[kevzter]

Has anybody tackled the dead pedal issue on cars w/o the electronic parking brake? I find the placement of the pedal to be too far away and at too steep and angle. Has anybody seen any third party products that address this? Surely this is a common complaint.

I have an 09 DI AWD.

 

[C "T" ess]

Are you talking about the "dead pedal" foot rest or the parking brake pedal. Both are in the same area but two different things.

 

[kevzter]

I'm talking about the dead pedal. This is what I'm used to calling the area to the right (in LHD countries) where you're right leg, which has nothing to do (it's my first automatic) needs to find a nice, comfortable position. It's just not in a good spot on the CTS. In order for my foot to be comfortable, I find I have to move the seat way too far forward which makes my right knee end up being trapped in the little U shaped universe next to the HVAC controls! I've been driving a 96 Z3 for the last 13 years and this is my first American car. Love it so far but I'm still trying to fine tune it and "get used to it" so to speak.

BTW, I appreciate this site for the content but someone needs to TKO the designer! I drive a beautiful car but this site is anything but!

 

[Mbai2]

I'm talking about the dead pedal. This is what I'm used to calling the area to the right (in LHD countries) where you're right leg, which has nothing to do (it's my first automatic) needs to find a nice, comfortable position. It's just not in a good spot on the CTS. In order for my foot to be comfortable, I find I have to move the seat way too far forward which makes my right knee end up being trapped in the little U shaped universe next to the HVAC controls! I've been driving a 96 Z3 for the last 13 years and this is my first American car. Love it so far but I'm still trying to fine tune it and "get used to it" so to speak.

BTW, I appreciate this site for the content but someone needs to TKO the designer! I drive a beautiful car but this site is anything but!

If your right leg isn't doing anything...then you are doing something wrong.

The dead pedal is in a good position for me when I'm cruising on the highway. Perfect distance, perfect angle. Then again, I have a manual so I rarely have a left leg that is idle unless I'm going on long trips.

 

[kevzter]

You're right! That's part of the problem! This is not only my first American car but my first automatic ever! The problem is that my LEFT leg is used to doing something but has been relegated to a useless stump (I must be dyslexic or something ... always confusing my right and left). I don't think the dead pedal is in the perfect position at all, however. Everybody is different and your mileage may vary but I would like to find a solution to change the position of this footrest. My LEFT foot is going to spend way too much time doing nothing so I'd like it to be comfortable!

 

[yatesd]

You're not crazy and it has been mentioned before. The dead pedal is too far away IMHO.

It is not nearly as bad after adjusting my driving position properly (palms on top of steering wheel, reach radio controls, etc.). However, I am still tempted to paint a piece of wood black and place it with velcro.

 

[crystal_red]

You're not crazy and it has been mentioned before. The dead pedal is too far away IMHO.

It is not nearly as bad after adjusting my driving position properly (palms on top of steering wheel, reach radio controls, etc.). However, I am still tempted to paint a piece of wood black and place it with velcro.

...or you could try this and put the 'footrest' any where you like!

 

[yatesd]

http://www.srpracing.com/pd_cts_2008.cfm

So the second pedal in from the left is the dead pedal? How does it attach to the floor?

 

[Maynor]

The dead pedal is useless and I agree with you that I'd like to put my foot on a properly aligned pedal in the same plane as the brake and gas pedal's. Versus its current position against the firewall.

Due to the sweep of the manual emergency parking brake, GM did not do this. The only option I thought of if is someone had a floor mat with a built-in dead pedal, with a cut out for the emergency brake pedal sweep, might be a cost-effective solution. I have yet to see one and don't have the time to fabricate something myself.

 

[kevzter]

Thanks for the input. I like the SRP pedals and will probably order a set but they don't really solve the dead pedal problem. When I have some time, I'll grab a chunk of Styrofoam and start prototyping. I'll keep you posted...

 

[greyghost04]

You BMW salesmen have really run out of made up problems with this one. :bonkers:

 

[kevzter]

@greyghost04: Don't be silly! I bought the Caddy didn't I? Even if I had noticed the problem prior to purchase it wouldn't have prevented me from buying the car. The benefits outweigh the extra cost of a comparable BMW (which have priced themselves out of the market - at least my market) and the 0% APR didn't hurt. No car is perfect including all the BMW's I've owned. I just went to lunch with my boss in his 335i today and couldn't believe how horrible the ride quality was (19 inch rims with runflats) ... there is always room for improvement no matter what you get ...