Bend your brake pedal lately?

[maxfax]

I know I tend to be a bit hard on machinery, but... has anyone else bent their brake pedal or am I just a neanderthal?  I've bent 3 now over the past many years..  2 of them on previous Rabbits where during a panic stop with a failed vac pump, I thought nothing of it...  Straightened the one but it bent again..  Tonight I wailed on the brakes for a deer, brakes worked fantastically since everything was replaced, but once again the woah pedal is now too close the go pedal and I keep catching it with my big foot..

I know there probably really isn't any fix other than adding some reinforcement to the next pedal I install, but I was curious if anyone else has done this, or if I'm just too mean to the Bunny...

[745 turbogreasel]

My hoses always blew out on the Caddy before the pedal could bend.
I dropped the bearings out of the steering column here one great day....
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=California+17,+California&ie=UTF8&hl=en&geocode=FTD0NgIdEK-6-A&split=0&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.875,57.630033&hq=&hnear=California+17,+California&ll=37.122465,-121.972943&spn=0.433618,1.0849&t=h&z=10&layer=c&cbll=37.122465,-121.972943&panoid=4gzi1KthZod5UBVgrd69sg&cbp=12,37.74,,0,5
Damn you  google street view!

[rabbitman]

or am I just a neanderthal?

yup

I've heard of it being done but never seen it........or done it

Maybe your brakes are having issues.

[maxfax]

  I replaced everything on the brakes about 3 weeks ago, I'm thinking it is just a matter that I'm used to the brakes sucking.. When I wailed the pedal things happened for once!   It went from 75mph to 0 PDQ...

[RadoTD]

11.3" rotors + girling 54 calipers + Hawk HP Plus + stainless lines = amazing 
You won't go bending any brake pedals there!

Maybe you should gusset yours? just weld some extra support on there..

[GEE-BEE]

MKII 16 v master and Corrado brakes here
all new s/s hardlines

Going with a set of 16 v spindles soon so I can install 100mm outer cv's

GB

[R.O.R-2.0]

no, its not you brett.. these pedals are just weak. i bend all my pedals too. well, usually. and like you, its almost never on purpose.

one time i bent the pedal trying to bleed the brakes. brake line still had a little piece of lead in it from the split shot i used to fix a brake leak.

[maxfax]

Thankyou Kevin.. I feel better now..     They are rather chincy, I reached in there today and bent it back one handed..    I suppose in reality now that the brakes are in decent working order, there is no need to stomp em as hard as I can..  Old habits die hard though, I'm gonna molest the next pedal and make it stronger...

[theman53]

I thought the bending brake pedal was a German safety device so you didn't blow the seals out on the master cylinder
2 of my MKI I seem to recall now bending brake pedals. The 81 and 84 Rabbits I don't have anymore.

[maxfax]

 Reinforcing the pedal seems like a bad idea to me.  It might keep you from bending the pedal, but cause some other component to fail in that panic stop situation and that other component will cause a total failure of the brake system and cause you to hit whatever you are trying to avoid.

The more I thought about it, and the lazier I got, I just slapped another in there.. I started visualizing the booster breaking outta the fire wall..     The brakes on this car have always been crap, and I just continued to "patch em up" to keep it going..  Now that they will actually work as they should I've got to train myself not to slam them so hard..

[8v-of-fury]

Fastest braking and best control of the vehicle is just before the wheels lock up.  Once skidding, braking be extended and control of the vehicle is greatly diminished.  If you are locking up the wheels and skidding, then it is an indication to press slightly less hard rather than more hard.

A.K.A. Threshold Braking learn to love it on non-abs cars lol

[R.O.R-2.0]

ABS freaks me out.. i hate it that the pedal pushes back at you..

ive actually been in a wreck BECAUSE of ABS..

truck off the bank because it pushed back too hard and basically let the truck roll right off the road. had i had normal brakes, it would have never left the road..