[honda_guy]

I'm the proud owner of a 2015 Accord Sport w/ 6-speed! :grin I'm coming from a 2008 Fit that was a great car but I wanted something a little bigger for the family. So far I'm very happy with it, particularly the MPG is astonishing for a car this size (34-35MPG on my 70 mile ground trip commute.)

However I have a huge problem that went undetected during the test drives: the drivers side footrest! That thing is massive and makes my left leg ache if I actually use it to 'rest' my foot.

Compared to the Fit it feels like I now have less leg room. No doubt the marketing guys have figured out how to measure the space and make it seem larger, but the footrest occupies about 25% of the space down there and gets in the way. I compared against my Tundra and Honda Pilot and both have a much smaller and totally unobtrusive rest - just a half inch bump on the floor.

I searched the web and this website but didn't find any solutions. So I decided to pull the %#@* thing out! Turns out that it's under the carpet so removal isn't as simple as it should be. One must:
1) Remove the little cover on the gas/trunk lock
2) Unlock the gas/trunk lever if it was locked
3) Pull up the door sill (just use your hands and pull straight up)
4) Pull apart the door seal covering the drivers kick panel
5) Pull off the drivers kick panel (pull the part near the engine toward the middle of the car, then pull the whole panel back)
6) Pull the carpeting up
7) Rip out the footrest - it's glued to the carpet with 'goo' (not glue)

It's just a block of styrofoam. That thing is HUGE! However simply removing it presents some new problems:
1) The carpet is molded to the shape of the footrest and will not simply lay flat after removing the block. It's like a hollow Mt Rushmore!
2) The footrest is actually an integral part of the floor. There's a fairly large gap remaining if it's just taken out (perhaps 2"x2"x4") At least part of this thing must remain behind
3) The rubber slab on the carpeting is permanently attached with glue.

I decided to simply reduce the size by cutting off a wedge with a saw. Did that, and things seemed better. But after a couple days of driving I decided I wanted more.

So I cut off another wedge - this put a smile on my face for the first day, but now I want more.

Anyone rip this thing out completely? I can imagine I'd love the space down there but don't want that saggy pouch of carpeting sticking up with the silly rubber slab still stuck to it.

Honda - you screwed up!

 

[honda_guy]

Solved!

Ok I went ahead and cut the footrest even more despite the lack of feedback. What was there to lose? Worst case scenario: replace the giant block of foam with a new one from the dealer.

So I ended up cutting it in three phases and drove a couple days after each one:
1) A wedge about 1" wide at the top and tapering down to the bottom of the rest, with the cut ending at the bend at the bottom edge of the flat area. This reduced the angle.
2) A 1/2" wide slab evenly across the whole flat area. This should have moved the whole thing back. However any more than this is not beneficial since the bottom of the black rubber pad cannot move toward the firewall at all since the carpeting is molded into a rigid shape.
3) Removed a slightly curved section, tapering off at the top and bottom, about 1/2" thick in the middle. This still allowed the 'blob' of foam at the top to fit into the hollow space found within the firewall padding and thus keep the block in place. I also could cut the bottom more due to the shape of the carpeting. This has the effect of moving the rest even more toward the firewall will allowing some support to remain.

Then I added a 1/2" wide strip of scraps to the right hand edge of the rest and trimmed it to the thickness of the block. Thus the rest is now lower and wider than before. When the carpeting smushes down it naturally becomes wider to accommodate the added width. Adding more than this would have intruded into the space needed to operate the clutch. (Stuck these strips on there with spray adhesive)

Finally I used CRC spray adhesive on the side of the block and the top and some on the carpeting. I put it all back together starting on the side, then the top. It is now as firm as can be, although not as firm as the factory block (not to mention footrests in other cars that have metal as the frame...)

It was well worth the effort! The car truly feels great now. I adjusted my seat to be fairly low, and tilted it back most of the way. The back rest is tilted up most of the way. Together these settings result in a "bucket" seat feel when seated. My leg is able to stretch to full extension when not using the clutch, and height is about the same as the gas pedal foot.

Pictures!

After cutting and with glue applied:

With carpet laid down, kick panel not yet put back in.

 

[acutee]

Very neat, and looks authentic. Thank you for sharing.

 

[08EX-L]

Interesting never put too much thought into my foot rest...remind me to look at how the "before" is... lol.