Tune your accelerator pedal!

[Ground Loop]

I recently followed the Lotus service note for adjusting the gas pedal to rest lower, relative to the brake pedal -- for easier heel-toe work.

Once I got through the big words in the bulletin and looked at the hardware, I found it's really a flexible and simple system.

There is the downward stop bumper that hits the footwell in the car. It's about as hightech as a doorstop. You can adjust it a bit in-place, or remove the bolt and use a shorter one. Or remove the rubber bumper if you like the metallic click-click -- many options.

Then there's the up-stop bumper -- a small rubber pad above the pedal arm. The service notes replace this with a bolt and some washers to make a thickness more than the rubber bumper. (They do neglect to mention that a backing nut would be useful, so sketch it out before making a shopping list.) The thicker the washers and bolt head, the lower the pedal rests. No rocket science here.

When the pedal is set to your liking, you release the cable clamp in the engine bay and reset it to reset at idle again. Very easy one-man job.

I find the recommended adjustment to be perhaps a little too extreme. It makes full-throttle a full depression to the floor, and puts the brake pedal a big reach away. I'll probably end up somewhere in the middle, with one or two washers.

This mod, combined with the brake rod adjustment to spec makes the two pedals much more harmonious and responsive. I still have the long mushy brake travel, but at least it's not miles below the gas any more.

The point of this post is just to say... get in there and have a look!. It's decidedly low tech, and relaxing fun to work on. Mold the car around the feet you have. And practice your yoga.

[Stan]

Nice, yes it works great! Here is what I wrote about it some time ago...see a few posts down from the top and thereafter...PICs included too...

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/show...t=11013&page=3

[MattG]

Originally Posted by Ground Loop

When the pedal is set to your liking, you release the cable clamp in the engine bay and reset it to reset at idle again.

Can you easily explain how the cable clamp got there, or would it be better if we spent the $25 for the service manual?

[Ground Loop]

Wow.. the other thread grew since I last saw it. Maybe mods can just toss this one to keep from branching or merge it in. All the good info is over there.

As for the cable stop, if you pop your engine lid and have a look, it becomes pretty obvious. There are two (17mm?) nuts that hold the cable sleeve in place, and after you adjust the pedal, you release the nuts and twist the threaded sleeve in or out to relax the cable back to idle. It sounds complicated but if you look at it and tug on the cam a bit, it's all pretty straightforward.

[MikeGalos]

Originally Posted by Ground Loop

Mold the car around the feet you have.

Very classic Lotus. On the Series 1 Europa, the seats didn't adjust - they were just pads put into molded spaces in the body fiberglass - and you tailored the car by taking a wrench to the steering column and pedal box.

[Chococar]

With some help from Carl4 yesterday, I finally got around to lowering my accelerator pedal. Using a custom bracket, I was able to drop the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor at wide open throttle, which is about 1.75" improvement. It's a better fit for my long legs and provides an excellent heel-n-toe position.

Note the photos of the position of the accelerator pedal position and the bracket.

[Stan]

Very nice Choco, maybe you should invite big guys to try out your car, you've made a variety of related changes to it. How is the throttle action...same feel?

[azskycop]

Ground Loop,

Thanks for the new post on this subject. I have read the other but havs not had a chance to get in there yet and I was wondering about the complexity. You make it sound very simple, my kind of job!

With the ability to adjust the pedal I'm confused as to why there is still a need for a custom bracket as posted above, can someone clairfy this for me?

[Stan]

Originally Posted by azskycop

Ground Loop, Thanks for the new post on this subject. I have read the other but havs not had a chance to get in there yet and I was wondering about the complexity. You make it sound very simple, my kind of job! With the ability to adjust the pedal I'm confused as to why there is still a need for a custom bracket as posted above, can someone clairfy this for me?

Well you cannot lower the pedal much more than Lotus suggests in the service manual without a custom bracket and when using the stock cable and TB bits. The Lotus suggestion still involves a stop bolt. Choco's strategy gets the pedal even lower, ("all the way to the floor") seem to indicate that he no longer uses a stop bolt limiter.

[Chococar]

Stan is right -- no stop bolt on the bottom of the accelerator pedal.

The accelerator action is pretty much the same: same travel. The spring is stretched more, so it is providing more resistance. This afternoon, I'll stretch it and everything will be back to normal.

[spider]

I guess another important thing to point out is #4:



I don't know how you check that by yourself. Don't you need another pair of eyes checking the cable quadrant movement as you adjust the down-stop bumper?

[Chococar]

Hi Spider,

You're right, it's a two-person job, for the reason you point out. Carl4 helped.

[spider]

Originally Posted by Chococar

Hi Spider,

You're right, it's a two-person job, for the reason you point out. Carl4 helped.

That question was meant for Ground Loop, but thanks for the confirmation.

[andykeck]

Originally Posted by Chococar

Hi Spider,

You're right, it's a two-person job, for the reason you point out. Carl4 helped.

I did it as one person plus a broomstick, but I can't say it was very efficient. Fortunately, I got it on the second pass.

[smoseley]

Originally Posted by Chococar

Using a custom bracket, I was able to drop the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor at wide open throttle, which is about 1.75" improvement.

Where can I get me one of them fancy brackets?

[The Stig]

or you can buy an HnT pad from sector111

[eliseowner2b]

This is a great thread. Thanks guys. Why isn't there any fighting on this thread?

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by eliseowner2b

This is a great thread. Thanks guys. Why isn't there any fighting on this thread?

No need for discussing the method. It's the right way to adjust the pedals.

The bracket would be handy since there is only so much adjustment available on the engine end of the cable. This bracket apparently moves the pedal end of the cable which in turn will make more adjustment available at the engine end.

Now the big question is how much is the bracket, and who makes it?

[ct_mazi]

Originally Posted by Chococar

With some help from Carl4 yesterday, I finally got around to lowering my accelerator pedal. Using a custom bracket, I was able to drop the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor at wide open throttle, which is about 1.75" improvement. ...

Could you please post a picture of the installed bracket.

Thanks,
ct

[Ground Loop]

Originally Posted by The Stig

or you can buy an HnT pad from sector111

Yep. But I wanted to lower the gas pedal, not raise the brake pedal.
Raising pedals effectively puts the steering wheel further away. I like it right where it is. The whole cockpit fits me better than any other car I've driven.

People with longer arms probably prefer the HnT pad for the same reason.

But really, I dunno -- I haven't tried the HnT pad.