Bending the accelerator pedal for heel-and-toe fun!

[grifterkid]

Hello all...

Thumbing through an old copy of Motor (I think!) from 1973 (again, I think!!) I read a long-term test report that one of the staff writers had written about their Triumph Dolomite 1850.

They loved that car but, of course, there were a few things that they weren't happy with...

One such thing was the distance of the accelerator pedal from the brake pedal meaning heel-and-toe actions could not be performed. They resorted to getting the accelerator pedal/arm bent over so it was nearer the brake pedal/arm.

Has anyone on here done such a thing and if you have, how did you do it?!

[Jon Tilson]

Given that the technique is only of use when braking and changing down at the same time
and that brakes are cheaper and more effective at slowing you down than gearboxes its
a bit pointless IMHO.

You hardly play tunes on the box in a Toledo anyway...leave it to the posers in sports cars
or old MG's with no synchro left on second.

Jonners

[Dolly-Nut]

I've done this is my track car. I literally just cut the accelerator pedal 90% through, bend it to the desired position and welded it up.

[Dolly-Bolt]

Easiest way probably is to 'cut and shut' the throttle pedal, or fabricate a wedge that you can weld behind the throttle pedal mount to angle the entire pedal.

It's your car, do what you want with it!

[grifterkid]

There's no way I'm going to do it, I was just curious as to who has done it!

It just intrigued me when I read the article that's all...!!!

[trackerjack]

Given that the technique is only of use when braking and changing down at the same time
and that brakes are cheaper and more effective at slowing you down than gearboxes its
a bit pointless IMHO.

You hardly play tunes on the box in a Toledo anyway...leave it to the posers in sports cars
or old MG's with no synchro left on second.

Jonners

Oh dear Jonners you really dont get it do you?
You say brakes are cheaper than gearboxes to which I agree, and heeling and toeing save wear and tear on the synchro rings which saves the gearbox so it is a perfect way to preserve an old clapped out Triumph box as so many are especially 3rd gear.

Well Grifter kid you can do this very well by using the side of your foot and is a method that I have used for years in my Sprint without any mods to pedal.
When conditions are bad in snow or wet it keeps things smooth and hence safer.
Scandinavians developed it and who can argue with their driving skills.
However I cannot get to do left foot braking which is also another driving method that is more use on track than road.

[nico]

What about a pedal extension? Is there such a thing?
Shouldn't be to difficult to bolt a wider pedal to the original one... ?

[DavePoth]

What about a pedal extension? Is there such a thing?
Shouldn't be to difficult to bolt a wider pedal to the original one... ?

Pedal extensions are certainly available, but I've always found the dolly pedals to be fine for H'n'T; I learnt on a modern car where the pedals aren't set out quite right for it so I'm used to twisting my foot quite a lot to cover both pedals. It's certainly possible, in any case.

[Ictoan]

......or just wear bigger shoes?

[Jon Tilson]

Lol TJ no you brake in high gear or neutral and then rev up as you snap down change and need the power.

Cant you steer and change gear at the same time?

(Dives for cover...)

No saving of synchro wear unless you double declutch either....and young drivers cant do that.

Jonners

[trackerjack]

Good demo for sticking to speed limits was 2 children ran out from behind a lorry today and as I was doing just under 30 mph I managed to stand the car on its nose 6 ft from them!

As I did so I accidently hit the accelerator as well as the brake but as I had declutched at the same time just the engine roared and frightened the life out of them.

This was in the same spot as yesterday where a BMW raced past me at speed because I was doing the limit and he clearly did not want to.

Shows how random lives can be.


You been drinking Jonners?

[gmsclassics]

The alternative for those of us who could never properly master heel & toe is what I've been using in the racecar for about five years:

race gearlever.JPG (102.31 KiB) Viewed 1271 times

Hand throttle so easy to blip the throttle as you change gear. I've had no issues raised at race scrutineering or when going for our version of MoT for use on the road. Both this and standard accelerator pedal operate independently without issue and with just small modification where the cables attach.

I can just about manage normal heel and toe, but never able to regulate brake pressure accurately enough when racing so I either don't brake hard enough or lock the brakes. On the other hand I routinely drive the automatic Jag to work using my left foot to brake. That seems logical, two pedals and two feet, one for each. I find this easy and relaxing. I suppose it is just what you get used to.

Geoff

[Nick C]

The alternative for those of us who could never properly master heel & toe is what I've been using in the racecar for about five years:

Looking at that photo before reading the text, my first thought was a hand operated clutch... Would that actually work? It'd take an awful lot of getting used to, but then you could left-foot-brake as if you were driving an automatic, and I'd imagine the act of squeezing the handle as you pulled the gear lever would be fairly natural...

[lazeruspete]

inspired use of a pushbike brake lever too!

[Carledo]

An old mate of mine lost his left leg in a poaching accident, he had his car converted in just such a fashion though the cable operated a remote servo assisted master cylinder. I drove it once or twice and though it was a bit strange at first, I soon adapted and the whole thing is quite intuitive to use especially for anyone who's ridden a motorbike.

Steve