Beware the tight pedal

[Matt S B 0]

Hi Folks , just wanted to know if any one has had any trouble with the gap between the accelerator pedal and break pedal on their Bimmer???

I have owned a lovely 95' e320i for 3 months and it has been mostly faultless in every other respect, however I had a nasty prang in it the other day. The problem seemed to stem from the short distance between the accelerator pedal and the break pedal on the Auto. Apart from having a big hoof I have noticed several times in the last 3 months that my foot did jam at times.

The accident that occurred was coming out of a roundabout at 40 to 50 km and the car accelerated out of control with my foot also firmly jammed on the break pedal and ? accelerator.After desperately attempting to control the car it spun round at 180 degrees and careened off the median crash barrier, At the point my brain engaged and I removed my foot from the pedals and jammed the car into neutral.

Having sat stunned for several minutes in the resulting mayhem I was grateful that I had neither hit any other vehicle or damaged my self to any degree.

I must admit my surprise that not one car stopped to see if I was okay as the event must have been pretty spectacular to watch and there was plenty of traffic around, someone did have the prescence of mind to phone the police as one of the boys in blue cruised up a few minutes later.

After the usual 'how fast were you going and breath testing' with nil results for either a tow truck was called.

$5200.00 worth of insurance covered damage repairs later. my BMW is like new.

How ever I spoke with the panel beaters who say that this has been a regular problem that they have customers complain about re inadequate space between the pedals of some european cars.

My Wife rang the local BMW dealership who said that this problem was a load of bunkum and could not possibly occur, ( strange that they would make a comment like that.)

I then spoke with my local mechanic who also confirmed that he has problems such as this particularly with european cars and has had to alter the pedals all the time. I had the Break and accelerator pedal modified to widen the gap between them at a cost of $84.00 which has made a significant difference my foot shift between the two pedals.

I would be interested to know if any one else has had this problem and suggest that if they have, the cost of getting it modified is peanuts compared to the potential life threatening positon they may place themselves and others in.

I would be grateful for all comments on this matter

Matt320

Edited November 15, 2006 by Matt 320

[cainchapman 0]

Learn how to "left foot brake".

It will take you a while to get the amount of pressure right, but it becomes second nature very quickly.

[E30stz 0]

Sometimes the position of your chair can effect whether you hit hte brakepedal sweetly or not. Having your chair too close and having knees bent can sometimes cause hitting the accel. pedal while braking.

[Guest Ken]

Learn how to "left foot brake".

It will take you a while to get the amount of pressure right, but it becomes second nature very quickly.

I can thoroughly endorse this - the only way to drive an automatic. In no time at all your reflexes will automatically, (excuse the pun), direct your left leg to the brake in an emergency.

[Nobimmer 694]

^^Agreed.

However,I took my first restricted drivers test and I did this the whole way through and failed.Beats me.Meh did it the next day in a manual and passed.

[MADBMA 0]

also the same in manuals, when i first bought my car i would change gear and put my foot on the gas only to hit the brake with a good thud aswell, ive gotten used to it now, but it was a bit of a change from the jappas id previously been driving.

[Guest Andrew]

Left foot braking in an auto is retarded.

You have virtually no control in an emergency stop of the pressure of the brake pedal as your falling on to the thing.

[Jazzbass 1]

I've never had a problem with that on my BMWs. I did have problems on my Fiats though.

[ED1RTY 2]

haha fiats... i know that feeling! You expect it to go faster not stop!!! damn those tiny italians

[Jazzbass 1]

Left-foot braking

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Left-foot braking is the technique of using the left foot to operate the brake pedal in an automobile, leaving the right foot dedicated to the throttle pedal. It contrasts with the normal practice of the left foot operating the clutch pedal, and the right foot operating the brake and accelerator pedals. It is most commonly used in auto racing, but is also used by some drivers for use with an automatic transmission, as the left foot is not needed to operate a clutch pedal. The most significant consequence is that the driver can operate both the accelerator and brake at once, creating the potential for spins, while not allowing the clutch and brake to be used together. Critics say that the practice can be dangerous.

At its most basic purpose, left-foot braking can be used to decrease the time spent between the right foot moving between the brake and throttle pedals. It can also be used to control load transfer.

[MADBMA 0]

haha fiats... i know that feeling! You expect it to go faster not stop!!! damn those tiny italians

i had to drive one of them when my bema was in the shop, it was a fiat uno, ive driven some pretty shitty cars in my time, but never was i so horrified to drive this, worst car ever.

[bravo 35]

As far as I know from the reading I have done on the topic, left foot braking is only really useful for load transfer in racing conditions. In a a manual you still need to be able to operate the clutch under braking.

Typical corner in racing (from literature I have read) is right foot off the throttle and onto the brake - smoothly apply maximum braking pressure available without losing traction.

