❔ QUESTION Is it ideal to sit low in these cars ?

[luciddaydream]

Hi there

Do most drivers prefer to sit low in these cars ?

I prefer to have the seat higher because I feel I have more visibility and I like the feeling of the car “under” me

But I am now considering going low if that is the best way to drive these things.

Just curious how you guys prefer it.

 

[Aero]

Being 6'5 I sit in the lowest position possible in all cars.

My head is always at the ceiling.

 

[RoryBellows]

I am 5'10" which means I can usually sit in anything however I want to. I generally sink the seat as low as possible out of personal preference. Just pick what's best for you.

 

[Green]

To OP did I read one of your posts that said you live in MN? I was just curios because MN is a CARB state and was wondering how you got your car so early?

 

[luciddaydream]

Yeh I’m in mn. But I got it in Chicago. But is it a carb state ?

 

[Green]

Yeh I’m in mn. But I got it in Chicago. But is it a carb state ?

Someone posted that Lotus did not ship non CARB state cars yet. Apparently they have shipped some. It would be based on where the car is registered not where you purchased. I guess you are the lucky one.

 

[luciddaydream]

Well I think Illinois is non-CARB.

My car looks just like yours. I had regular wheels but I Just had them re-done in black.

 

[KCMO68_510]

You want weight as low as possible, but I wouldn't sit low if it impaired any sight lines.

 

[wallstbear]

Do whatever makes you happy, BUT

... notice the Emira is about 3"-5" (7.5cm-12.5cm) taller than most traditional supercars, with not only slightly more ride height but also a bit more head room. I would use this head room.

 

[seriously]

Yeh I’m in mn. But I got it in Chicago. But is it a carb state ?

You are the reason why they had to wait for CARB approval before releasing cars to any state. 😎

 

[seriously]

Generally I prefer to sit low and feel like the car is around you rather than you are on top of the car. However, I’ve found that most cars have almost a natural seat height where the gauge cluster, windows, etc are oriented for your head to be in a certain zone. For example in my M3 I could sit lower but then it feels like I’m not in the right position relative to how the car was designed. And that right position is too high because the M3 is fundamentally built on a normal car platform and not a dedicated sportscar platform. Taller people can go lower and still be in the right sight line zone. I think you go as low as possible to feel a lower center of gravity while still within the designed sight line zone. Not sure if I’m making sense.

Said another way, every time I look in my rear view and see a small woman barely peeking over the dash- I think, now that’s too low.

 

[Superman]

Generally I prefer to sit low and feel like the car is around you rather than you are on top of the car. However, I’ve found that most cars have almost a natural seat height where the gauge cluster, windows, etc are oriented for your head to be in a certain zone. For example in my M3 I could sit lower but then it feels like I’m not in the right position relative to how the car was designed. And that right position is too high because the M3 is fundamentally built on a normal car platform and not a dedicated sportscar platform. Taller people can go lower and still be in the right sight line zone. I think you go as low as possible to feel a lower center of gravity while still within the designed sight line zone. Not sure if I’m making sense.

Said another way, every time I look in my rear view and see a small woman barely peeking over the dash- I think, now that’s too low.

Very well put - The key for me too is the overall visibility - I want to be able to see the front of the car, so I can judge exactly how close to corner apexes I am getting, whilst maintaining a good view out the sides and rearwards too.

Interestingly, due to the shape of the Emira side windows and how they sweep down lower than on many other cars, I can get why some people may feel like you are sitting higher than you actually are - Personally I really like this, as it does open up the side view a lot.

At 6ft 2in, I tend to have most car seats pretty low (at their lowest setting, or close to it, depending on the car). My wife is shorter and tends to have the seat near the top of the height adjustment - Overall our head height and eyeline will be in a similar position.

 

[Porter]

For me the height "sweet spot" is about visibility under the rearview mirror. I have a very long torso for a guy that's only 6 feet tall, and I very often find myself hunching down to see under the rearview mirror so that I can see traffic on the right side of my field of view.

I have this problem in the Emira, actually. Not only the rearview mirror visibility issue, but also since I'm looking "down" into the rearview mirror when I sit comfortably upright, the rear view out the back of the car is then slightly obstructed by the roof of the car due to the angles involved, so I can only see the lower half of vehicles that are behind me. A seat that goes a full inch lower would be ideal. Two would be a luxury.

