S2C Forum Archives
Main Section => Welcome to our virtual Pub Meeting ... => Topic started by: Tim_Moore on February 24, 2021, 01:13:17 PM
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Last time i was in a land rover was with my grandfather, needless to say space was not such an issue.
fast forward 20 years now i have my S2 rebuilt and took it on its first drive.
immediate response is "holy *&%^$ there is not alot of space in this cab!"
Few caviets; my one is LHD so i will not talk about the foot well space!
but more about seat, windscreen, steering wheel ergonomics.
I would not consider myself tall at 6 foot, my legs are bit longer than torso with femur beeing longer than typical again.
However I am skimming the edge of comfort, struggling with leg space under the steering wheel, have to sit with a knee cap on either side of the steering wheel and careful on leg angle when hitting the clutch they i dont trap my leg in between! Also im looking out the top 2-3" of the wind screen.
Seats are stock springs type that have been re-built (by the wife) so are riding a bit tall at the moment, expecting them to settle in a bit to resolve the viewing angle, but my legs are not going to get any shorter!
made me question what size bloke did Land Rover have in mind when they decided the sizing of the layout in 1960?
intersted to hear peoples responses on their height vs comfort in the S2.
My guess is 5'8"
:wooly-jumper
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I'm 5'4", and I find the cab cramped!
Have you looked in the brochures - sets out the dimensions of the cab space.
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I am (was) 6' 2" and drove S2 and S3 88" Land Rover as my daily & only transport for about 16 years in the late 60s to mid 1980's . I was not unconfutable , but it was tight, but just got used to it. Now at over 70 yrs of age I don't think would be able to cope for really long runs . I still run my S1 which seems to be slightly more spacious, not that I have actually measure it.
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80" s have the most cab room
Peter
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Try driving an armoured left hand drive Defender if you want to understand how cramped things can get. And - you can't even open the window!
I suppose the seating position hasn't really changed since 1948, so we are really talking about post war sizes of humans.
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I'm about 5ft 10, and I find it just about acceptable. I have an adjustable seat on the drivers side, which I think gives a little more legroom.
The option that I would consider if I found it to be a problem would be to make a dished seat back with much thinner foam. That would give 2 or 3 more inches which would help.
And this article suggests that we are 2.5" taller on average since 1967. Thus I reckon they designed it for someone about 5ft 8.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/how-mens-bodies-have-changed-over-time-what-they-used-look-average-a7657881.html
Chris.
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Not too sure about Land Rovers, but I believe in the 1970's Ford used to design their Driver & front passenger seating positions around the average man's height of 5ft 8 in.
Which coincidentally is my height, so I'm reasonably comfortable in my S2. I've got the sprung seats too. The only issue (a small one) I find, is that I seem to gently incline towards the driver's door as I'm driving, but maybe my seat has just settled more on the right-hand side......
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At 6’ 2” I feel your pain.
If you drive it around for a few hours over a few days you’ll get into the swing of it. It’s one of the reasons for the leaf springs - after a few weeks the drivers back will have compressed down an inch or so!
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... Land Rover think of everything :nursey
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I'm 5 foot 11 1/4", having just measured myself accurately. My LandRover is a SWB with deluxe seats on sliding runners.
I'm puzzled as why other people who sound as if they are about my size seem to be struggling. I find it an easy comfortable fit, with plenty of knee space under the traditional steering wheel. I once had a traditional sports car with an enormous steering wheel in my lap about 4" away from my chest, and I had to shuffle along the bench seat compressing the seat springs to get in at all. My legs were nearly straight, the pedals miles away somewhere under the impressively long bonnet. By comparison the LandRover is spacious!
The only factor may be that I am thin, and my legs are perhaps disproportionately long in relation to my trunk. I've argued before that having long legs is actually an advantage because it puts one's knees well forward of the seat edge, under the space behind the steering wheel closer to the bulkhead.
I also notice that the design of the seat could easily be modified to give a few extra inches if they were critical.
A good half inch to an inch is wasted by having a sliding seat runner. If all the drivers tend to be on the larger size and always want the seat as far back as possible then what's the point of being able to slide it?
The cushioning could easily be reduced by an inch in the base and probably at the back too. The cushion design is hardly sophisticated ergonomics - much thinner seats exist that are just as comfortable or more so.
It would be much easier for a small person to add a cushion.
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The only factor may be that I am thin
How very dare you! :-X :-X :-X
All joking aside, I would agree that having a long torso does not help. I plan on trying both the official Land Rover “seat tilt” modification, and if that’s not much cop then maybe trying a defender seat. And if that doesn’t work then I’ll sit in the back instead!
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Wait for talljohn to come on here. He’s 6’8”
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^lurch032003 must be about the same height.
I'm about two inches taller than my father
who in turn is about two inches taller than his father was.
My Grandfather would be of the generation that designed the series 2, so I guess about 5'7" designer height.
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5'8" and I find the cab dimensions are fine, more of an issue were the original fixed seatbelts which constrained reaching across to the far side of the dash. Retractable belts improved that a lot. The seats in a lightweight are even more basic than normal, just foam pads straight onto the seat box/bulkhead and thin at that, no adjustment at all. Perhaps that actually gives more room ? We should do some comparison measurements...
I find that I can sensibly do 100 miles before I need both a comfort break and a leg-stretch, roughly two hours driving. Add a longer break over lunchtime. I did the trip to Devon in two stages, Airb&B overnight and it all felt pretty comfortable. The trip to Rutland I did in a day each way, 350 miles each way roughly. That felt harder work. I'm not sure I'd want to do much more in a day.
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I'm about 5'8" (I think!) and find them spot on to be honest.
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I was a tall young man 6 feet 3 inches and learnt to drive and took my test in a 1958 series 2, the rear seat cushion was removed and an old towel used as a back rest.
When I bought my first series 2A it had adjustable deluxe seats and if I sat upright I couldn't see out so after some mods to the seat frame gave me an extra inch. The other problem was the windscreen wipers I had to modify some longer blades so the full height of the windscreen could be cleared.
Fast forward 40 years I have shrunk a bit and the seats in my current 2A are rather worn and flat and I am quite comfortable.
So carry on for a few years and every thing will click into place........
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i have since worked out that if i drive in flip flops then i gain an extra 10-20mm under the steering wheel.
Leave the hiking boots at home! :-X
My second trip in the car, to be fair, was more comfortable/less suprising!
very much looking forward to a long journey!
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I am pretty sure I read/heard somewhere that the designers were all in the 5'5" to 5'8" sort of range. I'm 5'8" and fit fine in a 109", which of course has a slightly deeper cab than an 88". But even I found a Tdci single cab cramped as the seats are very thick and push you too close to the windscreen.
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I'm 5' 8" and have driven Defenders for 30+ yrs, RN then private. Now S2A.
Reckon I'm about the right fit. Could drive all day with never an ache.
Including trips to Snowdonia, Ben Nevis and Les Comes in the Td5. Daily driver for work for 24 years.
Ho hum