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Originally Posted by Tallguy
For example, can you get a pedal with 2" of travel, and is it usable to the average driver. How much force can the leg reasonably exert.
Thanks,
Mark
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On the hydraulic master/slave systems I know, the clutch pedal is at the end of an arm that swings from a pivot point. Somewhere along the arm is a point where the arm pushes a rod that goes into the clutch master cylinder. That point is typically located so that full travel of the clutch pedal will fully insert the rod into the master cylinder. If the pivot point, the point where the rod meets the arm or the location of the pedal along the arm is moved, the geometry of the system will change. Here's an example.
Suppose the pivot point is at one end of an 8" long arm and the pedal is at the opposite end. If the rod meets the arm 2" from the pivot point, it will move about one inch when the pedal moves four inches. If the master cylinder has the same bore as the slave cylinder, the rod from the slave will protrude the same one inch out as the rod into the master cylinder goes in. ... Now suppose you want to modify this system to allow the same movement of the slave rod with less pedal travel. One way would be to cut off half of the clutch arm and weld a pedal on the end of the shortened (4") arm. With this configuration, the pedal would only need to travel two inches to move the master cylinder rod (and the slave rod) one inch. Of course, the operator would have to push on the clutch pedal twice as hard as before to get it to move.
The level of clutch force a driver can tolerate is an individual thing. Maybe a trip to the local gym would give you an answer.