It's not as bad as some other sports cars, though. I literally cannot drive an ND Miata safely for this reason. With the seat in the lowest position the mirror blocks the entire right side of my field of vision all the way down to the car's hood, and the upper half of my visibility is blocked all the way across by the upper rail of the windshield. So it's a 1/4 viewport I'm peering through, with my head tilted. Not safe.

 

[seriously]

For me the height "sweet spot" is about visibility under the rearview mirror. I have a very long torso for a guy that's only 6 feet tall, and I very often find myself hunching down to see under the rearview mirror so that I can see traffic on the right side of my field of view.

I have this problem in the Emira, actually. Not only the rearview mirror visibility issue, but also since I'm looking "down" into the rearview mirror when I sit comfortably upright, the rear view out the back of the car is then slightly obstructed by the roof of the car due to the angles involved, so I can only see the lower half of vehicles that are behind me. A seat that goes a full inch lower would be ideal. Two would be a luxury.

It's not as bad as some other sports cars, though. I literally cannot drive an ND Miata safely for this reason. With the seat in the lowest position the mirror blocks the entire right side of my field of vision all the way down to the car's hood, and the upper half of my visibility is blocked all the way across by the upper rail of the windshield. So it's a 1/4 viewport I'm peering through, with my head tilted. Not safe.

Given the fact that the Emira has no backseats I wonder if you can lean back more. Low + Lean must give you a lot of headroom.

 

[Porter]

Given the fact that the Emira has no backseats I wonder if you can lean back more. Low + Lean must give you a lot of headroom.

I mean sure, but it's not a Formula car. But I'm not sitting bolt-upright in it either. I'll experiment with that more, but I don't know if I should need to lean back significantly to "fit" myself to the car.

 

[seriously]

I mean sure, but it's not a Formula car. But I'm not sitting bolt-upright in it either. I'll experiment with that more, but I don't know if I should need to lean back significantly to "fit" myself to the car.

Agree. Too much lean could be uncomfortable for long distances. I find that I lean too much actually and have to sit a bit more upright.

 

[GRP]

Fwiw tall guys - I looked thoroughly at the seat bases/brackets yesterday and I dont see anyway these will be able to be lowered.
I had hoped to make a lowering kit but only way of doing that will be to sacrifice the power functions which would net a big drop but I doubt most will want to get rid of the power functions for it.

 

[Porter]

Fwiw tall guys - I looked thoroughly at the seat bases/brackets yesterday and I dont see anyway these will be able to be lowered.
I had hoped to make a lowering kit but only way of doing that will be to sacrifice the power functions which would net a big drop but I doubt most will want to get rid of the power functions for it.

I would 100% be willing to sacrifice the power functions if I can replace it with a manual slider. That would be AWESOME actually. And would retain the airbag!

This is a real ergonomic challenge in the car that I'd love to solve somehow.

 

[Steve Tillett]

I would 100% be willing to sacrifice the power functions if I can replace it with a manual slider. That would be AWESOME actually. And would retain the airbag!

This is a real ergonomic challenge in the car that I'd love to solve somehow.

Because the runners are integrated there is no way of just lowering the OEM seats and keeping all of the electric functions. I can honestly say after driving around in my B10 seats for 8 months I miss none of the seat functions.
After seeing FIA crash tests I know which seat I would rather use during a crash and it is not sitting perched up on a soft foam seat with exploding bags coming out of my armpits.
Even in our straight back seats like the B9, you can sit nearly three inches lower and the race position of the B10XL would see someone 6ft 5 sit comfortably in the car.

 

[NicolasB]

Because the runners are integrated there is no way of just lowering the OEM seats and keeping all of the electric functions. I can honestly say after driving around in my B10 seats for 8 months I miss none of the seat functions.
After seeing FIA crash tests I know which seat I would rather use during a crash and it is not sitting perched up on a soft foam seat with exploding bags coming out of my armpits.
Even in our straight back seats like the B9, you can sit nearly three inches lower and the race position of the B10XL would see someone 6ft 5 sit comfortably in the car.

Wow, 3" lower is a game changer. Is that in a hard core racing bucket? Or are there any similar options that are reasonable for a weekend, back roads car?