For those of you, like me, who find the driving position in the RX-8 uncomfortable due to the gas pedal being too close, I have worked out a solution.

After much carefully controlled scientific experimentation, (ok, ok, with a small piece of 2x4 lumber and some duct tape!) I was able to determing that if I could extend the clutch pedal about 1.5 inches, I could comfortably depress it with the seat back where I like to have it. This also allowed me to extend my right (accelerator) leg to a much less bent position, which was my main goal. Here's how I did it.

You need the following:

- One piece of approx 3x3 inches 10 gauge sheet metal
-One 5 inch long x 1 3/4 inch x 1 1/2 inch, 3 sided "2x4 reinforcing bracket" (Kind of a squareish U-shaped) (Found in the fencing section of Home Depot or similar hardware store) (See pic 4)
-Two 1 3/4 inch hose clamps
-Eight approx 1/2 inch long, 1/8 inch diameter nuts, and matching bolts
-Eight washers to match the bolts
-A drill with a 1/4 inch bit that will bore metal
-A hack saw
-Black spray paint
-A Sharpie or similar marker, something that will draw on the sheet metal
-About 4 inches of 2 sided foam tape

Step 1: Remove the clutch pedal foot piece. It hooks to the pedal itself via a rubber flange that wraps around the edges of the pedal. I was able to flex the rubber flange around the edges and pop it right off.

Step 2: Put the sheet metal square up against the now-uncovered clutch pedal, and trace the outline of the pedal onto the sheet metal.

Step 3: Using a hack saw, follow the outline you just traced, and cut the sheet metal so that it is the same size and shape of the uncovered clutch petal. You have just made a replacement clutch pedal piece that the pedal will eventually snap onto just like it did the original clutch pedal.
NOTE: Be sure you make this backing the same size or slightly smaller than the "naked" clutch pedal, or you'll have a hell of a time getting the pedal to slip onto it.

Another pic

and another

Step 4:

Cut the "2x4 reinforcing bracket" down into two, two inch long equal size pieces.Both will be about 1/2 shorter than the sheet metal you just cut in step 3.

Step 5:

Fit the 2 pieces of the reinforcing bracket together like this:

another pic

Step 6:

Drill holes as needed in the sides of the reinforcing bracket pieces so you can bolt them together. I put 2 holes on each side.

Here you see the square, open-ended "box" you just assembled next to the clutch pedal piece. It looks like they are the same size in this pic, but the clutch pedal piece is actually longer and wider by about 1/2 inch.

Step 7:

Put the clutch pedal piece you've made on top of the "box" and drill 4 holes for mounting it to the box.

Step 8:

Using 2 washers per hole as stand-offs, mount the clutch pedal piece you've made on top of the "box." Now paint the entire thing black.

Step 9:

Snap the factory clutch pedal cover over the clutch pedal backing" piece you've made by gently prying the rubber "lip" back and popping it into place. when you're done, it will look like the pic below.
NOTE: If you made the backing piece too big in step 3, you may have to make it smaller before the pedal will fit over it. And this is a PITA to get on, regardless of how close the backing isto the right size. You may want to use some "303" (or similar) spray to give the pedal cover lips a good lubing, then hold the box in a vise and use a couple of small screwdrivers to pull the cover on.

another pic

and another

Step 10:

Next, partially flatten out the hose clamps, open them, wrap them around the back of the "box" (opposite the pedal) and hook them back together.

Step 11:

Now cut the two sided tape into two 2 inch strips and attach it to the actual clutch pedal

Step 12:

Finally, put the new clutch extension in place, slip the hose clamps around the pedal from either side, and tighten the hose clamps. When you're done, it will look almost like this. This is shown with the hose clamps still loose for illustrative purposes. When you tighten them down you cannot see them at all. I also did a bit more touch up with the black spray paint (although I didn't take a pic, sorry) and the whole assembly is now virtually invisible!

dude, that's nutz...........hows stability tho? any kind of movement? security?

