Pedal assemblies/boxes

OK, I'm pretty sure I know the answer but figured I'd ask for clarification/opinions just in case - so don't flame me for asking...

Are aftermarket pedal boxes (e.g., Tilton) legal in IT?

The language I found in the GCR is: "modifications may be made to the foot pedals to improve the comfort of and control accessibility to the driver."

A moveable pedal box would greatly "improve the comfort and control accessibility to the driver," however my understanding of the rules is that "replace" doesn't mean the same as "modify," which would sadly mean no, I can't replace my stock pedal assembly with an aftermarket pedal box. Correct? :(

Reason I ask is that I want to move my seat way back and down in my CRX so that I'm not bumping my head on the cage padding and eating the steering wheel, but in doing so I wouldn't be able to reach the stock pedals unless I bolted 4" wooden blocks to the pedal face.

well - adding length, rasing a false floor to aid reach, blocks, etc.. are all known to be legal.

I suppose an extreme interpretation would allow the use of newly fabed pedals with linkages to the factory pedal "levers". so long as the OEM hydraulics or clutch cables and actuators are used, that shouldn't be an issue. but why would you want to spend so much money when you CAN add those 4" blocks rather inexpensively?

alternatively - shim out the factory bracketry and add pushrod length as needed to make up the gap on the brake. I wouldn't complain, but you'll find that this can be a lot more work than it has benefit.

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Originally Posted by Chip42

well - adding length, rasing a false floor to aid reach, blocks, etc.. are all known to be legal.

I suppose an extreme interpretation would allow the use of newly fabed pedals with linkages to the factory pedal "levers". so long as the OEM hydraulics or clutch cables and actuators are used, that shouldn't be an issue. but why would you want to spend so much money when you CAN add those 4" blocks rather inexpensively?

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Or remove the actual pedal faces, and mount billet alum extensions and bits....if wood is considered inappropriate.

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Originally Posted by Chip42

so long as the OEM hydraulics or clutch cables and actuators are used

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Is that the litmus test for pedal boxes? You can swap them out provided they utilize the stock hydraulics/cables (which would rule out Tilton as they require additional master cylinders and such)?

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Originally Posted by Chip42

why would you want to spend so much money when you CAN add those 4" blocks rather inexpensively?

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I'm not saying I want to spend so much money...but huge wooden pedal spacers/faces seem like a hack job. :(

Unfortunately I can't shim out the factory bracketry and I had thought about adding length to the pedals but was concerned about the effect lengthening the lever would have on force.

I was surprised that when I did a search on the forums that no one else had seemed to have tackled this before. It's not like I'm overly short (5'11" on a good day) and with the cars we all race having varying cockpit dimensions I would have thought altering pedal placement was a more common occurrence. I'm fine with my current OEM pedal placement (OK, actually I wouldn't mind being just a smidge closer to the pedals) but I really want to get my head down and back from the cage which necessitates the pedals coming back with me.

I think you'll end up doing what everyone does when it comes to modifying something they want to modify, but finds their desires limited by the allowances of the rules. You have to parse the language.

It says you can modify the foot pedals.

Now, nobody, competitor or tech, will accept the entire pedal cluster and bracket to be a "foot pedal". Many will argue it's the surface your foot contacts, and nothing more. You might argue (maybe successfully) that in your car it includes the lever arm the actual foot pedal connects to, as it is a one piece unit.
Another technique is to find the description in your service manual. Sometimes they describe things a bit wonky, and you 'get' a bit of freedom from that.
BUT...you'll still need to convince a scrutineer. And if you move a whole pedal assembly because of some generalized comment in a shop manual, I doubt it will be seen as a legit move.

I like reading the rules and finding 'the actual words' that allow me freedom. But, live by the pen, die by the pen, LOL.

In this case, I'd limit my mods to adding extensions (they could be well crafted, and I'd make them adjustable) to the actual pedal surface, and leaving the rest of the setup stock.

I bent the brake pedal to the right and screwed a block of wood to it. Cheap and effective, but not as pretty as pimpy aluminum extensions.

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Originally Posted by boywonder

Is that the litmus test for pedal boxes? You can swap them out provided they utilize the stock hydraulics/cables (which would rule out Tilton as they require additional master cylinders and such)?

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no. like Jake says, the modification is limited to the "foot pedals". I wasn't recomending anything as legal, which is why I called it an "extreme interpretation."

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I'm not saying I want to spend so much money...but huge wooden pedal spacers/faces seem like a hack job.

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then don't make them out of wood? we've had good luck with welding a section of 1x2 box tube over a clutch or brake pedal face for a little better reach.

don't change the lever arm LENGTH if you are concerned about it, the small change in the effective length from the addition of thicker pads is irrelevant, you will compensate without even realizing the change.