Drilled pedal covers: cool or dumb? | Garage Rescue Miata

David S. Wallens said:

Has anyone ever removed the rubber covers and just run skateboard grip tape?

Yes but it was black oxide waterproof sandpaper with epoxy

I really really like the OMP pedal set I went with --- excellent feels + everyman affordability.

Actually bought 2 sets so I could use another gas pedal to modify position and raise the dead pedal to be closer to the clutch pedal, stock R53 dead pedal is a bit too short for my comfort. A couple of aftermarket deadpedals are available but they block the fuse panel and require removal just to open it up, so a good side benefit of using the OMP is that is slightly offset enough which allows easy opening of fuse panel door.

In this pic the deadpedal appears to be magically levitating...

...but it's just because I painted the extender spacers black and they steathily disappear! LOL

 Had to go hobo with Home Depot fasteners and not happy about the phillips head but hey whatever, meant to change them but I'm lazy, was also intending to fit a black R50 cover plate to pretty it up, but again, too lazy and more pressing issues seem to pop up.

David S. Wallens said:

Has anyone ever removed the rubber covers and just run skateboard grip tape?

cmcgregor (Forum Supporter) said:

The rubber covers on my clutch and brake pedals died, so I stuck on some skateboard griptape I had sitting around. Works great.

yes  

One of the early 70s corvette roadracers we restored at an old job had coarse steel mesh tack welded to the brake and clutch pedal. No one was sliding off them. 

dean1484 said:

Don't care one way or the other. What is much more important is grip between your shoe and the peddle. I really like these. They have hard robber nubs that grip to just about any shoe superbly. 
 

This is similar to a stock 987 Cayman. Add a pair of slip on Vans and you'll be in heaven.

Running celica gts brake and clutch, they're the aluminum with rubber bits. I like them.

I picked up a lexus is300 throttle pedal to match, not installed yet. Im lazy, parts pile up.

From the factory?  Yes

after market? No, yes, no.  Well, yes  

David, I've done skate board tape once.  It was grippy, too grippy sometimes when your feet are flying from pedal to pedal.  I've also cut grooves in the pedals (no rubber cover) and more than once covered them with thin aluminum diamond plate.  Nice looking nubs that work well; I've actually sent some of that material out in the annual Christmas box swap.  Hang in there, you may end up with it some year.  =~ )

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

One of the early 70s corvette roadracers we restored at an old job had coarse steel mesh tack welded to the brake and clutch pedal. No one was sliding off them. 

I've seen that too - extruded metal.

L5wolvesf said:

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

One of the early 70s corvette roadracers we restored at an old job had coarse steel mesh tack welded to the brake and clutch pedal. No one was sliding off them. 

I've seen that too - extruded metal.

It's a great idea, would be easy to wrap some chicken wire around a pedal and tack it on.

whats the fix when you have a size 15 shoe and on a automatic i hit the brake and gas at the same time (very scarey sometimes) on a clutch car my toe hits the bottom of the dash close out!! 

David S. Wallens said:

Has anyone ever removed the rubber covers and just run skateboard grip tape?

I do this with almost everything I own.

Keith Tanner said:

We actually did some testing on ours, and they have more grip than rubber or smooth metal pedal when you have wet shoes. 50% more grip when dry and 30% more grip when wet. The important thing is that they're not just drilled, they have ridges.

 

Square left in 50 caution ocean! - Author of How To Build a High Performance Mazda Miata

I don't remember the pedal covers that I installed being that grippy back in the day, and figure that I was wearing Vans then, too. But I'm still happy with them. 

Another +1. For the skateboard grip tape.

Works good, I like it!

They're great for cars that have skinny OE pedals when you like to drive around barefoot.  Other than that, primarily aesthetic. 

Grip tape will save your life in the rain and cut a lot of time off driver changes when applied to the floorboard of a race car, though.  

In reply to Tyler H (Forum Supporter) :

That is a good point about grip tape on the floor. Nothing graceful about trying to get in or out of a race car and having your feet slip out from beneath you. 

Update: I figured out the source of the pedal covers. 

BITD, I worked in Atlanta for a company called Automod. We were a warehouse distributor for companies that sold parts for race cars and sports cars--think Momo, Nardi, Hella, Koni, K&N, Weber, Pace Setter, Kamei, Zender, Amco, etc., etc. 

There was another company in Atlanta called Sport Auto. I'm pretty sure they were one of our customers. Anyway, I came across their catalog yesterday while looking for an issue of Sports Car Graphic.

And that's when it hit me. 

No idea on the brand, but now I remember getting the covers from them.

Just for fun, some more pics from the catalog.

So, I'm pretty sure that I found the manufacturer of the Miata's pedal covers: Razo. 

I was looking for something else and came across their old catalog online. You can read the company's history here. 

Plus their instructions seem to jibe with what I have. 

Interesting that the photo in the Auto Sport catalog shows the brake and clutch reversed from Razo's catalog. Do I swap the covers? I dunno.

I didn't install the gas pedal cover because it's kind of a pain and I'm happy with the stock Miata cover. Maybe one day. 

In 2005 I visited Razo/Carmate while in Japan for the Tokyo Auto Salon. We got the nickel tour, played with r/c cars in their warehouse, and went for rides with some people (employees?) through the neighborhood.

Here are some pics:

And here are pics from the drive through the neighborhood:

Razo!? 

It's been a long time since I've heard that name!  They we're pretty popular back in the late 90's/early 2000's

David S. Wallens said:

No idea on the brand, but now I remember getting the covers from them.

Interesting part numbers.

Worker: "Thanks for calling Sport Auto! How may I help you?
 

Customer: "I want BQPEDALAUT! And SKMMSUE!"

In reply to GCrites80s :

Okay, so someone else noticed the part numbers. Yeah. Auto Sport was our local source for SuperTrapps, too. Pretty sure that's where I got mine. 

In reply to BA5 :

Razo was at SEMA a few years ago--like, I believe about five years or so ago.

I had their round leather knob in my EG Civic. It was perfect. I have one or two of the resin round knobs on the shelf.