[hiren959]

Very interesting thread GTO, thanks for that. Voted for Organ type.

I am a complete fanatic of the organ type of accelerator, for me low sitting position with organ type is like GOD. Even it will be a deal breaker for me. That is the only reason I dont like Audis (except Q3 and R8)
This is nowadays not available in any car except Civic and high end luxury cars.
Even Skoda has discontinued organ type accelerator in their new range of Octavia and Superb. So the starting car with organ type is only Jetta now.

[TorqueyTechie]

Voted for organ type. Having used both organ type and suspended type, I would anyday prefer organ type. Apart from ergonomics, it also helps keep the foot from slipping ( I have shoes with slippery heels and I have faced it sometimes in my current ride). And I have always felt that the feedback was much better in organ type.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

All the cars I've driven with organ type pedals, E class, Jetta, Laura had a very heavy feel to them. They were not easy to get fine modulation. It's not a problem in an Automatic, but in the manuals it results in jerky shifts.

German cars were available with MTs at one point in time and they weren't jerky at all. My C220 was an MT with an organ type accelerator and it wasn't jerky at all. Neither is the current Jetta 6-speed MT.

That 'heaviness' you speak of is by design. Some manufacturers add weight to the accelerator, some don't.

Originally Posted by Maverick1977

If you voted for the Organ type accelerator pedal, do remember that the humble BEST Bus in Mumbai also has the same type of pedal. I am so used to the suspended type & feel that flooring it is much easier!

A lot of trucks & buses use the organ-type accelerator. If long distance tourers use it, you can bet on its ergonomic superiority.

Originally Posted by gthang

The risk of jammed pedal due to foreign object such as sandals or rolling water bottles are higher with suspended pedals.

True. Although a jammed accelerator pedal might not cause as much trouble as a jammed brake pedal! But I agree with you - an organ-type accelerator won't jam, and its position might stop a bottle from getting under the brake pedal too.

Originally Posted by aashishnb

Something out of the box : if organ type is more ergonomic & less stressful, as explained above; why don't car manufacturers put all 3 as organ type or at least the Clutch & accelerator

The clutch & brake require greater effort and that's best done using your thigh muscles.

However, you'll see the organ-type of pedal used in some CVs with air brakes.

[Soumyajit9]

Looking at Mazda's logic given on first page, I feel that Organ type is better than Suspended type. I haven't driven an organ type pedal car though.

However, from my personal experience, I have to also mention that the Seat Height and Seating Position plays a major role in the "feels comfortable" part.

I drive a Chevrolet Beat (own) and a Maruti Wagon R (parents). I will tell you my experience.

The Chevrolet Beat has a very low seating position, with no under-thigh support. Being 5'10" in height, I have two options-
- Push the seat back so that my legs can stretch and the under-thigh can rest on the seat, and the heels can rest comfortably on the suspended pedals. Disadvantage is, the steering goes far away. So I have to drive with fully stretched arms.
- Or, slide the seat to a position where steering wheel is at a comfortable position. Disadvantage is, my under-thigh is now suspended and I am now seating in a Couching position. After a short drive, the thighs, knees and heels start hurting.

In Maruti Wagon R, the seat is position a bit high, from the floor level.
So when I sit, my under-thighs are completely placed on the seat and only my heels are managing the suspended pedals. The position is more like sitting on a straight chair. The drive is much much relaxed. There is no pain in knees or thigh muscles after a long journey (apart from the back pain due to un-ergonomic seat design).

So I have come to a conclusion that Seat Height is very important whether you hav an organ type or a suspended type pedal.

[crdi]

Never felt any difference between both when it comes to ease of use. Although i feel that the suspended one will keep the foot well and the associated mechanical, electrical, electronic connections of the pedals cleaner. Could someone tell me the use of that mini pedal seen in the first picture.

[KiloAlpha]

Given my height and body type, I have always found the suspended type accelerator pedal most comfortable for all purposes.

Having said that, when it comes to heel-toe, the good ole Ambassador had the perfect pedal arrangement with a suspended accelerator pedal!! See this pic:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...y-mds_6426.jpg

You could brake with the ball of your foot (conventional heel-toe) or, alternatively, press the brake with the heel and accelerator linkage rod with the toe! Both gave fine degrees of control over accelerator and brake input. Amazing it was!