I'm not sure whether to laugh or applaud!! :)

Solid as a rock. I experimented with this quite a bit before I found something I was happy with.

talk about DIY
great pics and job

Originally posted by mikeb
talk about DIY
great pics and job

yeah seriously...looks good imo :D

Nice how-to. That gives me some good ideas.

not bad... not bad at all... I hope no dumb ass tries to get really critical about the looks cause who the hell is gonna look under your clutch pedal?

-JiM

Great job! :cool:

I'm a little disapointed to see that the RX-8 pedals are not true Aluminum pedals like the FD RX-7 had :(

Originally posted by neit_jnf
I'm a little disapointed to see that the RX-8 pedals are not true Aluminum pedals like the FD RX-7 had :(
I'm disappointed too. I hate that wrap-around rubber flange thing, and when I saw the faux-racing pedals I thought Good, they won't fall off like occasionally happened in my old Prelude.
:mad:

Great DIY, Omicron.

Yes great job! I am average height but have short legs and share your complaint regarding the gas and clutch pedal placements. I think I will try your solution. Again, thanks for the great job detailing the mod.

Originally posted by j1mb0x99
not bad... not bad at all... I hope no dumb ass tries to get really critical about the looks cause who the hell is gonna look under your clutch pedal?

-JiM

Thing is, now that it's in place and touched up with black paint, you can't see it at ALL unless you get into the floor well with a flashlight. And it really is secure... feels exactly like the original pedal, only closer.

Ahhhhhhh. I can stretch my legs out now! :)

Thanks for the compliments folks. If anyone comes up with a better solution, I'd love to hear about (and see) it.

I'm really surprised we haven't seen a set of Momo pedals on an 8 yet.

That's some impressive work! Did you try an auto store and see if they had something similar all made up that would do the same thing?

How about your driving/shifting now... can you comment in detail about if/how different it is?

I drive with my shoes off and it has similar effect as what you are descrbing here.

-Mr. Wigggles

Hey Omicron why don't you just use wooden blocks tied to the bottom of your shoes like Short Round did in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!!! ;) j/k

Originally posted by Spin9k
That's some impressive work! Did you try an auto store and see if they had something similar all made up that would do the same thing?

How about your driving/shifting now... can you comment in detail about if/how different it is?

I tried all the common suspects for auto parts stores, and they had nothing. Best I could find was cheesy looking clamp on pedals, and I felt I could come up with something better... retaining the factory look and feel.

Driving/shifting is MUCH more comfortable now because I can have my seat back where I like it, allowing me to not have my right leg at such an uncomfortable bend, and still comfortably clutch. Even better, with my right leg more fully extended, it is much easier to heel-toe. Before my knee was so bent there was no way to do it without tweaking my whole leg. And finally, with the seat further back, I don't feel as unnaturally close to the steering wheel. Related to this is that I'm a bit farther back from the shifter too, so my arm is more fully extended when I shift. I find this much more comfortable too.

Originally posted by rotarygod
Hey Omicron why don't you just use wooden blocks tied to the bottom of your shoes like Short Round did in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!!! ;) j/k

LOL. :D

I tried the block thing, but found I was followed around by termites too much. The flying ones are really annoying. Besides, having just a left foot block made me walk funny.

This is GREAT!!!
I am 5-2 and almost never feel the floor unless I make a great effort..by that time I am looking out the passenger door window instead of forward..people make fun of me tying blocks of wood to my left foot... now I don't have to...it will be attached to the pedal!!!

Originally posted by Pam
This is GREAT!!!
I am 5-2 and almost never feel the floor unless I make a great effort..by that time I am looking out the passenger door window instead of forward..people make fun of me tying blocks of wood to my left foot... now I don't have to...it will be attached to the pedal!!!
Happy to be able to help. :D

Well, after driving my car for a week plus with this extension, I have made an improvement.

Turns out the original piece of sheet metal I used to attach the pedal piece to was too flexible. I had used a piece of ~14 gauge metal, which allowed the pedal to flex just a bit. Not enough that you could detect it with your foot, but just enough that it changed to feel of the pedal ever so slightly. I got to looking at the original pedal, and saw that the metal used to hold the pedal cover was ~10 gauge in thickness. So I got a piece of this, cut it to size (which is a LOT harder, as it is thicker) and put it on in lieu of my original, thinner piece. Much better.

