I just can't seem to get comfy in my car, I'm not sure why. My right leg ends up aching no matter what I do. Some positions are comfy for a little while, but I haven't found 'the one'. Shame as the engine is well suited for long trips. I find either my knee or ankle ends up uncomfortable.
It feels like the whole car is to far over to the left. It's hard to explain, but the aceelerator feels to far in.
Is it possible to convert normal pedals to the 'organ' type?
Does anyone else have problems getting comfy in their car?
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Surely it would have helpful, perhaps, to tell us the make of the car in which you can't get comfortable?
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That's my bad, thought it was in my profile. It's a 306, on a 51 plate. DTurbo spec so fairly refined. Seat has height and lumbar adjustment.
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I sometimes get this problem in my car but only after quite a long time behind the wheel. On the motorway I try and rest my right foot against the side of the footwell, while still applying the correct force to the pedal. Probably easier in some cars than others. (I can alternatively switch cruise on and give my feet a good waggle).
But yesterday I had to use my girlfriends MX-5 and my foot started aching after about 15 minutes. I moved the seat further back so my thigh was better supported and that helped it. But the right foot resting is not as easy in the Mazda as it is in my car.
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Do you also find it painful to stay at 30?
I use third gear/1900rpm as that's bang on the mez torque figure for this engine, so requires minimal throttle. Holding it there for long is an impossibility.
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To do 30mph in the Xsara I just stuff it into 4th and let it idle along the flat. It actually works out about 28mph but it reduces the risk of being nabbed by a speed camera.
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28mph in the Xantia is about 2750rpm in second, about the same as 80 in fifth. By 32 it's well over 3000 and getting raucous; no need to be 'distracted' by the speedo!!
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You sound as though you are suffering from restricted blood circulation through sitting in one position or an unnatural one for too long.
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Interesting...Thinking about it, this could be due to the way the seat really dips down at the back. It needs to be higher I think.
I'm just clutching at straws, mind. Any other Pug drivers know what I mean?
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Is it an organ type pedal in the 306 ? I have always found that these are better as the support the ball of the foot and the heel.
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Unfortunately not, that and a rake adjustable steering wheel is all it needs to be a proper little mini motorway cruiser. (Well cruise control ideally but they were working to a budget...)
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Try a cushion first in the dip in the seat (or the type that can be blown up to the preferred size).
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PS
If your thighs are hard up against the front of the seat because of your seating angle, then this can cause circulation problems.
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Yes that's it!
I think they were going for a sporty 'laid back and supported all round' approach with the seating, which is all very well for fighter pilots and F1 drivers with 1 turn lock to lock steering, short duration useage and the benefit of having other things to focus on than aching limbs, but is a different matter in a normal car!
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Different angle - I used to drive in some shoes which had a "thick" (no, not "high") heel - got agonies of sort of cramp in my heel and calf. Never had the same in "flat" shoes - now careful about which shoes I wear when driving long distances!
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Phil
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Different angle - I used to drive in some shoes which had a "thick" (no, not "high") heel - got agonies of sort of cramp in my heel and calf. Never had the same in "flat" shoes - now careful about which shoes I wear when driving long distances! -- Phil
I have a pair of Lonsdales (Chav shoes!) for this very reason. The sole is wafer thin.
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Before I read the next thread I thought - 'I bet its a Peugeot'! The 206 I had for three days absolutely crippled me - it seemed to me to be a case of a car not being properly designed with a RHD version in mind. Design it well for LHD then bodge the conversion.
The smart was similar - RHD was decent enough, but never quite as good as the original LHD we had - in fact one of the things the RHD doesn't have is an organ pedal accelerator, the LHD does. It could be argued the RHD smart was slightly bodged as it was never orignally designed with RHD in mind.
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Does anyone else have problems getting comfy in their car?
Have a look at the fact sheet "Osteopathy: Driving" on the following website for advice.
www.osteopathy.org.uk/about_osteo/about_osteo_fact...p
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L\'escargot.
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>> Does anyone else have problems getting comfy in their car? Have a look at the fact sheet "Osteopathy: Driving" on the following website for advice. www.osteopathy.org.uk/about_osteo/about_osteo_fact...p -- L\'escargot.
Thanks I'll have a read at work.
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I have encountered this once. I think one explanation can be if the underside of your leg just above the knee is resting too hard on the front of the seat. Support is one thing, but overdo it and it becomes circulation-restricting pressure.
Try adjusting the seat down at the front and up at the back a bit.
Alternatively, your knee can be suspended in mid air with no support at all, and you can get "shakey foot" from trying to hold your foot suspended. An organ pedal certainly helps, as can a stronger throttle spring. That also saves fuel!
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Cliff, you've hit the nail on the head!
I wonder if it's possible to swap to an organ type. I imagine the top down type only exists due to cost reasons.
The seat (As far as I know) doesn't have angle adjustment. Ironic as my poverty spec Fiesta had pseudo-height adjustment in the form of a seat tilt, which is exactly what I need here!
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A cushion under the backside provides a similar effect.
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Years ago, Halfords used to do organ peddal conversion kits. I suppose it might be possible to extract the fittings from a suitable scrap car.
Experimenting with a cushion would be the easiest option. Domestic cushions tend to be a bit soft, and soon stop doing any cushioning because the feathers get squashed to the edges. You really need some kind of hospital/disabled type cushion with more body to it. Simply putting a cushion of uniform thickness may not resolve the angle issue - a wedge, thinner at the front, is what you really need.
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>>I think one explanation can be if the underside of your leg just above the knee is resting too hard on the front of the seat. >>
That was exactly the point I made earlier in the thread and which was believed to be the actual cause...:-)
Many people believe that having a car seat that's soft and comfortable is the ideal, whereas it's virtually the opposite in that the seat needs to be firm and supportive.
Try a German model such as from M-B or BMW and find out what I mean. You can drive all day in these cars without discomfort and feel as fresh when you arrive as when you set off.
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It may not be just the car, but the combination of you and the car. My throttle foot is fine in my 306 diesel, but wife says her foot gets tired, maybe like yours. May have something to do with the strength of the return spring? I'm not sure whether fitting an underhung pedal would help - but it might.
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