Anyone modified their pedals to make heel/toe easier?
08-28-2002, 01:58 PM
#1
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Anyone modified their pedals to make heel/toe easier?
Is it possible to reposition the stock gas pedal slightly closer to the brake pedal?
I'm trying to learn heel/toe braking. I have read all that the Forum archive has to offer, and after weeks of off-track experimenting, I've concluded that my size 9 feet simply cannot do heel/toe safely in the TT.
Sure, I can perch the ball of my foot precariously on the edge of the brake pedal, and I can blip the throttle to match rev's. I totally understand why and how it's done, but I can't reach enough the brake pedal to do it safely. It's too easy for my foot to slip off the brake pedal, which would be disasterous on a track.
My friend who races Formula Ford cars told me to just bend one of the pedals. But the TT has a composite gas pedal.
I've searched the forum archives, but I couldn't find anything about modifying the gas pedal. Can it be done?
I'm trying to learn heel/toe braking. I have read all that the Forum archive has to offer, and after weeks of off-track experimenting, I've concluded that my size 9 feet simply cannot do heel/toe safely in the TT.
Sure, I can perch the ball of my foot precariously on the edge of the brake pedal, and I can blip the throttle to match rev's. I totally understand why and how it's done, but I can't reach enough the brake pedal to do it safely. It's too easy for my foot to slip off the brake pedal, which would be disasterous on a track.
My friend who races Formula Ford cars told me to just bend one of the pedals. But the TT has a composite gas pedal.
I've searched the forum archives, but I couldn't find anything about modifying the gas pedal. Can it be done?
08-28-2002, 03:44 PM
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On my S4, I added a Tenzo pedal cover to bridge the gap...
not sure how the pedals are setup on the TT but...
Have followed several threads on different forums recently where people are having trouble with "heel and toe".
As a result, I decided to illustrate my own foot positions so that people who might be having trouble with it might be able to compare.
During braking, the meat of the left side of my foot is approximately on 1/2 of the brake pedal...the line of force (line from my knee to my foot) is straight and I'm VERY careful to have a good "grip" on the brake pedal with my foot (appears crooked in the photo because it's shot from the side but my foot and leg are in-line). As I brake, my foot comes flush with the throttle pedal but isn't actually touching it...
<img src="http://images.fotki.com/v9/photos/4/41918/109066/Braking-or.jpg">
Now when I'm "blipping" the throttle to rev-match downshifts...my foot ROLLS onto the throttle pedal and the line of force from my leg is ANGLED to help my foot roll to the throttle pedal without letting any pressure off the brakes. To see what I mean, bend your leg and push foward so your foot is in-line with your knee...now angle your knee INWARD and at the same time your FOOT will angle heel outward. If you practice, you see how you can still keep the majority of your "weight" on the part of your foot that's braking while STILL rolling your foot well onto the gas pedal to "blip" the throttle. Note that in reality, the bulk of the part of my foot that is actually working the throttle is the outside half BUT my heel being angled like it is helps the geometry of my leg and foot to brake smoothly while rolling my foot in and out on the throttle pedal.
<img src="http://images.fotki.com/v8/photos/4/41918/109066/HeelandToe-or.jpg">
Note that I wear size 9 shoes so don't have particularly big feet and found the S4's pedals way too far apart to do this comfortably and had added a Tenzo pedal cover to the throttle pedal which did the trick.
Have followed several threads on different forums recently where people are having trouble with "heel and toe".
As a result, I decided to illustrate my own foot positions so that people who might be having trouble with it might be able to compare.
During braking, the meat of the left side of my foot is approximately on 1/2 of the brake pedal...the line of force (line from my knee to my foot) is straight and I'm VERY careful to have a good "grip" on the brake pedal with my foot (appears crooked in the photo because it's shot from the side but my foot and leg are in-line). As I brake, my foot comes flush with the throttle pedal but isn't actually touching it...
<img src="http://images.fotki.com/v9/photos/4/41918/109066/Braking-or.jpg">
Now when I'm "blipping" the throttle to rev-match downshifts...my foot ROLLS onto the throttle pedal and the line of force from my leg is ANGLED to help my foot roll to the throttle pedal without letting any pressure off the brakes. To see what I mean, bend your leg and push foward so your foot is in-line with your knee...now angle your knee INWARD and at the same time your FOOT will angle heel outward. If you practice, you see how you can still keep the majority of your "weight" on the part of your foot that's braking while STILL rolling your foot well onto the gas pedal to "blip" the throttle. Note that in reality, the bulk of the part of my foot that is actually working the throttle is the outside half BUT my heel being angled like it is helps the geometry of my leg and foot to brake smoothly while rolling my foot in and out on the throttle pedal.
<img src="http://images.fotki.com/v8/photos/4/41918/109066/HeelandToe-or.jpg">
Note that I wear size 9 shoes so don't have particularly big feet and found the S4's pedals way too far apart to do this comfortably and had added a Tenzo pedal cover to the throttle pedal which did the trick.
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08-28-2002, 04:14 PM
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I have to say, this is the best photo I've seen of heel-toe braking.
Most photos on web sites are way too small to see details. Yours are perfect. They confirm that I'm using the right technique, but there's just no way I can safely reach the gas pedal.
Is the Tenzo pedal cover something that could be removed for street use? Does anybody have one on a TT?
Is the Tenzo pedal cover something that could be removed for street use? Does anybody have one on a TT?
08-28-2002, 04:22 PM
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It's just a cheapo pedal cover...
It bolts on (takes some doing) and didn't require drilling or permanent modification. The S4 was WAY too far apart and the gas pedal went too far past the brake. I was able to bolt the Tenzo pedal cover on the throttle and that was all I needed. Several people have used other aftermarket pedals with similar success.
I spray painted the whole thing black and it was not noticeable at all (didn't want a big shiny pedal kit or anything).
Haven't tried a TT so not sure of the specifics but I imagin it's the same extra distance due to the "unintended acceleration" thing in the 80's.
I spray painted the whole thing black and it was not noticeable at all (didn't want a big shiny pedal kit or anything).
Haven't tried a TT so not sure of the specifics but I imagin it's the same extra distance due to the "unintended acceleration" thing in the 80's.
