Lets talk driver ergonomics. Is there such thing as getting a vehicle "fitting"?

[brien]

A previous version of myself was a very avid road cyclist. In the cycling world, it is very common after purchasing every fancy new bicycle to pay a few hundred bucks to have a professional fitter come fit your bike for you. They would take all my body measurements and then observe me sitting/riding for a while and then take all that information and adjust many areas of the bicycle to give the rider the best comfort possible. The whole process takes about an hour or two. At the end of the session the fitting would result in getting improved power transfer and, more importantly, significantly more comfort out of the bike.

I know that professional race car drivers do fittings, and I think most (all?) supercar manufacturers also do a fitting for every new vehicle owner. I'm wondering if there is anything similar for regular scrubs like us? I'd also be fine with just knowing some general guidelines of vehicle ergonomics, especially if there are any specific the kinds of driving we generally do when overlanding.

Right now I basically adjust my seat forward/backward until my wrists touch the steering wheel when my arms are extended out forward, and that's about it. I know I should be doing much more, and maybe with off-roading I should actually be scooting the seat forward even more and probably figure out a better seat height/angle, but I don't even know a good starting point. I make adjustments here and there on longer trips, but I find I can never quite get it really good. I drive a manual transmission vehicle, so I can get it so it's comfortable to use the clutch, or it's comfortable to use the gas/brake, but never comfortable to do both. I can adjust it so that my shoulders are comfortable, or that my legs are comfortable, but never both. I'd at least love it if my shoulders weren't completely blown up after a long day on the road/trail.

What are your ergonomic tips and tricks?

 

[Brandon Harvey]

I love this topic, thanks for starting it! I myself am very curious about this given I have had 2 hip surgeries. Driving/Riding comfort is one of the first things I look at when searching for a vehicle before anything else. My main indicators are:

1. Leg room, Hip room, Shoulder room of front and rear seat
2. Number of adjustments a seat has, not just forward and backward. I look for up and down and tilt.
4. Heated, yes this is a must. My current truck does not have it and is a real issue.
5. Tilt/Telescoping steering.

 

[000]

A previous version of myself was a very avid road cyclist. In the cycling world, it is very common after purchasing every fancy new bicycle to pay a few hundred bucks to have a professional fitter come fit your bike for you. They would take all my body measurements and then observe me sitting/riding for a while and then take all that information and adjust many areas of the bicycle to give the rider the best comfort possible. The whole process takes about an hour or two. At the end of the session the fitting would result in getting improved power transfer and, more importantly, significantly more comfort out of the bike.

I know that professional race car drivers do fittings, and I think most (all?) supercar manufacturers also do a fitting for every new vehicle owner. I'm wondering if there is anything similar for regular scrubs like us? I'd also be fine with just knowing some general guidelines of vehicle ergonomics, especially if there are any specific the kinds of driving we generally do when overlanding.

Right now I basically adjust my seat forward/backward until my wrists touch the steering wheel when my arms are extended out forward, and that's about it. I know I should be doing much more, and maybe with off-roading I should actually be scooting the seat forward even more and probably figure out a better seat height/angle, but I don't even know a good starting point. I make adjustments here and there on longer trips, but I find I can never quite get it really good. I drive a manual transmission vehicle, so I can get it so it's comfortable to use the clutch, or it's comfortable to use the gas/brake, but never comfortable to do both. I can adjust it so that my shoulders are comfortable, or that my legs are comfortable, but never both. I'd at least love it if my shoulders weren't completely blown up after a long day on the road/trail.

What are your ergonomic tips and tricks?

You could probably talk to a shop that does adaptive driving systems for disabilities. I had a friend who worked at a place that did this and they have all kinds of tricks for extending pedals, seats etc...


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[000]

I love this topic, thanks for starting it! I myself am very curious about this given I have had 2 hip surgeries. Driving/Riding comfort is one of the first things I look at when searching for a vehicle before anything else. My main indicators are:

1. Leg room, Hip room, Shoulder room of front and rear seat
2. Number of adjustments a seat has, not just forward and backward. I look for up and down and tilt.
4. Heated, yes this is a must. My current truck does not have it and is a real issue.
5. Tilt/Telescoping steering.

I remember seeing seat covers that have the option of seat heaters. Wet okele seat covers offer this option. The seat covers aren’t cheap, but they look to be high quality and if you otherwise like your vehicle maybe it would be an option?


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[W4P]

I love this topic, thanks for starting it! I myself am very curious about this given I have had 2 hip surgeries. Driving/Riding comfort is one of the first things I look at when searching for a vehicle before anything else. My main indicators are:

1. Leg room, Hip room, Shoulder room of front and rear seat
2. Number of adjustments a seat has, not just forward and backward. I look for up and down and tilt.
4. Heated, yes this is a must. My current truck does not have it and is a real issue.
5. Tilt/Telescoping steering.

I agree sore butt syndrome is helped with heat. Heated goes from cheap thin carbon fiber seat cover to under the upholstery pads both carbon or wire to custom big bucks. Carbon fiber can be trimmed. Amazon has wide assortment complete with hookup.

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