[zzzbullseye]

I thought I'd throw together a DIY for an aluminum pedal install on an E90 LCI automatic tranny. I purchased the pedals you see here from Jose at Sonic Tuning. I'm very pleased with the quality, they're very solid and they were shipped out lightning fast - I ordered on Wednesday and had them in my hands on Friday!

I'll offer a little editorial here on the fit of these particular pedals to my '09 E90 LCI AT. The footrest and brake pedal fit spot on and the accelerator pedal sizes up okay as well. Where there is room for improvement, is in the method of mounting for the accelerator pedal. Two methods are used for the pedals, tap screws for the footrest and bolts and nuts for the brake and accelerator. The bolts/nuts work fine for the brake pedal as there is open access to the rear of the pedal. Unfortunately, access to the rear of the accelerator is limited on bottom right of the assembly and the entire back side of the pedal is somewhat uneven. I ended up having to grind down some of the plastic for the top right bolt/nut, and since there is no access to the back of the pedal on the bottom right, I decided to drill a smaller hole and drive the bolt in as if I was tapping the threads (this actually worked surprisingly well). IMO tap screws would be a better solution for the accelerator. In the end though, all pedals were mounted securely and I don't anticipate any problems with loosening.

I highly recommend disconnecting the accelerator from its mount. This will allow easier access to the rear of the pedal.

Also, take care during the install - aluminum is fairly soft stuff so it's easy to scratch the pedals with drill bits, screwdrivers, etc. I ended up will a small scratch on my brake pedal somehow...

Check out the pictures below for a step-by-step.

The pedals and packaging


Accelerator


Brake


Footrest


Tap screws, bolts, nuts, and washers.


Here's a shot of the tools I used.


Before shot of the stock setup.


I started with the accelerator as I could tell it was going to be the biggest challenge. As I mentioned above, I highly recommend removing the accelerator from its mount. The cap covering the allen bolt is highlighted in the picture below.


Remove the bolt, then lift the accelerator assembly off the metal hook used to secure it to the floorboard.




I used a quick clamp to hold the aluminum pedal to the accelerator assembly. Drill the first hole (I started with the top left) then fasten the bolt and nut. Re-position the pedal as necessary and drill a second hole on the bottom. After securing the second bolt the clamp can be removed if desired.

Use the 1/8" drill bit to drill holes for the bolts as noted in the picture below.

As mentioned above, the back side of the lower right area of the accelerator assembly is inaccessible for mounting a nut to the bolt. For the mounting hole here I used an undersized bit (7/64") and "tapped" the threads in the plastic while driving the bolt in. Obviously you won't need the nut for this bolt.




After drilling all the holes, unfasten the bolts/nuts and remove the pedal. Attach the rubber backing to the pedal and then reinstall the combo to the accelerator assembly.



In my case the bolt hole for the top right bolt ended up being too close to the plastic flange on the back of the pedal. It was necessary to grind some of the plastic down to allow room to spin the nut on the bolt. I used a Dremel Tool and small grinding wheel to accomplish this. You may or may not have similar issues depending on how you line things up.







After mounting and securing all the bolts/nuts on the accelerator and reattaching the assembly to the floorboard, I moved on to the brake pedal.


Remove the rubber cover that comes on the stock pedal.






Drilling and mounting the brake pedal is pretty straightforward. Again, I used a quick clamp to hold the aluminum pedal in place. Drill the first hole using the 1/8" drill bit then fasten the bolt/nut. Drill another hole diagonal to the first and fasten that bolt/nut. After the first two bolts are in and fastened the clamp can be removed. I used some 2x4's to brace the brake pedal while drilling, I think I read in another post where someone used a soup can...whatever works!



I used a small file to remove the burrs on the back side of the holes. This allows the nuts/washers to mount flush.



Again, after all the holes have been drilled, unfasten the bolts/nuts and remove the pedal. Attach the rubber backing to the aluminum pedal then reinstall the combo to the brake pedal.





I mounted the footrest last. I placed the floor mat back in the floorboard to help with positioning. Use a 3/32" drill bit to drill the mounting holes. No clamping here, I actually just held the aluminum footrest in place by hand while drilling the first hole and then driving the first screw. Drill the rest of the holes stopping to drive the screws in after each hole is drilled.




After all the holes have been drilled, unfasten the screws and remove the footrest. Attach the rubber backing to the footrest then reinstall the combo using the screws.



And finally...the money shots!

[jose_sonictuning]

Nice write up!

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by jose_sonictuning

Nice write up!

