DavidG

As a relatively short person, I find that sitting close enough to comfortably depress the clutch all the way puts me a bit too far forward. I'm OK with regard to steering wheel distance, but the ergonomics of the window switches, armrest, sunroof position, etc., are much better if I put the seat further back a couple of notches.<p>I found a seat position I like now, except depression the clutch fully requires an uncomfortable stretch with the tips of my toes. I can manage, but it's awkward.<p>Short of getting a pedal extension, which I find to be clunky, I'm wondering if it's OK to not depress the clutch all the way to the floor to change gears.<p>If I put the car into first and slowly release the clutch, I can lift the clutch a certain amount before I see the tach start to react to the clutch engagement.<p>If I depress the clutch at least to the point where the tach doesn't react, and if I don't notice any resistance in the shift lever, am I OK? Or, am I still creating excess wear and tear on my synchros, etc., by not pushing the pedal to the mat?<p>If I am doing harm, does anyone know if there are any replacement pads that will effectively move the clutch pedal surface toward me a bit, without having to resort to an unattractive extension (even 0.5" would help).

Steve Mac

if you keep on doing what you're doing. If you push the pedal down far enough to fully disengage the clutch, there is no extra wear, even though there may be another inch or two of pedal throw. The only reason to push the pedal clear to the floor is to activate the transmission switch that allows you to start the car.<p>My worry in your situation would be sitting so close to the airbag. My mom-in-law has the same challenge (she's 5' minus) and she sits back as far as possible. Well, better an airbag than a steering wheel smacking you in the nose!<p>Best regards,<br>Steve

Eric H.

Have you positioned the steering wheel as close to the dash as possible? I wouldn't feel comfortable failing to bring the clutch to the floor, particularly since on this car the engagement is so close to the floor.<br>

klidge

I'd have gotten the Automatic for her sake but it's just too slow. As for the window controls, they're positioned awkwardly for just about anybody, too far back.<p>Position yourself to depress the clutch with your tip toes; you'll get used to it.<br>

Darryl W

My wife is about 5'1", and we have an excellent pedal extender for the clutch pedal only on our Subaru. It is firm as a rock, and you can't really tell it's not the actual pedal 95 % of the time. We leave it on all the time, and when I drive the subaru, I actually like the seating position a little better. It is about as far back as is comfortable for me considering the length of my arms and occaisonally my left knee gets a little close to the steering wheel. Check out the website:<p>http://www.pedalextenders.com<p>They are, ironically, located in the Detroit area, and we discovered them right after we moved to Texas! They are very service oriented and nice. Their product is excellent, too. I think we paid $45 for the clutch pedal extender. <br>My wife doesn't seem to mind driving the A4 w/out the pedal extender as much as the Subaru w/out the pedal extender. Hmm, maybe she's concentrating too much on how nice a ride it is . . . and wouldn't an A6 be nicer than the Sube (this is a subliminal message to my wife, please ignore ;-)<p>Best of luck,<br>Darryl <br>98.5 1.8T qmsb<br>95 Legacy Outback m

Mick

That could seal the deal for you. Which A6 are you looking at -- the avant or the sedan? BTW, you can get the rear-facing 3rd seat in the A6 avant. Wish my wagon had that feature, it comes in handy when trying to avoid sibling rivalries on long trips.<p>Mick

Corey S

You're not hurting anything unless you start to hear clunking or grinding. I typically only press my pedal down less than half way. Makes for quicker shifts that way, too.<p>Corey S<br>Wett 97 1.8tqm<ul><li><a href="http://www.2xtreme.net/smythe">Corey's A4 Page</a></li></ul>

Darryl W

or we won't get one. Actually I think I've convinced her that we should get one (alright!), and we're expecting the A6A qm(s) in the fall - so maybe a year from now. 'Course, if the S6 Avant comes over, that's what I'll get. If there is even a hint of this beasty for the US, I'll wait as long as 2 years, maybe (still like the Sub, but I gotta have this A6A body style before they @#%@ it up, like Sub did w/ the 2000 Legacy "Avant")<p>Cheers,<p>Darryl