Bingo Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Given the celebrated lack of anywhere to rest your foot, I find myself with slightly painful left shin muscles after a while of keeping my foot off the pedal. Resting my foot on the pedal provides light relief, but is it wearing on the clutch? The clutch on my 1990 1700 Xflow 7 is very heavy (the only one I've ever driven - no doubt they all are) so it certainly doesn't feel as though I'm actually engaging the mechanism. Any advice appreciated! (And this is my first post, so please go easy if it's the oldest question in the book!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty_10dollar Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Hi, welcome to the forums, we are mostly very friendly and kind so don't worry about asking questions :) If your cluch is heavy and you can't feel the clutch slipping on heavy acceleration, I can't see why rest your foot on it lightly should be a problem. I would imagine given a bunch of cars where owners did and didn't rest their foot on the clutch, the ones that did would on average have a slightly higher cluch wear, but I'd imagine in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't make a massive difference. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingers Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 I have found the same problem with the aching shin but on a run I manage to rest my foot on the floor under the clutch peddle (1987 long cockpit live axle). FTD Moreton in Marsh, International 1994 membership No.86xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rj Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Maybe the clutch itself doesn't suffer, but the CRB certainly does! Maybe not really an issue as you'll always have to remove the engine once or twice a year anyway and the CRB is easy to change when the engine is out ....... /r Edited by - RJ on 6 Jul 2004 20:42:16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 I would not recommend this. Try to get footwear / seating position so you can pop your foot under / between the clutch and brake pedal and rest it on the floor. That said, you can propably rest your foot lightly on the clutch for many a mile before the clutch release bearing is ruined. You may be rebuilding the engine or gearbox and fit a new clutch long before the clutch / bearing is worn out. Then there is the train of thought that says some 7's have too little preload on the thrust bearing anyway and it's this that wears them out. Seems to be most talk about this from K's owners for some reason. Perhaps that's a volume on the road thing. Perhaps it was a batch of too weak springs, I don't know. Hants (North) and Berkshire Area club site here My racing info site here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beelzebub Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Your CRB will be toast in short order if you keep doing this. It's time to find an alternative. I find even with my size..........ahemm.........14s I can get my foot under the pedal. Can you adjust your pedal to lift it out of the way a bit 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rj Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Drive barefoot - works for me! I have been changing bearings for people in x-flow cars having done less that 3k miles! /r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil MH Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 A also have a 1990 X-flow (Supersprint), which I have only had for about 3 months. I also started with the same issue but have now trained myself to lift my leg out slightly and then slide my foot under the clutch pedal, as soon as it looks like I'm not going to need it for a little while (the pedal that is - not my foot - which is handy for other reasons!). It took me a few trips to get totally used to it but it seems second nature now. In built up traffic, however, I don't bother. My clutch doesn't seem that heavy but having had a Westfield a few years ago I was probably mentally tuned into it being different from a modern road car. Have already encountered a number of the typical issues that can arise (and solved them so far with help from this forum) - although still far from expert by others' standards. If I can help, however, am happy to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 The problem lies inside the engine with the thrust bearings. These components do not generate a hydrodynamic wedge of oil in the same way as a plain cylindrial bearing, so the oil film is very fragile. Any prolonged end force on the crankshaft is a bad thing and should be avoided. Sahf London; every 1st Wednesday from 19:30 at The Duck just around the corner from Clapham Junction station Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Plato Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I have made a clutch foot rest . And I have size 11 feet although I do drive with Momo Racing boots on . The foot rest is a little section of right angle carbon ( you could use ally ) measures 40mm long x 15mm wide . This is fastened to the inner skin right beside and slightly forward ( 5mm ) of the clutch pedal , so that when you use the rest no pressure is applied to the clutch pedal . The position is such that my left foot simply pivots on the ankle and makes contact with the clutch pedal . The position is natural as some have testified when they have sat in my car . The rest also gives me soemwhere to hold my left foot when on track to stop it "flopping" around . Dave Edited by - Dave Jackson on 7 Jul 2004 08:03:27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_pank Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I think it's a case of adjusting your driving position/finding a comfortable place for your foot. There are many many people with 7s and I find it hard to believe they all drive along resting their left foot on the clutch pedal - I certainly don't... If you've got long legs, rest your foot behind the pedal as already suggested, if you've got short legs (like me) you can bend your left knee and rest your foot flat on the floor in front of the pedal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Sewell Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 If I am driving a long distance on a motorway, then I'll lift my knee slightly to draw my foot away from the pedal and then let the ankle relax. However, most of the time I am too busy changing gears to relax anything Low tech luddite - xflow and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingo Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 First off - thanks for all the replies so far! I half-expected a deathly tumbleweed-punctuated silence Next thing to note is that I'm 6'2 with wide size 12 feet, and have precisely one pair of shoes narrow enough to allow me to operate the throttle separately from the brake (Converse All-Star baseball boots, FYI, although