Cable Retraction – (The Smart Question)

If you press the pedal on the Driver’s Side will the Dual Control pedal on the passenger side move as well? Or stated differently: When a pedal gets pressed on the driver’s side does the cable retract back to the passenger side? This is the smartest question customers have asked.

The answer depends on what kit you purchase and/or how you set it up.
The driver’s side parts on FAT kits were designed such that the cable slag doesn’t necessarily need to retract back to the passenger side. However, the driver’s side parts on Twin Stop kits were designed with the assumption that when the vehicle’s brake pedal is pressed, the cable slack will get pulled back to the passenger side.

The “cable housing path” is the major thing to look at when determining how a cable instructor brake kit will work in your vehicle. Cable operated Dual Controls were designed to be a universal type of system but too many bends in the cable housing is going to lead to a poorly operating system. On some vehicles, you’ll be able to see right through from the passenger side to the drivers, but more typically things will look solid with no way through. Take a really close look. Pull off some panels if you have to. You’ll just need a small opening to snake the cable housing through and hopefully you can find a fairly straight route.

Systems where the cable doesn’t retract are not ideal, but they can be a perfectly functional dual control. When the cable does not retract, it will bend in an unorderly fashion posing the risk of it snagging on something or bending consistently in one spot at a significant radius, thus causing premature cable fatigue. The ideal installation is one where there is very little bend in the “cable housing path” allowing for an installation with only a little tension in the cable. The cable then retracts to the passenger side each time the drivers pedal is pressed and because there’s little tension in the cable, there’s no need to supplement the vehicle’s pedal spring back.

(Item #: txiss) Installation Spring, Strap and Screw This is used to supplement the vehicle’s pedal spring back. One end of the spring is attached under the vehicle’s dash and the other end is attached to the vehicle’s pedal using the strap and screw