adjust the paddles?

[maxchao]

Now I'm trying to learn heel toe as I commute to school everyday, :D
But, The brake paddle is kinda high for me so I can't really get into position unless I bend my ankle a lot, which isn't very comfortable.
SO...is there a way I can lower it? Or is there any way to adjust either brake or gas paddle?

Josh

[ho bag]

Cut and weld? Thats about all i can think of. Move back further maybe?

Im 6'2 and there is plenty of room for me without bending my self up all funny.

[nate0123]

never heard them called "paddles" before

clever

http://www.msprotege.com/members/nate0123/paddles.gif

[Flash5]

try using the side of your foot as opposed to your hell and toe, i know it might not look as cool or whatever your going for but its what i do, which is a rare occurrence anyways.

[maxchao]

Uh? It's not called paddle? Man my English sucks bad...:D
So what is it called?

Also, I know really you don't use your heel and toe but the 'ball' of your foot and the side, but still, to get my feet in the right place isn't that comfortable. Maybe I need to buy a different shoes...

Oh well, I guess I'll just live with it then...

Thanks for all the replies tho! :)

Josh

[maxchao]

Hey wow I just found that 'paddle' clip insulting...
:D


Josh

[Tom03es]

They are called "pedals".

My Protege is an auto, but on other cars, I just use the ball of my foot on the brake and then the very right side of my heel/foot. I usually "flick" my knee to the right and that helps to get the "blip" action on the throttle.

[clicknext]

lol, trying to shave precious seconds off your commute time? I know what you're talking about though, the brake pedal seems too high compared to the gas.

[Nomad]

I agree that the pedals are in the wrong place on this car. On the Miata they were perfect and with the close ratio of the gears it was almost second nature to rev match on downshifts. Or "heel toe".

I got a set of cheap aluminum pedals for the car of of ebay. THe benefit to this is that the gas pedal is now wider (see the little bump out on the left) so that the distance between the pedals is less. If you have monster feet then this may not be good for you. But you can adjust the distance between the pedals just a bit if you need to by slifing the gas and brake cover further or closer.

OK, so that made it just a little easier ,I no longer have to "reach so far" with my foot. The problem with this car is that the brake sits up much higher than the gas pedal. Ideally you want to step on the brake and when the brakes engage the pedal will be nearly even with the untouched gas pedal. That way it's a matter of rotating your heel over a few degrees till the outer ball of the foot or toe or heel (whichever you like) can touch the gas and give it a little blip.... just like on the miata. I never should have sold it...
anyhow... how to fix it.

The best way I can see, but have not taken the time to do it as it's not important to me yet, is to get some 1/8" or 3/16" or 1/4" wood or thick dense rubber etc and cut it to fit the face of the gas pedal, secure it with silicone adhesive and then SECURELY attach the gas pedal cover, probably need longer bolts etc.
That will bring the face of the gas pedal up slightly and bring it closer to the engaged brake pedal.

Good luck.

[maxchao]

Oh so it's "pedal"...man, now it's too late to change the title...:(
So it seems the route of adjusting the 'pedals' is hopeless, and the only thing possible is to thicken the gas pedal...
I don't think any online store would carry a thinker pedal as there probably has never been anyone asking for it, right?

Josh

[maxchao]

Also, I use my commute as a future autocross training, which I can't really afford now...(No risk of abusing my P5, too poor..)
That makes the routine a little more interesting and...quicker...:)

Josh

[maxchao]

And...how do you take off the gas pedal pad?
I can't seem to find the page in the service manual.

Josh

[Salmon_Rob]

look into "toe to toe" shifting. its far more practical for every day use. heel-toe is more precise when autoxing and such, but in this car involves really weird foot and knee positioning. its highly uncomfortable for me as im a big guy. the first gen protege == the best for heel toe. same pedal placement as the miata

[Action Jackson]

I've never had any problems heel and toeing. Used a set of bolt on OBX pedals and after 5 yrs of open lapping days they've never failed me.

Now I make a mistake every now and then but it's not the pedal's fault.

[maxchao]

I think if you always brake to the threshold as people do when racing it's not that hard to blip the gas pedal, but when in everyday use or carrying a passenger, I don't brake that hard so the gas pedal seems low...
I will look into the OBX pedals and maybe some aftermarket ones...

Josh

[Nomad]

yes, cheap OBW pedals for me too.

Please be calm on the street and only do your dive bomber turns when nobody else is around. You don't want to go deep in a corner, late brake to threshold and have a commuter park thier car in your trunk...

[maxchao]

I really can't find the OBX or OBW pedals, can anyone point where it is to me?

