You Brits can't relate to this.......

FRANKIE

Zorg Guru (V)
American Zeds
The M44 Massive
Joined
Sep 2, 2013
Points
193
Location
Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, USA
Model of Z
Z3
And you're much better off. You have right hand drive. So what's the problem with left hand drive??
Here is a letter I just wrote to @hard top in a PM message that all of you might read anyway:

He asked me how I was doing. My reply:

We've had a dry spell now for a few days. I took the cover off the Z and drove it to work yesterday. It's always a fright to drive the car. I'm wearing 12 inch sneakers. There were no carpets in the car when I bought it. So there is the carpet that lines the floor with a plastic, I guess, pad under the pedals that sewn into the floor carpet. When I push the clutch pedal down the heel of my foot catches on the pad below and stops my foot from releasing the clutch. This is quite a problem when you're trying to come to a stop. Your one foot is on the brake but the other foot can't disengage the clutch so the engine is still propelling the car forward as you're trying to stop. OK ..no problem ...I'll fix that. I'll just raise my foot on the pedal so it's higher on the pedal and the heel won't catch on the floor. It works, My heel doesn't catch on the pad. The only problem now is that the toe of the sneaker not catches on some cover plates above the pedal causing the same effect of preventing your foot from releasing the clutch because it's being held in place from above. Now you may say to yourself, well look Frankie, if you've got the clutch down, then it's disengaged and you can stop the car. NOT EXACTLY. You see, there is a foot rest between the clutch pedal and the left wall. This rest is right next to the frigging pedal. So when you're trying to press the clutch pedal all the way down, the left side of your sneaker contacts the rest preventing you from completely depressing the pedal and the clutch is still engaged. Now's when things get really interesting. You're trying to come to a stop, you're breaking but the engine is still driving the car forward. You've got your foot on the clutch to try to disengage the engine and you're foot is hitting the rest stopping you from pushing the pedal all the way down and you try to release your foot off the pedal so you can reposition it but you can't pick up your foot off the pedal because it's locked in and you're about to hit the car in front you. You're last panic option is to turn off the engine taking it out of the equation leaving just the brake left and you can hopefully stop the car. What good is the car, no matter how great it is to drive down the road if you almost poop yourself every time you try to come to a stop?????................Frankie
 
Sounds like an aftermarket foot rest; take it off? :thumbsup:
 
Sounds like an aftermarket foot rest; take it off? :thumbsup:

It's an original footrest, the issue is the size (width) of Frankie's shoes. Unless the footrest is removable, unlike a RHD Z3, it's difficult to see what you can do Frankie.

Tony.
 
Buy an automatic, or drive barefoot :whistle:
 
Can't get an ///M Auto and his feet fit the shoes I guess (big feet;))

Tony.
 
It sounds like you have rather broard feet Frankie, heard of this problem before and think they overcome it by repositioning the peddles but that was a R/H drive car and not a BMW M L/H drive. Looking at a picture of a Z3 L/H drive it looks very much like relieving the thick carpet and sound insulating on outside of footrest would likely give you more room on the left of your clutch foot. Can't see that moving the peddles to the right will help at all as the acc peddle is nearly bang right up to the tunnel and you would only be decreasing the distance from brake peddle to acc peddle. Could try a the old Chinese trick of tightly bandageing you left foot and borrowing your wife's left driving shoe.lol
IMG_1795.webp

Roy.
 
TBH, That footrest is huge.

Tony.
 
I haven't tried in the Zed, but knock it out of gear without the clutch (just before braking) ?

If everything (drive shaft, clutch, prop shaft) is spinning at the same speed, it should be possible to knock it out of gear.

Its pulling off and engaging first gear that the clutch is really needed.

I had a failing clutch in the 1980's in a 3.0 Ford Cortina. Coming up to a stop sign I'd knock it out of gear. When stopped I'd switch the engine off, engage 2nd and start it in gear to pull off (not recommended). Not the smoothest start and it was out in the country, but I got it to the garage near home, parked up and walked.

Simpler times, simpler car, but I haven't tried it in the Zed.

If it helps . . .
 
Don't know about other people, but I find most ordinary shoes not that good for driving. 'Driving shoes' (haven't seen any recently, but haven't looked) had rounded heels and were slim without soles protruding around the edge so the heel rolled on the floor and edges didn't catch on the carpet or pedals. I mostly use a pair of my older shoes with a worn heel when driving my zed. Also Frankie, have you tried some different mats or altering the driver's mat? Simple things, but may help. :thumbsup:
 
You see that's the trouble when you drive on the wrong side of the road! :whistle: :whistle: =))
 
Frankie. If the panel above the pedals is causing problems take the bugger off. My bats are only size 9 but my panel is on a shelf in the garage.
cheers
Chris
 
Back
Top