Adjusting Pedals for Heel & Toe

[jmatta]

I find the pedals are very well placed in my Box S. I rarely track it, but have driven countless Boxster and 911 variants (as an instructor) and really dislike those pedal extensions. When driving on the track, you apply greater pressure on the brake pedal than street driving, so the pedal is pressed further downward (in response to the pedal appears to be too high). I do track my '73 911 (no power assist) and find the ball of my right foot provides more than enough pressure to brake, while rolling my foot over to blip the throttle. As mentioned earlier, the actual "heel" method is not too effective in a bottom hinge application. YouTube has some excellent videos showing the roll technique...practice on the street becomes second nature on the track.

The Boxster is even easier with the power assist. BTW, get some real driving shoes; it makes a big difference. I once instructed a fella who wanted to go on the track in what equated to hiking shoes...I sent him shopping first.

[Orient Red]

I have small narrow feet, so for me, I had to approach an optimal pedal setup in two stages:

1) Get a brake pedal which is longer (top to bottom) than the stock pedal. (Most aftermarket metal pedals have larger surfaces than stock). Position the new pedal cover so that I can easily brake with the ball of my foot (the one attached to the big toe) without having to slide my foot up the pedal from its resting position. For my foot size, this meant mounting the new pedals slightly low on the stock bases.

2) Since I "heel and toe" with the right edge of my foot, got a gas pedal cover that is wider near the top of the left side. Played around with the lateral position so that when I brake with the ball of my right foot, all I have to do is roll my right foot slightly to the right to blip the gas pedal (but not so close that you hit the gas when all you wanted to do was brake). Since I used Vostek Competition pedals, it also had an extension at the bottom of the pedal, but I never use it. Also, since the Vostek gas pedal is kind of thick, it effectively brought the gas pedal into the same plane as the brake pedal when the brake pedal is fully depressed.

It took me 2 1/2 sets of pedals to get it right, but the results are worth it. You really need to tailor it to your feet and driving style.