Thanks Jose!

[bmystic]

Looks good

[Rick4345]

EXCELLENT!! I've had some pretty good luck with a product called Flitz to remove scratches in metal. I think you could get it at a sporting goods store or automotive center.

[J330]

I plan to do this mod. Thanks for the write up.

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by Rick4345

EXCELLENT!! I've had some pretty good luck with a product called Flitz to remove scratches in metal. I think you could get it at a sporting goods store or automotive center.

Thanks for the advice on the scratch remover Rick.

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by J330

I plan to do this mod. Thanks for the write up.

No problem, glad to help out, good luck!

[viewfinder]

Excellent write up.

This picture answers my question: The aluminum foot rest is actually screwed on top of the existing plastic foot rest. This is unlike the ///M footrest where the plastic footrest needs to be removed.

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by viewfinder

Excellent write up.

This picture answers my question: The aluminum foot rest is actually screwed on top of the existing plastic foot rest. This is unlike the ///M footrest where the plastic footrest needs to be removed.

Thanks, good luck!

[bmw-hoya]

Great write up - thanks!

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by bmw-hoya

Great write up - thanks!

No problem, glad to help!

[E92-Lighting]

additional download guides are available via website

[E92-Lighting]

additional download guides are available via website

[viewfinder]

To my disappointment, the aluminum foot rest does not fit my car. It's way too long, or rather the plastic foot rest is much shorter. Why e90 has 2 different plastic foot rest?

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by viewfinder

To my disappointment, the aluminum foot rest does not fit my car. It's way too long, or rather the plastic foot rest is much shorter. Why e90 has 2 different plastic foot rest?

Sorry to hear that...what year E90 do you have?

[QLD]

Absolutely excellent tutorial, and excellent supporting pics - thankyou!

A related question I hope you or some other can help me with please.

At the same time as I remove the accelerator pedal housing to install the new alluminium pedal faces, I also wish to install a Sprint Booster.

The wires to the pedal appear to be under the carpet and I assume there's a hole in the carpet at the rear of the pedal mount on the floor?

Looking at the carpet setup in the drivers footwell area, it all seems very secure - how do I remove the carpet (or pull it back etc..) so i can add, then hide the Sprint Booster wires behind the carpet, just like the standard wires appear to be positioned?

Hope someone can help... thx

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by QLD

Absolutely excellent tutorial, and excellent supporting pics - thankyou!

A related question I hope you or some other can help me with please.

At the same time as I remove the accelerator pedal housing to install the new alluminium pedal faces, I also wish to install a Sprint Booster.

The wires to the pedal appear to be under the carpet and I assume there's a hole in the carpet at the rear of the pedal mount on the floor?

Looking at the carpet setup in the drivers footwell area, it all seems very secure - how do I remove the carpet (or pull it back etc..) so i can add, then hide the Sprint Booster wires behind the carpet, just like the standard wires appear to be positioned?

Hope someone can help... thx

Thanks for the comments. It's been awhile since I did this install, and I don't recall exactly what the layout under the pedal was...there has to be some sort of hole for the wiring to pass through though. My guess is you'll have to enlarge this hole to allow room to tuck the necessary wires and what not from the Sprint Booster under the carpet. If your booster uses a selector switch, you may need to use a coat hanger or fish tape to fish the wires through the footwell to behind the dash. I did a quick search on Sprint Boosters and found this install DIY from Turner Motorsport. It should illuminate the basic techniques/process even if you end up purchasing/installing a different model booster.

[imageautodetail]

did mine the same way except the dead pedal...see link

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=525425

[QLD]

Originally Posted by zzzbullseye

If your booster uses a selector switch, you may need to use a coat hanger or fish tape to fish the wires through the footwell to behind the dash. I did a quick search on Sprint Boosters and found this install DIY from Turner Motorsport. It should illuminate the basic techniques/process even if you end up purchasing/installing a different model booster.

Fantastic, many thanks for your help.. I appreciate it

Will check things out on the weekend.. cheers!

[ericlol]

looks like its pretty difficult,

[zzzbullseye]

Originally Posted by ericlol

looks like its pretty difficult,

I suppose "difficult" is a subjective term, but I wouldn't classify this mod as particularly difficult. Working in the footwell is a bit cramped I suppose, but drilling holes and affixing the pedals via the screws and bolts is not complicated. The one area where a little creativity was needed was on the top right bolt for the accelerator, as mentioned, I had to grind down a little plastic to allow the washer and nut to seat properly - other than that, it was pretty straightforward.