ruined my life

Perhpas you shouldn't drive so much. Or maybe try the A6 instead - which is closer in size to the Passat

JJ wrote:

I'm 6' 5" tall, 53 years of age. I had two lumbar laminectomies before cy2000. My B5 S4 is the most comfortable car I've ever owned. Go figure...

/daytripper '00 s4 6spd

What you need is a Yugo. They are great trolling cars.

hth

Dave (Quantum Synchro, 200T, S4, A6, and RS6 with nary an aching anything, and I'm six one, 220 pounds and 67 years old. Now, those Yugos, well...... they'll give ya a pain in the ass, which seems to be your problem.....d;o).......)

Didn't you drive it before you bought it? I'm 6'4" and I couldn't drive my wife's A4 for very long. It's just not built for tall people.

err... move it away from the Jetta to make more room for your legs ?

Odd thing, I'm only 6' and my right leg used to ache terribly after driving my A4 for more than an hour or so. Took me a while to notice the culprit - for a while I thought was just getting old!! Then I spent about 9 hours in my A4 over a couple of days and could hardly stand the next day!!!

IMO, I think the main problem was there being very little 'spring' (or feedback) in the gas pedal, causing ny foot to be lightly balanced, causing tension especially down the lower leg.

I now drive a Ford Galaxy, which apart from a completely different driving position also has an accelerator that has more positive feedback and you can 'rest' your foot on - but need to press hard to go faster. I haven't noticed *any* pain since.

FWIW my brother-in-law, who is 6'5" does about 2,500 miles a month in his 03 Passat (basically an earlier A4) and I've never heard him say anything other than how comfortable it is.

I had a similar issue with my A6 except it was my lower back. I'd been driving A6's and 100's for 7 years putting on approximately 55-60K per year due to my commute. I had a 91 100, 92 100s, and a 98 A6 Avant. The thing is, they all had the same exact seats! I'm not a tall guy, only

5'9" but I was experiencing pretty severe back pain every day. My remedy was to buy an A8! It's like sitting in a recliner and since I bought it, I haven't had any back pain at all!

Dennis

Chas wrote:

Oh I see, Audi has a lovely scheme on there hands.

Buy A4 and they make you surfer through backaches and then they entice you into a cushiony A8 - interesting.

It sounds like a nerve is getting pinched. I also have had this problem so many years. Seat position is key, and different seats need different settings.

In my A6, I had to move the seat nearer the steering wheel (to reduce leg stretch), tilt the seat itself back a bit, and put the backrest in a more upright position. If possible, try to get all your joints (hip, knee, ankle) as close to 90 degrees as possible. Also, set the steering wheel to keep your elbows bent quite a bit. The "sports car straight arm" posture will strain your neck, and this may be the source of the pinched nerve.

Use cruise control whenever possible -- this lets you relax your right leg.

Good luck.

The best way to find seat position is to adjust the seat so that when your shoulders are against the seat back and your arms extended, your wrist should be resting on the top of the steering wheel. This technique is taught in many performance driving schools. With most cars that have adjustable seats, I am skeptical when I hear someone say they aren't comfortable. There are so many different combinations of the eight ways to adjust, that there *has* to be a comfortable one for just about anyone, regardless their size. jmo

Dave (comfort as good as it gets in an RS6)

Ack.

There's no sports car straight arm position anymore.

I got the sport seats in my A6 and unfortunately one cushion was pressing on one nerve in my right hip.

I got it modified by a specialist car upholstery guy (the kind that does luxury refurbishments on oldtimers). It took him only a bit and cost me ~30 USD.

Since then the seat is bascially custom made for me, fits perfect and lets me make 9 hour runs without any problems. And the best thing is: You wouldn't notice that something was done, so well it was done.

Regards

Wolfgang

I used to get back pain after a long drive until quite by coincidence I changed the mattress on my bed for one of those new foam type ones... can't remember what back pain is anymore.

Ian

This is exactly the problem! This used to be favored for "performance driving" but not as much these days. However, the point is that we are seeking a strain-free seat position, particularly for someone with lower back/sciatic problems. The straight-arm posture is exceedingly hard on the cervical and lumbar regions.

-- Jay. (remove dashes for legal email address)

Anything that reduces spinal trauma will help. But while in the car, continue with a "healthy" posture. You will thak yourself several years from now. :-)

-- Jay. (remove dashes for legal email address)

Uhhhh, where did I say "straight arm" in my advice? It isn't there. And, if you adjust your seat so that you *are* comfortable *and* your wrists hang over the top of the steering wheel, your arms will have a very comfortable position. They will NOT be straight armed, but have a fairly good bend in them. *And* they will be comfortable. Try it.

Dave RS6

What you quoted was close enough to "straight arm" to cause stress. Even with wrists resting on top of the wheel, arms will still be extended too much for many people. I stand by my advice.

-- Jay. (remove dashes for legal email address)

You're reading skills need help, Jay. Nowhere did I say that you should rest your wrists on the top of the wheel while driving.

Let me try again, and I'll try to be more explicit for you.

To find the correct (racing or street driving) seating postion, get comfortable in your seat. Then, extend your arms over the top of the wheel. Your wrists should rest on top of the wheel. This is a *measurement only*!!! NOTE: *This is NOT the driving position of the hands!* If your wrists can rest on the top of the wheel from your *comfortable* seating position, your arms are ready to drive the car. Now, comes the tricky part: remove your wrists from the top of the wheel and place your hands at three and nine (Note: Three is for the RIGHT hand, while nine is for the LEFT hand.) At this driving postion you are not only comfortable but you can steer the car properly. In this *proper* seating/steering position, it is possible to make a complete half turn of the wheel without lifting your hands from the 3 and 9 position. If you need more wheel than that, chances are you are already in a world of shit and no steering will help! (Think brakes at this time, Jay! And screaming too!) Also, if you like to shuffle steer, (I don't) this position is ideal.

I hope this has cleared up any misunderstanding.

I've taught this measurement method to just about every police officer in Vermont, The Vermont Police Academy, lots in Massachusetts State Troopers (Troup E on the Mass Pike), some in Maryland, the RCMP in Regina, Saskatchawan, The Marshall Service, any number of body guards (including Henry Kissenger's), EMTs, fleet drivers, teens, and just plain old ordinary people.

It works!

Dave RS6

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