cfjan

From researching on the forum, it seems that many found the brake pedal to be high (hard to heel 'n toe on the street) but then feel it is fine when braking hard on the track. For those who still fell the brake pedal is high, people put aftermarket pedal set on (which usually move the gas higher, as the new pedal is mounted on top of the original gas pedal)

I found myself bleeping the throttle using the right portion of my foot (so basically, kind of like stepping on both brake and throttle at the same time if you will). I know some people do it this way too (see some video of people doing it this way). The problem is, when I depressed the brake hard, it is maybe 1/4" lower than the throttle pedal. So I would actually get on the gas before I "roll" my foot.

As mentioned, most aftermarket pedal set seems to add height to the throttle pedal. So any idea? I guess I can get longer screws and mount brake pedal cover (such as Rennline) on top of the stock rubber pedal cover (instead of removing it per the instruction) to gain some height, while not installing the throttle cover. Look kind of strange, though..

Thoughts?

996FLT6

Get aftermarket pedal covers and add spacers. Mike

cfjan

What kind of spacers are we talking about? Like big washers / shims?

996FLT6

Washers. Aftermarket pedal covers need to be screwed in so use washers. Mike

cfjan

Thanks Mike.. should be pretty straight forward then! Might make it a winter project.. now just need to figure out which brand to use.. !

facelvega

I am a proponent of lowering the brake pedal. How-to article is HERE, written up for my Cayman, but I have since done it on my 7.1 GT3. I think that the brake pedal height is the result of liability litigation over "unintended acceleration" , when people accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. You can make sure you never get sued by putting the brake pedal so high, that you cannot get to the accelerator without hitting the brake first.

I would be very interested in hearing from someone with original race cars from pre-1980 (before lawyers and litigation ruled). What was the height differential between brake and accelerator? I would not be surprised to find that brakes are WAY higher now, since liability rules. Anyone have data instead of guesses? Inquiring minds want to know.....

ninerguru

Just make sure that if you adjust it, you leave enough pedal for when you are on the track. Usually, the brake goes down far enough to make heal and toe easier while driving hard. On the other hand, my '74 track car has a 3/4" wood spacer screwed into the accelerator pedal.

cfjan

I want to raise up the brake pedal!!

cfjan

Nice! I will see if the 6GT3 has the same setup.. Then I can do the opposite of what you did.

facelvega

....Well, given that I got your intent backwards, you might not want to take my advice.....

But anyway, if you unscrew the 17mm nut towards the cabin (lengthening the linkage) you should be able to RAISE the brake pedal. Since I was not headed that way, I do not know what the limits are before you start running into things. At some point, the brake switch sensor will run out of play.

I have heard concerns about lowering the pedal as I have done. If your brakes are failing, and you need to pump them up (or the pedal goes lower each application) then a lower pedal gives less margin of safety. Since I am not racing, if I ever started to have brake issues, I would come in. Racers might want a car that is driveable longer as it is failing, but I do not feel it is an issue for me.

cfjan

I have also heard the opposite might run into issue as when the brake fluid heats up, it might expand a little bit, and if the adjustment is pushed out, the brake might "drag" slightly..

Maybe I should just not mess with that and just shim the pedal itself.. !

FFaust

I find it odd that you would find your brake pedal to be too low since I would expect all of these cars to have the same basic setup???

Silly question, but, how is your brake fluid? How long ago since your last bleed? Could there be air in the system causing the pedal to go lower than it should?

BTW, I would not leave the rubber cover under a metal cover. Washers would do the trick nicely, or get two metal covers to mount one over the other.

cfjan

Brake fluid is flushed every season, and bled before each DE. I don't think it is the reason. And like I said, it could be just my "heel 'n toe" skill (more like "left and right of the ball of your foot") as I tried to step on the brake and throttle at the same time and I found the brake to be very slightly lower than throttle at full braking.

FFaust

Yeah sorry, didn't mean to imply anything. Just sounded odd that geometry would be different.

My H & T is really a roll of the foot, to the point that I'm not even hitting the gas pedal with the sole of my foot, but rather with the side of my foot, if not the top sometimes... really. Ball, under the big toe, on the brake, and then rotate the foot with slight counter-clockwise "twist" of the foot as needed.

Whereas geometry of our cars should be similar, anatomy is certainly different for all of us.

cfjan

No worry, it is good to ask as you never know what might be the issue.. but yeah, the brake was bled by either myself or the race shop here and it is the same.

I use similar technique as you, but I try to use the bottom of the foot to engage the throttle during the "rolling" as you said. Maybe I should just tilt my foot slightly (raise the right side). There's no right or wrong, I think.. just whatever works. So I figured it might be easier to do the mechanical change than changing the way I feel most comfortable about heel 'n toe.. !