Superformance S1 & Size 13's...

[dhubbard422]

Hi All, I'm considering acquiring an S1, but it is located across the country and I wear size 13 shoes. I've had difficulty in both a Caterham and Birkin activating just one pedal (as opposed to two simultaneously...)

 

So, does anyone reading this forum with "big feet" have a positive or negative experience with a Superformance S1?

 

Thanks in advance,

Don

[S1Steve]

Hey Don,

 

I'm a size 12 shoe, and I never had a problem. The pedals are close, but if you wear

 

the right shoe ( something narrow) you can drive with no problem...

 

But this is from a guy that can drive it in flip-flops....

 

Enjoy your ride....

[7 plus 2]

If it's a S1 Lotus (late 50s - early 60s) the peddle box is about the same as my 1962 S2. I'm a size 12 and as S1Steve said the right shoe (I'd recommend racing shoes) and good ankles and you're good to go. Just be ready to get out every couple hundred miles to work out the kinks.

B C-ing U

[rnr]

I wear size 13s and can operate both my WCM Ultralite and a Caterham SV in racing shoes (I prefer Oakleys, Pilotis were a little too wide). No chance in sneakers though. Never tried an S1 or a Cat S3 (my knees dont fit under the dash).

 

You can often move the pedals further apart as well. How tall are you? If the S1 pedals move then you will have less room further down in the pedal box.

[speedwagon]

have a S1, size 13. I can drive with whatever is on my foot but it is tight, the right side of my toe box is pushed in to make room for the rotary starter making it worse. It is not fun for the feet and old school heel/toe could be real hard, worst thing is that there is no good place to rest the left foot except on the clutch pedal. Car is down for a heart transplant and may do something about that. If I had it to do all over again, would look for a wider frame possibly a stalker or a well documented locost. But have the S1 and have driven it as much as 750 miles in a day with one break so they are comfortable. 5' 11, about 175, 72 years, size 13 and slightly immature.

[dhubbard422]

S1Steve, 7 plus 2, rnr, Speedwagon - thank you for your replies!

 

I am 6'1", 220#, with a long torso, short-ish legs and I wear size 13 shoes. I once made the mistake of trying to drive a Birkin with running shoes on and it was very, very difficult to put my shoe on just one pedal... I expect that a proper (narrow) shoe would have helped a lot. I then sat in an older Caterham and thought that the footbox was a bit tighter than the Birkin.

 

Unfortunately, I only have this less than encouraging experience to gauge how I fit in a 7.

 

The Superformance S1 does have an adjustable (fore-aft) pedal set-up and my short-ish legs might allow me to gain a little room by moving the pedal ass'y towards me a bit, but I usually find that my seat is still mostly all-the-way-back in most vehicles that I drive.

 

Thanks again

[rnr]

Where are you located? You might be able to find a local owner to try fitting into the car

[jimrankin]

I'm only a size 10 but I have wide feet, hard to get into most shoes, and I like the pedals quite deep into the car. I ended up modifying the PEDALS since I couldn't do much about the foot well. I made the gas pedal as narrow as possible and moved it as far right as I could, then to allow for my foot not being caught under the break pedal every time I went from gas to break I cut down the lower right edge of the break pedal. To allow for left foot breaking without stabbing the clutch or moving too far right and pressing on my right foot (not good!!)I cut down the right side of the clutch pedal.

None of this had made the pedals harder to find when you want them or detracted from every day street driving. Even with thin soled driving shoes the pedals still feel "stock" and I'm a lot more comfortable on track.

[jimrankin]

Went out and took a picture of the pedal mods. Usually sit about 1" deeper into the box when I'm on track. Where they are now it's comfortable to slip my left foot under and past the clutch pedal so I can cruise with my foot straight out at rest instead of having to keep my stiff old knee bent.

[dhubbard422]

rnr - I am located in Austin TX

 

jimrankin - Thanks for the suggestions! Modifying the pedals could help and that would be relatively straight forward.

 

If there was a Superformance S1 near to Austin that I could use for a test fit, that would be really helpful.

[G2sound]

I have an S1 and size 13 feet as well. Best shoes to drive in are Merrell Barefoots or, if you can deal with the toe thing, the Vibram Five Fingers are amazing. Plenty of room for my big dogs with either of these shoes.

[dhubbard422]

It's good to know that size 12's and 13's (with appropriate footware) will fit! I tried on some Puma driving shoes, but they were too narrow. So, I started looking at the minimalist shoes. I'm not quite ready for the five fingers thing... but, I bought a pair of Merrell Barefoots last night!

 

Thanks for the suggestions.