REVIEW: Active Shift Design Pedal Spacer

[Old Guy]

I just installed the accelerator pedal lift spacer sold by Mod-bargains. For my driving style it is perfect. It is not just that heel-toe is now much easier, what I find the biggest improvement is the foot transition time from the accelerator to brake and back is greatly reduced from the OEM setup.

 

[drugazi]

I received my Active Shift Design Pedal Spacer from Jurrian@Mod Bargains just yesterday. I installed it last night and I couldn't be happier. I put about 100 miles on the car today, and the heel-toe downshifts were almost too easy. Ok, lets back up.

Buying:
The process was simple. I asked Jurrian when they would be available and he informed me that I could probably have one shortly after SEMA. If you need anything for these cars, Modbargains has it. The buying process was uneventful, and painless. So in short, it was great. I paid $54.99 + Shipping

The Product:
The Fiesta ST's pedal layout is well... bad. The offset between the brake pedal and the gas pedal is vast. This little block of printed plastic solves that. It raises the accelerator pedal off the firewall by 1.5", using a 3d printed polymer which is quite strong and some steel stud extensions.

The Install:
Apart from the fiesta being about the size of a thimble, this install is super easy. All you need is a 13mm deep socket, and a 3" extension (not required but it helps). Install took about 30 mins. Simply remove the factory bolts, and thread on the stud extenders, then slide the spacer on top of it. After that, position the accelerator pedal back over top of the spacer. My recommendation is to thread the new bolts in a few threads by hand to get them started. Then just run them in the rest of the way with your ratchet handle and socket.

The Results:
A level playing field, or pedal set is all the Fiesta ST needed to be a real predator on corner entry. The clumsy pedal positions from the factory made heel-toe impossible, and trail braking difficult. Well, not anymore. This fixes all of that. I've been racing sportscars for over a decade, so heel-toe is not anything new to me, its almost second nature. Hopefully my experience in hitting all three pedals at the same time is enough to make what I am telling you credible.

Today I drove 100 miles with this. Highway, Back roads, and of course, stop and go traffic. It was comfortable, and effective. It does take a little getting used to.



So if you drive this car the way it was intended. You want this.

Get it here, to heel-toe tomorrow (okay, maybe not tomorrow but...)

Thanks for the write-up. I lol'd when you said the ST is as big as a thimble, and I was confused that it took you 30 mins to install (really? A couple bolts, dude?)

Well, after taking closer to an hour to install and banging my head against the steering wheel a few times, I'm not laughing or confused.

One thing that was weird for me was that the stock bolts were actually 14mm but the new ones were 13mm.

Regarding the pedal, I'm not 100% stoked. Like others have said, I wish it moved the pedal closer to the brake. You really have to heel-toe, and there isn't much room (as opposed to having your big toe on the brake and little toe on the gas and kind of tilting your foot).

But the bigger beef for me is that I liked how the clutch and gas were at the same level originally. I haven't liked on other cars when depressing the clutch feels far away and the gas feels close - makes the position awkward. The fiesta was very natural originally. Now it feels like I need a clutch spacer (does anyone know if one exists?) to bring the clutch out to the same level.

Because what really should be done is the brake moved down towards the gas. But, this car is so small and it's already awkward if someone is sitting behind you. If I moved the clutch closer, I'd have to move my seat back farther (not cool). And the shifter would be farther away. So, The ideal scenario would be to lower the brake. Is this possible?!!?

 

[boombots]

Personally I like the spacer. At first it felt like a had brake issues, like the pedal had sunk. I had to get used to the brake being lower than the gas pedal under braking. I used to catch my sole on my pedals due to the height difference. Not anymore. My pedal does seem crooked now though which is odd but who knows. I dont think its too far away but I have a pretty wide foot. Overall I like it. Curious how the nopistons spacer compares.