September 2, 2008

BHR Clutch Pedal And No Seat Belts!

Man, what a night! I finally received my anticipated "Black Halo Racing Reinforced Clutch Pedal Bracket" (mouthful?) from the LEGENDARY Charles Ray Hill! My clutch pedal became quite scary the past couple of weeks. I was driving along the highway, heading home from a friends house, when in the middle of a shift I suddenly heard a really loud " CLICK" while engaging the clutch. Ever since I bought the car, the clutch pedal felt mushy (like mud mushy), but after the click, it felt even more like garbage.

After a day or two, it felt like it was getting worse and worse, so I put the car in my garage for a week and ordered the new pedal! When I got it, I went with my buddy James (not Greenblurr) to Oleg's for a big install. I had plans to finish the removal of my rear seat components as well, in this case, the seat belts. Again, I know I'm not saving that much weight by taking out the seat belts in the rear and the rear seats, and I know, it looks epic (because of those sweet bracer bars) but unpractical. But, I don't care; I hate back seats, always have, and I hate people inviting others into my car because it has (had in this case) four seats. It's just not for me folks.

The install went really well once we figured out what we were doing. We had no instructions, so we just disconnected everything we saw and went on from there. The dead pedal (where your left foot rests) might get in the way, so it's best to take that out too. If you take a look at this picture, look over to the clutch pedal on the left. The top part is bent and very flimsy. When we took it off, James thought he would snap it just by tugging it. In contrast, the BHR pedal is the definition of firm. In no way could we even slightly bend it. On top of that, the welds looked cool.

After we finished taking out the seat belts and putting the pedal back in, Oleg gave it the ole' adjustment (recommended by Ray) and I went off to test it. At first I was a bit nervous, as the catching point was much different then my previous pedal. However, I'm sure I'll get used to it. My first thought was that this thing is a beast. It literally adds a sort of "race feel" to the clutch pedal. I'm not sure if it's the spring back of the pedal or the firmness, but it feels great. I have 36,000 miles on my OEM clutch, and this clutch pedal feels as though I have an aftermarket clutch pressure plate like Oleg's. To the readers... Buy this. Even if your clutch pedal bracket is fine, I still say to buy this. This is solid and safe. It is amazing. And, it adds that race feel when engaging a gear. $175 is a steal for something with such high quality and reliability.

As I was driving around town, it felt nice and firm. But, as I drove it more and took the car out on the highway, it seemed to get stiffer. I wonder whether that is from my clutch itself, or the clutch pedal, though it could just be me. However, it seems a bit too obvious to be just my imagination. I'm not sure what it is, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just an observation. Thanks to Ray for the awesome product, and I look forward to reviewing the Ignition Solution from BHR once I get my hands on it! (If he ever releases it!)

All the pictures taken by Oleg can be seen here!

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