Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

i was wondering what throttle pedals people are using i am having a hard time getting comfortable i have limited movement in my ankles i was looking for a better way thanks

Ive seen some of the stockcar guys use the "high end" splined shaft throttle pedal the adjustability of someone such as yourself may be a idea to entertain, beings ive been in the shop the past couple hours going thro throttle senerios motor a to motor b have entitrely different linkages thus i am forced to make up a throttle linkage for each which will be much easier to change than messing with the lengths to obtain the same throttle position between the two, when i first began driving 410 i backed up the linkages on the bell cranks to the longest radius making for a large range of movement, i grew acustom to this and it really helped on rough tracks" where" or "if"  a guy likes to be soft on the throttle, granted my range of motion is wide and articulates well, ive never had ankle/lower leg injury or difficulty, some in debth time constructing a throttle taylored to yourself is #1 in the shop, there is so many zones that may be comfortable to you and simply irritable to me . I recomend blocks of wood for mock up on your heals (or lack ther of)  get one of your crew guys convinced to hand you stuff while you remain in the car. it takes some time to simply understand your posture and what seems natural, regardless of your weight hieght ect , again i would assume you may need some specific tayloring to your bell cranks depending on your range of motion, one off items may be nessessary to get what your comfortable with , I specifically bend my heal risers myself, ive found many are too tall, and honestly, overpriced for guys like me . It took me three floor pans (three different cars over the years)  to get things where I wanted them exactly, goodluck

ok thankyou i will definitly try some other stuff i made some blocks and i got it to where it feels in the right spot but my foot keeps walking the pedal and coming off the block

sounds like your taking alot of your (footprint)  weight off your heal?, which may be pretty common for a ankle with limited mobility?, your virtually moving the throttle with your entire leg (hamstring and quad) im not 100% sure what the resolution would be?  , something to keep in mind is also the arc of your throttle pedal itself, obviously a longer pedal will need more range of motion from a givin fulcrum, some guys still use a "old school" throttle pedal attached to the floor pan , im not a big fan of these for my personal beliefs or reasons, but,  heck its your car not mine, whatever works for you , shortening the arc of your pedal may speed up your lack of motion, ive cut/rewelded , fabed  cap bolts, bosses ect,  to the chassis  and lengths of pedals before,  again, I did it  just to simplify going from chassis "A" to chassis"B" with the least amount of headackes should we need to switch chassis , and obviously, all the bolt ons are not in place.  A  real idea of the enginuity is to take a ponder at Rico Abrues car if you have access, or get in contact with them, another gentelmen in Sious Falls area is paralized from the Waist down, his name is Jacob, I forget his last name , again get some ideas from those type guys , its pretty amazing what they come up with.   

ok thanks i was not able to go to eldora this weekend

One thing you might try is have a foot pedal built. That is find someone or your self. Get 1/8 inch sheet aluminum draw around you foot with driving shue on, add an 1/8 then weld a 1 inch high rail around the pedal. That way you put your foot into it and push down with your leg. I know someone at one time had a full foot throttle pedal in his car. The thing you have to watch is how tight the knee guard is. It still mounted in the same spot on the lower frame rail.

You should be able to modify a brake pedal with a little thought and work, then you could push forward instead of down for throttle.

Are you using a pedal that mounts to the floorpan and pivots back by your heel or the kind that mounts/pivots off the motorplate?

If you are using the floor mount type there is a trick you can do with it to give you much better feel and control that would also help keep your foot from moving forward. Drill a small hole on each side of it approx 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up. Run safety wire across from hole to hole and twist it with safety wire pliers. Set it up with just a bit of slack and at a heigth where your toes can go thru it but it's tight enough that you can't push your foot much farther in than that. The wire will keep your foot from pushing on through it and also let your foot push the pedal back up as you lift.

Then use your bellcranks to adjust how much throw the pedal has from closed to wide open to suit the amount of movement you have in your ankle.

You will get more control, more feel, and it will also help solve the problem of your foot riding through the pedal forward.

Loose is when you hit the wall with the rear of the
car, tight is when you hit the wall with the front of
the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and
torque is how far you move the wall.

  You need the trottle out of a boat.  When they throw the green flag just push it foreward!

i just got a new peddal hoping it will work i will try to but safety wire on the back of the pedal i had to get a new seat so i am hoping these changes will work if that dont i might go get a boat throttle