[DML] Re: DeLorean Legroom

["Gus Schlachter" <gus@xxxx>]

Mike,

Heel-and-toe braking is a racing technique this is used in racing when
downshifting before a turn. The heel on the gas gets your engine speed up
while you're shifting so that you can get back on the throttle quickly and
accelerate through the turn. I practice this every day on the last corner
before my house! And about half of the time, I'm driving the Delorean. I'm
gonna autocross that D, someday.

But in that D, it's more like "toe-and-toe" braking. :-) Seriously, if I
floor it, then I either have to scrape the carpet to the right or risk
getting my foot stuck under the brake pedal when I let up. For
heel-and-toe, it's really more a case of pedal height then the distance
between them, IMHO, and I've never really had trouble performing the
technique and any car I've tried.

I just went to measure, and found that the D's pedals span about 10 inches,
with the throttle about 1.5 inches from the footwell wall. The other two
cars I had for reference, a GTI and a Miata, had about 11 inches for the
pedals and almost 2 inches from the throttle to the wall. So we're not
talking about much here, but it makes a difference. Probably the biggest
difference between the D and the 2 reference cars is that they had their
throttles lower to the floor than the other pedals.

In fact, now that I think about it, any modification I make to the pedals,
even small, will drastically change the way the car drives. I think I might
try to move that foot well wall over a bit, but other than that I'm afraid
to tamper with the pedal arrangement for fear of making it worse. There
must be a science to pedal arrangement, no?

Gus Schlachter
Austin, TX
VIN# 4695


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Substelny [mailto:msubstel@xxxx]
> Subject: [DML] Re: DeLorean Legroom
>
>
> The narrow driver's footwell on the DeLorean is similar to most European
> sports cars. The DeLorean's pedals are set up for "Heel & Toe" driving,
> in which the driver uses his/her right foot on the accelerator and brake
> at the same time, while his/her left foot operates the clutch.
>
> To do this, the driver puts his/her toe on the brake and holds his/her
> heel above the accelerator. He/she uses the right foot to release the
> brake and apply the gas in one motion. This move is supposed to make
> your driving a lot smoother, but it cannot be done unless the pedals are
> very close together. (I am not a regular practitioner of this
> technique, so I cannot vouch for it).
>
> No matter what your style, it DOES take good coordination to drive a 5
> speed DeLorean, and getting your feet tangled in the pedals can be
> dangerous.
>
> There is a cure for fumble-footed drivers: get more practice! I
> recommend that everyone get out there and drive your DeLoreans as much
> as possible. If your husband or wife complains, tell them that Mike
> Substelny said you need to spend more time driving your DeLorean . . .
> for your own safety.
>