Has anyone designed their own pedal box?
Discussion
I'm currently building my own tin top race car from a bare shell, the development phase is as much the fun of it as racing will be as I'm currently studying for a degree in Motorsport engineering. I've always fancied designing my own pedal box and now I have a student copy of Catia I figured there's no time like the present. I have fairly long legs and a restrictive bulkhead angle in the little Fiesta so I am toying with designing a front mounted master cylinder, floor mounted box design with a detachable footrest on top. My plan is to have the pivot point the same height up as the footrest with the pedals connected to the master cylinders below the pivot thus creating a push type cylinder operation.
I've done a bit of research and OBP seem to offer this type of pedal box however it looks very budget, and I wondered why Tilton and AP have strayed away from this, is there something I'm missing?
Also, my plan was to measure the distance between the heel and the ball of my size 10 foot to work out the distance between the pivot and the center of the pedal, is there a better way of doing this?
Another area I want to research more is the bearing type and application in the pedal if anyone has any tips/guides etc. for this or any type of pedal box design I would be most greatful.
I've done a bit of research and OBP seem to offer this type of pedal box however it looks very budget, and I wondered why Tilton and AP have strayed away from this, is there something I'm missing?
Also, my plan was to measure the distance between the heel and the ball of my size 10 foot to work out the distance between the pivot and the center of the pedal, is there a better way of doing this?
Another area I want to research more is the bearing type and application in the pedal if anyone has any tips/guides etc. for this or any type of pedal box design I would be most greatful.
I suspect it would a be less desirable leverage ratio, and will probably result in a taller assembly and your feel being higher up. It also reduces the access to the master cylinders themselves.
You don't need to go as far as using a bearing really, bushes will work fine. I think I used bronze bushes in the past, but I have seen polymer ones used to.
Unless you are set on doing it as a design project you are probably better off buying one - it'll likely be much cheaper! From memory Tilton do some nice stuff at reasonable prices.
You don't need to go as far as using a bearing really, bushes will work fine. I think I used bronze bushes in the past, but I have seen polymer ones used to.
Unless you are set on doing it as a design project you are probably better off buying one - it'll likely be much cheaper! From memory Tilton do some nice stuff at reasonable prices.
AP and Tilton make pedal box assemblies in the manner you describe.
If you are designing your own, pay attention to the pushrod angles on the master cylinders and make sure the pedal doesn't go over centre under load as you lose all feel as a driver if you let that happen. Make sure the assembly is rigid and also make sure what you mount it to is rigid and does not introduce any twist into the assembly as you bolt it to the car.
You can use bronze bushes or roller bearings for the mount pivot, make sure the pedal is strong enough to handle the forces. Use some grip tape on the brake pedal and clutch pedal, keep the throttle pedal smooth surface. Make sure the spacing between master cylinders matches the bias bar setup you intend to use. Typical pedal ratio is 5:1. Bear in mind the driver responds to force, not travel, with reference to brakes, so you don't want a long throw on the brakes.
If you are designing your own, pay attention to the pushrod angles on the master cylinders and make sure the pedal doesn't go over centre under load as you lose all feel as a driver if you let that happen. Make sure the assembly is rigid and also make sure what you mount it to is rigid and does not introduce any twist into the assembly as you bolt it to the car.
You can use bronze bushes or roller bearings for the mount pivot, make sure the pedal is strong enough to handle the forces. Use some grip tape on the brake pedal and clutch pedal, keep the throttle pedal smooth surface. Make sure the spacing between master cylinders matches the bias bar setup you intend to use. Typical pedal ratio is 5:1. Bear in mind the driver responds to force, not travel, with reference to brakes, so you don't want a long throw on the brakes.
I use on of OBP's floor mounted "pro-race" boxes with a 6:1 ratio on my Thundersaloon.
I chose this because of that ratio - where the Tilton and AP boxes only offered 5:1, and were more suited to lighter sports/formula type cars.
Wilwood make one, but the cost of importing one vs the OBP price was a no-brainer for me. Normally I'd import stuff from the 'States at the drop of a hat, but not this time.
Having the master cylinders floor mounted presents a number of issues - the first being the height of the master cylinder vs the caliper. You'll need residual pressure valves inline to maintain a good pedal.
Also, the extra floor height takes some getting used to (in a saloon), plus the long pedals sticking in the general direction of up, rather than dangling down, means in my case that there is less space for my feet "up" than there was when they were "down". (I have size 9's by the way).
If you can, some do, retain the "sky-hook" mounted standard throttle pedal as the floor mounted design's linkage is far from what I call quick. Ideally I need to extend it about 2" through the floor to get a quicker response for less movement!! We'll call it work in progress I think!
Good luck with your design.
I chose this because of that ratio - where the Tilton and AP boxes only offered 5:1, and were more suited to lighter sports/formula type cars.
Wilwood make one, but the cost of importing one vs the OBP price was a no-brainer for me. Normally I'd import stuff from the 'States at the drop of a hat, but not this time.
Having the master cylinders floor mounted presents a number of issues - the first being the height of the master cylinder vs the caliper. You'll need residual pressure valves inline to maintain a good pedal.
Also, the extra floor height takes some getting used to (in a saloon), plus the long pedals sticking in the general direction of up, rather than dangling down, means in my case that there is less space for my feet "up" than there was when they were "down". (I have size 9's by the way).
If you can, some do, retain the "sky-hook" mounted standard throttle pedal as the floor mounted design's linkage is far from what I call quick. Ideally I need to extend it about 2" through the floor to get a quicker response for less movement!! We'll call it work in progress I think!
Good luck with your design.
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff