Any long-distance drivers?

Mach10 · Post by **Mach10** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:11 am

It's my first full week on the job. It's only thursday, and I've already got 1000km on the car for work.

My timesheets are showing that for an 8-9 hour day, I'm spending anywhere from 3-5 hours in the driver's seat.

Anyone else do this kind of thing for a living?

I'm looking for advice to stop my back and legs feeling like they've been hollowed out and filled with sand at the end of the day. :scratch:

The Dark Side of Will · Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:43 am

I used to travel to capital machinery for alignment and maintenance. I drove either full size vans or a 26K box truck. Cruise control works wonders. Good posture helps a lot.

I'm starting to have some disk degeneration from an injury I got in college, so good lumbar posture is becoming more important to me. There is no seat ever put in a GM car that's good for that. I've been thinking for a while about getting a Kirkey bare aluminum racing seat and going over to Kohburn's place to mold my backside in high density urethane foam.

Atilla the Fun · Post by **Atilla the Fun** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:30 pm

I'd say some GM seats are better than others. VolksWagen claims that a firm seat is better than a cushy seat. I've ridden in a couple of Jettas, and it is different. My favorite seat that might bolt right into a Fiero, if you don't mind giving up the speakers, are the seats from the '93-'95 Z28.

AkursedX · Post by **AkursedX** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 12:39 pm

Atilla the Fun wrote:I'd say some GM seats are better than others. VolksWagen claims that a firm seat is better than a cushy seat. I've ridden in a couple of Jettas, and it is different. My favorite seat that might bolt right into a Fiero, if you don't mind giving up the speakers, are the seats from the '93-'95 Z28.

The seats in both my Jetta and GTI were downright painful when I first got them, but after about a week of breaking it, they are pure heaven. I've done an 11-hour trip in my GTI and didn't have one bit of discomfort. They are pretty much infinitely adjustable and have adjustable lumbar too.

Here's a pic:

The custom recaros that I currently have in my GT are quite nice too.

lucky · Post by **lucky** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 1:37 pm

I bought a foam wedge with a cut out for the tailbone that really helps me on long drives.

Post by **eHoward** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 3:28 pm

I do, but if something is over a two hour drive, i stay in a hotel. If something is over a 4 hour drive, I take a plane.

Mach10 wrote:It's my first full week on the job. It's only thursday, and I've already got 1000km on the car for work.

My timesheets are showing that for an 8-9 hour day, I'm spending anywhere from 3-5 hours in the driver's seat.

Anyone else do this kind of thing for a living?

I'm looking for advice to stop my back and legs feeling like they've been hollowed out and filled with sand at the end of the day. :scratch:

DiggityBiggity · Post by **DiggityBiggity** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:07 pm

I drive 50+K a mile... The only thing that helps is getting out and doing some jumping jacks... and then stretching in the morning and at night...

For me anyway

crzyone · Post by **crzyone** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:33 pm

My wife is from Nevada so I know how how long drives suck. That is the major reason I bought a Cadillac. Nothing beats it going down the highway.

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:36 pm

I find that the stock Fiero seats in good condition are VERY nice for long drives. I once spent 12+ hours driving in one day in the Fiero and nothing was sore. My Volvo S80 on the other hand... my ass is sore after an hour.

Mach10 · Post by **Mach10** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:04 pm

lol @ the thought of a FIERO holding up to what looks to be 60,000km / year of driving. :bootyshake:

This is my COROLLA; I can't even imagine fitting the required amount of tools, manuals, and parts into a fiero

I WISH this stupid car had CC; I can honestly say it's the only thing I don't like about this car. So much so that I'm honestly thinking about ripping the hardware out of a junkyard Corrolla and trying to get it into my own--which will be a trick without detailed wiring schematics. I *suspect* that the factory harness has all the connections, and that all I'd have to do is find a car with the same option set AND cruise, grab the ECM and the control stalk cluster.

But at the same time, the amount of actual spare time I have to be able to rip the interior apart just to figure this out (not to mention the garage space) just isn't there...

