Maximus

From day one I did not feel totally comfortable with the clutch pedal position. I think its too deep. When I move the seat forward to be able to press the clutch all the way comfortably I come too close the steering wheel, plus, the shifter position feels awkward. On the other hand if I move the seat backward to make the steering and shifter position comfortable ... the clutch position becomes awkwardly deep.

I tried this clamp-on pedal ordered over the internet. It may look cheezy but i just wanted to have something work for me. The package had three pedal pedal covers i.e. accelerator, clutch, brake. Each one has a 'base' and a two tone cover. Since I wanted to raise the clutch position as far as I could I placed the base of clutch and brake, one on top of the other, and then put the cover on it. I also put three pieces of two sided tape in between the two base parts just fill the gap and make it solid. I wish I could have take the pictures in more detail but it was a fairly easy job.

Overall I am getting about 1 inch rise in clutch position and the driving position already feels better. I'll keep searching or get other ideas from this forum.

Maximus

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Maximus

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Maximus

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Omicron

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Been inventin' too. Check out this thread. :D

Maximus

Omricon, pls let me know if you find out something new.

Maximus

Bought the pedal set here:

Pilot Adjustable Racing Pedal Pad Set

Omicron

Thanks much.

Dookie_Rx-8

looks kinda cheap? doesnt it

XDEEDUBBX

yea..not really into that carbon fiber look crap...hey even pep boys sells real carbon fiber pedals...

rx8cited

Maximus, Thanks for the info. Same source, more choices for the tough crowd. /rx8cited

Maximus

Agreed that its not the best looking pedal...why would anyone want to mess with the stock look of the 8 pedals? The purpose is to raise the clutch position and for now it serves that purpose...hope someone could find a better option.

RotaryZZ

Actually I need something for either the brake or gas pedal so that I can do the heel and toe easily. I found the stock setup is not quite ideal. Speaking of that, I think the setup on the BMW 3 series has the perfect position for heel and toe.

Btw, I would caution using glus or double-sided tape for any new pedals add-on. You don't want it to fall off or get out of position while you're driving, especially during spirited driving.

realdeal

I was having a lot of problems myself with the clutch and gas pedal felt to close. I realized I had bad posture sitting in the car, as my feet were kind pushing the pedals forward instead of pushing them down at an angle. My right foot was also kind of laying kind of lazily sideways, so it could pivot on the heel to hit the gas and brake. This position made the gas pedal feel extremely close. Anyway, I remedied the situation by tilting my seat upwards to the max to get comfy with the gas pedal. Then I moved my seat forward until I was comfortable with the clutch. I haven't had any problems since! By the way I am pretty short 5'3". So If you have problems you may just need to adjust your seat a little more. Hope that helps.

Overport

looks alright...kinda cheap though. as long as it works for u

thew

i am 6'2 that wil not work for me.. even in my 84 rx7 the pedels were ment for small people.. MAzda just seems to drop that ball every time.. I too will raise atl east my Clutch so i can slide the seat all the way back ...

oi812

The stock clutch position is adjustable. I moved mine out about an inch just by turning the stop bolt. You have to adjust both the stop (shorter) and the push rod (longer) to take up the free play. Works well, and now with more "throw" I get less clutch drag and easier shifts.

Xyntax

Interesting, would you mind giving us a DIY with pics on this? Surely, we would all appreciate it so much. I think your idea sounds more promising for me.

Omicron

Say WHAT? It is? Gotta look closer at mine!

oi812

I don't think I can get a photo way up in there with my cheap camera. I have a service manual with a pdf but can't copy the image out of it. I'll try to describe it the best I can.

The travel of the pedal towards the driver is limited by a large hex head bolt. It's just below the spring that pushes the pedal out. It was yellow zinc plated, the head of the bolt is what the stops the travel. Thread the bolt into the bracket and the pedal gets closer to the driver. There was no lock nut or anything, the threads are a bit of the interference fit, I just used an open end wrench. I could only get about one flat or rotation at a time, but since the thing is close to the pivot point it doesn't take much bolt length change to make a noticeable difference at the pedal end.

Once you get the pedal closer to the driver, you will have to adjust the push rod to take up the excessive free play you just created. The push rod has threads on it and is screwed into the clevis that attaches to the pedal. The assembly is kept in place by a lock nut. Just loosen the lock nut and turn the pushrod out longer to take up most of the free play. You have to leave some free play or the throw out bearing will be turning all the time.

Now one major word of caution, don't over do this. By making this adjustment you have effectively increased the throw or total distance that the clutch slave cylinder is moving. That translates to more movement at the clutch pressure plate. If you go overboard you could over stress the clutch pressure plate springs. I only moved my pedal about in inch, the main thing for me was that I wanted to get the clutch engagement point a little closer, it was right off the floor prior to my adjustments.

downshift

I still can't see it in my head from your descriptions and I'm not that mechanically inclined. I like to adjust the clutch pedal position as well but am wary of the risk of doing it wrong.

What you can do is open the .pdf in Acrobat Reader 6. There is a tool called snapshot where you can draw a box around an object and it will copy it into the clipboard. After that, you can open up Paint and paste it in there so you can save it into a .jpg file.

I can do all that and post the pictures up if you'd like to send me the .pdf.

Omicron

You can also take a screenshot with Windoze OS by pushing and holding the left shift key and pressing print screen (above the insert key). This copies everything on the screen into the clipboard. The open the Paint program (in accessories) and push and hold left shift again and hit the insert key. Paint will promt you the image is big, click ok. You can then chop down the screen shot using Paint, and save the image as a .jpg file.

One caveat: You may have save the initial screenshot as a .bmp file (the Paint default) then reopen it with a utility that allows you to save it as a .jpg.

Like this:

Xyntax

pics pls :D

DaveT

To keep from over-stroking the slave cylinder there is an old autocrosser trick whereby you add a block to the floorboard to stop clutch pedal travel at the point where the clutch is released. Since you probably want to keep the slave cylinder stroke the same as it was before the adjustment, simply measure the distance that you move the pedal out and make the "stop block" the same thickness. In effect, you are moving the floorboard out and clutch pedal travel stays the same as if you were holding the pedal against the floor before the adjustment.

RedSheDevil

Did anyone ever continue on with this? I'd be VERY interested to see the results and know how to do it myself as well...I'm another 5'2" who feels like I'm driving with the steering wheel in my lap.