have you tried with the wheel all the way down closer to your legs? I also noticed with that setup depending on your proportions you can rest your elbow on your center stack and hole the wheel at 5. Or rest your left elbow on the window sill and hold at 10-11. Youll get used to it. never though I would hear someone say a 2000 mustang was more comfortable then a g

 

That's what she and I both said.

 

Yep, the wheel is all the way down.

But no worries... I have resolved the situation. It is quite comfortable. At some point it became a psychological situation more than anything. Now it is all good.

And speaking of the Mustang, I was forced to drive it the other day. It was an amusing experience after driving the G for a couple of weeks. As far as seating comfort it's definitely less comfortable. The thing is the seat is smaller. So you get it into exactly the orientation you want, and then that is how you sit. There is no room to move around beyond that. With a mid-size car like the G, there's plenty of space to move around and lots of options, so it's just a different feeling after 11 years, so it was hard to get used to it.

Wonder what those sport seats are like on the S models.

 

You need to start taking those arm-lengthening pills so those stubs of yours can reach the wheel.
Probably safer that you do not have the airbag so close to you as you did in the 'Stang..

 

Long story short. Older cars had more distance between the pedals and the steering wheel. That meant you didn't have to adapt into a scrunched leg position to reach the steering wheel and still have a comfortable bend in your elbows. It was great for taller people to be able to sprawl their longer legs further beyond the steering wheel and then hold the steering wheel without it being at arms length.

Holding the steering wheel at arms length is awkward, not just tiring. The arms muscles are in a stronger position to steer when the elbows are much more bent. The classic arms out boy-racer is ironically not the way race car drivers hold steering wheels. In race cars the wheel is in nice and close so that the grip is not tentative, but strong, for easy rotation in corners.

One of the reasons for today's weird, squat pedal-to-steering wheel proportions is probably to ensure plenty of space for the air bag to fully open when deployed.

Bah! Humbug! It's a stupid design, and I too can't stand the boy-racer arms out, barely grip the steering wheel position. Especially as power assist diminishes with increasing speed. Not only do my arms get tired, but the force to rotate the wheel increases!

I once had driving school teacher who raced in rallys who set me straight on the "proper" driving position to minimize body fatigue, maximize arm control of the steering wheel, driver alertness, and all while not bringing the steering wheel in too close, which can also be a hazard, since that again starts to interfere with spinning the wheel without tangling your arms - that's the opposite of the boy racer position, known as the granny-position.

This is how I was instructed to optimize my sitting position (for tall people today, no longer possible in 90% of cars):
1) move the seat in or out until your legs were comfortable and can freely switch between pedals without touching the bottom of the steering wheel - touching meant there was a risk of affecting steering during braking or gear changes.
2) adjust the tilt of the back in as upright a position as is comfortable, the higher the better, since the higher the more alert the mind. Leaning back sends signals to the brain to relax, and the further back the more relaxed, to induce sleep (all the way back).
3) with legs and seat back set, now lean back so your shoulders touch the back, and without your shoulders leaving that position, with your arms extended straight out, bending your wrists down, your hands should just be able to flop over the top of the steering wheel, with no gap, meaning the steering wheel is in too close if there is a gap between your flopped down hands and the back of the steering wheel. (Yes, in those days, guys with long legs in a comfortable position with the chair backed away, could STILL bring the steering wheel in too close!). Okay, with the steering column adjusted in or out (arms out-stretched, hands flopped over) now relax and bend the arms and grip the steering wheel. The resulting bend in the elbow will be very comfortable - somewhere between too-far-out boy-racer and too-close-in granny-position. In this arm position, you will have a strong grip of the steering wheel, even when having to do a sudden extreme left or right to avoid something unexpected. The muscles will not have to "work" to hold the arms out, with your hands' grips basically letting your arms "hang" off the steering wheel. That's the position you can drive 1000 miles a day without arm fatigue.

Good luck finding a car like that today. Dad, can I borrow your '74 Olds 98?!?

 

I also seem to have the same problem as you. When I drive, I catch myself bending my left knee and resting my left arm on it with my left hand on 6 or 7. But when it gets exciting, I usually go 9/3 to have more control. Hope this helps!

 

+1 Thanks for saving me a long post

 

is there ANYTHING that can be done to bring the steering wheel closer? I'm 5'11 with a 30" inseam. I have the seat just far enough back so that my legs aren't scrunched up and I have the steering wheel all the way out and down. my elbows are almost locked without even turning the wheel. bringing the seat close enough to keep my arms relaxed crushes my legs and I cant even move my feet on the pedals. and my head rubs the headliner even after doing the seat lowering mod and cutting out the thigh and back bolster bars. who did they design this car for???? the ergonomics are absolute **** compared to my 2002 vw gti