[font=Times New Roman][size=3]Has anyone with small feet run into the problem of not being able to position the ball of their foot in the middle of the gas pedal without straining/tearing the tendons in their ankle? Two weeks ago I bought a '05 MC with leather sport seats. To position the ball of my foot in the middle of the gas pedal my foot has to be vertical, which is an extremely uncomfortable position. For the past two weeks I have tried every combination of seat/steering wheel adjustment to no avail. Yesterday I folded a towel and put it under the rubber mat in front of the gas pedal to raise my foot up - and that seemed to help. I am also running into the problem mentioned in the "uncomfortable seat thread" of having a pinched nerve in my right side from sitting on the metal bar in the seat. I am 5' 6", thin, with long legs, short arms (so I can't put the seat too far back), and I guess short feet (size 7 women which would be a size 5 men). I have a 45 minute drive to work which has turned into a nightmare of aches. Does anyone have any suggestions? And "Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?" - I love my MINI.[/size][/font]

 

Sounds like you need to position yourself better in the seat itself. Move the seat more forward until it is comfortable for you. My legs are always bent up in the seat (and I am 6'1")

Just move the seat forward until it is comfortable.

 

I wear a size 6 shoe and do not have that problem at all. I find that if I move the seat up so my legs and right foot feel comfortable, and then move the back of the seat back a bit (i.e., so I'm not sitting upright but angled back just a bit), that is the best position for me. Since I'm short (5'2"), I have to sit pretty close for my foot to feel comfortable on the gas pedal, so that's why angling the back of the seat back a bit is necessary. Otherwise, I feel too close to the dashboard. I don't have sports seats, so I don't know if I'd have to adjust the seats differently for those. Actually, my husband who wears size 12 shoes found that he had a problem with the gas & brake pedals because he said they were small and very close together. I hope you do find a comfortable position for yourself.

 

5'4 size 7 shoe short arms ... don't have a problem but it did take me several weeks to work out all the options til it worked for me.

Liz

 

5'5" and 6.5 shoes. No problems with gas pedal. Like Elkerster, it did take a couple of weeks to adjust everything correctly. My biggest problem is seat back adjustments. I have very tense shoulders, and the slightest seat adjustment by someone else causes all kinds of neck and shoulder problems for me. Thank goodness I have a good chriopractor!

 

My wife is 4' 11" and What I think are small feet and she Motors fine. Sit in your car maybe in your garage and take some time to adjust your seat and stearing wheel until it feels just right, thats what I did. I am 5' 5". Good luck!

 

I would just place a piece of rubber at you did under the floor mat.

Should be fine as long as it's not sliding around under there. :smile:

 

Thanks for the encouragement, I guess it will just take some time to find the right position. It took me 3 years to convince my husband to buy a MINI (our first new car since 1987) and I was worried that I had sentenced my leg to pain for the next 15 years.

 

lemnpi, try cranking your seat all the way down, and moving the steering wheel down to its lowest position. I'm about the same height and shoe size and have no problems. I've found that keeping the seat in its lowest possible position works best for me. :smile:

And, welcome to NAM! You'll find your comfort zone...keep trying!


Clover

 

I'm 5'7" short arms and legs.Of all the positions I have tried,I find the seat lowered all the way,seat back fairly upright,steering wheel almost all the way down best.I have the seat set so my arms are bent,my legs are flat,but bent, and I can put pressure on the foot rest to hold me in position.
The advantage I find with the seat lowered all the way,is that on long motors,1 or 2 clicks up,changes the position enough to help with fatigue.

 

My wife is 4' 11" wears a size 5 shoe. i'm 6' and wear a size 8 1/2 shoe. She has the seat all the way down and one notch back from forward with the seat back upright. She has had no problems on long drives. We have made two long distance trips in our 03 MCS without any problems.

Keep moving the seat to find the sweet spot. After that you will not want to stop driving your MINI.

PS: Do you have cruise control?

 

I'm 6'4" size 15 shoe and I always hit other pedals[like clutch and brake] by accident.

 

Well, I am short all over!! It took me a few weeks to get comfortable -- those were trying weeks!! I honestly thought I was going to be miserable in my new MCC! (The horror!!)

I have sports seats too -- you'll get used to them.
Foot position -- I always laugh b/c the carpet mats have the "heel rest pad" so it doesn't wear. My foot (or heel) isn't ANYWHERE near that thing!! So my small feet and frame must be seriously small!!

Hang i there, it will get better!!

 

Ahh, thank you, my ankle is feeling much better. I lowered the seat as far as it could go, and also lowered the steering wheel so that it just clears my knee when I brake - that made a big difference in the strain on my ankle. I still have the mat raised a bit in front of the gas pedal but once my ligaments heal I will try removing that. The only ache left is on the boney part of my right bottom - I still hit something hard in the bolster. I might put some padding on the seat until the seat breaks in. Thank you all for your great suggestions and encouraging words.

 

Size 6 here... haven't noticed any problem. I do however wear Piloti driving shoes, which are a good fit for my pedals.

 

I sit in my MC and my back feels better.Now would that be the result of extending my right foot

 

I have the other problem! Size 13 shoe and I have problems only hitting the gas pedal. Sometimes if I'm not paying attention I'll hit the break at the same time , or my foot can't hit the gas as I'm too high up.