Griffith headroom
Discussion
So although it pains me my Griff 500 Taraka Plus is currently for sale.
An interested party who is 6’4’’ tall has tried one locally and struggled to fit height-wise.
So my question is this - are there any owners not too far from the Greater London area who have lowered / aftermarket seats fitted that would allow a tall gentleman to try it for size in exchange for a bottle of vino?
Any assistance appreciated 😀
An interested party who is 6’4’’ tall has tried one locally and struggled to fit height-wise.
So my question is this - are there any owners not too far from the Greater London area who have lowered / aftermarket seats fitted that would allow a tall gentleman to try it for size in exchange for a bottle of vino?
Any assistance appreciated 😀
I'm surprised your 6'4" chum doesn't fit, after all Peter Wheeler was at least that tall & insisted that his cars should accommodate him.
OK, I realise we're all different shapes & I'm only 6' but I have tons of headroom in my Griffith with standard seats.
Tunbridge Wells area if of any use.
OK, I realise we're all different shapes & I'm only 6' but I have tons of headroom in my Griffith with standard seats.
Tunbridge Wells area if of any use.
Peter Wheeler designed them to fit blokes of upto 6’5
You can put things like Lotus seats bolted directly to the floor in and that will allow a chap of 6’5 to fit in including helmet so yes it can be done with a bit of thought.
Lotus type seats with extra arse padding would work no problem.
I seem to remember people taking the seat base apart in the past and lowering them a few inches which would allow a tall chap more than enough room.
You can put things like Lotus seats bolted directly to the floor in and that will allow a chap of 6’5 to fit in including helmet so yes it can be done with a bit of thought.
Lotus type seats with extra arse padding would work no problem.
I seem to remember people taking the seat base apart in the past and lowering them a few inches which would allow a tall chap more than enough room.
Edited by BritishTvr450 on Wednesday 10th July 23:12
Some cars have spacers added on the seat base to raise them could it be that the buyer has tried one with these. There's a thread here about them some say they have none others just the front mine had them front and rear. They would only reduce by an inch or so though.
edit to add. I've put MX5 seats in my Chimaera and I don't think they're any lower. Some people with MX5s do remove some of the foam from the seat base to sit lower but I think that would spoil them.
edit to add. I've put MX5 seats in my Chimaera and I don't think they're any lower. Some people with MX5s do remove some of the foam from the seat base to sit lower but I think that would spoil them.
indigochim said:
Some cars have spacers added on the seat base to raise them could it be that the buyer has tried one with these. There's a thread here about them some say they have none others just the front mine had them front and rear. They would only reduce by an inch or so though.
edit to add. I've put MX5 seats in my Chimaera and I don't think they're any lower. Some people with MX5s do remove some of the foam from the seat base to sit lower but I think that would spoil them.
I had the blocks fitted to the front of my seats only. I removed them which gave me more leg room between the seat and steering wheel which I found worked a treat. edit to add. I've put MX5 seats in my Chimaera and I don't think they're any lower. Some people with MX5s do remove some of the foam from the seat base to sit lower but I think that would spoil them.
TVR bolted all their seat directly to the floor up to the T cars - not sure which group the Cerb fits in but that's irrelevant here.
They had some rather crude ways of adapting cars for shorter and taller owners. The S had two pedal boxes - one moved the pedals forward for shorter people.
The Chimp and Griefs had the pedals on threaded bar so they could be moved forward and back. This, although a faff to adjust, also allowed the pedals to be set up perfectly for heel and toeing.
OP - where are your pedals adjusted to? If they are fully 'out' then a couple of inches of additional leg room can be gained from moving them fully 'in'.
The seats were also adjusted in similar ways. With spacers being added to raise the seat. Adding them to the front bolts only can, again, gain some leg room by lifting the legs up and the bum down. The seats need, imho, at least 5mm spacers underthem to stop the runners fouling on the carpet which stop the seats moving back and forth. I have also seen seats with tabs added to move the seat position forward. Assuming the floorpan under the seats is flat in the Chimp / Grief, then the seat could be relocated further back if the seat doesn't go all the way back in the tub.
As has already been said, Peter Wheeler insisted the cars were designed so that he could fit his 6'4" frame in comfortably. So, structurally at least, the body of the car should fit. It is probably that your car has been adapted to suit someone shorter. I certainly adapt mine to suit my short leg, long body 5'8" frame.
They had some rather crude ways of adapting cars for shorter and taller owners. The S had two pedal boxes - one moved the pedals forward for shorter people.
The Chimp and Griefs had the pedals on threaded bar so they could be moved forward and back. This, although a faff to adjust, also allowed the pedals to be set up perfectly for heel and toeing.
