Broken Foot Rest Pedal - Dangerous!
 

Sorry to have to post this, but the way I found this out could have resulted in an accident. Basically, the "Aluminum" foot rest pedal that comes stock on the GT manual is really only a brittle piece of plastic! It's basically a box shaped piece of plastic resting on the floorboard with two flimsy attachment points along the inner edge.

Does anyone know where I can get a "real" metal foot rest? The Rosenthal part (#RX081043), listed as "Aluminum Foot Rest" for automatics, looks exactly like the plastic one from my 6 speed that broke off.

The way I found out was rounding a left hand freeway on-ramp (EB 19th St to NB 55 fwy) in 2nd at around 35 mph that I daily normally take in 3rd at around 30 mph. Because I was in a lower gear, the added torque caused the rear to get loose, so I tried to brace myself against the foot rest to ensure better control on the throttle. Rather than just easing around the corner in a mild drift, the foot rest broke loose :scared: causing me to jam the throttle and spin out. When I went to start the engine, I found that the foot rest had lodged itself below the clutch pedal, so I had to pull it out before I could depress the clutch to start the motor.

I'm just thankful there were no cars around and that I was in the middle of three on-ramp lanes, so didn't hit anything. If this had happened during a track day coming down into a hairpin from 90 MPH, well...! Anyone else have this problem? I did a forum search on "foot rest" and only found references to installing the "accessory" pedal for automatics. Y'all might want to pull it off and inspect for cracks. For me, I'm going to the aftermarket., so please post here, if you know of any sources.

Btw, driving without the footrest feels really strange and you realize how much it's used. This is the only major flaw that I've found in this great car, after 75k really enjoyable miles.

- Gary, Newport Beach, CA

you're in Cali but you describe your car with Canadian terms?

and the dsc did not kick in??? and between 25 and 30 how much bracing did you have to do???

this is very odd.

beers :beer:

it's called import! :rofl:

i have never heard of this happening before. curious with swoope's question too. if this is that fragile at 25-30 mph i don't see why no one else has experienced it.

yea,
i have not had that prob, and i have been way hard on it...

i will go look.

beers :beer:

i looked, it is not like what i am used to. a metal plate attatched to a brace... it is a big plastic block...

dont know why you had the problem, but i have o shitted on it several times...

i guess you win the leg o steel award...

beers :beer:

DSC was off. Yeah, it didn't take much force at the time, but I suspect heavy previous use had it ready to break off. I'm sure not gonna replace it with stock. Try removing the pedal to see how much you rely on it. Just a safety caution, especially for those who go to tracks. Swoope, did you notice any stress fractures or just inspected while mounted?

that is the odd thing, you think the track day people would have found this first.

or you hit it hard. or importing from cold cold canada tempered it.

who knows.

beers :beer:

Um, don't think it went thru Canada - not up on that reference. I'm just reporting what happened. Maybe it was just defective. Anyway, I'm out of warrantee, so looking for a metal one.

so your an import??

beers :beer:

I didn't see what he said that made you and Zoom44 think he sounded Canadian......

But, getting back OT - aren't these listed as aluminum? Mine is not broken, nor do I stomp on it, but I don't expect great longevity out of plastic - certainly not on par with how long I intend to keep the car. :mad:

He said

GS is a Canadian Package, not US

Edited typo from "GS" to "GT", sorry for the confusion. Now we all know there was a Canadian GS. Was it any different from US GT? Anyway, I'd like to hear from anyone who has pulled the pedal rest to inspect for stress or those who were under the impression that it was actually an aluminum, not aluminum-like piece. There are only two attaching screws on the inside edge. My '8s in the body shop until tomorrow, so will try to post a picture when I get it back.