Getting Comfortable
You
may not feel entirely comfortable in any new car – these things take time. The Matrix and Vibe are certainly no
exception. Plan on getting used to an
upright seating position, even if, like me, you’re too tall to sit upright in
most cars. The steering wheel and stick
shift are distant, especially if you recline the seat any. The Vibe center console is too tall in my
opinion – it tends to interfere with the right elbow. Adjust the seat higher to match the console, and you may find
yourself without thigh support.
One
modification may help. I raised the
front of the driver seat as shown above.
I’m 6-foot-4-inches and believe me, this is the first time I have raised
a car seat. Before you try it, remember
that the seat anchors are essential for crash safety – don’t do anything to
weaken them. Whatever you use to shim
the seat up should prevent bending and tipping that could break the bolt. A stack of washers has no lateral stability,
so use a single-piece shim that fits the bolt closely. A nut would fit that description, but it is
too narrow to prevent the bolt from tipping.
You want a shim about 3 times wider that it is tall. Being lazy by nature, I bought some set
collars at the hardware store – yeah, you can see the set screw. The standard bolts should be able to go this
high, but any higher and you would need some longer bolts – be sure to buy
high-strength bolts like those shown.
Raising the seat any higher would probably also require a
custom-machined shim.
Another
tip – those anchor points in the cargo area are of little use unless you have
something to hook to them. Get yourself
some elastic cords, or better yet, a cargo net. The cargo nets intended for pickup truck beds or big luggage
racks are too big, so look for a small net intended for the basket on an ATV.