OP - where are your pedals adjusted to? If they are fully 'out' then a couple of inches of additional leg room can be gained from moving them fully 'in'.
The seats were also adjusted in similar ways. With spacers being added to raise the seat. Adding them to the front bolts only can, again, gain some leg room by lifting the legs up and the bum down. The seats need, imho, at least 5mm spacers underthem to stop the runners fouling on the carpet which stop the seats moving back and forth. I have also seen seats with tabs added to move the seat position forward. Assuming the floorpan under the seats is flat in the Chimp / Grief, then the seat could be relocated further back if the seat doesn't go all the way back in the tub.
As has already been said, Peter Wheeler insisted the cars were designed so that he could fit his 6'4" frame in comfortably. So, structurally at least, the body of the car should fit. It is probably that your car has been adapted to suit someone shorter. I certainly adapt mine to suit my short leg, long body 5'8" frame.
mk1fan said:
The seats need, imho, at least 5mm spacers underthem to stop the runners fouling on the carpet which stop the seats moving back and forth.
Thanks for that info, I've had adding new seat runners on my to do list as it's tricky to adjust with the Mazda runners. I'll try a small spacer 1st.BritishTvr450 said:
Peter Wheeler designed them to fit blokes of upto 6’5
You can put things like Lotus seats bolted directly to the floor in and that will allow a chap of 6’5 to fit in including helmet so yes it can be done with a bit of thought.
Lotus type seats with extra arse padding would work no problem.
I seem to remember people taking the seat base apart in the past and lowering them a few inches which would allow a tall chap more than enough room.
If the buyer is interested in Elise seats, I have a pair sitting in storage which I bought but never got round to installing. Should probably sell them at some point.You can put things like Lotus seats bolted directly to the floor in and that will allow a chap of 6’5 to fit in including helmet so yes it can be done with a bit of thought.
Lotus type seats with extra arse padding would work no problem.
I seem to remember people taking the seat base apart in the past and lowering them a few inches which would allow a tall chap more than enough room.
Edited by BritishTvr450 on Wednesday 10th July 23:12
Andrew.
Hello all and thank you all for your helpful comments. I am the chap with long body/short leg syndrome, looking for my first Griff!. At just a shade under 6ft 4 it's a pretty tight squeeze. But I am seeing a car locally next week and will have a good look under seats and play about with seating position. I suspect Elise seats is probably the way to go and wonder if I could see your car ( Grahambone) please to see how I fit in that? As Dungman mentioned there is a bottle if wine in it for anyone who let's me try their car and huge thanks. If that works then yes, I may be interested in the Elise seats.
Thank you all again.
One good thing about Elise (or similar) seats are that they are very thin so you can gain some more space with getting the seat further back. I have them in my S and find them very comfortable - including on Euro tours - with the added bonus of extra space behind them for 'kit'. Expensive though. As are Cerb seats, which I believe are the best seats TVR ever put in a car. Comfy, hold you really well and adjustable.
TVRs are very adaptable and the vast majority have been. Its not your obligation as a seller to ensure the buyer fits. Irregardless of leg / body ratio the tub the seats fit in is the size it is. The tub could be lowered - a bit like Ed China did in the Caterham they had on Wheeler Dealer - but this is a fair bit of work.
Your buyer may have a body shape that is too big to fit into the factory tub irregardless of how the seat and pedals are set up. In which case, they are going to have to accept either a TVR isn't for them, they are going to be squashed into one or they are going to have to carry out some mods on any TVR car they buy.
TVRs are very adaptable and the vast majority have been. Its not your obligation as a seller to ensure the buyer fits. Irregardless of leg / body ratio the tub the seats fit in is the size it is. The tub could be lowered - a bit like Ed China did in the Caterham they had on Wheeler Dealer - but this is a fair bit of work.
Your buyer may have a body shape that is too big to fit into the factory tub irregardless of how the seat and pedals are set up. In which case, they are going to have to accept either a TVR isn't for them, they are going to be squashed into one or they are going to have to carry out some mods on any TVR car they buy.
TVRGriffGriff said:
Hello all and thank you all for your helpful comments. I am the chap with long body/short leg syndrome, looking for my first Griff!. At just a shade under 6ft 4 it's a pretty tight squeeze. But I am seeing a car locally next week and will have a good look under seats and play about with seating position. I suspect Elise seats is probably the way to go and wonder if I could see your car ( Grahambone) please to see how I fit in that? As Dungman mentioned there is a bottle if wine in it for anyone who let's me try their car and huge thanks. If that works then yes, I may be interested in the Elise seats.
Thank you all again.
HiThank you all again.
DM me.
I’m near Northampton.
Graham
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