I'm thinking just buy another stock gas pedal and two bolts and drill holes and mount in on the original one...Any opinion?

Josh

[maxchao]

Ha, I'm quite self-conscious as what my roommate says, I try to drive fast but also try not to upset other drivers too, and also safety.

Josh

[maxchao]

Hey guys in the service manual 04-11-04 there is a section called Brake Pedal Height Adjustment...
Does that just adjust the height of the pedal only or will it interfere with brake?
In another words, if I make it lower will my braking effect be always on?

Josh

[Nomad]

Sorry, I meant OBX
Scan the manual and post it or give a link.
You can adjust the factory height of th pedals on the car and it will not affect the braking. Usually it only goes higher as it's to help short people. Maybe yours is already moved up, not sure.

Feel around on the gas pedal and you'll see that buying a new gas pedal is not the answer, it's mounted different than you think.

Go on ebay and look at listing # 320220405062

It doesn't matter what car you search for, the pedals are the same for all cars.

Here are mine.
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/4/web/2056000-2056999/2056679_20_full.jpg

[maxchao]

Brake Pedal Height Adjustment
1. Disconnect the brake switch connector.
2. Loosen locknut B and turn switch A until it does
not contact the pedal.
3. Loosen locknut D and turn rod C to adjust the
height.
4. Tighten the bolt with locknut B so that clearance
between the bolt for brake light switch A and
pedal stopper is within the specification.
Specification
0.1—1.0 mm {0.004—0.039 in}
Tightening torque
13.8—17.6 N·m {140—180 kgf·cm, 122—156
in·lbf}
5. Connect the brake switch connector.
6. After adjustment, inspect the pedal play and the
brake light operation.

[maxchao]

that's the section of the service manual i found..

also, can anyone tell me how do I take the gas pedal off? What's the thing that holds it onto the bar?

Josh

[RABID_MP5]

I messed with clutch pedal height on some RX-7s and 626s, mainly to get the engagement point to a more comfortable level. But yeah, the brake pedals in general seem a little too high, maybe a little more on the P5. I'll see how far that rod is threaded and drop mine if possible. Thanks.

[Purrfectangel]

It definitely takes some adjusting to get used to this car. My knees press up against the dash and my seat is all the way back, not to mention having to shift with numerous heel heights. Someone mentioned resting your knee to the right, I do that as well and it does help. Thank god it's got cruise for long trips or my foot would have been dead long ago. I took a 05 hatch for a test drive and the pedals were low, smaller and closer together. It felt really weird after driving mine for so long. I think when they designed our car they really had short people in mind for everyday drivers. High seats, high pedals, high shifter frig.

oh and sometimes they are referred to as paddles so your title is still ok.

[maxchao]

YES!! It always makes me feel better when I'm not the only one making mistake!

Oh and, RABID_MP5, if you ever drop the brake pedal lower, please do let me know!

I'll try too but I'm sure I won't get much accomplished since space is quite small there and I'm not so experienced.

Josh

[RABID_MP5]

Well...hmmm. My brake pedal is already as far down as it will go. It would take "modification" to drop it more, and the safety aspects of doing that. (I may yet mess with this) However, I did drop my clutch pedal. It's now roughly level with the brake. Looking at Nomad's, above, his clutch looks to be a good bit lower than the brake? Or higher - I can't tell for sure. I'm thinking that I do have to clutch far more times than brake, so at least I did accomplish something.
IF YOU DO THIS: remember to keep free play in the clutch lest you wear out the throw out bearing from constant slight pressure. And as the clutch wears, play gets taken up. So better a little more play than too little (observe the play before you adjust it to get a rough idea of what I'm saying). The hydraulic master cylinder may make this a bit of a moot point if you think about it? Also, there's a switch, I think for the cruise, that might be influenced by dropping it enough - so keep that in mind. You can pull the connector and meter it for continuity, or just wait and road test it. Lastly, it might be possible to drop it so far that full and reliable clutch engagement isn't possible. So, if shifts start clashing...

[maxchao]

Yeah, it hurts my brain when I was thinking how can dropping brake pedal be accomplished and thinking about the clutch one will sure be even worse.
I'm really thinking now just buy some aftermarket pedals and try to make the gas pedal higher to match the brake, and put a second floor mat to raise my heel if necessary.
Oh, the clutch seems fine for me tho...I think I got used to it...

Josh

[Nomad]

I think my clutch is even or a tiny bit higher than the brake. If I remember correctly, I moved the brake pedal and gas pedal cover around a bit to find a good spot., Then i realized my clutch pedal pad was slid a little higher than the others. Plus, the camera angle makes it look funny.