Ok. I'm trying to make sure I am optimally seated.

I sit upright, no forward or backward slant (perhaps a slight backward).

My knees are slightly bent with the pedals all the way down.

My wrists sit on the wheel at 10 and 2 with my hands hanging down and only a slight stretch required. Fully relaxed my wrists are on the wheel with my hand more straight than down.

My knees do not hit anything.

So far I think I'm good. The height is where I am having trouble.

I was getting hit by the sun from the side pretty badly, even with the sun up a decent amount. I rasied my seat so that a straight line from the bottom of the side visor to my face hits about half-way between the bottom of my nose and the bottom of my eye. At this height I can see the bonnet under the wiper, but not over except for down the drivers side wheras before I couldn't see the bonnet while driving.

I was not previously ever having trouble seeing stoplights, but now I am starting to see why people opt to get those "light in sight" things.

I had a great forward field of view, now the rear-view mirror covers a decent portion of it. I could concieveably miss a small car at an intersection to the right, and sometimes I have trouble seeing vehicles coming down on-ramps to front right (to figure out if I need to speed up or slow down to help them merge safely).

My question becomes, what seat height should I go for? Do I want the side visor to be lined up with my eyes, above them, below them? Should I see the bonnet at all? Should I be looking slightly up to see the rear-view mirror?

I am about 5'8" tall, so not to tall or short such that the seat has trouble accomidateing me properly, I just want to make sure it is proper. I like getting a little side shade from the visor as that is it's purpose, but the rear-view mirror and stoplight issues are somewhat annoying and could even become safety issues.

I would love to hear opinions, and reasons. I am willing to hear any viewpoint as long as it is somewhat supported and preferably in such a way that I can look up more detail on my own to verify what I am learning.

Thanks in advance!

 

My seat (I'm 5' 9.5") is set up so my left foot fits comfortably on the dead pedal. Seems close, but after getting used to it, this works very well for me. Whenever someone else gets in my MINI (for service/inspection) I find they move the seat way back. I don't get that. Works much better closer...I recalibrate the position w/ my left foot comfortably resting on the deal pedal.

My arms are bent at a bit over 90 degrees on the wheel, hands generally just at or above 9 and 3. I set the seat height/steering tilt so I can see the tach clearly...usually only the top 1/2" to 3/4" of the tach is cut off by the steering wheel. Mirrors are adjusted carefully and properly. I have had not the slightest issue w/ the early-sized, smaller, rearview mirror. In fact, I love it.

That said, I don't even consider the visors....don't even give them a second thought. I set up the seat for comfort and for using the controls. I think there's just too many variables in driving direction, angle of the sun, seasonal variances (whatever) to fret over the visors. Yes, I get a blast of sun on occasion. Yes I have to lean forward now and again to see a traffic light overhead. But that's okay with me. I think if one were to even attempt to set the seats for the visors, it would seriously mess up use of the controls and I'm simply not willing to do that.

I do think the visors may have their weak points but, frankly, it really doesn't cause me much concern....and I don't even have that side visor on my '03, only the front two. The overall motoring experience is just too darn good to fret over every tiny thing.

It is good to work on getting your driving position set right...it may take some time, but you may have to pick your battles. If you're accessing the controls right, hang the rest, I say. Curse the sun, not your MINI.

 

i make sure my elbow is slightly bent when holding the steering wheel and
raise the seat if im going to be getting on the throttle a lot, or lower it
if im just going to be streeting around town.

 

The MINI offers you so many options, it's difficult to figure them all out. I'd say it took me a year of playing with different configurations to get me to something I like. I've just accepted that I won't see the "4" on the tach, cause I like the steering wheel low, and the seat high. My right knee is bent when on the brakes and gas, my left foot reaches the dead pedal comfortably.

The main thing that brought me this close was easy of heal/toe downshifting and trying to always have two hands on the wheel at around the knobby jobs.

mb

 

Good advice here. I drive with the seat back upright and the seat bottom is adjusted so I have a slight bent at the knees with all 3 pedals fully pressed down to the floor. I also ensure that my wrists touch the top (12 o"clock position) portion of the steering wheel with my arms fully extended, so that when I hold the wheel on the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, I have a slight bent at the elbows. NEVER EVER hold the steering wheel by the 10 and 2 o'clock positions on vehicles equipped with airbags. You run the risk of hand/wrist injury should the bag deploys.

There are no specific guidelines for how high/low your seat should be. However, most people agree that you should try to adjust your seat higher up so you can have a better view of the hood/road ahead (And also to be able to view your corners).

Drving with the seat too far back and the seat back too reclined is not only bad for your health but also a dangeous practice. The MINI is not a formula 1 car or a NASCAR race car. Likewise, driving too close to the pedals and the steering wheel can compromise control and be dangerous if the airbag inflates. This is a big issue for shorter folks that are forced to sit closer to the steering wheel to be able to reach the pedals.

You have to fiddle with the seat adjustments A LOT. Every adjutment change, no matter how samll it might be, yields a totally different feeling and degree of comfort.

Steering wheel height: Make sure your knees and legs never touch any part of the steering wheel or the dashboard. Give them enough room and this means adjusting your steering wheel higher, not lower.

 

The idea of driving with the seat back upright is 2 fold. First, this is an ideal body seating posture that promotes altertness and helps to decrease fatigue. It is also good for your back. Second, by allowing your back to make FULL contact with the seat back, your body "Feels" what the car is doing and how it is reacting to steering inputs.

Driving with the seat back too reclined is often done by showoffs that think they look "cool" when they are driving.

 

The only way your side sunvisor is going to work reasonably well, is when your sit is pumped all the way up. I am 5-10 and when the sit is lower, often the side sunvisor completely misses me. Again you have to play with the adjustments.

 

It took me about three months to get my seat exactly where it works best for me. I have seriously tight shoulders and having the seat changed, makes driving very painful. So..... I don't let anyone drive my car but me. Or they understand the seat stays where it is.