I have updated my original materials list to reflect this improvement.

One word.....ghetto! j/k :D




.....very ingenious! I applaud your imagination and efforts.

Hey 91vert, One word....

Almost necessary with F'd up position of the pedals.


I did something similar the first week I had my 8. Made all the difference. I also made new seat brackets that lifted the front edge of the seat 7/8 ".

Originally posted by Dugless
Hey 91vert, One word....

Almost necessary with F'd up position of the pedals.


I did something similar the first week I had my 8. Made all the difference. I also made new seat brackets that lifted the front edge of the seat 7/8 ".
Glad to hear I'm not the only one who decided to do something about this. Dugless, I'd love to hear what you did in both cases. Would you mind going into more details?

Looks like a really solid and seamless DIY job.

Great DIY, thanks omnicron, I might just give it a try too.

How much did you spend on it? Time vs. money

I dont get it, why did mazda put the clucth so far in the beginning?

Originally posted by Squidward
Looks like a really solid and seamless DIY job.

Great DIY, thanks omnicron, I might just give it a try too. Thanks! :D

Originally posted by Squidward
How much did you spend on it? Time vs. money I spent about 3 hours all told: one half hour experimenting to find the right extension, one hour making and installing version one (not mentioned) from stuff I had on hand, one half hour shopping for better materials for version 2, and one hour making and installing version 2. I spent about $5 in materials from Home Depot.

Oh, and about another hour taking pics and posting the write up. :D

Originally posted by Dookie_Rx-8
I dont get it, why did mazda put the clucth so far in the beginning?

they didn't they put the gas peddle closer for better heel-toe action.

I am SO glad someone else has mentioned the clutch pedal problem. This is the thing I dislike most about the new car I otherwise love. I didn't have the car a month before asking my Mazda tech about some kind of adjustment (-it doesn't exist). He said he'd look into adding an extension like this to the pedal. I think this was a real oversight on Mazda's part.

Thanks for this info. I'll share it with my tech.

of all the things i cannot complain about, the one thing is exactly what you have addressed here...pedal position. iwish they would have made the pedals individually adjsutable, but hey, thats asking alot!
thanks for the great pictured detail...im going to the hardware store tommorrow.
rudy

I tried a clamp-on pedal with an overall one inch raise in clutch pedal and believe me it makes a day and night difference...the driving position is so much better now.

i used omicrons pedal model, and as promised, it is the answer to my problem. now i dont feel like i am driving someone elses car...only one week after buying the 8, it now feels like ive been driving it for years...
by the way, i had an 85 GS rx7 about 12 years ago and loved it.
in so many ways, this car reminds me of my first rx...and thats great.

Originally posted by Maximus
I tried a clamp-on pedal with an overall one inch raise in clutch pedal and believe me it makes a day and night difference...the driving position is so much better now. Maximus, I hope you didn't take offense to my "cheesy" comment. I made that comment based on what I could find in the way of clamp on pedals back in the end of October last year. I've seen the one you found and it is much nicer than any I could find at the time. If that had been available, I probably would have just gone with that and been done with it.

Just out of curiousity, where did you buy it?

Originally posted by rudy8
i used omicrons pedal model, and as promised, it is the answer to my problem. now i dont feel like i am driving someone elses car...only one week after buying the 8, it now feels like ive been driving it for years...
by the way, i had an 85 GS rx7 about 12 years ago and loved it.
in so many ways, this car reminds me of my first rx...and thats great. Really glad you like it Rudy, and happy I could help.

Where did you find the clamp on pedal?

Omicron,
No offence taken :)

Bought the pedal set here (http://www.import-performance-parts.com/pilot_adjustable_racing_pedal_pad_set.html)

Pics after installation here (http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?threadid=20744)

Regards,
Max.

After reading through the thread, I decided to give this a shot. I used some scrap 3/8" thick plastic sheet scrap from work and made the extention with two layers (3/4" total). It raised it clutch pedal about an inch with the arch. I like the feel so far...much beter driving possition. The only thing is that I used two zip-ties and velcro to attach it to the clutch. I am going to remake it with three layers to see if it is even better. At that time I think I'm going to screw it to the clutch. This should give me a much firmer feel. I will post some pics of the new one.

