Leg room?

I have been considering a 550 for years, but haven't come across one that I can sit in. How much leg/head room are in the typical sypder? I am 6'4" with 33.5in inseam. Any adjustability in the seat/pedal arrangement? Or should I just give up hope?

-Mack

Mack,

Somewhere in one of the topics on this site is a lengthy exchange regarding leg room, head room and adjusting seats for same. From what I gathered from the exchange, there MAY be a couple of inches to gain in leg room, but very little in terms of "head room" other than perhaps removing cushioning from the seat.

I'm 6'0" and have a 31" inseam. If I sit up straight in the my car the top of the windshield is right at eye level. I have been able to move the seat forward a little and have shortened the spacers and bolts at the rear of the driver's seat so that the seat leans back a little more. This allows me to lean back and slide my butt forward, facilitating reaching the pedals and moving my head below the top of the wind shield. But the bottom line is that there's not much adjusting that can be done with these things.

Hope this helps.

TMc

Mack, I concur with Terry, I'm 6' 1" with a 32" inseam. I had to remove 2 inches of foam from the seat cushion and I was still a bit uncomfortable driving the car (Beck) For a bunch of money, aftermarket seats are available but they still don't give you the room you will need at 6'4".

About a year ago a guy in New Jersey or New York sold his brand new Beck via E-bay after owning it for 2 days. According to his ad in E-bay, he was 6'4" and just didn't fit.

Maybe Bert will chime in, he's about 8' 14" tall and stuffs himself into his Beck.

When he gets out, it's kind of like one of those circus acts where the clowns keep coming out of the car.

Larry -
If I am not mistaken I think all of the new Beck have there firewall "laid back" about two inches for more leg room. Did your car have that feature?

Joe, the firewall was set back and the seats were slid all the way to the rear.

OK, I'm not the tallest, but I've got you guys (so far) on the inseam. I'm 6'3" with a 36" inseam. I've got and old beck, #67, that has not had the firewall pushed back and stock VW pedals.

I did a few things to make it more comfortable. First off, I'm lucky in that I've also got a small waist at 32" so the seats aren't too bad although I just bought the new Beck seats that were on the Spyderclub.com site for sale. My biggest issue was actually the steering wheel. I just couldn't have a normal steering wheel as my knees would get in the way so I bought a smaller Momo race wheel. Additionally my seats are mounted on 1x4's, which I lowered from 2x4's. It really doesn't seem very cramped and when I'm cruising on the freeway I can extend my left leg behind the clutch pedal and drive with my foot touching the front wall.

Just as an FYI I put in Dario's plexiglass windshield so my head is 100% above the windshield, but it's not horribly windy, and I wear goggles.

I'd suggest finding someone close to you and checking out the car and seeing if they'd let you drive it. The seeing what of the mentioned features would seem to work out for you.

I'm 4 feet high with a 40" inseam. I have a small head. People look at me strange. I love spyders but I can't see over the dash.

Mike:

LOL, you surely have too much time on your hands. (And don't call me Shirley!) ;>) Terry

too much coffee on an empty stomach I am afraid. my apologies to all...

Bert - you ought to get one of those clear face masks - or even a hockey mask to protect from flying objects - just think of the stares you'd get. Jason driving a spyder....

Must put coffee cup down and step away from it slowly...

mike

Mike -

Along those lines, I've considered marketing a special type of helmet for motorcyclists and other open vehicle drivers. It would be a full face helmet with a black face shield. The helmet itself would be finished in exactly the same hue as the face shield so that the edges of the shield were virtually invisible.

Upon ordering the helmet, the purchaser would provide me with a photo of his/her face, displaying any expression they choose.

Then I would create a digital tranfer that included the facial image surrounded by what would appear to be the leather liner of a helmet opening.

I would then mount the transfer to the BACK of the helmet, then clear coat it.

The effect, of course, would be that anyone observing the wearer would think that his/her head was turned 180 degree from the direction in which he/she was traveling.

Anyone who has an opinion about this project, pro or con, please feel free to post it, BUT to sharpen your perceptions of the idea you must, like me, consume six Guinness Extra Stout before doing so.

Have a good weekend.

TMc

Hi there,
I am 6'2" tall, 15 stone (210 lbs)33 inside leg and have no problems with a GP spyder (718 rsk replica) with standard seats, standard VW pedal set but the car does have a lowered floor, by 5" to the rear.
I hope that helps?

Steve Maguire (UK)

Guys,

Thanks for all the comments. This does provide some much needed insight. I'm not sure what to think now. I guess I just need to find one in the area that i can see. Anyone live in the DC Metro area?

PS> I had the same legroom conversation on a Boxster forum (my other favorite car). I had replies from guys 6'4" - 6'6" that said they fit no problem, then a 5'8" guy that said he thought it was cramped. Don't have an extra 50K sitting around, so i haven't gone to look yet. . .

Thanks,
Mack

Terry - brilliant, simply brilliant.

Thanks Mike...Even sober I still think it has possibilities.

TMc