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Why Are Automatic Brake Pedals So Large?

Rabid

By Rabid,
in General Automotive Discussion

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mad082 Grand Master

mad082

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Has anyone driven some of the newer auto's that has a foot brake instead of a handbrake? For those that don't know about it, they install this foot brake/pedal exactly where the clutch is on a manual car.

Has anyone subconsciously tried to clutch an auto and hit this foot brake before?

they have been doing that for years.

imagine trying to do handbrake turns in the old kingswoods that had the handbrake in between the drivers seat and the door.

also bring back the old highbeam switch next to the clutch pedal i saw.

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Sticky Collaborator

Sticky

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i think the big fat pedal is for - as said so that you can plant both feet on it in an emergency. or so that you have more of a pedal to hit when braking? maybe some people miss it????

and the foot brake instead of a handbrake is just stupid... cant pull it when driving, and you cant rest yuor feet where it is

typevu Grand Master

typevu

Posted
Posted

No clutch = more room + small brake pedal = more chance of missing = increase size of brake pedal = higher chance of hitting the brake pedal than thin air

Or could just be that auto drivers arent as coordinated as manual drivers therefore requiring larger brake pedal XD

eMsta Grand Master

eMsta

Posted
Posted

the merc courtesy car i had from gt auto, had the accelerator pedal, the big brake pedal, and the handbrake pedal next to the brake pedal. Luckily, because im a n00b with german automobiles, wayne made sure i knew about the hand brake pedal that was situated where the clutch pedal would normally be situated.

hate to think what i would have gotten myself into if I thought that perhaps the merc had a tiptronic that works off the 3rd pedal!

ssshonky Grand Master

ssshonky

Posted
Posted

I would rather have a massive pedal I cant miss in an emergency ( cause its so freakin big ) rather than have a smaller pedal and a toaster to electrocute me when accidentally stick my foot in it during an emergency stop !

scheris Collaborator

scheris

Posted
Posted (edited)

my ol torry used to have the "hand" brake left side next to the main brake with a switch left of the console you had to "twist and pull"

of coarse the car started as a column shift auto, became a t-bar auto then a 4 sp manual. ahhhh the ol steel thing was great... doors 4" thick.. choice wood grain coloir plastics with the lino covered foam infils.. pure class

did burnouts well though with its leaf springs. major braking upgrade went from rear drums to 4 wheel disks .. awsome.

that thing chewed more blocks then any other car I've ever owned to this day.. it was the variable capacity car.. it had as much capacity as I could afford at the next time I blew something...

Edited by scheris
mad082 Grand Master

mad082

Posted
Posted

i suppose that in a manual car when you have to stop in a hurry you put your left foot on the clutch as well as your right foot on the brake, so you left foot stops your right foot over shooting. so with left leg out wide, you need a bigger brake pedal to help you hit the target better.

dangerous_daveo Grand Master

dangerous_daveo

Posted
Posted
  mad082 said:
my guess at why the auto brake pedal is so big is so you can left foot brake (and i'm being serious).

That isnt it...

I honestly think if google didnt have an answer, there is no reason to it other than the ' 'cause I can' logic.

dangerous_daveo Grand Master

dangerous_daveo

Posted
Posted
  Lunatikk said:
It IS so you can brake with either foot

Prove it. Because deadset that is one of the most dangerous things in an emergency as 99.99% of people just push down hard with both feet. So if one is on the go, and the other is on the woah, and you punch them both, you do not stop. (most people are smart enough to not use their left foot in an auto car so it isnt an issue).

And if car designers really ARE that stupid, probably not a bad idea they make the thing tiny.

scathing Grand Master

scathing

Posted
Posted

Left foot braking is a pretty contentious issue. Most of the oldschool guys don't like it, but a lot of the modern advanced driving instructors have no problem with it.

To my knowledge, a lot of the professional racers with clutchless manual setups will always left foot brake these days, and even in clutch-equipped cars some racers will left foot trail brake, or use it to adjust the car's attitude.

I don't see how its "not smart" to left foot brake in an auto, as long as you know what you're doing (which, of course, does rule out the vast majority of road users). I find left foot braking my old man's auto car quite helpful when I'm going for a spirited drive in it, and I will occasionally dab the left foot in my manual car to tuck the nose in when its power-on understeering, but if I ever were to panic stop I'll instinctively right foot brake in either car.

mad082 Grand Master

mad082

Posted
Posted

every go-kart driver left foot brakes. i'd like to see someone use the 1 foot for braking and accelerating in a go-kart.

as scathing said, race drivers who left foot brake can get on the gas earlier, and keep the car stable through corners. it also helps to catch the car if you lock the rear brakes. greg murphy is probably the most notable of the v8 supercar drivers who left foot brake.

vinnie32GTS4 Mentor

vinnie32GTS4

Posted
Posted
  KeyMakeR33 said:
Has anyone driven some of the newer auto's that has a foot brake instead of a handbrake? For those that don't know about it, they install this foot brake/pedal exactly where the clutch is on a manual car.

Has anyone subconsciously tried to clutch an auto and hit this foot brake before?

the new mitsubishi colts have the pedal for the handbrake. its really odd i reckon. When i did

work experience at yorke mitsubishi (Adelaide) heaps of new colts were getting their hand brake cables and rear pads fitted with new ones because people were forgetting about the hand brake because it was a foot pedal and not the usual hand lever thingo. lol i thought it was funny, ccould of been a scheme by mistubishi to make people spend more money on changing rear pads and handbrake cables because they knew people would forget about the hand/foot brake pedal lol

BAMR33 Mentor

BAMR33

Posted
Posted

People that drive auto's are crappy drivers and manufactures design them larger to give them all the help they can.

Nah, seriously I think it's that auto's used to be classified as luxury and only higher end cars had them and the bigger pedal signified the refinement and added benefit.

slysa Apprentice

slysa

Posted
Posted
  ssshonky said:
I would rather have a massive pedal I cant miss in an emergency ( cause its so freakin big ) rather than have a smaller pedal and a toaster to electrocute me when accidentally stick my foot in it during an emergency stop !

abviously you dont get how unbelievably convenient it would be to have a toaster in your car :woot:

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