Brake Pedal Pad

ZZ4X4

Member
:
2008 MS3
Hello all. I am a new owner of an MS3 and have been having an issue where my big honkin shoes keep catching the brake pedal corner when pushing or lifting off the gas pedal. Can't seem to get my shoe far enough over to miss it due to the tunnel. I like to have my heel a little to the center and seem to keep catching the lower right corner of the brake pedal. Does anyone know if the pedal pad comes apart or is it one pressed together assembly? I want to cut or bend that small corner to clear my sleds. Trying to avoid making sparks inside the vehicle. Any suggestions ?

Jeff
 
Hey Jeff! Welcome to the forums, and CONGRATS ON THE NEW MS3!!!! What color did you go with?

As for your brake pedal question...hmmm, I'd have to go take a peek. I'm not sure about the way its built in there....however I wouldn't doubt you could just unscrew these babies from the backside and modify it to your liking?
 
Sawzall solves everything...

yeah, but does he want to sawzall everything in his car? nope. lol

Sierra, can you confirm if the pedal does in fact un-screw from the back? I'm no where near my car...

-J
 
This is interesting because the precise reason the pedals are like this is to "heel-toe" the car. Cutting this off seems to kill that whole advantage we have over other cars.
 
but his feet interfere with his driving, i suppose this doesn't matter to him?
 
I went with a Black Mica MS3 GT. Traded in a VW. This thing blows away the VW in every way! Tight feel, cornering, seats, dash layout, conveniences, and especially power! It's great and will be even better if I solve the pedal issue. :)

I was thinking that cutting a small 45 degree no more than 1/2 inch is all I need. It shouldn't be enough to feel under the foot or affect heel and toe action. However I just looked on the backside of the pedal and there aren't any bolts or screws. It looks like a rubber grommet may be holding the pedal pad on. If I remove it and cut the corner I wonder if it would even be able to hold itself to the pedal ... HMMMM
 
It appears to be cast aluminum, how about filing it down with a simple metal file?

That might work. I think I'll try to pop it off the pedal backing plate to see how much I have to work with. As a note, I see others with the same complaint on the edmunds town-hall mazda forum. Seems like those with bigger than a size 10 shoe will catch the brake pedal. Mine are 12 . Maybe I should just cut a notch in my shoe. HEHE
 
I'm 11 1/2, and I typically wear OP shoes which resemble soccer Sambas or similar. Meaning, they aren't big and clunky. I've had trouble in other cars when wearing work boots, and this car was not terrible though I can see what you're saying. Personally, I've adapted quickly and come to love the closely set pedals. Since Heel-Toe downshifting (or toe-pad / edge of sole if you prefer!) is an excellent skill to master in any manual car, I'm happy to have a car that promotes it, rather then makes it extremely difficult.

If I had to make a suggestion, I'd recommend sliding the seat back some more, adjusting the backrest slightly more upright, and bring the tilt-telescoping wheel to a full-back position, and sighted correctly with the gauges. I'm 6-3, somewhat proportional yet I have a slightly extended torso compared to my legs, and this car is one of the few that fits like a glove (once adjusted!)
 
I hope I don't have this issue. I am a 12 as well and I wear the shoes seen in my avvy.

Excuse my noobishness here but what is heel toe shifting and how exactly do you do it?
 
My work shoes (loafers) catch the break at times, but my regular shoes (Chucks and New Balances) work just fine. And no, I'm not an Emo kid. The chucks fit well and are comfy.
 
LMAO...a conversation about shoes amongst (mostly) guys. haha.

Heel-toe shifting is a semi-advanced maneuver for manual-equipped cars. I've been doing it since I was 16 (now 27) with good results, once practiced.

To Heel-Toe, and WHEN to Heel-Toe:

When you are slowing with the brakes, you may also need to downshift a gear or so to get ready to accelerate again OR to rev-match the next shift down for a smooth transistion. In order to do that, you'd have to have either 3 feet to hold down all pedals at once, or you can heel-toe!

Here's an example - You are running at 60mph, and you need to slow down for a highway on-ramp and enter. You are currently in 5th, proceeding towards the braking point. Hit the brakes with your toe or front part of your foot at least to start slowing. At this point, the revs are going to drop down, and you'll need to downshift, right? So you clutch with your left foot and go down a gear or two...and...now what? That's right, you rotate the heel of your foot (or at least the outer edge of your foot) to blip the throttle up to an RPM that will more or less match the next gear's needs at the speed you are traveling, and let out the clutch. By doing this, you've managed to slow down, shift, and get into the next gear you need smoothly without getting shift-shock, because you've put the engine up at the right RPM's. Really, the only way to drive a manual car with smoothness and efficiency is to master this technique.

To truly heel-toe, you must be able to point your right knee inward and get your foot in a tough, charlie-horse-producing position. At least for me! To make this work for me, I use the left-upper portion of my foot pad to hit the brakes, and I roll my heel edge on the lower right of my foot over to the gas pedal, using my much more flexible ankle instead of my knee and hip. Either way, the maneuver is the same in results...the car maintains balance and control while shifting into a gear to provide the right powerband for the next acceleration event...which is the on-ramp!
 
LMAO...a conversation about shoes amongst (mostly) guys. haha.

Hey what's wrong with that? I actually belong to a Nike shoe forum that is like 95% dudes(no homo) we talk nothin but sneakers.

Thanks for the heel toe tutorial. I think I use neutral too much so I just hit the brake pedal without using engine braking. I will have to practice my heel toe.
 
Welcome!

Practice in a parking lot where you won't kill anybody...lol.

Go from 4th or 3rd to 2nd (never first unless you are BARELY moving) and heel-toe while braking.
 
Damn I love videos like that! Good demo of heel+toe, plus you can see him trail braking a little, when his foot backs off the brake but doesn't quite release the pedal.

I've seen similar vids where the driver uses left-foot-braking to trail brake through turns, it's friggen sweet the way their feet dance all over the pedals this way and that.

I haven't mastered heel/toeing nearly well enough to use it for autox -- I'm not nearly fast enough. But I try to practice on the street, where I'm always afraid the ball of my foot will slip off the brake and send me careening into the corner I'm aiming for, or worse,a car parked or stopped near that corner! Hasn't happened yet though, and I need my practice :)
 
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