Short people and the CTD

[JasonCzerak]

My GF is a rather shortie. I think something along the lines of 5' 2"-4". When I sat her in the drivers seat a while back and she moved the seat around to get comfy and close enough to press the clutch to the floor, she was like right ontop of the wheel! I may drive crazy, but there is a limit to stupidity. So no truck for her to drive.



My question is, what do I have as options to correct this? Short of blocks on the pedels do the pedel adjusting deals work with manual trans?

 

[wcjp]

Adjustable pedals are an option from the factory with the manual transmission.

 

[fkovalski]

... My question is, what do I have as options to correct this? Short of blocks on the pedels

We use phone books for the wee ones at the card table :-laf



Seriously- do you have the power seat option? I am 6'-4" and my last truck did not have this option and I found the seat to be difficult to adjust for my comfort level. My new one HAS the pwr driver's seat and I find it much more fitting.

 

[HLewallen]

My GF is just shorter than yours - I thought this was gonna be a question of getting in and out! When she was all adjusted up, how bent were her arms at the elbow holding the wheel? I always think she is sitting too close to the wheel, but it turns out shorter people have shorter arms - kind of an optical illusion. Sorry, that's all I got. My GF won't drive my truck so I have no practical experience, but I did test fit her into a Scion last weekend.

 

[TowPro]

First problem, Insurance companys don't like girl friends driving your car or truck. I had one total a 70 Olds cuttless on me, I paid higher rates for several years after that one.



Second, my wife is 5'-nothing and used to drive my 98 5speed in an emergency. She also drives my 02 Auto even with the pickup camper on it (in an emergency). She liked the adjustable pedals on the 06 that come with the package I ordered.

 

[GWBourne]

i agree it isnt the safest thing to be doing, but to put it into perspective where I have the seat... she could get into my truck and not move the seat to drive it... . and i am 6'4. im not on top of the wheel, bit im on top of the dash. the power seat is adjusted in a way that i am comfy and my legs are sitting almost 90* from the floor.

grant

 

[GWBourne]

First problem, Insurance companys don't like girl friends driving your car or truck. I had one total a 70 Olds cuttless on me, I paid higher rates for several years after that one.



Second, my wife is 5'-nothing and used to drive my 98 5speed in an emergency. She also drives my 02 Auto even with the pickup camper on it (in an emergency). She liked the adjustable pedals on the 06 that come with the package I ordered.

ehh, im sure they dont mind as you were paying more then... .

 

[JasonCzerak]

We use phone books for the wee ones at the card table :-laf



Seriously- do you have the power seat option? I am 6'-4" and my last truck did not have this option and I found the seat to be difficult to adjust for my comfort level. My new one HAS the pwr driver's seat and I find it much more fitting.

I have the power seats. dumb not to



yeah, her arms are all bent. not a safe way to drive.



Infact, you should be seated in such a manner that when you extend your arms the wheel should be at about your wrists, maybe one or 2 inches inward at most.

 

[msperos]

My wife is 5' with the adjustable pedals she can clutch and still stay back from the wheel. I remember a thread a while back on installing the pedals in a truck that came with out them. It seemed pretty simple,

 

[HOBrian]

Best option yet... I dated than married my wife and she can't drive a standard

 

[BSilveira]

I'm 5' 4" and I touch the pedals fine manual seats. I sit back a bit still with plenty of control of the pedals. The only problem is (was) the not seeing the hood. I was used to my 2nd gen. I'm used to it now.

 

[srichard]

obvioulsy different people like different seating positions, still:

- first adjust the seat (back and forth) so that pushing the clutch in all the way leaves you knee with a slight bend

- then recline the seat back until, with your shoulders against the seat, and the arms extended straight to the top of the wheel, the wheel comes to the wrist.



you can then fine-tune it for comfort with the seat bottom angle and tilt wheel.



Having your arms bent gives you more control of the wheel. look at how close the nascar drivers are to their wheels - you don't have to get that close, but that's an example.

 

[HLewallen]

Exactly - a performance oriented driving position is much different than an airbag safe driving position. Doing a road course in a vette your arms are bent to allow rotation of the wheel without repositioning of your hands, and also provides more arm strength to the wheel. Your legs are more bent to allow more use of your thigh muscles for repeated application of brakes and clutch. I suppose taking into account new, multi-stage airbag technology, you gotta find some kind of happy medium between crash avoidance and airbag avoidance. (Of course my vette is old, with old airbags that make me nervous that close!)

 

[WyattEarp]

the only option i could think of you would have is to get her a truck of her own... But then again its nice to have the GF sitting beside you instead of in the truck ahead that you can only see the slight glow of tail lights as she keeps getting farther ahead.

 

[gsbrockman]

Yes, the adjustable pedals are offered on the manual transmission trucks. My '03 has them, but my wife is too skeered to drive it... ... fine by me.

 

[JasonCzerak]

obvioulsy different people like different seating positions, still:

- first adjust the seat (back and forth) so that pushing the clutch in all the way leaves you knee with a slight bend

- then recline the seat back until, with your shoulders against the seat, and the arms extended straight to the top of the wheel, the wheel comes to the wrist.



you can then fine-tune it for comfort with the seat bottom angle and tilt wheel.



Having your arms bent gives you more control of the wheel. look at how close the nascar drivers are to their wheels - you don't have to get that close, but that's an example.

EXACTLY! you are 100% correct about the seating position.



Sometimes I have on shoes that different from my nike's, that' freaking annoys me, now I'm readjusting over less then an inch Can't drive with a coat. Sweaters are ok for short trips.



I always position my self in a vehical likeI'm going to drive a rally. I used to lay back a bit and hide behing the B-pillar, but once I learned how to drive on a road course, you can't sit like that doesn't work.



As for the "nascar close". that's differnet since they only turn left, AND the restraints are different in real race cars as in that they "DON'T MOVE!"



As for not seeing the hood, I rather sit as low in the vehical as possible. The comfortable way to drive my truck I'm seeing the hood. With the Audi or my jeep, I just learned where the front end was. In a vette, where there is about 30 foot of hood to not miss

 

[MSLiechty]

My wife is 5'- 0"

and I ended up putting side steps on our truck to help her crawl in. She has no problems driving the truck just getting into it.



Michael

 

[JasonCzerak]

and I ended up putting side steps on our truck to help her crawl in. She has no problems driving the truck just getting into it.



Michael

Yeah, I figure if I had an auto, then thngs would be a non issue. . my GF is fine with jumping in as I do jump a little my self. She's even trained to knock the snow/dirt off her shoes before putting her feet in. And I mean knocking off as in clicking her shoes together and not on the truck

 

[MNielsen]

JasonCzerak,

My wife is 5'2" and with adj. pedals and seat she can position herself safely and properly behind the wheel. That sais she "really likes the POWER and the height" when driving, thought I was going to loose my truck to her and all, whew that was close.

 

[BrianFleming]

My GF is also in the 5'2" range. She's able to drive my truck and not be too close to the wheel. She can reach the pedals when they're adjusted. Her problem is a bit different. Tiny Feet. She's used to driving her Civic, and keeping her heel on the floor while pushing the gas pedal. With the truck, she has to keep her foot in the air in order to comfortably push the gas pedal, forget about the brake! She hates that! I'm looking for something like a mat with a "bump" in it to rest her heel on.