Mercedes have them, BMW have them(i think) Now the Golf mk5 The new Passat (probably) New Seat Leon, Toledo and the new Octavia.. etc etc
What i'm talking about is throttle pedals that are firmly mounted to the floor.
What is this current trend all about?
I find them thoroughly irritating and uncomfortable to use and not to mention there was a safety issue a few years back with the Ford Explorer's pedal getting wrapped up in footwell mat and wedging open the throttle with disasterous concequences.
So why are the Germans gradually introducing it to all their cars?, and your thoughts?
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By this do you mean the type hinged at the base - the so-called "organ pedal" type? I believe the Porsche 911 was the first to use it - my Accord Type-S has one too. Personally, I find it more comfortable, and since my mats are firmly anchored below the seat squab, I'm not likely to have any mat problems.
Andy
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I believe that my Vauxhall Viceroy had that arrangement. I'm fairly sure that the Triumph Toledo did as well, although it might have been the Hillman Hunter.
So I can't see its a new thing. And as for Blazer's problems - well they turned over and regularily broke down which is about as relevant.
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More on that Explorer pedal story here
www.theregister.co.uk/2000/12/13/software_fault_fo.../
As i've mainly bought Fords none of them have had a Organ pedal.
So what makes an engineer decide 'this car wiil have one' and 'this one wont?' they must get customer feedback?
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So what makes an engineer decide 'this car wiil have one' and 'this one wont?' they must get customer feedback?
It's not necessarily the choice of an engineer. It could be the choice of a stylist or sales/marketing person, neither of which may know anything about engineering.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Certainly not a new thing. And you'd be hard pushed to find a commercial vehicle with any other sort of pedal.
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Not remotely new. Present in FB and FC101 series Vauxhall Victors (and a Simca 1500) my Dad had in the 60's.
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And in my 1949 Sunbeam Talbot - and very comfortable too. Often came across them in commercials and assumed that they weren't in most cars because the "hanging" pedal was cheaper (always having had cheap cars!) and because the bigger organ pedal was probably safer when wearing work shoes or boots
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P.S. Easier to "heel and toe" with also!
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>>Not remotely new.>>
Ok so this idea has been around for decades but what i meant was its a new trend for the VAG and Skoda crew amongst others. The Old Passat, Octavia, Golf and the Seats had hang down throttle pedals.
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I remember (Halfords?)kits for converting to organ-pedal years ago.
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I find organ type accelerator pedals uncomfortable and awkward to use. You don't seem to have the same choice of what part of the sole of your foot is used to operate the pedal, and you don't seem to have the same scope for adjusting the position of you foot once on the move. I personally would be extremely wary about buying a car with this type of pedal, no matter how much I liked the rest of the car.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Don't these new VAG cars now have 'fly by wire' throttle pedals? Maybe this is why.
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Sorry 'drive by wire'. Therefore there is no need to have a phyical link between pedal and engine.
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>Ok so this idea has been around for decades but what i meant was its a new trend for the VAG and Skoda crew amongst others>
Nope, my 1974 Beetle has one. So not a new concept at all for VW!!
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The bottom hinged throttle pedal, in theory, moves in the same plane as the ankle when you press it. The top hinged, on the other hand, moves in a conflicting arc to the ankle and must lead to friction between the shoe and the pedal, thus increasing wear on the pedal and the bottom of the shoe.
The implications are that when the oil runs out we will be able to walk further because the sole on the right shoe will not be worn through pressing the pedal to the metal.
As long as the floor mats don't stop the pedal opening the throttle fully-----
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I'm a big fan of the organ style pedals, much more comfy than the float in the air type. The Clio was especially bad, it was so far off the carpet that on a long journey I would rest the accelerator foot on top of the "spare" foot (auto box) just to give my ankle a rest.
Seeing as I've got fairly big feet and it was a problem for me, it must have been murder for, for example a lady with size 5 or 6 - the only comfortable way would have been to have the pedal buried to the carpet.
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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And of course, the way round the whole problem of how to mount the pedal is not to have one at all.
Hand throttle - actually, when combined with steering that lock to lock is only 270 degrees is actually quite practical and in some circumstances, can be more restful to drive.
Most vintage Morgans are like this - mine is.
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I'm puzzled by this thread; I have been driving for twenty four years and have driven hundreds of cars spanning dozens of marques, but have never driven a car that doesn't have a floor hinged throttle pedal.
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I'm the opposite SjB although admittedly I've only driven 10 or so cars.
All had the "hanging" throttle pedal.
--
Adam
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As suggested perhaps something t do with the drive by wire systems that are now more common also is there less chance of foot injury in a bump (trapped feet of the variety seen in some sick detail on Casualty) and therefore enhancing NCAP ratings.
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SjB,
I'd guess that either you have misunderstood or you're wrong.
Given the vehicles that you've driven I wold think it inconceivable that all of them had the bottom of the throttle hinged on the floor. Some of them must have had the throttle on a long bar coming down from a spindle ?
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e.g. Astras do not have throttle pedals hinged at the bottom to the floor.
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LHD smarts have the bottom hinged pedal, for the RHD version this was changed to a top hinge due to lack of room. I preferred the bottom hinge and my A3 has this arrangement.
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The bottom hinged pedal has been around for pretty much as long as the car. But the current change back to this from the hanging type, i would sugest is for safety.
In frontal impacts a hanging pedal can cause injury to ankles and feet as it is pushed down.
I would think a pedal fixed to the floor is less likely to cause this sort of injury.
Just my thought.
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The bottom hinged throttle pedal, in theory, moves in the same plane as the ankle when you press it. The top hinged, on the other hand, moves in a conflicting arc to the ankle and must lead to friction between the shoe and the pedal, thus increasing wear on the pedal and the bottom of the shoe.
... and friction, leading to reduced sensitivity in operation.
My size 11s really don't care whether the pedal is top or bottom-hinged, but the bottom hinged type will suit all sizes of feet. My hot tip for readers of this thread; if your gas pedal has a rubber pad on it, remove it and keep it for when you sell the car on. I think that shoe/boot leather or rubber on metal gives smoother operation than leather or rubber on rubber. Of course, if you treat your gas pedal like an on/off switch, it makes not a jot of difference.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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My hot tip for readers of this thread; ifyour gas pedal has a rubber pad on it, remove it and keep it for when you sell the car on.
Most i've seen tend to be a solid one piece item, like my Mondeo.
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