Rob Board Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 Last weekend I finally took delivery of my new 140 BHP X-Power Roadsport and I cannot wipe the grin from my face. Absolutley superb. However, only being 5 Ft 5ish Tall, and short in the leg, I do find the pedal layout difficult. At build the pedals were set fully towards me, but I stretch to fully depress the clutch pedal, and due to my wee feet, struggle to heel and toe the throttle. I intend to buy a new throttle pedal so I can cut and shut it to fabricate a suitable format for myself. However if there are any Caterham specific extensions available, or any proven methods, I would be grateful. Secondly if I remove the seat and swing the runners thru 180 degrees will this provide extra forward movement? I know this was what Lotus told me they would do if I bought an Elise (Thank god I didn't!) Anyway, thanks in advance and hope to be seeing more owners soon, now that the car has arrived, and my membership application is on it's way! Cheers Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby dooby doo Posted October 20, 2002 Share Posted October 20, 2002 the throttle pedal can cetrainly be bent towards you. i think the others a little more resistant to this form of "maintenance". which seats do you have 🤔 And being short is good - less aerodynamic drag from your head if you goto an aeroscreen inthe future ❗ 😬 PS congratulations on getting the car HOOPY Membership Number 4136 R706KGU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted October 20, 2002 Share Posted October 20, 2002 You may like to check that the car isn't fitted with the high ratio pedals. There are standard ratio pedals available as well. These will drop lower but need longer strokes to actuate. Careful attention to the layout in the pedal box can easily bring everything within reach. It sounds like the clutch is only releasing at the bottom of its travel. This is down to the angle that the cable attaches to the pedal. If the pedal has a falling rate on its actuation, then the more you depress the pedal, the less and less it incrementally moves the clutch. You ideally want the clutch to release in the first onch or so of pedal motion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted October 20, 2002 Share Posted October 20, 2002 And in case you're wondering, 1 onch is approximately equal to 2.54cm. 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Board Posted October 20, 2002 Author Share Posted October 20, 2002 Hoopy, I have the standard velour covered items. Didn't fancy leather. If it dosen't make it go faster, don't spend money on it!!!! Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bowden Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Rob for President, You will go far with these sorts of ideas, good luck with the car. Can't help with the pedal situation, I am 6' 5" so have the opposite problem. You can make it fit no doubt and this is the place to find out how, welcome to the club "If it dosen't make it go faster, don't spend money on it!!!!" Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team Shaun_E Posted October 21, 2002 Support Team Share Posted October 21, 2002 Rob, Being a shorty too I have faced the same problem with my car. I have the pedals in the postion nearest the driver (leads to some odd pedal angles but you get used to it) and have the seat as far forward as possible. This still left me with a slight stretch so in the end I bought an adjustable lumbar support from Halfords. It is a couple of inches thick and has an adjuster knob on the side - if you set it correct for you, remove the knob and push the adjuster cable inside the cushion it fits perfectly between the side supports of the seat. With this I can reach the pedals perfectly and as a bonus it supports my back better! Shaun Yellow SL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 I'm also 5-5 so I understand the problem. I found that with the seat as far forwards as it goes and the pedals as close to me as they can be there is no problem. If you then put on some shoes with even a few mm more sole you feel like there's no room at all! I agree with PC (safest option I reckon) that your clutch is disengaging too far through the pedal's movement - is this a bending job? As for not being able to H&T - that sounds like there's something wrong there, my feet are size 6 and I still have trouble not hitting all 3 peds at once - see this thread for more info --> http://www.blatchat.com/Topic.asp?topic_id=20813&forum_id=8&Topic_Title=Accelerator+position&forum_title=TechTalk Seriously though if the pedals are too far from each other then use some washers as spacers to move them to where you want.... Kermit the frog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 The clutch release point is going to be the determining factor. Although the pedals are *adjustable*, the reality of the clutch cable linkage is that it only works well within a very narrow range on each of the pivot positions. The clutch pedal's relaxed position should be 10-15 degrees before it gets to vertical (from pivot to cable attachment point): o / o / / /-/ First of all verify that with the seat well forward the near pivot is the one for you with the pedal in this position. The brake should be about level with this and will probably require you to shorten the pushrod with a hacksaw to get right, if someone hasn't done this already. The throttle pedal should be a bit further away(depends on the brakes, but an inch (or onch) is usually close) and will probably require bending to get the pedal stop to work correctly and for the cable to pull through the vertical position (so that at fully relaxed the cable nipple doesn't fall out of the top of the pedal). A surprising range of size drivers can be accommodated in the middle pivot position. The near position is not necessarily the solution for small drivers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Board Posted October 21, 2002 Author Share Posted October 21, 2002 Peter Blah Blah. I agree with your last remark that the position nearest the driver is not always the best for us shorties. After much deliberation today in the garage, it would seem that moving the brake and clutch to the middle setting, whilst having the throttle on the pivot point nearest the driver, ie me would suit best. This will reduce the reach between throttle and brake, hopefully allowing me to H&T with a little more ease. Then with a bit of tweaking all should be well. Rang Caterham today, and if all else fails they will sort it out at the 500 mile svc. Anyway thanks to everyone for the tips. Blat chat is certainly a great way to pick up "the knowledge" from more experienced owners. Cheers Rob "If it don't make it go faster, don't spend money on it!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Has that cured the clutch bit point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob k Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 You can get some seat runner extensions from Caterham. My wife is 5foot 1" with these she can drive no problem. The only trouble is she gets other bits caught in the wheel. RED VX Edited by - Rob K on 22 Oct 2002 08:00:17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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