Thanks for the idea...didn't like the driving possition as others mentioned, but didn't think about how to fix. Glad someone is on the ball. :)

I'm going to make an impassioned plea to everyone who has noticed the problem with the height of the clutch pedal... PLEASE contact Mazda. The service dept. tech at my dealer called Mazda about my complaint, then called me at work. Mazda has had NO complaints about the clutch pedal. He said that they would be much more likely to attend to this if they hear it from others.

-I went to Mazda's website (MazdaUSA.com) and clicked on the link to talk to them. It gave me the ability to e-mail, call, or write a letter. I chose to e-mail, and now they have one customer report on this. I really hope that others will join in and let Mazda know that they could make a great car even better by correcting this one flaw.
-By the way- I took a 2-hour drive in the 8 this past weekend, and ended up in some real pain in my right leg/hip. No kidding. -And it lasted for almost 2 days.

WHat is the email to send feedback?

Also can anyone compare the 8's height to other clutches? I agree it's too low, but it's been a long time since I had a manual trans to compare it to.

Below is the link to how to contact Mazda. This is at the Mazda.com website. It will take you to the page that tells you every possible way to communicate with them.

-OH, by the way... if you're going to e-mail, call, or write them, be sure to have your VIN # handy. They want you to type it in to one of the blank spaces in order to send the e-mail. I guess they want to make sure you are a genuine owner.

-Dave

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/contactMazda.action

E-mail Mazda off their web site yesterday. Received a response today thanking me for bringing it to their attention. If enough current owners contact them, maybe they will issue a service bulletin for the dealerships to address when a car is brought in for this issue. Other wise they will just 'fix' the next model year. Speak up to Mazda with this issue if it bothers you!!!!

Use link in Renesis2004 reply above.

Done. Hope they do something about it.

Got the response today from MNAO:


Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you.

I am pleased you took the time to bring your suggestion regarding clutch pedal extension for the RX-8 to our attention. Consumer feedback is always very important to Mazda. Certainly, we want to offer exciting vehicles, and comments such as yours help us to achieve that goal.

Rest assured I have documented your suggestion for our corporate record. These records are continuously being reviewed by our Product Planning Department in an effort to provide only the highest quality products to our customers.

Please take a moment to give us your opinion about our e-mail service. Click the link below to complete a brief, online survey.

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?7EMJS4EKDX6RM8GQPRWCFQ5M

Regards,

Jennifer Gray
Specialist, Customer Assistance E-Business

i love this...i am going to do this after work...it is one of my biggest complaints about the car...thanks man.

You betcha. :D

I'm curious, how sturdy is this? I found that when I took the car to the track, if I didn't move the seat up so that my knees were almost hitting the dash, I'd miss second gear because I couldn't press the pedal all the way down. When shifting this fast, I tend to slam the pedal down will just about all of my force. I have a feeling this bracket might not hold up, and instead of sheet metal I might have to get some plate steel. Any thoughts?

Hey, everyone-

Thanks for the support on this issue. I just recently read an Internet article review on MSN (go look for it... it's really good!) about the RX-8. The automotive writer's name escapes me right now, but he's well respected. Anyhow- he loved the 8, but he also complained about the "long-throw clutch."
-I think it would be good if Mazda fixed this for the next model year, but I think we need to stay on them until they rectify this in OUR cars.

Omicron.....Thanks for submitting this because i just bought my car this week and all week i thought i was going nuts because i couldnt find a comfortable driving position. So I built one of these extenders pretty much like your plan and it works great! Like everyone else says its like night and day. Now I can finally put my seat where i want it and feel comfortable driving. Thanks!

