Do you ever get out of your car and feel a bit stiff? Maybe you struggle to see all the essentials of the road? Do you know the perfect steering wheel position for your driving style? How do you set up a car?
Look we aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel here, we know it’s easy to move a mirror and adjust a seat. But with traffic being what it is these days, maybe you’ll find a handy tip in this article.
Where Should My Car Seat Be?
Well you shouldn’t be sitting with the wheel 2 inches from you face, likewise you shouldn’t need binoculars to see the speedo.
Different people prefer different set ups. The most generally accepted position is one where your legs are slightly bent. You should be able to fully depress the brake pedal and still have a small bend in your legs. This means you have enough room and distance to apply full power to the brake in an emergency.
You don’t want to have too much of a bend to your legs when seated because this can lead to cramping and you struggling to get your foot across to the different pedals.
What Angle Should I Be Sitting At?
At the back of the seat. You’re going for a Goldilocks vibe here. You don’t want to be leaning too far back but you don’t want to lean too far forward and feel like your doing a DIY Chiropractor course by sitting at 90°.
If you sit in the seat with your head, shoulders and back against the back of the seat, you want to be able to run the cuffs of your shirt around the wheel. This means your wrists can comfortably run around the outside of the wheel, giving you a comfortable position. This also means that you can exert plenty of leverage on the wheel if needed.
What Position Should My Mirrors Be In?
It’s whatever gives you the most visibility. Visibility = safety. We like to have our Drivers side mirror angled out so you can just see the rear door handle for your car. Our preferred position for the Passengers side mirror is where it is angled down slightly so you can just see the top of the rear wheel arch.
Ideally, this gives you the right visibility for all conditions and situations. But never be afraid to adjust them to your preferences. Hopefully you now have a better idea of how to set up a car.