A split second before the turn-in apply clutch with the left foot, select the correct gera and then turn-in. almost immediately release the brake pedal, then the clutch and smoothly apply maximum throttle without loss of traction for the straight.

Left foot braking can be used here if required to control load transfer under acceleration whilst cornering, or in the case where a gear change is not required for the corner.

Any other situation, left foot braking would be pointless.

Without a proper race seat and harness to hold you firmly in place, how can you brace yourself while the left foot is on the brake (that's what the dead pedal is for). As Andrew said - you would be falling on the pedal making pressure control impossible, not to mention you would be bracing yourself using your arms - making precise steering impossible.

As far as closeness of pedals is concerned, my size 10's have no trouble, but I can understand other bigger-footed people having issues. I noticed the closeness when I first drove a bimmer, but so used to it now, and on a manual it makes heel-toeing a cinch.

Edited November 15, 2006 by bravomikewhiskey

[Guest Ken]

You "armchair theorists" provide endless amusement to us "older" readers!!!

[bravo 35]

Care to share? Lately I've been doing much reading and would love to hear anything that may add to what I've learned so far.

I'll happily quote my source if you want to rubbish it - I'm confident it's legit and will stand up to scrutiny.

Sure, until I get the chance to properly test it all its all pie-in-the-sky, but hence the disclaimer "from what I've read" rather than the more common theme on here of people posting up googled answers as their own words.

Edited November 15, 2006 by bravomikewhiskey

[Gus 5]

there has been a few targa crashes because of same problem (Brett Porter?) but i think that was more roll cage interference. still...its pretty n00b to mash both pedals at same time!

glad you/everyone else is sweet...its only a bimmer

[Guest Ken]

Care to share? Lately I've been doing much reading and would love to hear anything that may add to what I've learned so far.

I'll happily quote my source if you want to rubbish it - I'm confident it's legit and will stand up to scrutiny.

Sure, until I get the chance to properly test it all its all pie-in-the-sky, but hence the disclaimer "from what I've read" rather than the more common theme on here of people posting up googled answers as their own words.

No no that's not my point. Whenever there is a contentious subject on the table you inevitably get masses of cut-and-paste anecdotal "evidence" as you indeed point out in your own words. What I'm saying is that it's fun to watch this type of activity on the forum - it's amazing what people come up with!

How's the wind up your way?

[Carl 3]

Wear smaller shoes, like racing booties, makes gear changing smoother IMO

[bravo 35]

How's the wind up your way?

**OT**

I knew what you meant Ken and wasn't having a go. I'm always the first to admit I don't know sh*t from clay when that is the case.

The wind isn't too bad it's the rain - its like a constant moving mist out there.

**/OT**

Thats the other thing as you say Carl, often peaople driv ein the most horrendous shoes.

I've heard a rumour about insurance companies not paying out in some cases as their policies specified a footwear requirement whilst driving in the small print. Don't know how much truth is in it though. I drive in steelcaps, gumboots and barefoot frequently - jandals is the only no-no. But of course I'm not driving like a race-car driver when I do.

[*sic 1]

noob.

[nz320i 0]

i could not left foot brake before my car was manual, was impossible and didnt seem right?? i dunno i think they make the pedals close to be sporty or something? i quite like it in my manual, all my friends say they seem close, but in any other car id have more chance of catching my foot.

I once almost crashed a work vehicle by getting my hand caught in the steering wheel by reaching through it to use the indicators , dont ask why ?? maybe because i was holding a coffee, lol, im so much more careful now!!

Gumboots are so hard to drive in!! i regulary drive in jandals, what about bare feet.. still got insurance then?

Edited November 16, 2006 by nz320i

[MADBMA 0]

I once almost crashed a work vehicle by getting my hand caught in the steering wheel by reaching through it to use the indicators , dont ask why ?? maybe because i was holding a coffee, lol, im so much more careful now!!

lol did that once to, reached through to punch the button to reset the Ks back to zero, didnt almost crash but did turn the wheel and hurt my arm quite a bit lol, learnt my lesson with that one

[OLLIE 26]

left braking is for go karts, pedal mashing is for noobs, heal toeing ftw, pwned.

[cainchapman 0]

Ok, so how do you 'heel toe' an Auto?

Andrew, are you saying that 95% of F1 drivers brake incorrectly? I doubt it. The only way to fall off the brake pedal, is if you never put your foot on it correctly to start with. The G forces from the braking should be driving you harder onto the pedal, not off it.

[bravo 35]

No, Andrew means you have no control as the forces are shoving you onto the pedal meaning you can't let off to avoid a skid if required. You end up using the brake pedal to brace your body. If you used your right foot, the left can be bracing you by pushing against the dead pedal.

F1 drivers have a proper seat and harness to hold them in place so that they aren't falling onto the pedal.

Edited November 16, 2006 by bravomikewhiskey

[Guest Andrew]

Cain - what Graham said.

F1 drivers do it properly.