Originally posted by pcldletter
I'm curious, how sturdy is this? I found that when I took the car to the track, if I didn't move the seat up so that my knees were almost hitting the dash, I'd miss second gear because I couldn't press the pedal all the way down. When shifting this fast, I tend to slam the pedal down will just about all of my force. I have a feeling this bracket might not hold up, and instead of sheet metal I might have to get some plate steel. Any thoughts? It is very sturdy. You could probably drive the car over it and not bend it. The only part that wasn't sturdy enough in the initial design was the part that the OEM clutch pedal attaches to, and I solved that with some thicker steel.

Originally posted by SHABS-RX8
Omicron.....Thanks for submitting this because i just bought my car this week and all week i thought i was going nuts because i couldnt find a comfortable driving position. So I built one of these extenders pretty much like your plan and it works great! Like everyone else says its like night and day. Now I can finally put my seat where i want it and feel comfortable driving. Thanks! Happy to help. :D

Y'all please note. The clutch pedal is adjustable for height. I too had an issue with the pedal placement, so I got to looking in my shop manual and found what I needed to adjust mine. I'll try to go thru it here as it is relatively simple procedure, just requires being something of a pretzel since you are working under the dash. This whole procedure took me about 45 minutes.
1. Put seat as far back as it will go for working room.
2. Measure the distance from the bottom back of the clutch pedal pad to some reference point. I measured to the firewall at the top of the floor mat. Just find a reference point that you can return to since it becomes important later.
3. Locate the pedal stop bolt. This is a bolt with a 13mm head about 1" long which is in the framing. The clutch arm hits this bolt to stop its return travel. There is a 12mm lock nut on the bolt.
4. Loosen the lock nut and turn the bolt further into the frame. As you do this, you will see the clutch pedal start to rise. The lever relationship is about 3 to 1, so for each 1/4" you screw the bolt in the pedal will rise about 3/4". The maximum pedal height adjustment is between 1" and 1-1/2" due to the length of the master cylinder rod adjustments in the next steps.
5. Tighten the stop bolt lock nut.
6. Now you need to reset clutch pedal free-play. There is a rod about 1/4" diameter connected to a bracket on the front of the clutch arm on the opposite side from the stop bolt. This rod goes to the clutch master cylinder and is threaded on the bracket end with a lock nut on it.
7. Depress the clutch pedal with your hand while observing this rod's movement into the master cylinder and you will see that the pedal and rod actually move some distance before you see the spool in the master cylinder start to move away from the C-clip which holds the spool in. This movement is "free-play" and it needs to be adjusted to be 1/2" of pedal travel.
8. Loosen the lock nut on the rod and turn to rod clockwise to until when you depress the clutch pedal by hand that it moves about 1/2" before the spool moves. Pay attention to how much thread is left in the bracket while you do this and do not screw the rod out beyond where there is full thread engagement in the bracket (this is the limiting factor I was talking about above in step 4).
9. Now measure again from the bottom of the clutch pedal pad to your reference point and compare with the original measurement you made in step 2. The difference in the two is how far you have moved the pedal.
10. Since you have moved the pedal out, the overall stroke length of the clutch master cylinder will be greater and must now be adjusted so as not to overstroke either the master cylinder and/or the clutch slave cylinder at the clutch itself. To do this you need to return actual cylinder stroke length what it was before you started, and you do it by making a "stop block" which you attach to the firewall so the pedal arm will hit it instead of going all the way to the firewall as originally done. This block can be wood, plastic, or metal. I made mine from a piece of scrap plastic bar I had on hand. Dimensions about 3/4" wide x 1-1/2" long and thickness the same as the distance you move the pedal out. Drill a hole for a sheet metal screw off towards one end of the block.
11. Now locate the place where the pedal arm touched the firewall and place the block so the pedal arm hits it. Mark the hole location and drill a small hole for the screw and mount the block.
12. You are almost done. You get in and adjust your seat and hit the ignition switch. But the car wont even turn over!!!!! This is because there is a plunger switch activated by the green button on the clutch arm to prevent you from starting the car if the clutch pedal is not fully depressed, and now the pedal doesn't activate it. I made a dime-sized spacer out of some 3/16" thick rubber and attached it to the green button with double-sided tape, and it solved the problem.

Hope this helps. It worked on mine, and the car is much easier to drive now, especially in traffic, since I don't have to sit with my leg stretched all the way out to hold the clutch in. I adjusted mine out about 3/4" and it makes a world of difference.

