[theinvisible]

I'm 5 foot 6 inches tall, and I find the clutch pedal to be really far away. When I adjust the seat close enough for me to comfortably press the clutch all the way in, the steering wheel is too close to me. I adjusted the steering wheel all the way back.

I don't recall ever experiencing this on another manual car before. I don't think I'm *that* short. Are there any other short-er people driving manual 2 series here?

[1more1]

I can't chime in really cause I'm tall but it's a common complaint that the clutch pedal travel is too long on this car.

A lot of members use a clutch stop to shorten it. Maybe that's something you can try

[morphomeman]

How far back do you keep your arms, OP?
Do you keep the seat back close to vertical?
Many people sit at too great an angle.
BMW recommends that you keep the seat back close to vertical and be able to rest your wrists comfortably on the top of the steering wheel.
That feels too close for some people, but it gives you better steering control and you will get used to it pretty quickly.
Try it and see if it helps with the leg length.
And 5'6" is not really short. Many people are shorter, including a large fraction of women.

[harma24]

Advice on seating position:

[Sportstick]

Humorous play between your height and screen name!

Check out the below. This could make you much more comfortable without compromising safety by being too close to the wheel/air bag hub.

https://www.discovermymobility.com/s...BoCOj0QAvD_BwE

[Finn Germai-Yaz]

https://burgertuning.com/products/bm...06-mini-cooper

[bongko]

I added pedal pads and they give you some extra space

[XutvJet]

You might want to try the Ultimate Clutch Pedal. It lowers the resting point of the clutch pedal to just below the brake pedal, basically removing about 1" of upward resting space. It also makes the clutch take-up distance a bit less and you can adjust it for firmness as well.

It seems a bit counter intuitive to actually lower the clutch pedal to address your issue, but perhaps it would help you because it could get the pedal more even so you don't have so much leg lift coming off the pedal and the shorter take-up might help as well.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-1...hoCwRcQAvD_BwE

[HogFan760]

OP, I’m only 5’6” as well and the clutch pedal does seem very far away. It took a little getting used to sitting this close, because to depress the pedal all the way, I have to move the seat up pretty far. I had this same issue on my Corvette. In Vette, the solution was to buy a pedal extender. Yep, those exist in the Corvette world and I looked for a solution for my 2. I’m glad you posted this because I just ordered the Burger Tuning part. I didn’t even know it was a thing. I’ll try that and maybe be able to push my seat back ever so slightly.

I do find that in my current seating position, I have full control of the car. I’m used to sitting upright because my last 2 cars were the Corvette and an ND Miata. Also, I learned proper seating position at the BMW driving school. If you haven’t had a chance to do that, I encourage you to do so. It’s a fun event and great learning experience.

Anyway, glad that I’m not the only person to have this problem.

[MLJR235]

Seat positioning is EVERYTHING in this car. @ 5 7 myself, it took me some time to find the perfect placement and even, to this day, find myself slightly adjusting depending on the shoes I wear.. Not impossible but yes, the clutch travel is wild in this car.

I jumped in my buddies '16 wrx and almost died. The travel is almost nonexistent. You can go from pressing all the way down to fully out position without even extending your leg, just foot action lol .

[Shovelman]

At 5'6" I also had to make an adjustment. The problem is that the clutch and brake are not aligned. Easy fix was to attach a 3/4" thick wooden block to the pedal and reinstall the rubber pad. (had to make a groove in the wood to accommodate the rib around the pad)

Also I made aluminum risers for the driver's seat. (manual seat) 1 1/4" works out for me.

BTW, 5' 6" is just about the average for all drivers in the US. We should be easily accommodated in any vehicle but seats are generally designed for the vertically challenged (those over 6'6") Folks under 5'0" must just be accustomed to peering thru the wheel.

A couple of years ago I found myself in a rented Jeep. Had to borrow one of those huge cushions off the patio furniture to get comfortable.