Basically, the best I can figure is to keep rolling the seat back and forth, changing the recline etc...

I spent a little over 6 hours in the seat today, changing my position ever 30-40 minutes or so. I'm not feeling any kind of pain, but I attempted to go jogging, and nearly went flat on my face; my goddamn legs feel like they are made of lead and that I'm wearing concrete shoes... How the hell am I NOT supposed to get tummy-flab if I can't even RUN after work? :cussing:

Blue Shift · Post by **Blue Shift** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:05 pm

I do about 90 miles a day, 5 days a week - a bit on the shorter side, but it takes ~3 hours out of my day too. We'll soon see how my 177,000 mile 2.5 holds up to it :la:

Jinxmutt · Post by **Jinxmutt** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 11:07 pm

I drive my 1989 Buick skylark over 800 miles to and from school. The 2.5L duke is getting 35-37 on the highway though, ftw!

My back usually isn't too bad on the ride but my left leg gets sore as hell. there is no comfortable place to put my foot. About half way through the ride, my ankle starts to bother me from the weird angle that it rests at no matter where I try to position it.

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 12:36 am

Mach10 wrote:lol @ the thought of a FIERO holding up to what looks to be 60,000km / year of driving. :bootyshake:

This is my COROLLA; I can't even imagine fitting the required amount of tools, manuals, and parts into a fiero

You could put Fiero seats in it, if you also find them comfortable like myself.

The later year DIS Duke Fieros are extremely reliable and get 38+ MPG freeway.

Starlite528 · Post by **Starlite528** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 1:33 am

Drive my Formula from cali to tex in something like 22 hours.

It was my daily work ride, I had it full of burglar alarm crap, essentially the only thing I couldn't carry was a ladder.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:54 am

Series8217 wrote: The later year DIS Duke Fieros are extremely reliable and get 38+ MPG freeway.

That's it? There's a guy on Old Europe with a 305 SBC, iron heads, iron intake, quadrashit, and he gets 36mpg according to him. I'd swap to the 305.

CincinnatiFiero · Post by **CincinnatiFiero** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:40 pm

Aaron wrote:
Series8217 wrote: The later year DIS Duke Fieros are extremely reliable and get 38+ MPG freeway.
That's it? There's a guy on Old Europe with a 305 SBC, iron heads, iron intake, quadrashit, and he gets 36mpg according to him. I'd swap to the 305.

Is that with a/c on or off?

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:56 pm

Jinxmutt wrote:I drive my 1989 Buick skylark over 800 miles to and from school. The 2.5L duke is getting 35-37 on the highway though, ftw!

My back usually isn't too bad on the ride but my left leg gets sore as hell. there is no comfortable place to put my foot. About half way through the ride, my ankle starts to bother me from the weird angle that it rests at no matter where I try to position it.

Ditto on the leg pains...I drive at least 100 miles a day, and have some pretty long legs. If I'm out in the boonies and there isn't any traffic I usually try to put my right foot behind the pedals, but there isn't anywhere deep enough for my left foot to go. In my fiance's Equinox I can put the seat all the way back and barely reach the pedals.

THE PUNISHER · Post by **THE PUNISHER** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:00 pm

I have driven 40,000 miles in the last 13 mos (TDi golf).

VW seat ...even the base shitty one is the best I have been in.

The Dark Side of Will · Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:21 pm

THE PUNISHER wrote:I have driven 40,000 miles in the last 13 mos (TDi golf).

45 mpg ain't bad either, eh?

Series8217 · Post by **Series8217** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 5:01 pm

Aaron wrote:
Series8217 wrote: The later year DIS Duke Fieros are extremely reliable and get 38+ MPG freeway.
That's it? There's a guy on Old Europe with a 305 SBC, iron heads, iron intake, quadrashit, and he gets 36mpg according to him. I'd swap to the 305.

And you believe him?

Real Fiero Tech

Any long-distance drivers?

Any long-distance drivers?

Re: Any long-distance drivers?