I just realized that it took longer to write this than it did to do it. Advise if questions.
Regards to all,
DaveT

A very nice contribution, DaveT, Thanks!!!

Since I'm already halfway through making my extension, and I understood about 12 words in DaveT's post, I decided to just continue with the original plan. I've made some modifications to the original design, and I have some questions. First off, rather than using foam tape and hose clamps to mount the "block" to the pedal arm, I've decided to use aluminum window locks. Picture a sliding window. These clamp onto the rails right behind the pane to prevent people from jimmying your window and getting in. These suckers clamp down TIGHT and have to be removed with pliers. I've turned the block sideways and am going to attach them onto either side of the block and pedal arm. I'll let you all know how they hold up. My question is to Omicron, you never really described in detail how to attach your sheet metal plate to your block. Could you elaborate? I found that when I looked at the underside of the rubber flange, there really wasn't too much room for play there, let alone a bolt. So, I took it upon myself to use a rounded head bolt, and went a little crazy with the dremel into the rubber under the factory pedal. I rounded myself out a nice little hole for the bolt head to fit, and as soon as I stop by my local fabricator to get the sheet metal, I'll be bolting this sucker on. I want to thank you and everyone who contributed to this post, because until I read it, I had no idea how uncomfortable I actually was while driving, especially in traffic. I can't wait until I have this all together. Happy driving!

Eric

Originally posted by Uwchlan8
Since I'm already halfway through making my extension, and I understood about 12 words in DaveT's post, I decided to just continue with the original plan. I've made some modifications to the original design, and I have some questions. First off, rather than using foam tape and hose clamps to mount the "block" to the pedal arm, I've decided to use aluminum window locks. Picture a sliding window. These clamp onto the rails right behind the pane to prevent people from jimmying your window and getting in. These suckers clamp down TIGHT and have to be removed with pliers. I've turned the block sideways and am going to attach them onto either side of the block and pedal arm. I'll let you all know how they hold up. My question is to Omicron, you never really described in detail how to attach your sheet metal plate to your block. Could you elaborate? I found that when I looked at the underside of the rubber flange, there really wasn't too much room for play there, let alone a bolt. So, I took it upon myself to use a rounded head bolt, and went a little crazy with the dremel into the rubber under the factory pedal. I rounded myself out a nice little hole for the bolt head to fit, and as soon as I stop by my local fabricator to get the sheet metal, I'll be bolting this sucker on. I want to thank you and everyone who contributed to this post, because until I read it, I had no idea how uncomfortable I actually was while driving, especially in traffic. I can't wait until I have this all together. Happy driving!

Eric Hi Eric -

I basically drilled 4 holes and put 4 small flat headed machine screws through them, then used nuts to bolt them to the block from the underside. So when attached, the screw heads stuck up about 1/8 inch from the pedal mounting plate, which didn't prevent me from attaching the pedal. Sounds like you've resolved it in a similar manner though.

Ok, last stupid question. Where'd you get the sheet metal? I'm just using the box on the pedal now, and would like to complete this job. I've called every sheet/scrap metal place in the phone book and I've got nothing. Any ideas?

Originally posted by Uwchlan8
Ok, last stupid question. Where'd you get the sheet metal? I'm just using the box on the pedal now, and would like to complete this job. I've called every sheet/scrap metal place in the phone book and I've got nothing. Any ideas? Home Depot, in the "hardware" section. Look for the things that are designed to do framing work with 2x4 lumber, and you'll find a variety of pieces and shapes of metal.

you've got to be kidding me

has anyone told you that the clutch pedal is adustable via a retaining nut and a stud?

hmm...well i guess you should post pictures to try and solve the problem...i have tried, and the retaining nut, didn't do what i needed it to do.

Maybe it just gives people who aren't car experts a little satisfaction to fabricate something useful with their own two hands. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, but I don't go messing under my hood on a daily basis. It felt good to spend a few hours making everything fit and look good. If people weren't supposed to be creative and adjust things in their cars to make them happy, there wouldn't be a Speed channel, spike tv wouldn't be showing Trucks and Horsepower TV, and the discovery channel would still be showing four monkeys trying to hump a football instead of American Chopper.

