Why does BMW love floor-mounted throttle pedals so much?

[ELVA164]

I've thought about this a few times before and never really came up with a great answer, so I thought I'd see if someone else has one. There isn't a huge difference in the performance of a hanging pedal vs. a floor-mounted one I suppose, except perhaps in feel and/or geometry through the pedal's sweep, but a floor-mounted pedal does bring a couple unfortunate side-effects like rust at the mounting location. Interestingly, BMW has used the same basic design since the 2002. Some thoughts I had were possibly cost and/or packaging, but those are just guesses. Any ideas?

[BimmerBreaker]

It's a sports car thing... hanging pedals are cheaper but floor pedals give a better feel and are easier to modulate and easier to heel-toe.

[ELVA164]

It's a sports car thing... hanging pedals are cheaper but floor pedals give a better feel and are easier to modulate and easier to heel-toe.

Weird, I've always preferred hanging ones in the sports/formula cars I've driven.

[CaptainStark]

Funny, if I re-collect, my E39 pedal is a cheap piece of creased plastic that pushes on a pedal arm hanging down like a suspended pedal. I have often wondered why they do that.

(My brother raced his white Elva for years in CA and then swapped into a '64 Lotus 23 which is just getting re-painted to be sold. He has raced for nearly 30 years from Sear Point and Laguna Seca to Willow Springs and Coronado. BIG fun!)

[ELVA164]

Funny, if I re-collect, my E39 pedal is a cheap piece of creased plastic that pushes on a pedal arm hanging down like a suspended pedal. I have often wondered why they do that.

(My brother raced his white Elva for years in CA and then swapped into a '64 Lotus 23 which is just getting re-painted to be sold. He has raced for nearly 30 years from Sear Point and Laguna Seca to Willow Springs and Coronado. BIG fun!)

I just looked it up, and it looks like the E39 and E60 use a floor-hinged pedal with a potentiometer instead of a cable.

Amy photos of the Elva or the 23? That's very cool! It looks like we may be bringing a few cars to Sears Point next year which would be very exciting!

[XAlt]

E39 pedals have the bad habit of being sensitive, but that's probably FBW for you. Floor mounted or top mounted doesn't really mater to me, my foot fits like a glove in either.

[BimmerBreaker]

Almost all fly by wire BMWs are floor hinged pedals that pull on levers above the pedal to actuate the potentiometer

[montaillou]

...my foot fits like a glove...

I just found this statement...thoughtful

[CaptainStark]

Me in the Elva at Laguna Seca two weeks before 911...



The Lotus getting some work done in the driveway...

[ELVA164]

No way! I know that MkVI! We've helped Joey out on a number of occasions! It's a very cool piece. I think I have some photos of it here....

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Found them! This is this past April:

[CaptainStark]

My brother sold it to a guy in Oregon. If Joey is from there, that's the car. If not, he may have sold it on...