Things that make sense but are still kinda interesting

"Slant6" (slant-6)
09/13/2020 at 13:38 • Filed to: None

Definitely makes sense that the clutch pedal would wear faster than the brake. The clutch is used several times before the brake is used, and always used when the brake is used. Still when I first noticed it I thought it was weird.

DISCUSSION (21)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Slant6
09/13/2020 at 13:47

Usually after about 100k miles I will swap the pedal pads.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Slant6
09/13/2020 at 13:52

Huh, the gas pedal is floor mounted while the others are top mounted. Most modern cars use all top mount medal assemblies on one bracket. That is a fun and interesting detail.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Slant6
09/13/2020 at 14:00

actually it’s surprising how many modern cars are floor hinged. Most VW and I think all MINI in my experience, as well as my 85 Jaguar.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
09/13/2020 at 14:07

Your concept makes 100% sense to me but t hos e shown don’t appear to be interchangeable, they look asymmetrical.

onlytwowheels > Slant6
09/13/2020 at 14:17

Rotate pedal pads for even wear ;)

feather-throttle-not-hair > Slant6
09/13/2020 at 14:22

As a kid, I remember thinking that the mclaren F1 and the Diablo could just about break every speed limit in the country in 1st gear. So. Maybe that’s your scenario for faster brake wear than clutch ;)

Edit: the BAC Mono has a true sequential with three pedals, so probably every single one of those wears out the brake pedal before the clutch (not that ANY of the cars I mentioned have rubber pedal covers, but whatever. )

VW Max > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/13/2020 at 15:00

Floor mounted gas pedals feel so much better though.

I’ve noticed that the modernish German cars I’ve driven (MK6 Sportwagen and F34 3-series) have floor mounted gas pedals while the modernish Japanese cars (3rd, 5th gen Odysseys, 9th gen Accord, Infiniti QX80, and Land Cruiser Prado) all have top mounted gas pedals.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/13/2020 at 15:01

Probably BMW?

I had a rental 2020 Camry with a floor mounted accelerator. Thought that was an interesting development.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > VW Max
09/13/2020 at 15:08

Most of the American cars I’ve seen have top mounted gas pedals. Of course there are exceptions but in general most cars don’t mount them on the floor. GM and Ford stuff and their subsidiaries . Volvo did that at least during the Ford era.

How different does it feel? I’ve never driver a car with a floor mounted gas pedal.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
09/13/2020 at 15:10

That is odd. I’ve never driven a car with a floor mounted accelerator pedal and I’ve exclusively driven American and Japanese (and Ford era Volvo).

kleeBRZ > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/13/2020 at 15:17

around 2000 all the VWs went from throttle by cable to throttle by wire. all the pedals were top hinged. I guess that made it easier for them to move to a floor mounted accelerator, it made al; the enthusiasts who envied BMWs happy.

Not sure why the brake and clutch remain top mounted. perhaps they still have mechanical fail safes and need to be designed so as not to encroach on the passenger foot well in the event of a frontal collision?

VW Max > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/13/2020 at 15:24

There’s not a huge difference, but it feels like you have a bit more control. Probably comes down to personal preference. The most obvious difference is that you can feel the kickdown switch better.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/13/2020 at 15:24

That is extremely common actually.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > kleeBRZ
09/13/2020 at 15:26

Oh, good eye! Floor mounted pedals would exacerbate pedal shifting in the event of encroachment into the footwell. That is an important area for determining the differences between 3, 4, and 5 star safety ratings. I guess floor mounted pedals could be more dangerous in a collision?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120
09/13/2020 at 15:29

You won’t know until you pop ‘em off.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > VW Max
09/13/2020 at 15:32

Basically my experience there is confined to one very sketchy golf cart and a riding mower. I guess I’d really have to experience it to really know. And personal preference is of course involved, but as is vehicle type. A floor mounted pedal would just feel weird in something like a pickup truck but may be more at home in a sporty GT car.

GLiddy > Slant6
09/13/2020 at 16:10

Is the clutch pedal assembly plastic? It looks like it has a mold line and the form is so much different from the stamped sheet metal brake pedal assembly. At the very least, its cast. I guess on modern cars, the demand for the third pedal is so small that it doesn’t make sense to invest in a stamping die.

WilliamsSW > VW Max
09/13/2020 at 16:21

I own an 00 BMW and a 14 Merc. Both floor mounted gas pedals and I really love that over top mount.

Slant6 > GLiddy
09/13/2020 at 16:26

Hadn’t really noticed this, but yeah, clutch pedal is plastic. Feels plenty sturdy though. Brake is stamped. I suppose this makes sense. Like you said, so few 3 pedals, make the 3rd pedal cheap to save on tooling. If clutch pedal breaks it’s not as life threatening as if the brake pedal broke, so keep the brake pedal steel.

Kinja'd!!!

Urambo Tauro > Slant6
09/13/2020 at 18:05

One neat thing about observing pedal wear is that it can give you a c lue as to whether a high-mileage vehicle has mostly highway miles or mostly city miles.

BigBlock440 > Urambo Tauro
09/13/2020 at 19:53

Or if those 5-digit odometers have 60k miles or 260k, and the church that grandma went to was in a different state.