Uncomfortable behind the wheel ?

[robert997]

One of our new members is finding the driving position quite uncomfortable, particularly clutch travel and pedal alignment. Here's and extract from an e-mail. I've not heard anyone suffer like this before, any ideas ? He's based in the West Midlands.

"Without wishing to sound too negative, I like the car in many ways, but I'm still struggling with it in one area, that being that the clutch is so high compared to the rest of the pedals, and it has such a lot of travel on it. On top of that, there's such a small gap between the clutch and the foot rest that it's difficult to move from the clutch to the foot rest. I noticed it on the test drive, but the garage said that it had never been mentioned before, so I assumed I was only noticing it because of the initial difference of getting into a new car. Sadly, the problem is spoiling my enjoyment of the car. I'm really surprised, as I didn't imagine that something as well engineered as a Porsche would come with such a basic design problem. I've recently been to a Porsche specialist and they know it's a problem, apparently caused by the switching of the car to right hand drive. They showed me a left hand drive 997 and you could literally drive that wearing flippers (I'm only a size 10 by the way, so I've never had a problem before with any other car).Have you had other members with this problem? Any hints of how to fix it would be appreciated. The Porsche specialist are looking at a couple of modifications at the moment for me."

 

[Alex L]

Yes, there is more foot room on LHD cars - as indicated by an aluminum footrest option when configuring LHD cars.

I tend to rest my foot actually ON the clutch pedal. There is enough resistance to stop any pedal travel unless I consciously push down. If I am on the motorway sat in 6th for hours on end then I do tend to put my left foot round the side of the clutch onto the slim footrest. A bit of a squeeze but - as I am not doing it all the time - no big deal.

On the other hand I think we get the best deal with the center console in that we can rest out left arm on the flat area to the right of the handbrake. Whereas LHR car drivers have to rest their arms on the handbrake itself or stretch over it.

 

[Black80XSA]

Assuming its the same layouton the 987 (should be) then i have no issues at all with my size 9s - i don;t drive the car very often since i bought a runaround, so i'm sure i'd have detected something if it seemed odd.

 

[Brian RS]

Are you wearing really wide short shoes? Or is it the other way round?
Seriously, I have a 997 and find all ok - you must be doing something wrong!

 

[Brian RS]

Intended reply for robert 997 - so I got something wrong !

 

[Alex L]

ORIGINAL: cat

Are you wearing really wide short shoes? Or is it the other way round?
Seriously, I have a 997 and find all ok - you must be doing something wrong!

No, it's a valid observation. My feet only just fit to the left of the clutch pedal, and I have about the same size shoes.

 

[garyw]

Whilst I agree there is not heaps to room to the left of the clutch pedal, I can pass my foot down the side of it.
Never really had a problem except for when using the clutch for City work, then I find the pedal slightly a little high and end up slightly riding the pedal, however that is far out weighed in terms of everyday use..

Did they not test drive the car prior to purchase [&:]

garyw

 

[chrismouzou]

hi rob

if i am wearing trainers no problem
if i have boots on tight fit

have you thought about triptronic[][][]



chris

 

[okellyt]

I am a very wide fitting ten and a half - I did have a minor problem in that area (Clutch hight and travel)so had to move the seat back a litttle - to compensate for correct reach , I had to put the seat slightly more upright, initally this felt a bit stange but with a bit more adjustment between seat andgle and distance from peddles I found a postion i evenutually got comfortable with

 

[paulstevens]

Hi all,

I am a wide (ish) size nine and have no issue with any of my shoes except for one pair which have a pronounced sole which is significantly wider than my foot, and these do present a problem, so I don't wear them when driving! Make sure you set your driving position up in the most favourable way (I think the guidelines are in the Porsche driving school notes (or maybe the IAM notes). I tend to sit as low as possible to facilitate a straighter push on the clutch pedal and make sure I have a soft bend in my leg when the clutch pedal is right at the bottom, and then I set the steering wheel/seat back so that you can rest your wrists onto the top of the steering wheel, then floor it and have fun.

Another option is to contact a local engineering company and get them to offset the pedal a tad nearer the brake pedal to give you access to the footrest (make sure your whopping great left foot [] can't hit the brake pedal at the same time though!).

Cheers

Paul

 

[Lancerlot]

The driver's footwell on most sportscars is restrictive.There are ways of adjusting the pedal box, pedal height and spacing but it's a specialised job and not something to be undertaken lightly.
My advice would be to persevere for a while and see if he can live with it. If not then a good indi will be able to pull out the pedal box and adapt it to suit his requirements.
Regards,
Clive

 

[Jim Speedy]

Hi Robert,,,I recently drove a 997 for the first time and had the same discomfort when I test drove a 2004 C2S,,,,didn't stop me buying one though..My solution was to buy a pair of driving shoes with narrow soles. I keep them in the car and they also keep the footwells clean of muck from the street..

 

[peanut]

brilliant solution Jim .![]
might do the same thing . I drive a 944S2 but have similar issues as my shoes (size10.5") have a very wide sole. The rest block is also far too near the seat so it leaves my left leg bent so that the thigh is off the seat squab and unsupported. It gets very tiring after a while and causes me to squirm.
I't will ceratinly save my carpets too with this weather.

 

[marlin]

If you are thinking about how comfortable you are, you are not driving fast enough [] you should also be perspiring profusely []