Learn how to set up your seat and driving position properly with TCR racing driver Josh Buchan. See more about this on the main Mighty Car Mods Channel CASH vs TRASH | BUCKET SEATS Follow Josh Buchan Here / buchanjosh
100% went out as they were explaining it. 2 clicks forward in the seat and I was set. (In saying that, my last drive I did set it like a lounge chair for a long ass drive)
The hans device point is incredible. As someone who used to race in the US, i was always baffled about how many people ran harnesses, let alone wrongly installed was shocking. Car seats are engineered so incredibly well. The head rest and back rest are meant to move to minimize whiplash, and it works. Great video.
When I was learning (UK, so manual), the instructor made the point that you can't clutch well if you have to strain to push it. So even at a dead average 5'10"/1.77 I had the seat *way* further forward that I saw people driving by. I never thought of a HANS device at track day level, but if you're at the stage where a cage and harness and helmet are prudent what's another few hundred quid? Prevents Basilar Skull Fractures, called "that damn noose" by Dale Ernhardt, who died of a Basilar Skull Fracture.
I'm 5'11 and sit waaay closer than most people my height. Almost too close. I don't have a Hans enabled helmet but I did buy a SFI approved neck roll. I don't go to the track that often I the car but it's a just in case!!!
Yes, he was incredibly hostile to the whole thing, yet he died from exactly the injury it was designed to prevent - the irony of it... However, after that drivers were much more accepting of it.
I'd love to see Josh do an in depth series on seating position and touch points at some point. Seems like he knows a lot about the matter and I think it's something every driver should know a bit about
Defensive driving is so useful. Dad has been a driving instructor for 2 decades and at this point has had plenty of students and parents thank him for going into defensive driving even though not required by the state for instruction(at this point has had kids of his first students on drives that made a point to seek him out). Aside from better avoiding accidents defensive driving often can relieve a fair bit of stress drivers can get on the road that stems from their pointlessly aggressive driving(tailgaiting for example) that they may not even be aware of.
I've never taken a defensive driving course but I do it everyday. Wish I would've taken a course when I was younger so that I knew what I know now. I don't even know what they teach but I just kinda figured it out on my own and feel like I can teach it if I wanted to. Definitely a good skill to have. I usually know what someone is about to do before they even know that they're going to do. I also like making people feel dumb, so I let them think I don't see what they're doing to do so that I give them a little scare. Also scare my wife some which is funny. "Are you gonna stop??!" No I'm gonna make that dude feel like an idiot haha
@@tcoffin014 That sounds like a pretty terrible collection of attitudes you have there mate, you don't know what a defensive driving course is but think you can teach it and you like increasing risk (even slightly) to make someone "feel dumb", whilst also ignoring what sounds like the better sense of your wife. Maybe I'm way off base but from the way that sounds to me, I hope I'm never around you in traffic let alone in the same vehicle.
One of your 47 watchers here 🤣 I can testify of incorrect seating causing injuries. Rear end collision in a 1993 JDM Impreza, I was at a red light, young P plater in a Fiat Punto too busy watching college girls to see me stopped, I saw it coming through my rear view mirror, tensed up and bang, dislocated right shoulder and permanently damaged rotator cuff. That was 14/15 years ago now and still gives me problems, especially when it’s cold which in Newcastle UK is pretty much always 🤣🤣
I think all these points should be taken as " get yourself as close to these positions as possible without feeling uncomfortable " . For instance, for me if the seat back is too far forward I get a sore lower back which in turn distracts my driving.
@@john_barnett think the key phrase is: "as possible". Mainly, they are telling the girls driving massive SUVs and vans that basically rest their entire forearms on the front of the steering wheel to slide their seat back, before they get sucker-punched in the chest/face by the airbag lol
I’ve always aimed for having all the vehicle controls within easy relaxed reach(nothing that involves manipulating car control should require I lean or reach to use). Sitting comfortably is good, but secondary to my control of the vehicle. If it’s not primary to controlling the car, they can be positioned outside of that zone if it gives me better access to vehicle control(mirrors, windows, seat adjustments, radio, signal, all can take a backseat vs wheel/pedals/shifter/hand brake).
Josh Buchan is a lovely bloke, good racer (won the last TCR round at Phillip Island) but awesome at speaking and commentary. Big props to Josh Buchan hope his career keeps slaying it.
Love how you guys promote responsible mods and driving. Thank you! so many idiots promoting silly stuff on the road. We actually do get teached this here in the UK, well some do. Its not part of a driving test as such but any decent driving instructor will go through it before you set off for the first time. The hand position on wheel used to be an "advisory" on a driving test IIR, to many of those you fail test.
I learned to drive on a 1978 Peterbuilt 379 so bracing myself with my legs is natural. I was 135 pounds then trying to push in a 200 pound clutch that was very sensitive. So I learned to plant my back in the back of the seat and use it to get leverage to push the clutch lol.
