer car drivers on ESPN.

The steering wheel should be as low as possible without your legs interfering with steering wheel control. Ideally, the wheel is very close to vertical, so the reach does not vary regardless of hand positions on wheel. Flat-wheel bus driving is a no-no.

Pedal distance should be such that the left leg is slightly bent with the clutch all the way in - at the same time the left thigh should make full contact with the seat bottom without excess pressure. If not, adjust seat extension and rake accordingly. With automatic tranny cars, you can get pretty sloppy with the driving posture and still be "comfortable". having to work a clutch pedal makes things much more critical.

For long-haul cruise, it is whatever that keeps your feet from being numb, your arms tired, and your butt sore after a day's drive.

[Don67]

I find that the trick with the Santa Fe is to adopt a more upright and nerdy posture than you would normally use.

1. Keep the seat base relatively flat. Tipping it back feels sporty at first, but after awhile the short cushion cuts off the blood flow to your legs.

2. Remove your wallet from your back pocket, and don't push the seat too far back even if the upright dashboard makes you want to. It took me awhile to realize that the discomfort in my lower assal region was caused by an overextended right leg and a wallet underneath one cheek. Sitting on a flat surface with more bend in my knee eliminated the problem.

3. Keep the steering wheel pushed back into the dash, unless you have very short arms. Again, this keeps your leg within comfortable reach of the gas peddle while maximizing the distance between you and the airbag.

4. On long trips, don't forget to stop every hour or two to stretch your legs. This is necessary on all cars.

[angelo]

I am back from a 700 mls trip and found my comfort position, thanks for advice!
I set the thigh support all the way up, heel more ahead than where I used to have on my volvo s40.
I feel the SF like an upgrade from my previous 05 volvo s40 except for brakes. However, I feel that braking on SF is pretty adequate.