Sabelt bucket seats height?

[Portti]

It would be interesting to hear which height position people have on the Sabelt bucket seats?

I believe there are three different height positions (low, medium, high). On which height your seats are and how tall are you?

It would be useful to get a little bit of data on this. Personally I have an A110 with bucket seats on order and haven't been able to sit on an A110 to test the seat height. I'm 191 cm tall (6'3"?) and I would assume that the lowest position would be the best for me but it would be nice to hear what setup others have.

[Peter.R]

When I first got my car the seats were set to the central position and I did feel like my head was close to the roof and it felt slightly claustrophobic.
I dropped the seats to the lowest position as it feels the best and gets your head away from the top of the windscreen.
I am just under 6 foot and visibility is fine, my wife is 5' 2" and she has no problems whatsoever, for the shorter people moving the seat closer to the wheel helps visibility over the bonnet anyway so the actual seat height is not that critical.
I really cant see any reason not to have the seats set as low as possible, my wife uses the car every day and she is quite happy with the lowest position.
The visibility at the front of the car is one of its strong points.

Edited by Peter.R on Thursday 6th January 17:12

[Simon Owen]

I spent hrs deliberating the two seating options in the A110, I must have jumped between cars in the dealership 100’s of times !!

At 6ft3” I’m convinced you’d want the lowest position.

A completely personal thing though.

[Hoofty]

The UK dealers offer to change it for you FOC once, on a new car - seems reasonable to expect all European dealers to do similarly?

(The reason it's only FOC once is because the official process is to replace the bolts with new parts. People get sniffy about this, but I don't think any dealer would consider the liability of deviating from that process worth it - safety A joint, etc etc.)

I'm not tall (5' 9" / 175cm) and am still on middle setting. I could go lower but actually enjoy the excellent visibility. I find the car very easy to place, and my head is nowhere near the ceiling. Yet to try wearing a helmet, however.

[s111dpc]

I’m in a similar position to Hoofty if a little shorter at 5’7” My seat is on the middle setting and I haven’t felt the need to lower it as I also enjoy the visibility and ease of getting in and out

[timhum]

I'm 6' 1" and initially had the seat in the mid position. No problem with comfort or driving but it felt a little high so had it moved to the lowest position and now perfect.

Tim

[Jalpine754]

I’m 5’8” and I have it on the lowest setting as I like sitting low in my cars, it doesn’t feel too low to me at all and if anything I found the middle setting made my back ache, so the lowest is best for me. Personal preference however. At 6’3” I think you definitely want it on the lowest setting.

[Portti]

Thanks for the reply's so far. Even more reply's are most definitely welcome. I think that this is useful/interesting information for others too.

The recurring theme so far seems to be that most people have the seat on the lowest position no matter how tall they are. Two people have indicated that they have the seat in the middle position. So far nobody with seat on the highest position.

[springfan62]

6'6" and couldn't drive it unless it was in the lowest position. I find the car remarkably comfortable for a small car.

Edited by springfan62 on Friday 7th January 12:26

[khart]

1.88 metres and seat in lowest position. Plenty of room with a helmet as well .

[bcr5784]

Portti said:

Thanks for the reply's so far. Even more reply's are most definitely welcome. I think that this is useful/interesting information for others too.

The recurring theme so far seems to be that most people have the seat on the lowest position no matter how tall they are. Two people have indicated that they have the seat in the middle position. So far nobody with seat on the highest position.

My wife and I are both short less than 5'6 -- but the middle is fine. Wouldn't personally want the lowest position as I would have to lower the steering wheel to see the row of indicators below the steering wheel and that would slightly impede access.

[xondat]

175cm, lowest setting.

Honestly wish I could go a bit lower, but it's not desperate.

[GVO]

I'm 5'8" and have always had the seat on the middle setting. It works fine, even with a helmet on track.

[Hoofty]

Had another thought recently - the sunvisor has always felt a little too low for me (5'9"/175cm/middle setting) when fully extended, which is way more annoying than it ought to be (I sometimes have to point it at my face to get the eyeline right). Maybe I'd enjoy the lower setting more after all.

[Flugplatz]

Bit late to this, apologies...

I have the buckets in a Pure. I'm 6ft 2in and even in the lowest position the seats are too high for me. Personally, I really like being lower in relation to the wheel in all cars.

I'm interested in whether anyone has had custom seat mounts made that lower the seat further than the lowest of the three factory options on std mounts.

FP

[7en]

Flugplatz said:

Bit late to this, apologies...

I have the buckets in a Pure. I'm 6ft 2in and even in the lowest position the seats are too high for me. Personally, I really like being lower in relation to the wheel in all cars.

I'm interested in whether anyone has had custom seat mounts made that lower the seat further than the lowest of the three factory options on std mounts.

FP

If you measure the space under the bum of seat on the lowest setting and there is ample space remaining, someone (ahem Life110?) could make custom side plates with lower bolt holes. Looking at the current frame it doesn't look like it could be modified for lower holes as the lowest is too close to the edges to add another, and the top would have to be trimmed down to not foul the lip of the seat.

The issue fitting a lower frame is if the steering angle would be off... I know in my RS Clio as much as I prefer lower seats, it actually feels better to be a bit higher due to the grip on the steering wheel.

Edited by 7en on Tuesday 16th May 21:47

[Whaleblue]

7en said:

Flugplatz said:

Bit late to this, apologies...

I have the buckets in a Pure. I'm 6ft 2in and even in the lowest position the seats are too high for me. Personally, I really like being lower in relation to the wheel in all cars.

I'm interested in whether anyone has had custom seat mounts made that lower the seat further than the lowest of the three factory options on std mounts.

FP

If you measure the space under the bum of seat on the lowest setting and there is ample space remaining, someone (ahem Life110?) could make custom side plates with lower bolt holes. Looking at the current frame it doesn't look like it could be modified for lower holes as the lowest is too close to the edges to add another, and the top would have to be trimmed down to not foul the lip of the seat.

The issue fitting a lower frame is if the steering angle would be off... I know in my RS Clio as much as I prefer lower seats, it actually feels better to be a bit higher due to the grip on the steering wheel.

Edited by 7en on Tuesday 16th May 21:47

Any changes to seat fixings would surely entail some sort of safety testing/certification. Therefore unlikely to happen.

One thing I notice is that the three positions have slight changes regards seat back angle - the lower the more laid back. At 5’11” with long legs I need the seat back more upright than some, hence asking for my car to have the seat in the middle position.

[Colin P]

All settings were too high for me, it’s why I was only looking at cars with the comfort seats. Not sure if the base is actually lower, but the various adjustments certainly allow you to get your eyes lower down the screen.

[LE62NDE]

Comfort seats have height adjustment as well as (some) adjustment of the seat back, although the amount of recline is quite limited in practice. Having read & watched countless reviews, the consensus seems to be that comfort seats give a lower seat position than the buckets.

Edited by LE62NDE on Wednesday 17th May 22:17

[7en]

LE62NDE said:

Comfort seats have height adjustment as well as (some) adjustment of the seat back, although the amount of recline is quite limited in practice. Having read & watched countless reviews, the consensus seems to be that comfort seats give a lower seat position than the buckets.

Edited by LE62NDE on Wednesday 17th May 22:17

Yes in one YouTube review he tested the base, S and GT back to back and said the seating was lowest the GT. I will definitely try both, as much as I love the look of the alcantara buckets and the way they hold you. The way they tilt in the lowest position initially just feels a bit off.