Preface
If you're uncomfortable with your clutch pedal postion then this upgrade may be for you. As much I love and enjoy my RT/10 I always felt uncomfortable with the stock clutch pedal position. I'm used to having the clutch match the height of my brake pedal on my daily drivers and I've always felt that the Viper clutch sat too high. This became more evident to me as I began to track the Viper so I began looking for a way to optimize my clutch pedal position.
Roe Racing sells a Clutch Pedal Modification Kit for 96-02 Viper which lowers the clutch pedal by about 1" roughly matching the height of the brake pedal. This results in are a shorter pedal throw, faster clutch actuation and improved clutch motion ratio. The kit is fairly straightforward to install and can be completed in less than an hour.
Tools Required
- one (1) Roe Clutch Lowering Kit
- Flat Head Screwdriver
- Flashlight or Shop Light
- Duct Tape
- Six Pack (for Dave6666)
Procedure
1. You'll have to get on your back and slide/worm under the dashboard on the driver side of the car. It's a tight fit but at 6' 1" and 280lbs I was able to squeeze under there (Crisco helped) and perform the installation. Was it uncomfortable? YES but it was well worth it. Remember, we're working with the clutch pedal (the one to the left
):
2. We're going to be removing a couple of retaining clips, large and small flat washers. It's very easy to drop these items and loose them behind the carpet. (Don't ask me how i know this). On the left-hand side of the footwell, under the dash (looking up), is the top of the carpet with an opening behind it. It's very easy to drop these fasteners behind here:
To avoid uncessary cussing, cover this opening with duct tape. You'll be glad you did:
3. We need to remove the clutch link. The clutch link is located to the left of the clutch pedal assembly under the dashboard:
In order to remove the clutch link we need to remove the 2 (two) retaining clips holding the clutch link in place. Remove the clips by grabbing the short bent lip on one end and pulling the clip toward you. There's a 'catch' on the other end of the clip to help keep it from sliding off the pin. You will need to insert a flat head screwdriver into the clip to pry the 'catch' to get it to go over the top of the pin.
Another view of the retaining clip near the firewall:
Under each retaining clip is a large metal washer and small plastic washer. Remove these as well. Remove the link by simply sliding it off of the mounting pins. Do not remove the two black plastic collars from the clutch link mounting pins. The black plastic collars are sandwiched between the link bars in the picture above.
Here's a shot of the Roe link next to the OEM link along with the retaining clips and washers we just removed:
4. Install the new clutch link onto the mounting pins followed by the small plastic washer, large washer and retaining clips. You will need to push the clutch pedal in a bit to get the link to install onto both pins.
Push the retaining clips over the mounting pins. You should feel the 'catch' lock over the pin to keep it from sliding off. Rotate the clips so that the flat bent lip is on the top side of the pin.
5. We're done. The clutch should now be 1" lower and slightly higher than the brake pedal:
Double-check that the retaining clips are locked in and will not pull off. You don't want these coming lose while driving. Test the clutch pedal movement. The overall clutch pedal height is lower by about 1". This means that the pedal to clutch master ratio has been slightly changed which can allow for faster engagement/disengagement of the clutch.
I also noticed that I no longer hit my knee on the knee bolster when engaging/disengaging the clutch. The new pedal position may take some time to get used to so get out on the road and get used to the new pedal location.
Please contact me with any question/feedback. - Tony
If you're uncomfortable with your clutch pedal postion then this upgrade may be for you. As much I love and enjoy my RT/10 I always felt uncomfortable with the stock clutch pedal position. I'm used to having the clutch match the height of my brake pedal on my daily drivers and I've always felt that the Viper clutch sat too high. This became more evident to me as I began to track the Viper so I began looking for a way to optimize my clutch pedal position.
Roe Racing sells a Clutch Pedal Modification Kit for 96-02 Viper which lowers the clutch pedal by about 1" roughly matching the height of the brake pedal. This results in are a shorter pedal throw, faster clutch actuation and improved clutch motion ratio. The kit is fairly straightforward to install and can be completed in less than an hour.
Tools Required
- one (1) Roe Clutch Lowering Kit
- Flat Head Screwdriver
- Flashlight or Shop Light
- Duct Tape
- Six Pack (for Dave6666)
Procedure
1. You'll have to get on your back and slide/worm under the dashboard on the driver side of the car. It's a tight fit but at 6' 1" and 280lbs I was able to squeeze under there (Crisco helped) and perform the installation. Was it uncomfortable? YES but it was well worth it. Remember, we're working with the clutch pedal (the one to the left
):
2. We're going to be removing a couple of retaining clips, large and small flat washers. It's very easy to drop these items and loose them behind the carpet. (Don't ask me how i know this). On the left-hand side of the footwell, under the dash (looking up), is the top of the carpet with an opening behind it. It's very easy to drop these fasteners behind here:
To avoid uncessary cussing, cover this opening with duct tape. You'll be glad you did:
3. We need to remove the clutch link. The clutch link is located to the left of the clutch pedal assembly under the dashboard:
In order to remove the clutch link we need to remove the 2 (two) retaining clips holding the clutch link in place. Remove the clips by grabbing the short bent lip on one end and pulling the clip toward you. There's a 'catch' on the other end of the clip to help keep it from sliding off the pin. You will need to insert a flat head screwdriver into the clip to pry the 'catch' to get it to go over the top of the pin.
Another view of the retaining clip near the firewall:
Under each retaining clip is a large metal washer and small plastic washer. Remove these as well. Remove the link by simply sliding it off of the mounting pins. Do not remove the two black plastic collars from the clutch link mounting pins. The black plastic collars are sandwiched between the link bars in the picture above.
Here's a shot of the Roe link next to the OEM link along with the retaining clips and washers we just removed:
4. Install the new clutch link onto the mounting pins followed by the small plastic washer, large washer and retaining clips. You will need to push the clutch pedal in a bit to get the link to install onto both pins.
Push the retaining clips over the mounting pins. You should feel the 'catch' lock over the pin to keep it from sliding off. Rotate the clips so that the flat bent lip is on the top side of the pin.
5. We're done. The clutch should now be 1" lower and slightly higher than the brake pedal:
Double-check that the retaining clips are locked in and will not pull off. You don't want these coming lose while driving. Test the clutch pedal movement. The overall clutch pedal height is lower by about 1". This means that the pedal to clutch master ratio has been slightly changed which can allow for faster engagement/disengagement of the clutch.
I also noticed that I no longer hit my knee on the knee bolster when engaging/disengaging the clutch. The new pedal position may take some time to get used to so get out on the road and get used to the new pedal location.
Please contact me with any question/feedback. - Tony
