Foot pedal height

G

Gregs79

New Member
Hi all,

I have been looking to order a lease transporter to replace my lease car at work and have test driven a couple from dealers for 10 minutes and got on OK but wanted to test for longer periods of driving due to the significantly different driving position to a car.

Earlier this week I got a week long loan from vw and have travelled some much longer trips and noticed whilst I am enjoying it, the pedal seems too high off the floor and is seriously uncomfortable to reach when braking. I have to lift my whole foot off the floor before I can begin braking and in stop start traffic it makes it horrible to drive.

I have tried playing with the seating position and can't sort it. :-(

I may have to start looking to see if the competitors have the same issue, but not really what I want to do, but at present I can't drive 30k a year like this.

Is there an adjustment I can do that will take it closer to the floor? Has anyone else noticed this on a new van? Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards

Gregs
 
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This is always a problem with vans . The ford custom I had for three years is really bad for pedal position. The Renault is better as they have more room in the cab but lass room in the back. You could put something under the from mate to raise the floor like a piece of ply cut to shape . I did this on the ford. If you set the seat as low as you can so you can get it back this will help with the foot position but if you have a bulkhead fitted you are going to struggle . Did you have a bulkhead in the test van? If so have a go in one without.
Keith
 
Kieth,

Thanks for the swift response. It is a Kombi so no bulk head.

Seems a shame to have to make something to sort the issue. :-(

Thanks

Gregs
 
Are you unusually tall or short?
I find our van very comfortable to drive as was our T5.1. I did 11 hours driving with two short stops in that and was fine.
 
I thought exactly the same when I got mine but I moved the seat back varying degrees until I found a happy compromise. Mine has the carpet so may be a bit higher on the floor, still not ideal but I'll get used to it in time, certainly not a deal breaker for me.
 
Did you find your knee hit the steering colum when braking. This is bad on the ford but much better on the VW . I can use the brake and throttle without moving my heel it's just a case of getting yourself used to it.
Are you going for a t32 for tax and vat back as you will find the t32 a very hard ride after a car so go for the t30 if it doesn't cause you tax problems.
 
Polzeylad - I'm not especially tall or short, I think it is more to do with the angle of my legs.

T6Chris - I have tried this afternoon to move the seat lower and further back and although it feels a little un-natural compared to the last position, it is better as I can brake with my heel on the floor. I have been searching for this issue and saw that some people build a block to rest under their heel so that they can pivot on their heel, hiding it under a mat. May be a possible option.

Keeff - Not so much of an issue with the steering column, found that on a fiat I drove big time. I am looking at the T32 for tax purposes so the load capacity is over 1 tonne as I have been told that it makes a difference, you also get the 17" wheels as well. T32 seems to be OK ride wise to me though. :)

I did drive out to VW today and asked if the brake pedal can me altered and they said no, I also visited Ford and the brake is no better in the Transit and it is not as flexible as the VW, also visited Mercedes Benz and the Vito is the best from a driving position perspective, but not sure how flexible, they only had a van to sit in rather than kombi.

P.S. My wife and I really like the Transporter, but it needs to be comfortable given the mileage I will cover so really hoping to find a solution.
 
Hi @Gregs79 , I'm still waiting to get hold of my beast, but have driven a transit jumbo for over 120000 miles, and similar vans before that, I'm not sure what your used to, but you won't get car like stance to the pedal box, as vans are chair like, all I can say is I find being over the pedal quite natural, and better for my back (HD landed on it!), as your not pushing away from you, but down. You will get used to things is all I can advise, and if your that worried, have a DSG and add the paddles ;) (A good excuse if I ever heard of one :)).
 
I experienced this issue at first to but found that after fitting the vw rubber floor mats that this improved things significantly
 
Found the Cali I hired a bit uncomfortable after a few hours, but more the angle of my legs and also the angle of my foot on the accelerator. To hopefully get around this I've ordered ACC, so on the motorway I'll be able to stretch my legs out under the pedals and get a bit more comfort.
 
Hi @Thehorse , not sure what you used to:thumbsdown:, but the chair like driving position takes a little getting used to if your used to cars, all I can say is I've driven plenty of long drives in the transit and similar (Scotland from Kent, Germany and Brittany) and not had any issues, but then we are all built differently.:thumbsup: Bear in mind that these and similar vehicles are designed for couriers etc who drive them all day long and ned to be comfortable. So might be worth persevering, but as I say, I'm not sure what your used to.:thumbsdown::thumbsup:
 
Thehorse said:
Found the Cali I hired a bit uncomfortable after a few hours, but more the angle of my legs and also the angle of my foot on the accelerator. To hopefully get around this I've ordered ACC, so on the motorway I'll be able to stretch my legs out under the pedals and get a bit more comfort.
Click to expand...
Another Cali member on the way?!
 
Thehorse said:
Hi T6 Dave, used to big estate cars, but like the upright position. The cali isn't that bad, just after 2 or 3 hours could feel my knees suffering a bit. I'm sure the ACC will help a lot though.



Hopefully, if it ever turns up!
Click to expand...
Nice one! What engine? This is our second so fairly clued up if you have any questions!

We have a pretty low slung M135i (fast hatch) and a Subaru Outback (raised 4wd estate) so used to all sorts of heights of car.

The properly low sports cars are hard work IMO; you get a cracking view from a T6!
 
Polzeylad said:
Nice one! What engine? This is our second so fairly clued up if you have any questions!

We have a pretty low slung M135i (fast hatch) and a Subaru Outback (raised 4wd estate) so used to all sorts of heights of car.

The properly low sports cars are hard work IMO; you get a cracking view from a T6!
Click to expand...

It's a 150 DSG Ocean. Can't wait! Had a 1 series as a loan car and I'm sure it had more legroom than the 5 series I had at the time (but not for anyone in the back with the seats back)

T6 Dave said:
@Thehorse did you consider the DSG option:thumbsdown:, then you could put the paddle shift on later ;):whistle:
Click to expand...

Yes gone for the DSG, have paddles on current car but never use them to be honest.
 
Thehorse said:
It's a 150 DSG Ocean. Can't wait! Had a 1 series as a loan car and I'm sure it had more legroom than the 5 series I had at the time (but not for anyone in the back with the seats back)



Yes gone for the DSG, have paddles on current car but never use them to be honest.
Click to expand...

Nice one! You'll love it!
 
Hi - we have a 2016 t6 t32 150dsg which we are slowly de commissioning from a wheelchair access vehicle. All the hand controls and electrical driving mods have now been removed and the drivers seat re mounted on a swivel base. We have been driving the van for couple of weeks now to collect parts and prove mechanical reliability before starting the ramp removal and floor install.
We have both found, particularly my wife who is not very tall, that the pedals seem excessively high and keeping a heel on the mat is quite uncomfortable. Is this a common complaint?
Could anyone with a standard dsg van advise the heights of the pedals please in case ours have been modified to suit the wav owner?
Can the pedal heights be adjusted?
Many thanks
 
Hope this is not missing your point @Steved55. Mine is a standard five speed manual 2017102ps T6 and I have swivels on driver and passenger sides. That extra inch and a half of height made me uncomfortable, particularly on longer journeys as I couldn’t rest my left foot flat. I have now added an extra inch and a half platform to the footwell far enough behind the pedals for my son, who’s six inches taller than me, to be able to drive it without any problems. It is fixed and can’t slide of course. Having been driven about by him a few times I now realise how uncomfortable it is for those who didn’t make it to average height even in the passengers seat so I’ll put a false floor in there too. Grandchildren and the little grown ups won’t have their feet dangling in the air and tall people won’t even notice the difference. :grin bounce:
 
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