Originally posted by 93BlackFD
you've got to be kidding me

has anyone told you that the clutch pedal is adustable via a retaining nut and a stud? Did you just come on this board to troll? If so, bad idea. Or maybe you're just off to a bad start.

In case you have not read the thread, please take the time to do so. This has been a popular mod because adjusting the nut and stud is not that easy in
the RX-8. Initially it didn't even look like it was possible without spacers and a factory manual.

yes the spacer on the pedal seems to be the easyest way to fix it..
\

Go Omicron :)

Originally posted by Omicron
Did you just come on this board to troll? If so, bad idea. Or maybe you're just off to a bad start.


nope

Originally posted by Omicron

In case you have not read the thread, please take the time to do so. This has been a popular mod because adjusting the nut and stud is not that easy in
the RX-8. Initially it didn't even look like it was possible without spacers and a factory manual.

I thought adjustable pedals was a feature on any sports car...I guess mazda feels otherwise

Ok, thanks 93BlackFD. I think they may be adjustable... someone figured it out a while back, but I have yet to try it. And it seems someone else couldn't get it to work. So it's not simple - but we'll get it, sooner or later.

Omicron, can we get the pictures back?

Dunno what happened to them, but it's fixed now. :)

Right as I was about to do Omicron's mod, I stumbled upon DaveT's. Took me all of 45 mins and it's wonderful.

Thanks to everyone who contributed. :rock:

I did the Pilot adjustable pedals mod and brought the clutch pedal about an inch closer, which makes a big difference. The screws that come with the package are too short, you'll need to go to Home Depot and buy some long screws.

The clutch pedal is still not closer enough for my taste. I'm thinking about mounting a piece of wood to the base of the Pilot pedal to get another 3 inches or so.

I think the best material for this extension idea is a solid aluminum profile called 80/20. This can be cut easily with a chop saw or grinder, or hacksaw by hand if you have 10 minutes. The profile is bar stock that comes with pre-drilled holes and in different squared sizes (I think 1.5"x1.5" would be best). I am only 5'3" and I probably need a full 3" extension to be really comfortable. I work in a machine shop and it should be really easy to get this made. I wonder how hard it is to drill thru-holes in the pedal to have a truly secure bolt-on fit. I think I may try to use my rotary saw with a carbide bit and fasten the extension with small diameter steel bolts/nuts/lockwashers. If I can get this to work I could probably offer it as a kit. Wish me luck.

Omicron, you're the best for taking the time to do this. thanks a bunch. Driving the 8 is so much better now.

big props

OK, after 3 years of ownership, I'm finally going to get this done. Anyone have any recommendations on which solution works best? Omicron's or DaveT's??

OK, after 3 years of ownership, I'm finally going to get this done. Anyone have any recommendations on which solution works best? Omicron's or DaveT's??

Omicron's

Actually have done it both ways. Did the adjustment before Dave T posted and found that it changed the geometry of the pedal too much. ie, due to the pivot point staying the same, making the pedal closer also made it more angled. I didn't like it. Using the setup Omicron designed, I was able to keep the angle of the pedal that I wanted. It has been visually undetectable and sturdy.

The only catch for me was putting the original pedal cover onto the blank that I made. Needed to use some 303 spray to lube the rubber to stretch it around the new pedal.

lol

great DIY for very short ppl

Omicron's

Actually have done it both ways. Did the adjustment before Dave T posted and found that it changed the geometry of the pedal too much. ie, due to the pivot point staying the same, making the pedal closer also made it more angled. I didn't like it. Using the setup Omicron designed, I was able to keep the angle of the pedal that I wanted. It has been visually undetectable and sturdy.

The only catch for me was putting the original pedal cover onto the blank that I made. Needed to use some 303 spray to lube the rubber to stretch it around the new pedal.

Thanks! That's good to know ... I'll let you all know how it turns out.

lol

great DIY for very short ppl

At 5'2" I'll take all the help I can get!!!