Downshifting

[65cobra1]

When driving around, I prefer to blip the motor before downshifting for a corner. I do it on my other daily driver and it's much smoother way for me to drive especially when braking.

When I ran a school Cobra at the track in Pahrump, the brake pedal was high enough for me to use that technique.

Unfortunately, the brake pedal on mine depresses about 2 - 3 inches below the loud pedal and I can't roll my foot over to make this work.

The system has been bled and it helped a little but not much.

I have seen pedal extenders but they all looked like Rube Goldberg devices.

Has anyone here experienced that situation? If so, how did you resolve it?

'appreciate your input,
Ivan

[65cobra1]

Originally Posted by 65cobra1

When driving around, I prefer to blip the motor before downshifting for a corner. I do it on my other daily driver and it's much smoother way for me to drive especially when braking.

When I ran a school Cobra at the track in Pahrump, the brake pedal was high enough for me to use that technique.

Unfortunately, the brake pedal on mine depresses about 2 - 3 inches below the loud pedal and I can't roll my foot over to make this work.

The system has been bled and it helped a little but not much.

I have seen pedal extenders but they all looked like Rube Goldberg devices.

Has anyone here experienced that situation? If so, how did you resolve it?

'appreciate your input,
Ivan

Did I say something so stupid that it is not worth answering?
Ivan

[Jerry Clayton]

Fix your brakes

[65cobra1]

Sounds good...What do you have in mind?

[Jerry Clayton]

Well if it was in my shop I would first verify that the brakes and throttle pedal were properly installed at the correct and necessary location

Second I would check free play on the brake pedal

Caliper/master cylinder sizing

Proper shimming of calipers

Pedal retract spring

for starters

[65cobra1]

Good ideas...I'll start getting at it.

[Naumoff]

On my Unique I have solid throttle linkage, so I was able to adjust the load pedal the proper location. You also have power brakes so the brake pedal will have more travel.

What type of thottle linkage do you have?

[CHANMADD]

That technique is called heel and toeing ,toe on brake ,heel on gas.

[Naumoff]

Originally Posted by CHANMADD

That technique is called heel and toeing ,toe on brake ,heel on gas.

He wasn't asking what the technique is, he was asking how to set his pedals up to be able to blip his throttle when down shifting.

Besides I can't physically heel toe in my Cobra. Not enough room in the foot box. I added a piece of metal to my accelerator pedal. I got the ideal from a Shelby spec racing car.

[wtm442]

Olthoff Racing in Virginia sells pedal extenders for short drivers with SPF's.
704-647-9924

http://www.olthoff-racing.com/

[Aussie Mike]

Heel Toeing is something I struggle with. I decided when I built my pedal setup that I would make the gas pedal completely adjustable so I could hopefully get it right.

The pedal tread is adjustable up down laft and right via the counter sunk cap screws holding it in place.



The pedal is on a threaded boss so you can change the pedal height without changing the travel or throw. You can also set the face of the pedal on an angle. I've also incorporated an adjustable back stop so the pedal bottoms out on the bulkhead rather than stretch the cable.



I've been on the track twice with it now and I'm starting to get the hang of it. The first time out I played round with the adjustment and now it's pretty good.

Cheers

[Madmiles442]

I have the dreaded 2" of loose play at the top extension of my gas pedal, so heel-and-toe (or really big-toe-and little-toe) is difficult. If you can more closely align those two pedals, you'll have it.

[Steve Cassani]

Aussie Mike has the most elegant solution I've seen. I struggled with SPO 1862 and finally settled on a position of heel and toe that, while awkward, enabled me to coordinate my movements with the mechanics of the car during severe braking. After replacing the Superformance with a Nissan 350Z I appreciated the contribution correct pedal position makes to what is now a straightforward, largely natural movement.

The difficulty does not come solely from your ability to coordinate the necessary movements. Pedal arragement is crucial and the design Superformance uses to replicate the arrangement of the original cars could be improved. Mike's solution demonstrates that the needed changes in the relative positions of the brake and accelerator pedals would occur in two dimensions. I doubt what would work best for you could be incorporated in a factory solution. More likely the needed arrangement would have to come from trial and error, taking advantage of the flexibility demonstrated by Mike's design, or something like it.

I have had success with adding plates to the left side of the accelerator pedal. Others have bent the bar that supports the pedal, moving it closer to the brake pedal. Neither of these techniques helps with the difference in height that results when the brake pedal is depressed and you want to briefly depress the accelerator.

[Aussie Mike]

I did mine from the point of view that I didn't know what would work since my performance driving experience was limited. This car is a platform for me to learn on.

I figured it was easier to make a pedal that was easy to adjust at the track without having to resort to bending things or welding a different pedal tread etc.

Cheers

[Naumoff]

I have full adjustment of pedal hieght with my throttle linkage Rods and my pedal stop if you look close is a nut welded on the rod just above the pedal.A bolt and lock nut for stop adjustment.

Assie Mike's is way nicer than mine but it works well.

[Jerry Clayton]

But Mike's are on the wrong side of the car!!!!

[Naumoff]

Their still in the right order. That's all that matters.

[Aussie Mike]

Check the picture again. They are not on the wrong side they are on the "Right" side

Cheers

[CHANMADD]

I know..... It is almost always the side of the foot anyway. (I like the "big- toe-little-toe" discription). I just played around and bent the accelerator pedal shaft until it was real close to the brake.

[tcrist]

65Cobra1,
Sounds to me like you may need to reblead or fix your brakes to get the correct pedal movement and then adjust the resting height of your loud pedel to get it about the same height as your brake pedal when your brake is being depressed. After adjusting your loud pedal to the correct resting height check to be sure that you still get full throttle. If you do not get full throttle you can get or make something to change the throw of your loud pedal to get full throttle.

JMHO Terry