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I know this may seem like a small thing to some people, but I've got a bad leg.
I recently traded in a Malibu and got a Cruze. Everything seemed OK until the last few days when there's been bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour straight. I'm constantly working the pedals and I noticed that I have to push both pedals harder than I did in the Malibu. Since I have a bad leg, over the course of an hour this REALLY added up and I feel like a just worked out in the gym. I guess you could chalk this up to the smaller engine but for comparison my wife has an even smaller engine in her Toyota and it doesn't cause this much work. The engine in her car is weaker but it's still easy to push the pedals themselves. It's like the Cruze requires more "pounds of force" I guess you could say. I didn't notice this during my 5 minute test drive but wow it's added up during a real commute. This is exactly the opposite of what I hoped for when I downsized.
Is there a "spec" for this kind of thing when shopping for a car? And is there any way a mechanic could adjust this (safely)?
Are you driving a standard transmission? If so, I'd go for an automatic, since the correct way to drive an auto is one-legged. Then you train yourself to drive with your strong leg.
As to force gauges, they exist but they aren't cheap. I reckon you'll pay multiple hundreds of dollars. You might find a cheap all-mechanical one (kind of like a fish scale in reverse); I'd look in the usual online retail sites.
Are you driving a standard transmission? If so, I'd go for an automatic, since the correct way to drive an auto is one-legged. Then you train yourself to drive with your strong leg.
As to force gauges, they exist but they aren't cheap. I reckon you'll pay multiple hundreds of dollars. You might find a cheap all-mechanical one (kind of like a fish scale in reverse); I'd look in the usual online retail sites.
I prefer manual transmissions because my right leg gets worn out driving an automatic. You use the brakes a lot more in an auto, especially in heavy traffic.
Cool. Thanks for the video. So I guess I can ask my mechanic to adjust the pedal, or get a more sensitive one. Here I thought the pedal actually went up into the engine and would be a whole involved thing to adjust.
(The internet is awesome. I never thought you'd pull up a video of Chevy Cruze pedal adjustment.)
To answer others: 1) I've always driven an automatic. Never even tried a stick.
2) My leg pain was always bearable enough to not get the handicap hand controls, although I've considered it. I do use cruise control on the highway whenever possible.
Installing hand controls legally has to be done by a licensed professional ONLY, what costs quite a bit, actually. vehicle then gets certified as legally modified. Owner gets a sticker on the body somewhere and card into his wallet. Varies. Basic hand controls are around $1200 install.
Literally all new cars don't have anything else but drive by wire systems. In such systems, there is no direct pedal to component connection. Pedals have sensors and brake pedal has stroke simulator, just to make folks believe they are really pressing brakes.
Sensitivity may be adjusted by dealer with proprietary scanner.
Installing hand controls legally has to be done by a licensed professional ONLY, what costs quite a bit, actually. vehicle then gets certified as legally modified. Owner gets a sticker on the body somewhere and card into his wallet. Varies. Basic hand controls are around $1200 install.
Literally all new cars don't have anything else but drive by wire systems. In such systems, there is no direct pedal to component connection. Pedals have sensors and brake pedal has stroke simulator, just to make folks believe they are really pressing brakes.
Sensitivity may be adjusted by dealer with proprietary scanner.
But wouldn't what the OP is complaining about be more about the springs/tensioners or whatever affect how much force is required to depress the pedal?
Installing hand controls legally has to be done by a licensed professional ONLY, what costs quite a bit, actually. vehicle then gets certified as legally modified. Owner gets a sticker on the body somewhere and card into his wallet. Varies. Basic hand controls are around $1200 install.
Literally all new cars don't have anything else but drive by wire systems. In such systems, there is no direct pedal to component connection. Pedals have sensors and brake pedal has stroke simulator, just to make folks believe they are really pressing brakes.
Sensitivity may be adjusted by dealer with proprietary scanner.
We've been through this about a month ago, but very few cars brake pedals are "by wire" with stroke simulator. Mostly electric cars/hybrids because they have regenerative braking. Otherwise the list of brake by wire non-hybrid/electric cars is pretty small. I think Alfa has it in one model, BMW in the 8 series, and a few Lexuses (Lexi?). The OP's Cruze has regular old hydraulic breaks, with the only thing we could call "by wire" is the electric vaccum pump.
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