restiller

i'm fine heel-toeing with my normal shoes, which have a broader footprint.

I saw the diy for the gas pedal; though effective, i'm wondering if anyone here has made an actual pedal cover replacement to "fix" the situation. Knowing that the original mounting holes are smaller, chamfered, and exposed, it would mildly irritate me to be driving on it.

mac11

iTrader: (1)

sorry i didnt write a novel specifying. a physical limitation like "my feet dont work like that" is different than " i just dont get it"

Its been said before the pedals in this car were basically designed for heel-toeing. If you cant do it in this car, you cant do it.

ken-x8

My right foot angles outward. Not exactly natural, result of botched work by a quack when I was a toddler. When relaxed it angles out about 10 degrees.

I've never had trouble heel-toeing with previous cars, and I can do it with the 8. But it's not comfortable on the 8. Two problems. First, the pedals are too far apart. I need to put the ball of my foot on the right corner of the brake to bridge the gap. That gets a bit uncomfortable. Second, that downturn of the left edge of the gas pedal makes me reach far enough to push it down from above with my sole. If it was flat, I'd be able to roll the side of my foot against it like I have on most other cars.

I think I'll try moving the pedal over by one row of screws. While I have it off, I'll take a look to see how big a deal it would be to fabricate a replacement that's a little wider and does not have the bend.

Ken

Cody Red

It's pretty simple. If you can't, you might wanna consider the size of your shoe. Or working out your lower right leg. I had some custom made vans slip-ons made (to match my car) and they work really well.

-Cody

restiller

funny. i picked out these dark gray pumas to match my car as well, but i downshift better with my uglier wider shoes. the pumas go further in the gap b/t the gas and brake.

6speedRenesis

I've been Double clutching a downshift while rev matching as i approach a turn, sounds like a similar concept but without the breaking. I'm going to give this a try.

Hopefully my size 12 aren't too big

mac11

iTrader: (1)

i dont see how "too big" is becomming a problem for people. sounds like youre not putting your feet in the right position.

laythor

I have to think that if i can heel-toe with size 14's, anyone can.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

I think with me being 6'2" + feet that point outwards + having to sit forward with knees up around steering wheel due to long legs & short arms it is just really difficult ........ RHD could have slightly different pedal placement also ?????

So I ended up making my own acc. pedal today - it sits 1" closer to the brake . I'll let you know how I get on with that after the weekend racing .

MrSuicideDoor

lol

eforer

This is one of the easiest cars to heel toe in that I have ever driven. Much of the difficulty with heel toeing as mentioned before is the outdated nomenclature. Heel toeing was a term coined when many race cars had center accelerator pedals. The easiest way to rev match was to actually use the heel and toe of one's foot. Now the perscribed easiest method is to use the ball of the foot under the big toe on the brake and the side of your foot on the throttle. This is how I was taught by my dad, a very experienced race car driver, and this is the method taught at skip barber racing school.

A couple of tips. If you are having trouble reaching the accerator with the outside of your foot move your heel under the brake so that your foot is angled. This way the outside edge of your foot extends farther to the right and can easily reach the throttle. My fiancee with her little tiny feet can easily and comfortably heel toe in this car. Also, for many its easier to swing your knee out to pivot your foot as opposed to rotating at your foot/ankle. Some cobination of the two may work better for some.

Finally, learning to double clutch is the next step. If you don't double clutch you are meerly rev matching which is benefical but does not aid in accelerating input shaft of the transmission. When you blip in neutral with the clutch out, you spool up the input shaft effectively doing the job of the synchromesh, but much better. You will be amazed at the way the shift executes with buttery smoothness. In fact, this action when performed correctly will make the shift feel light and effortless, even when the box is cold.

Ro-T8

Hey all,
There's a post in this section somewhere about a quick and free mod to the existing gas pedal cover plate. Take the socket-head screws out (there's a nut on the back side of each one) and move the pedal over and down to the left one set of holes.

I filed off the 1/16" high bosses off the back side of the existing holes to the plate lays flat, and chamfered the edge of the three adjacent holes so the screws fit flush in the new holes. The plate is too thick to dimple the metal, so chamfer with a 1/2" drill bit. Do this step by hand, which is easy because the aluminum is relatively soft (compared to the drill bit), and hogging it out with a power drill could punch through the material pretty quick. It's about a 20 minute mod, and moves the pedal over about 1/2" toward the brake. Helps with the heel-toe work.

Only other suggestions - practice on an open -STRAIGHT- road until you get it right and then try it in the twisties, without any other cars around. No sense frightening the natives...

restiller

good job on that pedal cover brettus! looking forward to your results.

Rhawb

Personally I use some Pilotis and they work great. I have some Pumas, but they don't seem to be reinforced in the right place, so my foot ends up slipping over the gas pedal - they provide great pedal feel though.

paulmasoner

iTrader: (1)

i drive barefoot... all prblems solved... i can barely drive with shoes on as i cant feel the pedals under my feet the same way i can barefoot.

plus we almost always wear sandals here in hawaii and i learned a LONG time ago, sandals and quick reactions with the pedals DONT work

LionZoo

What did you use Brettus? Any DIY on this? I have to admit that solution looks a lot cleaner than my own extension. I had planned to do something like this, but I found out that the curvature of the gas pedal would be hard to mimic and so just settled on a quick and easy solution.

Brettus

iTrader: (2)

just happened to have a piece of 50x3 (2"x1/8") AL bar in my gge .

Getting the curvature was not too hard - just support it at both ends and bash with a soft face hammer a few times

It definately does work at lot better than stock for me - but what I've discovered is that I need to be in bare feet to do it successfully . I also need to adjust the seat back to give my legs more room to swivel without hitting the steering wheel .
May try some soft sole shoes & see how that goes.

eforer

I'm not really a big fan of the "lifestyle" driving shoes. They are all sort of rounded over on the sides and make me feel like I'm going to slip on the pedal. Actual racing shoes have soles that are super thin and very flat. My OMP shoes are so thin on the bottoms that they are uncomfortable to walk in the paddock in. I actually kind of hate them, and all the other driving shoes I've had because my brake pedal always gets hot in my race cars and they provide no protection. I'd wear my sneakers if they'd let me. My favorite thing to drive in: Skate shoes! They won't make it thorugh tech though lol.

BTW if you want a cheapie pair of shoes that are great for driving, SBRS actually suggests to students to get a set of cheap tyrollia bowling shoes (not like the kind you rent, they look like sneakers/driving shoes) from the sports authority, dick's etc. Although not fire proof (for some reason the race series didn't care about fire proof shoes!?!) they are pretty much dialed for driving in. They are like 30 bucks and don't look awful surprisingly.

ken-x8

At 6' 2", don't you have the seat all the way back already? I'm 6' even, have the seat back, and wish I had another inch.

Barefoot sounds rough. I wear soft shoes (Rockports for dress, Simpson crew for casual) and the metal pedals get a little uncomfortable with those. With my own mis-shapen leg I tend to put my foot on the corner of the pedals, not flat on the middle.

Ken

stormyblu8

Yeah, at weddings you have to break out your "dress" Sperry Topsiders.

How do you tell a tourist in Fla? They are wearing socks with their topsiders!!

92MX5

I originally posted that about 2 years ago - no problems to this point. I did check the screws a couple of times, just to ensure they weren't loosening up - they've stayed nice and snug.

Cheers!

Jeff

SmokeyTheBalrog

Great read and good advice on how to start learning.

He said he also has short arms. SO he has to sit uncomfortable close to have a good driving position. I have the same problem being 5' 10" -ish. I've been eyeing replacing the steering wheel with an after market one so I could extend it.