DIY - ITS Pedal Support Bracket

[norcalpb]

I have only seen this part mentioned once on this website @ichitaka05, and decided to make directions since ITS Transmissions does not provide them for the 86 platform.

I found that this did improve the feel of my clutch and brake pedals. The clutch feels more like a normal car where it only wants to move in one direction now. Braking also feels firm, but not as firm as having a master cylinder brace IMO, but I switched to this to avoid the potential of vibration from the strut tower shaking under heavy track braking due to a MCB.

Pretty straight forward job, I purchased here:
https://www.jbtechracing.com/product...firewall-brace



Installation steps:

1: Open hood and remove Negative battery terminal from Battery. ALWAYS disconnect the battery when removing or installing electronics in a vehicle.

2: Slide Drivers seat to Rearmost position (or remove if desired).

3: Remove Side cover Panel. Set aside.



4. Remove Submarine brace panel by removing 2 phillips head screws (pictured below) and pull the panel towards you to unclip it. Once removed, unplug switches in panel. Set aside.









5. Remove anti-submarine brace (2x 10mm bolts).



6. Remove brake switch by twisting the entire assembly to the left, and pull towards you to release. Disconnect from harness.



7. Remove 2x clutch switches, if manual.



8. Remove 2x torx (5 point star) bolts/nuts in bottom of stock Pedal bracket with supplied T40 torx bit in your ¼” socket and a 12mm socket for the nuts.



9. If you have a manual, please remove the bolt above the accelerator pedal. If someone with an auto could please confirm if the bolt is there that would be great.



10. Loosen 4x brake master cylinder nuts (deep 12mm socket required, do not fully remove).

Left side:



Right side:



11. Remove factory brace. I slid said bracket to my left and shook it while pushing ever so slightly on the clutch pedal to create a gap for the brace to slide through. Don't push too hard, as your brake/clutch aren't nearly as supported as before.

Once you get it to a certain point, you'll notice that there is a hook that is holding it in. This part can be pretty difficult, but try using the 2nd picture below to understand how it will come out.





12. Time to drill. Use the provided drill bit to enlarge a hole on a steel bracket right above the area we were just working on. I found that in order to use the drill, I had to gently push on the clutch pedal so that the drill could be at the correct angle. Please be careful as I had the drill bite the metal on me a couple of times which can be scary in such a tight area. Also be careful of and collect any metal shavings.





The new bracket looks to be significantly beefier than factory. They say you can use the stock torx bolts, but please use the provided bolts. The stock torx bolts are very soft and can easily be stripped (see below). You also dont have to use the OEM nuts which can be a super PITA to re-install with.







13. Install new bracket. I found that my new bracket just slid right in due to lacking that "hook". However if it is a tight fit, try gently pushing on the clutch or brake pedal while inserting it from the left just as you did the OEM piece.

14. Loosely install the 12mm nuts (3 if manual, 2 if auto), as well as 2x of the provided 13mm bolts. Slide the last provided 13mm bolt into the hole you just enlarged, and loosely install on the provided locking nut (as tight as you can get it by hand).

.

15. Tighten the 4 12mm brake master cylinder nuts.

16. Tighten the 2-3 12mm bolts and the 3 new 13mm bolts/nut.

17. Plug in clutch and brake pedal switches, twist brake pedal switch into it's slot.

18. Re-install anti-submarine brace (2x 10mm bolts).

19. Re-install all plastic panels that were removed, as well as the screws.

20. Adjust seat to driving position (or reinstall if removed).

21. Reconnect negative Battery terminal, close hood. (note, after the battery has been removed, it is best to cycle the key a few times slowly from “off” to “run” and back, this prevents the longer cranking while the ECU reads and initializes sensors).

22. Enjoy!

[ichitaka05]

I was the tester for it. With my experience, initial braking I can feel the difference & I like it a lot. From there, MC brake brace is more effective. So light braking this. Heavy braking MC brace. Both win-win.

That’s just my 2 yen for this product.

[whataboutbob]

I haven't put any new parts on my car in 6 months, this looks interesting. :P

[Plumbus]

Looks interesting. Anyone know what that hook in the OEM bracket is for? And why is it not present in the ITS bracket?

[norcalpb]

Originally Posted by Plumbus

Looks interesting. Anyone know what that hook in the OEM bracket is for? And why is it not present in the ITS bracket?

While I’m unsure what the purpose of the hook is, I do know on the instructions for the 08-14 wrx/STi you need to actually bend said hook in order to get the stock bracket out, so I can’t imagine it has too much of a purpose?

Maybe someone else will have more info:

[ng-86]

Thanks for the writeup!

In my case, the ITS pedal support's third bolt hole and the existing bracket hole didn't line up! I ended up modifying the support rather than drilling a new third hole into the car's bracket. Given my support looks identical, I'm guessing my car's under-dash bracket wasn't welded in quite the same spot for some reason. What is this bracket even for? Something on the automatic cars?

As for the feel- I had just changed to an MTEC clutch spring and that was a much more noticeable (and welcome) improvement, but I'm still happy I did this. Perhaps I would notice it more under more extreme circumstances than casual street driving.

[norcalpb]

Originally Posted by ng-86

Thanks for the writeup!

In my case, the ITS pedal support's third bolt hole and the existing bracket hole didn't line up! I ended up modifying the support rather than drilling a new third hole into the car's bracket. Given my support looks identical, I'm guessing my car's under-dash bracket wasn't welded in quite the same spot for some reason. What is this bracket even for? Something on the automatic cars?

I’m hoping someone can take a picture of this oem twice drilled bracket on their 17+ car.

As for the feel- I had just changed to an MTEC clutch spring and that was a much more noticeable (and welcome) improvement, but I'm still happy I did this. Perhaps I would notice it more under more extreme circumstances than casual street driving.

Oh dang I’m sorry to hear that the top-most hole didn’t line up. Seems like drilling that extra hole was no problem for you haha.

I’m wondering if the 17-20 models have that same bracket but drilled in different locations. I’m not sure what that bracket is for...maybe something to do with being in a crash?

I also agree on there not really being a night/day difference with this new brace. It mostly improved my clutch feel by keeping the clutch more tightly in its direction of travel. But I think it’s good you did this on your newer car as it may protect your firewall over the long run.

I had a friend with a 2008 wrx and the firewalls on that year would crack because of pushing on the pedals (probably why this was made to begin with). Cracking the firewall requires removing the entire to re-weld IIRC.

Not to say this has or will happen with the 86 platform, but I always like to be cautious with this kind of stuff, especially seeing it happen to a friends Subi.

[ng-86]

Originally Posted by norcalpb

Oh dang I’m sorry to hear that the top-most hole didn’t line up. Seems like drilling that extra hole was no problem for you haha.

I’m wondering if the 17-20 models have that same bracket but drilled in different locations. I’m not sure what that bracket is for...maybe something to do with being in a crash?

No worries, I should have taken a picture of just the car's bracket- not too keen to take it apart again though. But from what I remember, my car's bracket appeared identical to the one in your pictures, with the same holes. I think it must have just been located slightly different relative to the pedals.

To clarify, I did end up enlarging the same hole on the car's bracket as you had, as well as lengthening the pedal support's bracket's slot.