Interior room and driver size....

[SlowShelby]

I have started digging around on here, and I have not seen any mention of interior room. I'm not concerned with carrying things around in an 818, or taking trips for that matter, but I would like to know if a full grown human will fit on one. I am 6'3" tall and around 220lb with 34" waste. I have never tried to fit in an elise/exige, but I have read that it is not going to happen with a taller person.
At any rate, I just wanted to know before I had my heart set on something.

[Ks2]

i am 6'2 and fit great in the subaru (i don't even have to have the seat all the way back) plenty of knee room and space to move my feet on the pedals. if the dimensions are the same as inside the donor subaru with regard to steering column placement, pedal distance and spacing, and seat position/height, and where the shifter is and whatnot

of course that assumes the same dimensions are spacings are kept, i have read parts like the steering column for example will carry over from the donor but that doesnt mean everything will still be placed the same

[kach22i]

but I would like to know if a full grown human will fit on one.
I can understand the perception you have after having viewed many of the designs posted, and awarded by the jury.

Simply stated from my perspective, if the template was followed this will be a roomy car in the vertical and horizontal. That said, you might be rubbing shoulders, I need to see a couple of normal or heavy set people sitting in the prototype buck to be sure. This is a big "might" mind you, I'm just thinking than in a standard conventional car the cockpit or cabin is built out as wide as the tires, not inside of the tires as in the 818.

False perceptions have been generated because half the designs do not follow the template for driver room. Of those that tried to, some have held the drivers feet and legs up in the air for some unknown reason. While still others have the windshield at or just below the drivers head instead of above it. And again when putting a targa roof on most have failed to take into consideration the 90% norm figure is a minimum for height, that there will be a thickness to a roof structure and some air or clearance room is desirable (even more so if wearing a helmet).

I would not panic just yet. There is lots of time for the FFR guys to get the ergonomics right.

[SlowShelby]

Thanks for the input gentlemen.
I would certainly think the dimensions from the wrx will not cary over. I fit in the scoobies just fine, and I fit fine in my 2g Talon. I just figured I would throw it out thre just in case there has been any discussion by Dave and the crew that OI was not aware of.

[bauhaus]

False perceptions have been generated because half the designs do not follow the template for driver room. Of those that tried to, some have held the drivers feet and legs up in the air for some unknown reason. While still others have the windshield at or just below the drivers head instead of above it. And again when putting a targa roof on most have failed to take into consideration the 90% norm figure is a minimum for height, that there will be a thickness to a roof structure and some air or clearance room is desirable (even more so if wearing a helmet).

I would not panic just yet. There is lots of time for the FFR guys to get the ergonomics right.

Hey Kach22i,

I think the problem might be the current frame design and template. From my perspective in researching cars to participate in the design contest, they have put the seats too high up in the chassis. I know this was to accommodate the tank going underneath the seats, but I think it creates strange proportions by forcing a higher car due to the need for headroom. To solve this, I think they should lengthen the chassis slightly and lower the seats - this would allow for a difference placement of the fuel tank and would lower the roof height as well as providing more headroom.

I think the extra few hundred dollars for a fuel cell to vastly improve the cars appearance and headroom would be worth it to the majority of buyers.
I hope that FF goes down this route otherwise I am worried that the design will be very compromised and it will end up looking SUV like in style as opposed to a low sitting sports car.

Cheers.

[kach22i]

.................. compromised and it will end up looking SUV like in style as opposed to a low sitting sports car.

I agree and don't agree, to the point where I think it really does not fuel any passion in either direction.

1. Take your tape measure out and measure a few cars, at least in the old days before the Internet this is how I gained some rules of thumb.

2. Most cars are about 6" off the ground (not true obstacle clearance) and have a cabin height of 3'-6", bringing most cars to about 48" high.

3. The FFR template with a generous or pessimistic height is also about 48" high.

4. A car you can drive in traffic, and be seen in without feeling like you are risking your life, would be as tall as the other cars.

5. An eight foot (95" actual) wheelbase is more than enough for a mid-engine car. In fact if you slip the FFR template under a Boxster/Cayman to scale drawing and put it up to the window (poor man's light table) they line up exactly.

I'll say it, the template is fine. However, larger tires, shorter wheelbase, lower height, shorter front and rear overhangs, relocation of the radiator and gas tank would have made it less tempting to stray from the template like so many ended up doing.

It would be nice to have two groups or categories of entries so we could see the affect following the template actually had on the designs. I think the ones which followed the template tend to look more like real cars personally, but that will never be definitive I'm afraid.