smart for short people?

[smartah]

My daughter-in-law is 5'2 and can't see over the steering wheel even with the seat close to the steering wheel. Are there any solutions that don't require new seats or growing a couple of inches?

[JPaul]

Another member of the forum (can't recall whom) has a wife with an articulation issue: they had the passenger seat installed with elevating blocks. Maybe that can be a way to go? Hope it helps!

Found it:
http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/for...862-post5.html

[ShoshTrvls]

Originally Posted by smartah

My daughter-in-law is 5'2 and can't see over the steering wheel even with the seat close to the steering wheel. Are there any solutions that don't require new seats or growing a couple of inches?

Funny, I'm 5'1" and have no problems seeing over the steering wheel.

[astuto]

Originally Posted by smartah

My daughter-in-law is 5'2 and can't see over the steering wheel even with the seat close to the steering wheel. Are there any solutions that don't require new seats or growing a couple of inches?

I'm 5'2" and have no problem seeing over the steering wheel. As I've found with tall people being able to fit, it's not your overall height, but your torso to leg ratio. I tend to have the back of the seat rather straight and this enables me to see over the steering wheel with ease. In days of old, before we could adjust the angle of the back I would use a seat cushion or a pillow behind my back.

[yuckmoon]

Originally Posted by smartah

My daughter-in-law is 5'2 and can't see over the steering wheel even with the seat close to the steering wheel. Are there any solutions that don't require new seats or growing a couple of inches?

Easy. Platform Shoes

I find depending on the shoes I'm wearing I may or may not have to pull the seat up in my boyfriends car and can actually see better. I don't know how it works, but it just does. (I'm crazy, I know) She could have her own pair of "driving shoes" I had planned on getting shoes just for driving my smart. No lie, I spend all weekend looking for shoes to match my new car.

[heathere3]

I'm also 5'2" and have no problem seeing in my smart. First suggestion is to check the angle on the seat. If it's tipped back too far I could see how you'd have problems, but otherwise, take it into the dealership and make sure the seat was installed right! It could be that your daughter has a very short back, but if so, she's likely to have that problem in any car. My sister (5'0") has a horrible time in a lot of cars, and drives with a cushion...

[Old smart]

I recall seeing references to seat spacers for 450s on a UK site. Will they will fit a 451? - dunno. Will they fit a LHD car? - also dunno. Who made them? - dunno that either. But spacers seem to be the way to go.

[doenut]

Now, my husband is 6', and his complaint is that, with the seat all the way back, he can't see the top of the traffic light because his eye-line is just above the windshield. The solution is to tilt the seat back a bit. That worked just fine! Opposite problem, fix should be the reverse.

[EinsteinsMommy]

Originally Posted by smartah

My daughter-in-law is 5'2 and can't see over the steering wheel even with the seat close to the steering wheel. Are there any solutions that don't require new seats or growing a couple of inches?

I'm 5'3 and I can see perfectly well in it. I don't think that 1 inch would make that big of a difference. I too sit with the back pretty straight. My grandmother sits on a pillow, that seems to help her.

[Thru the Eyes of Ruby]

Originally Posted by smartah

My daughter-in-law is 5'2 and can't see over the steering wheel even with the seat close to the steering wheel. Are there any solutions that don't require new seats or growing a couple of inches?

Easy... phone book... if they even still make them.