I'm constantly on the hunt for some affordable racing-style boots that will also serve as regular footwear - another thread there, perhaps!) The upshot is that there's not much room for manoeuvre round my feet. My knee knocks the ignition already, so putting foot flat on the floor is a biomechanical impossibility. And while on longer runs I'll hook my foot around the back of the pedal and rest it there, the gymnastics required in bringing it back round again without catching the clutch pedal from behind and leaving it suspended horizontal above my frantically searching toes (this has happened several times) leads me to look for a safer alternative. So, the replies here suggest the foot-on-clutch option is a bad idea. Fortunately it's not something I've done very much, but it looks like I need to either practise the hooking thing, or take up Dave Jackson's suggestion about a foot rest - something I've considered, although I was wondering if it would ever get in the way of your use of the clutch. Still, it seems that's probably the best thing to try - thanks Dave, sounds like a Sunday job! Cheers gents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I recently drove with no shoes on and could not believe the difference over trainers so the next step for me will be racing boots or racing shoes. This simple thang of removing my shoes has improved my driving as the operation of the pedals is now more natural, I can left foot brake round corners and a lot of the stress on my shin has gone plus I also sit lower in the car resulting in less wind in the eyes so it is more enjoyable. Have you thought of the simple thing like removing carpet if fitted, shortening the clutch pedal or as you are new to this moving the pedals? The next step would be to buy a new seat like a race seat, all these will gain you precious room and a bigger grin. These may be some expensive suggestion but worth the money. X/FLOW 1700 DD 1990 ROAD USE ONLY..SO FAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Plato Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Karting boots are a lot cheaper than Fireproof racing boots . I cant imagine trying to drive in trainers .... You can pick up a reasonable pair for £30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingo Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 Moving the pedals: this is something that Caterham mentioned I could do when I bought the car, but I've not looked into. I'll have a gander at the manual, I guess. I'll have a hunt around down there, see what I can do. Race seats: Second only to a starter button on my list of car upgrades. Are there particular recognised Seven-friendly options? Footwear: If I could find some karting boots for 30-50 quid I'd be interested. Seems to be some online, but obviously I'd like to try before I buy! High streets (Guildford, at least) aren't much good. Would kart track venues be a good place to go to find retailers of such things? Incidentally my baseball boots are quite thin-soled and generally pretty snug, so I don't think they're as bad as full-on trainers; but still, I'm sure race boots would be a great deal better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Just get an SV 😬 I drive mine wearing boots BRG Brooklands SV 😬 It seems that perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away. (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Perry Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I have a similar problem as Bingo, as I have limited ankle movement and just ride with my foot on the clutch lightly, like him if I place my foot under the pedal I then can't get it back on it again, which can be a real panic. Bingo if you are on a budget re footwear I found a cheap place was one of the large markets they have on airfields/race courses etc. At my local one I found I was spoiled for choice re narrow thin soled trainers and managed to pick something up for a fiver that works a treat. Size 12 might be more of a problem though. You should be able to move the pedals away from you slightly as there is 'some' adjustment in the pedal box Edited by - Graham Perry on 7 Jul 2004 12:36:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 The difference I have noticed is that with trainers there is a layer of padding in the sole as to make them comfortable when walking/running as well as the wide tread pattern to spread the load and make you more stable. Driving/racing/carting shoes/boots are made for driving, as well as the smaller width ther is the lack of padding under your foo giving that vital room we are all looking for, a second skin as such. Size does matter. X/FLOW 1700 DD 1990 ROAD USE ONLY..SO FAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rust Red Seven Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 I had the same troubles but you get used to moving the feet under the pedel and giving the shins a rest when able. OMP do a nice boot 25 pounds i did find it on Chitchat but can not find again they realy make a difference as my trainers kept getting cought up on the brake and clutch pedels with the insuing am i breaking and can not get my foot on the clutch syndrome 😳 with the ensuing problem of am i acceletrating or breaking or changing gear feeling! Do not worry it goes away after the first 3 panics. 😬 Rust Red Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Has anyone actually sat in a newish Westf1eld? I did so for scientific research (as in "My Sevens better than your copy Seven nah nah n'nah na). I was suprised because they had built in a small (clutch) foot recess into the central tunnel side area by the clutch pedal. Damn good idea and I wish Caterham did that!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Sailor Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Very clever! Think that it could be duplicated on a Caterham with a big hammer? 😬 Ken Sailor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Sailor Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Serious note - would attaching a foot stop (block of wood or whatever) on the floor of the footwell help? It would provide a place to rest your heel and allow you to let your toes drop down a bit so there's less strain on the top of your foot/ankle. Ken Sailor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Plato Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Chris , I wouldnt like ny foot to be positioned beside the pedal in the event of an accident ☹️ The position of your heel is important , the position of my pedals allows me to use the chassis tube as a heel stop , if my pedals were positioned further towards the driver , then I would make another heel stop Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Bill Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I think the OMP ones here are available in size 12. Try 'em, you might like 'em! BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now