[tsk1979]

I wish there was a third option in the poll.
"Before I saw this poll I never really noticed a what type of accelerator pedal my car had"

Let me tell you my story. When I reviewed the Elantra one of the features was "Organ type accelerator pedal". Only then I started noticing what was there in my car.
Frankly speaking, it does not matter for me. As long as I can press it comfortably with my heel resting on the floor, I am okay.

[condor]

Originally Posted by GTO

On the other hand, in cheaper cars, suspended pedals dominate the scene (although some old models like the Premier Padmini had organ-type accelerators):

Did the Padmini have an organ type or a pedal that went thru the floor ? (Been a long time since I sat in one, after the one we sold in 2000).

Originally Posted by GTO

Even my Civic had it - made a noticeable difference on long drives.

Even our commercial vehicles have it ! Must be for this good reason ..

Originally Posted by saket77

You can always keep your ankle rested on the floor and use that as a pivot even while dealing with a suspended type pedal.

Me thinks that the shape of the accelerator pedal makes a difference. My Sumo has a suspended pedal, with the pedal itself being flat. This made is easy to rest the full foot on the floor, and operate the accelerator with just the toes, mainly the thumb-toe. However, in the Safari, the pedal is curved. Makes it difficult to keep the foot on the floor. I am actually looking to make the pedal flat by using some rubber padding.

[abhishek46]

Voted for suspended type as i have no experience of organ type.
By the way, i recollect most of the buses and trucks having organ type accelerator pedal. Any reason for this?

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by GTO

The clutch & brake require greater effort and that's best done using your thigh muscles.

Future, drive-by-wire technology, can enable the use of organ type pedals for all three ABC.

Is Drive - by - wire practical for use in B and C pedals?

[drive2eternity]

Voted for the Organ type.

Reason being, I get a strange pain on my right heel after long drives. I think the organ type accelerator, by its very design is better for long drives. The only downside I see, is cleaning the surrounding area.

[umeshd]

I voted for suspended because all my cars (Indica / Ikon / Manza) had those type of pedals (although I have driven FIAT and Omni too a few times) however, feel it would depend on personal choice and how one adjusts driving position.

I usually change seat position (and Steering position too at times) to suit the kind of traffic I am facing. So while doing Mumbai - Pune drives, I start with City Driving position i.e. Seat pushed ahead, high & Steering position, then switch to a relaxed driving position (Seat Pushed back / lower height, steering lowered) while on highways and then switch back to City position as needed.

[BeantownThinker]

Voted for organ type pedal, purely from safety and ergonomics perspective. While people with long feet can easily use the heel as a fulcrum to operate the suspended accelerator pedal, people with shorter feet cannot do so. The organ-type pedal eliminates this and makes the experience same for both.

Originally Posted by GTO

But I agree with you - an organ-type accelerator won't jam, and its position might stop a bottle from getting under the brake pedal too.

The clutch & brake require greater effort and that's best done using your thigh muscles.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Future, drive-by-wire technology, can enable the use of organ type pedals for all three ABC.

Is Drive - by - wire practical for use in B and C pedals?

Just a thought here, why can't the clutch and brake pedals be over-servoed to manage the additional effort needed? Then it need not be drive-by-wire. By over-servoed, I mean a small effort by the foot translates to a larger output at the end. I hope you get what I mean.

[E30_325iSport]

The biggest advantage of Organ type pedals is that they keep the ball of the foot (below the big toe) in constant contact with the pedal through the whole range of the pedal movement.

In pendulum pedals (or suspended type) this is not the case. The ball of the foot moves progressively away from the pedal as the pedal is actuated from 0% to 100%. This means some drivers may need to constantly adjust their foot position.

There is no advantage to heel and toe with either type, heel and toe is more a function of accelerator and brake pedal spacing than accelerator pedal type.

The biggest advantage of pendulum pedals over organ pedal is that they don't need an anchor point in the floor like organ pedals. This has a big impact on Body-In-White complexity and crash safety.

[lamborghini]

Organ pedal for me!

Our etios has the suspended mechanism, and the Laura has the organ type - no points for guessing which is more comfortable, though I wouldn't complain about either one (i.e. it isn't a hit or break feature for me, if it is properly designed).

However, in the Linea which I drove recently, I found my foot slipping off the accelerator and brake - which is the biggest issue with poorly designed suspended pedals IMO.