With a big fat warning sticker that this is setup for *track* use, not *street* use. Neither the title of the video nor the video itself hammers this home hard enough, especially based on Moog's lead-in in the Cash vs. Trash video. Sitting low for distance visibility is for the track. NOT for the street.
another thing to consider too is how your arms are at 180*. like if you fully run the wheel half a rotation how your arms are bent too. i try to aim for still having some bend due to what if your in a turn (doing a fun drive lets say) and something goes wrong. also something to try to remember is if your front wheels are going to be hit LET GO OF THE WHEEL....you can and more than likely will break wrists or hands if you try to hold on. just watch any on board crashes of motorsports and youll see the wheel go crazy.
Yeah, wheel jolt is no joke. I remember a few years ago a white 2nd gen Megane RS crashed at the Nurburgring that got some serious air time after hitting the barrier and almost doing a front flip. Heard that the driver got his thumb cut off by the steering wheel.
I think I had my seating correct when I had my big crash into the side of a GMC panel van , only thing I had was the soreness on my chest from the belt. probably helped the 2014 Mazda 3 was super safe
Love this type of uploads. It's always nice to get confirmation from a professional that you've been doing it correctly this whole time, with the exception of having a HANS brace... Also, The BMW driving school has a very good way of properly setting up the sideview mirrors as well.
I’m pretty sure the “sit higher” crowd is focusing on low speed up close maneuvering(parking lot/driveway maneuvers). Personally, as I’m on the large side(I’m about 9 inches taller than the regional average), I’ve alway just slammed my seats as low as they can go and still see a bit of the bonnet(I’m often up against the roof liner)…
Maybe you could make an argument for it on the basis of sun shades being more effective? But to be clear I am not going to argue for putting the seat higher.
Great advice, Hopefully many many people learn something from this. The amount of bad seating positions you see daily is concerning. As a racer (not just the kart pictured) I've always set my seat up correctly, from the day I got my L's.
This is pretty much exactly how I’ve always sat in my cars and my friends have never stopped giving me shit for how close I sit to the steering wheel. I’m gonna send them this.
All excellent points, especially sitting as low as possible, and 9 & 3 hand positioning. Another thing that also helped me was flaring my wing mirrors further out to capture more of the blind spots. The centre rearview mirror already shows what is directly behind you, so the wing mirrors don't need to be doing the same thing.
Maybe talk about harness installation also, because if you install them incorrectly your Hans device will be useless also! And maybe cover the Hybrid also! Love this Series, keep up the fantastic work!
I already sat like this from watching other racers and reading seat setup tips. But hearing the reason behind each of these is amazing. I like to know the WHY behind everything. Now it all makes sense. This should go on the main channel as well as the top Google search result for literally anything that is typed into Google
What happens when you are am above left knee amputee and have a non locking knee joint you only can use brake foot . Especially when doing track days ?
Interesting video. I have to say most of what I heard here goes against everything my driving instructor taught me back when I was on my L's and what I have seen my wife and son learn while they have been on theirs. In all cases I've been taught 10 & 2 for hand position and I was taught to sit normally with a slight bend in your elbows, your thighs should be flat on your seat with your knees bent and feet touching the peddles. In most cases this hand meant my legs are locked straight or very close to by the time my clutch hits the floor and if I push back against the seat with my arms they are straight too. In my Pajero there is no way possible to set my seat up so I can't see the bonnet unless I am laying back in the car but I guess they are designed for a different purpose than a swift. I will keep this video in mind when I jump in my car later though and see how some of these techniques go in it.
There is a reason why all racing drivers use the quarter-to-three hand position. You can study the subject by searching on Google. There is only one good position and you can indeed learn to change your ways. I changed at an older age and I can't believe how much easier driving became.
That's all well and good for average height people. I'm 6'3½'' tall so seat is all the way back all the way down and my head is still nearly touching the inside of the roof. But all very good points. The best defence in an accident is to relax go floppy. More change of little to no injuries.
Just come back to this comment section after adjusting my position, did not realise how much I was using my arms to hold my body from moving, now it feels more like a sim where you are just turning the wheel! Cheers
You can literally be killed by airbags if you sit too closely. My best friend in college was an EMT, and he told me about this old lady who had her chest collapsed by sitting too close to the wheel. The airbag deployed and crushed her ribs into her lungs. That said, a lot of people also sit too far away as covered in this video. We've all seen the people sitting reclined as far back, but also the grannies sitting two inches from their steering wheel with their hands at 10 and 2. Both are unsafe, and people are judging you from driving in a stupid way.
