Clutch Pedal Height

[TD in DC]

I just returned from a three day rally school with Team O'Neal in NH. It was great, and we learned how to left foot brake. I have been trying to practice in my '02 996, but I find that the clutch pedal is too high, which makes it difficult to transition my left foot between the clutch pedal and the brake pedal.

Is it possible to lower the height of the clutch pedal so that it is closer to the level of the brake pedal (when not pushed in)?

Thanks!

Edited August 10, 2006 by TD in DC

[Loren]

The clutch pedal bad news is - no.

The brake pedal however can be adjusted by adjusting the pushrod.

[TD in DC]

The clutch pedal bad news is - no.

The brake pedal however can be adjusted by adjusting the pushrod.

I was afraid of that.

I don't want to mess with the brake pedal, because it is perfect for heel/toeing right now. Oh well . . . I tried.

As always, I appreciate the answer Loren.

[mpaton]

The clutch pedal bad news is - no.

The brake pedal however can be adjusted by adjusting the pushrod.

I was afraid of that.

I don't want to mess with the brake pedal, because it is perfect for heel/toeing right now. Oh well . . . I tried.

As always, I appreciate the answer Loren.

Hi TD,

Presumably you've verified that the car will let you left foot brake. My 02 with PSM won't let you. It may be that all 02s won't let you with the e-throttle. more than just a little brake pressure cuts the throttle entirely.

When I rallied, left foot braking was mostly for FWD cars, and there weren't any 4WD rally cars. Which of the varied benefits of LFB were you aiming or in your 911?

Michael Paton

[TD in DC]

The clutch pedal bad news is - no.

The brake pedal however can be adjusted by adjusting the pushrod.

I was afraid of that.

I don't want to mess with the brake pedal, because it is perfect for heel/toeing right now. Oh well . . . I tried.

As always, I appreciate the answer Loren.

Hi TD,

Presumably you've verified that the car will let you left foot brake. My 02 with PSM won't let you. It may be that all 02s won't let you with the e-throttle. more than just a little brake pressure cuts the throttle entirely.

When I rallied, left foot braking was mostly for FWD cars, and there weren't any 4WD rally cars. Which of the varied benefits of LFB were you aiming or in your 911?

Michael Paton

:clapping: Very insightful Michael. I now own a dedicated race car so I do not track the 996 anymore. However, I do try to drive my cars on the street the way I want to drive on the track (e.g., heel/toeing, rev matching, inputs etc . . .) because I don't want to commit any bad habits to muscle memory.

I think that left foot braking has a lot of benefit on the track even for RWD cars, and particularly for low HP momentum cars like my race car. I am positive you are correct that PSM would not allow me to do much effective LFB on the track in the 996. However, I can use LFB in normal slowing conditions like you find in the street, which is what I try to do in the 996 and all of the cars I drive. Then, when I go back to the track in the car that does not have PSM, I will be better prepared. I think LFB will be most helpful in those turns where I really do not need to slow down too much but rather I need to settle the car . . .

TD

Edited August 11, 2006 by TD in DC

[mpaton]

:clapping: Very insightful Michael. I now own a dedicated race car so I do not track the 996 anymore. However, I do try to drive my cars on the street the way I want to drive on the track (e.g., heel/toeing, rev matching, inputs etc . . .) because I don't want to commit any bad habits to muscle memory.

I think that left foot braking has a lot of benefit on the track even for RWD cars, and particularly for low HP momentum cars like my race car. I am positive you are correct that PSM would not allow me to do much effective LFB on the track in the 996. However, I can use LFB in normal slowing conditions like you find in the street, which is what I try to do in the 996 and all of the cars I drive. Then, when I go back to the track in the car that does not have PSM, I will be better prepared. I think LFB will be most helpful in those turns where I really do not need to slow down too much but rather I need to settle the car . . .

TD

I saw your post on the rally school on Rennlist. My forest rallying was in 1977, in a 998cc rear engined car (drives like a 911), and pace notes were NOT allowed. I knew a few people who did LFB, but I couldn't either do it right, or get an advantage from it. I can see the advantage for FWD rallying, or for any Turbo lagging car, but the track advantage on a NA car seems to be small, mostly that of getting a more precise amount of slowing when even a lift would be too much. Some of my instructor colleagues swear by it even when they do it in a 996 that chops all power when they do it; that makes me think they're not too sensitive.

But I agree the street is the place to practice. Most people's left foot has no finesse to begin with, it's just a clutch pusher. Did you do clutchless shifts with LFB at the rally school like Makinen in the Mini?

Michael

[TD in DC]

No, I shifted with the clutch but we did also drive rear-wheel cars in that slop and I can assure you that LFB works well with RWD also. It is one of those things that I was very skeptical about it until I had a chance to see it in action and try it for myself.

I also swear that you could use it a ton on the track . . . I will start implementing it very, very slowly. I don't want to hit the clutch when I am going for the brake, or the brake when I am going for the clutch, which I did occasionally in the mud. That could be a disaster on the track. I am going to Shenandoah Circuit this weekend, which should be a perfect place to play around with it. There are several places where you have to modulate the throttle to deal with understeer. I plan to try to stay on the throttle and try to modulate with LFB instead. We shall see . . .