[Photo] How is my sim racing posture / ergonomics?

[BluePotato00]

I'm requesting feedback on my racing posture and ergonomics. Does anything seem out of line? Anything I should move or improve? Thank you to the community for any advice you can offer me.

Notes: 90% of my racing is in VR. I use my Fanatec Formula Rim 75% of the time and the BMW GT2 rim the other 25% of the time. 2 BBJ button boxes are immediately to the left of my left hand. The knob of my shifter and the vertically oriented handbrake it to the right of my right hand. Display is temporarily removed, but you can see the four brackets where it mounts. Since the photo was on a 10-second timer, I didn't have time to secure my 4-point racing harness (but I don't think that would make much of a difference for the ergonomics photo)!

 

[Chrhun]

Nice setup! I think you sit a bit far from the wheel, like a road car position instead of a racing position - nothing really wrong with that though.

 

[BluePotato00]

Nice setup! I think you sit a bit far from the wheel, like a road car position instead of a racing position - nothing really wrong with that though.

Thanks for the feedback.

To fix this, would you recommend (1) making my seat more upright or (2) moving the wheel base closer to me?

 

[herve45]

moving the wheel base closer to me

 

[wajdi]

Firstly you should change your seat. A proper racing and wrapped seat should be better. Second, you should lower your seat post.... as you now,it seems like a truck driver position.
You can see how much my seat is low

 

[HoiHman]

There's obviously no real common right seating position. Main thing here is what feels best for you.

If you don't have any comfort issues during long stints, you're fine.

That being said my first observation was your pedals are quite close, but then again so are mine because i prefer it that way

 

[Chrhun]

Thanks for the feedback.

To fix this, would you recommend (1) making my seat more upright or (2) moving the wheel base closer to me?

I'd do a bit of both, but maybe more to move the wheel a bit closer. I can't say I'm a specialist in this, I just looked into this when setting up my own rig. I think one of the articles I read was this: https://boxthislap.org/the-correct-driving-position/

 

[RasmusP]

I'm a lot into posture etc. Gf working in the health industry, 2 friends shoulder operations etc.

My short 2 cents:
- wheelbase closer (shoulder will move forward when the hand goes upwards)
- pedals further away (legs are a bit too angled and knee too high compared to hip)
- bottom of the seat angled too much. When your legs go more straight, you'll need to get the front edge a few degrees lower to be comfy).

Angle is the back of the seat looks good. To apply braking force you need some angle there.

Back seems to be nicely fitted and straight.

Awesome setup btw.

After you adjusted these things you might feel the need to change the height of the seat.
You could for example keep the angle of the bottom of the seat, when going further away from the pedal, if you get the seat lower or the pedals slightly higher.

 

[Elaphe]

When defining a driving position, you have to consider if you just want a position that is comfortable for you, a position that mimics the position used in a specific car (road, rally, GT, F1...), or a combination of both. Some cars force a specific driving position because of the way they are designed. For instance a F1 car has a very narrow cockpit a requires a very low center of gravity. That means that the driver is sat as low as possible and with his body very stretched, even his arms. In these cars the degree of rotation of the steering wheel is very low, so driving in that position is not a problem. GT cars still inherit some of these design elements, but not so extreme at all. Some racer-wannabes try to mimic that in their road cars. That's as stupid as dangerous, since you don't have a good control of your car and in case of accident you will slip under the seat belt. For me, a rally driving position is the best because it shows you how to sit in a car for perfect control and when not limited by the design or requirements of a race car. Like in a road car, the advice is to sit as low as possible (safety reasons in case of side crash) and also because you should look ahead, not to the bonnet of your car. Of course you should be able to see the road and the top of the steering wheel must not interfere. The seat should be upright, to have a better view and a better control. You should seat close enough to the steering wheel (most people sit too far away), in order to have a good control of the steering. The pedals in a rally car tend to be a bit further away and not so low than in road cars, so that you can press the brake more confidently. However, placing them too far away can be a problem if you cannot full depress the throttle comfortably. Again, it's a risk for the driver to have the pedals too far away because in case of accident you will end up with both of your legs broken when being too stretched. Finally, remember that the most important thing is to have a good control of your car and to feel comfortable in your driving position. Every driver has his preferences. Just take a look at these shots from real rally drivers and you will notice that some sit closer to the steering wheel than others, as well as the different heights with respect the steering wheel. I'm also posting a shot of my current driving position, which I'm adjusting now while I give the final touches my new cockpit.

Recommended reading about this topic: https://www.skoda-motorsport.com/en/drive-like-pro-sitting-like-racing-driver/

 

[Vranq]

Comfort is essential but as already mentioned the steering wheel should be closer so that your elbow angle is ~90°.

 

[wajdi]

never mind

 

[Jason Mullin]

A good write up elsewhere had this to say...
Your shoulders and the top of your wheel should be at the same height.

The top of my Fanatec P1 rim lines up just above my chin, is it too high?
Trying to mimic a GT position and looking at many pictures it would seem the top of shoulder recommendations are too low.

 

[Emery]

A good write up elsewhere had this to say...
Your shoulders and the top of your wheel should be at the same height.

That would be assuming all wheel diameters are the same and at the same angle... which obviously isn't true. A more accurate rule of thumb would be for top of shoulders in-line with the center of the wheel as a starting point and adjust from there.

 

[jayk]

.

 

[smasha]

I always get bad back ache simracing but I am tall,6ft 3.

Prefer simracing with a Steam controller,the gyro steering is fantastic and my back doesn’t slump when using a controller,I feel like the hunchback of Notre Dame when using a wheel and pedals.

I use a normal desk and have no room for fancy pants rigs so I am never going to be in the perfect position to benefit my posture.

P.S. Waiting for a carpet based pedal set but with the durability of the clubsport v3s,huge untapped market there.