Greg,
I drive the full-size ford van with the electronic steering wheel and
electronic gas & brake. You need to think out-of-the-box whenever you are
trying
to do something new. I actually sit at a slight angle when I'm driving
because I was unable to pull in straight to the steering wheel because my legs
were
hitting the doghouse. I also have the electronic steering wheel on the left
side by the door and of course that makes the gas & brake on my right. The
steering wheel mounting post needed to be anchored to the angle part of the
van floor (where your high beam foot switch would be) so my wheelchair control
would not have to be moved out of the way. As it is now, my wheelchair
control rubs against the door because I'm sandwiched in there pretty good.
I had the same problem with my gas and brake because of the rough roads and
it being so touchy. Here's what you do. You need to go to your local
hardware store and purchase a sponge and black duct tape (black looks better
than
gray). I found out that a sponge that the use for grouting works the best
because it is denser and stronger than your standard sponge. Cut two pieces
of
this sponge and put one on each side of the lever that moves forward and
backwards on your gas and brake and duct tape this sponges to the gas and
brake
box but make sure you wrap the duct tape all the way around so it will not
come undone. You are going to have to play with the positioning of the
sponges
because if you have them to close to the lever that moves back and forth
you'll not be able to accelerate or stop properly. Putting the sponges on the
gas and brake will take up all of your slosh when you are going over a rough
road. It may take you a few times to give it positioned properly but it is
well worth the time. I needed to do this to my controls because of the rough
roads here in Duluth and over time I was able to take the sponge off the side
for acceleration. Be aware that in the wintertime the sponge for breaking
will become a little stiffer and it will make putting the brakes on harder so
you have to find a happy medium. My driving instructor liked my sponge idea
so much that he uses it when he is training other drivers.
When I first started driving 30 miles an hour fell like I was going 100 and
the first time I went on the freeway I was a nervous wreck. Now I don't have
any problems with any speed. A word of advice, challenge yourself when you
have your instructor with you. Drive over bumpy and rough roads and make
sure you drive through your local mall parking lot. Driving through the mall
parking lot is one of my most challenging places for me to drive. Also,
practice driving on an early Sunday morning because there's no traffic. I
wish to
lock my friend and if you need anything else just ask.
Jim