Something IMPORTANT that wasn't mentioned - but can be when they come up, is the correct way to wear a 4 point harness! Most people don't know what the heck they're doing and cinch down on the shoulder straps and pull the lap belts WAY out of position, often to the point where the buckle is close to the middle of the chest. This means that the primary restraint forces will be through the false and floating ribs, almost invariably breaking ribs and causing internal injuries, but it will also promote "submarining", where the body simply slides under the harness, almost invariably causing leg breaks and further injuries. The lap belt should be positioned so they're across the bony part of the hips, and firm enough to border on uncomfortalbe, then the shoulder straps can be tightened, but not to the point where the lap belt is pulled out of position. A good 4 point harness, especially with a suitable seat, will give a great deal of support and hold the driver safely in position in an accident - HANS devices are specifically designed for high "G" head on impacts and, while they may be desireable, they're not essential for most drivers.
As I understand it it's basically down to airbags, your arms are more in the way when the airbag deploys if your hands are at 10 and 2 so there's more chance of injury.
@@SomeMorganSomewhere It also gives better control and leverage - you are stronger with your hands at shoulder width and your fine control is boosted by being able to counter one hand with the other. This sounds odd but try driving (somewhere safe & slowly!) with your hands at 11 & 1 or "12 &12" and you'll understand right away.
The passenger seat looks like it's "sunken" on the side closest to the tunnel. This happens when someone big jumps in the car and sags the thin floor pan. Get out the trolley jack and jack up the spots under the seat bolts.
the fact that was doing all that unintentionally (it felt right) says a lot when I was learning driving my left leg was too far back and it was sore all the time once I got to drive on my own I progressively changed my seating position kinda like that
My manual friends tend to set more forward and my auto friends are practically laying down in their car. I learned quickly that my calves prefer to slide more forward in my seat. Seems better for the clutch didnt know about the steering wheel height though.
I knew a guy that sat too far back while driving his standard car so his left knee was locked and one day he had his clutch to the floor and was holding it getting ready to start driving and he got rear ended and the impact actually broke his hip and sent his femur out through the skin on the top of his hip. He lost the leg because of that. He said the bone was actually stuck in the seat.
If Moog had watched last week's video, he'd know about about HANS devices! MCM definitely need to get their hands on an i30N, they're supposed to be a lot of fun and they're not a Golf.
I don't see how lowering your seat causes you to look more forward? I'm tall so my head is only and inch from the ceiling. I tried to lower my seat as much as I could but then my legs were at an angle that hurt so I raised it a little till that stopped from memory. I can see a bit of the bonnet, I still look far forward. My car is low and other cars are high, why wouldn't this affect it? I just don't get this, I look where I need to, as far ahead as possible. What am I missing in what he said as it just doesn't make sense to me?
I have the same model Swift, bought about a week before the first vid' on yours, but with my body shape I need a steering wheel with a couple of inches more dish, but also want to keep the airbag, and haven't found anything. Anyone reading this have a suggestion that keeps the air-bag but has more dish?
Daily Driver Motorsport aka The Spacer Shop out of Italy have steering wheel spacers for ZC31S Swifts. The spacer bolts to the steering column and your stock steering wheel then bolts to the spacer, positions the stock wheel approx 50mm closer, roughly the same as a dished aftermarket wheel - but you get to keep your airbag.
@@AndrewJZX Wow, thank you so much for that - been just checking the legal side of aftermarket wheels here, NZ, and it seems if an airbab is fitted as an OEM item, then a replacement wheel must also have one - which effectively means they'd be illegal. The spacer should solve that issu - I hope! Eek, 245 Euro's - might have to do a bit more checking on our questionable laws for legality.
@@gordowg1wg145 no dramas dude, I've been using the bloke's spacers in a couple of different cars for a while now, they are a little on the pricey side but quality is good and he's pretty good with any issues (my ND MX5 one came with the wrong adapter harness for the cruise/radio buttons - he rectified it quickly and without question).
Wow finnaly. I'm in my mid 50s, I qas lucky my dad a x race car driver, taught me as a 13 year old how to "sit" in a car bum to pedal to wheel. Also if shit goes wrong and you need the controls ie wheel gears pedals it's in a natruel grab postion, also its how you "feal" the car how to understand what the car needs to respond to what you need it to do. It's called driver feed back.
I have one question about the "not seeing you bonnet", how do I see where my bonnet ends so that I can feel the dimensions of the car when switching lanes and avoiding a crash? Thanks
I thought this was one of your most interesting videos. But I drive my Jimny with my kids in the back so I'm already in racing driver position apparently.
the only reason i always make sure my seat is in the right position before driving is because of moog describing what it would be like to turn into a human shish kebab during the original build of taytay
The HANS system. Yes my dad invented that and changed the world of racing. Never patented it ( Due to being poor ) so mr. Hubbard got away with his invention. My dad's name is also Hans :)
"See you on the track" guys I really hope that means you're gonna bring him in as your Stig for the series finale. It's always good to see you race each other but Mqwdhi is clearly faster.
