View Full Version : Space Between Gas & Brake Pedals


Bear
03-05-2005, 10:11 PM
I "test drove" a tC today. I say "test drove" because the demo car was a manual and when I got in I wasn't too surprised to see that the gas and brake pedals were too close to each other. Considering I wear size 14 boots I barely had any room between the two and I could see myself pushing both pedals down by accident in an emergency situation. I did get to go for a drive, but I had the salesguy drive me around because I wasn't willing to have a problem with the pedals.

I did ask my salesguy if it was possible to have their shop give a little more clearance between the two pedals, but he came back and said they couldn't do that.

So my question is, do any of you know if it is possible to get more space between the two pedals without causing a problem? It's not an issue if I have to take it to a shop and get it done, but I'd like to know if I have this option.

I was planning on getting an automatic, but when I saw that the manual also has cruise control, I'd rather go with that.

What do ya'll think?

KAOS29
03-05-2005, 10:20 PM
its same as auto and manual... their both close to each other... i have auto... its close.... very..

TurboMe
03-05-2005, 10:20 PM
I agree the pedal are way too close. On the way home I accidently hit the gas and the brake while going up a freeway on ramp. It was not good.

Bear
03-05-2005, 10:24 PM
I hadn't even thought that it would be the same on the automatic. I assumed (uh oh) that since the auto didn't have the clutch it would widen the gap between the gas and brake.

Now it's really important to find out if I can fix this problem; even with an automatic I might have issues.

Nuts.

drgonzo
03-05-2005, 10:24 PM
When i wear boots I have problems sometimes.

chicago_guy
03-05-2005, 10:35 PM
its good for heel toe shifting. but in our cars we do not need to. it was alot harder on my eclipse :nope:

DJIce
03-05-2005, 10:54 PM
Yeah, I noticed this the other day myself. I had on dress shoes (with wide soles) in the car for the first time, and I definitely caught the brake everytime I pushed down on the gas.

Bear
03-06-2005, 12:10 AM
A friend mentioned adjustable pedal sets, and I couldn't find anything on McGeorge's. Does anyone know of a good place to find something like that?

Unfortunately since it's still a new car, I don't think they will have those for the tC yet.

Also, in regards to shoewear, I have to wear boots for work, and even if I wore sneakers, I can still see the pedals being an issue, after all it's not simply big shoes, it is big feet!

tcHoya
03-06-2005, 12:19 AM
It's close and it bothered me at first but you get used to it pretty quickly.

As for pedal sets, most of them are designed to be universal so it doesn't matter that the tC is new. The downside with those though is that unlike the Scion pedals, they will require more work and might require drilling in order to install.

toyota_scion_tc
03-06-2005, 12:23 AM
Its a sports car and its an import! All imports have close pedal.

GT4Dreams
03-06-2005, 12:29 AM
If you really wanted to, you could take it to a custom shop and have them customize some pedals for you. For example, have the gas pedal mount on the left side and the width "grow" to the passenger side. That should clear a good inch or two.

TurboMe
03-06-2005, 12:58 AM
If you really wanted to, you could take it to a custom shop and have them customize some pedals for you. For example, have the gas pedal mount on the left side and the width "grow" to the passenger side. That should clear a good inch or two.

on the left side? haha Ill forget that they're switched and I would still get in a wreck. :rofl:

GT4Dreams
03-06-2005, 01:51 AM
No, still the same, let me try to draw lol

the "I" would be the bar/lever that holds the pedal

this would be stock

.....................................c b g
driver side footwell [I] [I] [I] middle of car


customized for more room

.....................................c b g
driver side footwell [I] [I] I[] middle of car

See how there is more space between brake (b) and gas (g)? Just make sure you take it to a good shop, you don't wan't it falling off when you're driving:) Previous owner of my mr2 put aftermarket pedals and when I was driving it this summer, it just fell off, and I couldn't find the pin lol. So I have a metal plated clutch and brake, and a rubber/plastic gas pedal now.

Bear
03-06-2005, 03:11 AM
I know what you're saying gt4dreams and I might have to do that. I'll keep an eye out for any adjustable pedal sets that should work with the tC.

Hmm. I'll have to go back to the dealer wearing my smallest pair of shoes and see if that makes any difference. Hopefully this won't be a deal breaker because I really, really like the tC.

GT4Dreams
03-06-2005, 05:34 AM
Even if it's a $125 job for a shop to do it (which seems fair for $60/hr), you can buy the tC and be happy and have a great reliable car

xnevergiveinx
03-06-2005, 05:59 AM
just take a hacksaw and cut the brake pedal short on both sides...or, get a torch and bend all the pedal bars away from each other.
now thats ghetto

hahaitzskippy
03-06-2005, 06:11 AM
its not close to each other as you think...

some cars are even closer... i know i have one that is closer

lucky
06-03-2006, 11:58 AM
Has anyone found a solution to this problem?

io333
06-03-2006, 01:10 PM
I have size 10.5 feet, but I think the pedals aren't close enough together. I like the pedals to be more or less touching each other -- makes one foot manipulation of both mindless -- but then I grew up driving old european sports cars with crashboxes.

My favorite thing to do long ago was to go screaming through the mountains early evening, in the middle of nowhere, barefoot. I'd still do it all the time today except there aren't any mountains around here. :(

Thermalzeal
06-03-2006, 07:25 PM
the most unghetoofied way to do it imo would be to take it to a body/metal shop and refab the pedal bar to move over to the side.

THansenite
06-03-2006, 08:39 PM
Its a sports car and its an import! All imports have close pedal.

The tC isn't really a sports car. Not a very powerful engine and very heavy. I think the tC is more luxury/sport than a "sports car". And technically, the tC is a domestic. How can it be considered an import when it is only sold in the US. Yes, you can say it is "imported" from Japan, but so are a lot of vehicles classified as "domestics". And not all imports have close pedals. I have driven some "imports" that have a very wide petal placement.

Anyway...
I have one pair of shoes that I can't wear in my car because there isn't enough room between the center console and the brake pedal. It only took me wearing them once to figure that out. All of my other shoes work with it though. I like having the pedals close because then, I can run all three pedals at the same time. It is very nice for going through corners quickly.

aacordon
06-04-2006, 09:54 AM
hmm, i wear size 11 shoes and have never clipped the brake once, but i do say that the psosition is very good for canyon runs cuz i can brake in fast and hit the gas in a millisecond cuz i do toe heel thing.

io333
06-04-2006, 12:35 PM
In all seriousness, to the person that started this thread, maybe you need to just get some nice thin driving shoes?

krdshrk
06-04-2006, 04:09 PM
Or go barefoot...

I wear 10.5's myself... the gap was fine... I even wear boots sometimes.

The only time it ever got close was after i put on aftermarket pedals (Razo GT Spec). The gas and brake were almost touching... I had to reseat the brake pedal to the left a bit cuz it made me uncomfortable.

Jake_tC
06-04-2006, 10:05 PM
I drive without shoes on :)

Somnambulated
06-04-2006, 10:39 PM
The gas pedal on this car is freaking small. But you get used to it.

Then again, I'm a size 10.5, so if you're wearing a 14 you might have some long-term issues with it.

theblue
06-05-2006, 02:12 AM
I wear size 13 vans and I have no trouble with the auto pedals.