A Driving Related Question

christian370z · 01-25-2011, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

Yah for these organ pedals use the side of your foot to blip instead of the actual heel unless you need full brake power.

Thanks Kenchan, that is what I do currently but the only shoes I have that are wide enough are my running shoes and I normally wear Vans which are too thin to reach both pedals. That makes sense though as far as using it with full brake power as that is probably why the gas is a bit harder to reach to blip when only doing light braking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

Yeah, I agree with ken. With the pedal setup on the Z I found myself mostly using the side of my foot more than my heel to heel-toe. It's almost exactly the same in the 5.0.

Depending on the size of your foot/shoe, you might find that you need a little more pedal area. You can get some nice SRP Racing aluminum pedals for the Z that extend the gas pedal out to the left a few more mm, and of course you have a wide range of freedom on where exactly you want to mount the clutch/brake pedal to fit your needs.

Not to mention the improved pedal feel with a metal pedal instead of the rubber covers we have for the brake/clutch.

Oh and some good driving inspired shoes will help tremendously. Puma Drift Cats, Speed Cats, and Replicats are all great choices.

Thanks M4! That is great to hear you bridge the two pedals with the ball of your shoe as that is what I currently do, I don't know why I felt it was probably wrong haha.

I actually really like driving with my Vans due to great feel of the pedals through the shoe but I was looking at the Drift Cats when I was going to order a Snell '05 helmet for an Auto-x event.

Thanks everyone for chiming in, I definitely will take your advice to heart and hope to improve my driving with more practice.

kenchan · 01-25-2011, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christian370z

Thanks Kenchan, that is what I do currently but the only shoes I have that are wide enough are my running shoes and I normally wear Vans which are too thin to reach both pedals. That makes sense though as far as using it with full brake power as that is probably why the gas is a bit harder to reach to blip when only doing light braking.

i see... you can replace the pedals and get wider ones to match your foot print (literally

). i dont have issues with my Z or my Fit but on my G35C i use a tad wider metal pedal on the gas pedal to make it easier to reach.

it's not like you're STUCK with the pedals that came with the car. but i recommend you practice with what you have now and once you're kinda consistent look for other pedals as needed. chances are you'll learn how to twist your foot even with VANS and be able to work it.

ProfessorDave · 01-25-2011, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

i see... you can replace the pedals and get wider ones to match your foot print (literally

). i dont have issues with my Z or my Fit but on my G35C i use a tad wider metal pedal on the gas pedal to make it easier to reach.

it's not like you're STUCK with the pedals that came with the car. but i recommend you practice with what you have now and once you're kinda consistent look for other pedals as needed. chances are you'll learn how to twist your foot even with VANS and be able to work it.

I agree with ken re: pedal width. While the Z pedals are fine for toe heel shifting for me, I had aftermarket pedals in my old MINI Cooper and currently in my Mazda3 because the span between gas and brake was too wide. The downside to some of the aftermarket pedals is that it can bring the gas and brake too close together, making it easier to depress them both, such as in an emergency stop.

kenchan · 01-25-2011, 02:08 PM

professordave- yes, that is a dangerous situation!

another tricky thing about pedals is the forward/aft positioning. some pedals are thicker than other brands like razo (raiser, literally) where others are thin. depending on where the brake pedal is and gas pedal sometimes it's better to bring the gas pedal closer to your foot allowing better blip with less foot movement. but then again if one make a mistake of double pedaling due to suck-at-driving-because-i-like-playing-with-dolls-and-stuffed-animals-and pillows, then they might be in for a big surprise.

ProfessorDave · 01-25-2011, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

professordave- yes, that is a dangerous situation!

another tricky thing about pedals is the forward/aft positioning. some pedals are thicker than other brands like razo (raiser, literally) where others are thin. depending on where the brake pedal is and gas pedal sometimes it's better to bring the gas pedal closer to your foot allowing better blip with less foot movement. but then again if one make a mistake of double pedaling due to suck-at-driving-because-i-like-playing-with-dolls-and-stuffed-animals-and pillows, then they might be in for a big surprise.

christian370z · 01-25-2011, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

i see... you can replace the pedals and get wider ones to match your foot print (literally

). i dont have issues with my Z or my Fit but on my G35C i use a tad wider metal pedal on the gas pedal to make it easier to reach.

it's not like you're STUCK with the pedals that came with the car. but i recommend you practice with what you have now and once you're kinda consistent look for other pedals as needed. chances are you'll learn how to twist your foot even with VANS and be able to work it.

Hahaha, that is a very good point. I am definitely trying to make the most out of what I have and that is why I appreciate the help immensely. The more I practiced heal-toe, the less awkward the twisting action feels but it still will take some time for it to become natural I feel.

carguy · 01-26-2011, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProfessorDave

I agree with ken and steve. The pedals are close enough to place your right foot half on the brake, half on the gas. Since the part of your foot on the brake is the stronger part (ball of your foot), you can learn to keep steady pressure while twisting the outer edge to blip the throttle. Practice on sections of road where precision is not important to get the hang of it.

I learned to toe-heel when I was 17. My Pontiac LeMans had a Rochester 4 barrel that would flood when first started up (needle valve or float problem, but that's not important right now), forcing me to master toe-heel to keep then damn thing running. Sometimes necessity forces change, but it is skill I've used since.

This method worked so well for me that I find my self doing it in everyday driving... practice! It becomes second nature, good luck!

EazyD · 01-26-2011, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LunaZ

Screw you guys!
Your comments about my "proper" driving shoes made me go out and buy a pair of these:

MUCH better. Favorite color scheme.. how much? What model of shoe is that? (i.e. where do I find these haha)

01-25-2011, 02:08 PM	#34 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141521	professordave- yes, that is a dangerous situation! another tricky thing about pedals is the forward/aft positioning. some pedals are thicker than other brands like razo (raiser, literally) where others are thin. depending on where the brake pedal is and gas pedal sometimes it's better to bring the gas pedal closer to your foot allowing better blip with less foot movement. but then again if one make a mistake of double pedaling due to suck-at-driving-because-i-like-playing-with-dolls-and-stuffed-animals-and pillows, then they might be in for a big surprise. Last edited by kenchan; 01-25-2011 at 02:14 PM. Reason: added phalen touch :D

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