[Aspen235]

My 5'1" daughter manages to autox my car without much issue.
I'm 5'7" and never thought about it until this thread. YMMV

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Aspen235

My 5'1" daughter manages to autox my car without much issue.
I'm 5'7" and never thought about it until this thread. YMMV

Does she maintain 10” minimum distance from air bag hub to her sternum?

[Aspen235]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

Does she maintain 10” minimum distance from air bag hub to her sternum?

Probably not, I should measure it.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Aspen235

Probably not, I should measure it.

Quite a few people (don't mean to be sexist, but I've mostly observed among women) will "drape" their forearms down the face of the steering wheel rim instead of holding their arms out in front of them. This unfortunately reduces the distance to the hub. If you notice she is doing that, the first helpful step would be the seat adjustment to the point when her absolutely straight ahead arms land on the top of the rim at the watchband. Then, she can bend the elbows enough to bring the hands rearward to hold the rim.

[HogFan760]

I got my burger Motorsport part and installed it. OMG! What a difference it makes. I always thought there was way too much travel in the clutch, but wow, now the engagement is almost instant. It feels so much closer to where the clutch was in my corvette and Miata. My shifts are so much smoother and now I find it a joy.

As far as seating position? I moved the seat back slightly but I wouldn’t say it made that drastic of a difference. I will note that the clutch stop will not be for everyone. The clutch engagement is maybe 1” from the “floor” now. I love it, but I can see how some people would hate that. You can adjust it by using less spacers. I have all of them in there.

[Shovelman]

A caution with devices that shorten the travel of the pedal; you must be sure that the clutch fully engages and disengages. If it doesn't fully engage you can smoke the clutch disk and wear out the throwout bearing. OTOH if it doesn't fully disengage you can wear out the synchromesh and the gears might grind.

This is per my understanding of older clutches in other brands. BMW may be a little different.

[RoundelM3]

Have you tried platform shoes?

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

A caution with devices that shorten the travel of the pedal; you must be sure that the clutch fully engages and disengages. If it doesn't fully engage you can smoke the clutch disk and wear out the throwout bearing. OTOH if it doesn't fully disengage you can wear out the synchromesh and the gears might grind.

This is per my understanding of older clutches in other brands. BMW may be a little different.

The only major difference with BMW and other modern clutches is the release / throwout bearing is permanently engaged, so it is not subject to increased wear, as it is always spinning with the clutch cover plate whether the clutch is engaged or disengaged.

[MLJR235]

Originally Posted by RoundelM3

Have you tried platform shoes?

Almost any variation of Nike running shoes add some feet cushion for added reach

Converse, while comfy, will be on the other end of the spectrum with almost no heel cushion, so adjustment is almost always required.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by MLJR235

Almost any variation of Nike running shoes add some feet cushion for added reach

If you want to operate your clutch with greater assurance in the hope that it will lower your 0-60 ET, I suspect your best bet is the successor below to the Nike shoes that have been blowing away world records.

Nike claims the shoe's full-length carbon fiber plate(!) "provides a snappy sensation with each step", so engaging and disengaging the clutch is bound to be more exciting than ever before!

[HogFan760]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

A caution with devices that shorten the travel of the pedal; you must be sure that the clutch fully engages and disengages. If it doesn't fully engage you can smoke the clutch disk and wear out the throwout bearing. OTOH if it doesn't fully disengage you can wear out the synchromesh and the gears might grind.

This is per my understanding of older clutches in other brands. BMW may be a little different.

IDk if it’s fully engaged or not. The car starts with the clutch pedal depressed and when depressed with the BM stops in there, I can’t tell if there is any action going on. You still have to let up on the clutch for anything to move and you can feel the clutch taking up after a little bit of distance. That distance is now much shorter.

For shoes? I wear vans most of the time. I find that when I wear thicker sole shoes, I can’t “feel” the clutch as well. I avoid those shoes when I’m driving. And my feet always feel like they are getting in the way of the pedals, getting caught on the floor mat, etc…