Re: can a better pedal improve my technique?
A Ferrari wont make you a better driver. ....
Yes, but depending on which one, a Ferrari could give the same driver better lap times.
At first I hated this analogy, and brushed it off. But after considering your whole point, I'd suggest that the Ferrari has a lot of feedback and communicative properties that normal cars do not, hence why most people can't drive competitively. A Ferrari commands that you listen to it, and it will tell you everything you need to do to it to make it efficient. The more feedback and communication you have with your pedal, the more aware a player might be.
In a car, there are few feedback mechanisms... The largest inputs are the steering wheel, brake pedal, and throttle.
Ever brake from 160mph to 45mph going into a corner in a Ferrari? There is so much the car is telling you through the brake pedal. It really tunes in your feet. The car will tell you when it is ready to have have the steering input begin (so you can begin turn-in with the steering wheel as you let up on the brake pedal).
My biggest issue with pedals is that I had to learn when to hit the beat, and it wasn't always when I needed it to be there (same reason I tighten the crap out of my cymbals). This is where subroutines begin (the unconscious calculations that net the desired result automatically).
Funny story - I had an old set of Tama double Iron Cobras. Due to a lot of transportation and setting up/tearing down, the middle connecting bar started to wear, at the place the screws held in the middle. So there was a little play on the left pedal. This play translated into delay from when I struck the pedal until the beater hit the head. No amount of tightening fixed this, because the metal was no longer there. I adjusted my play unconsciously, until my playing became even for the next several years. Recently (over a year ago), I purchased a new set of Speed Cobras (looking to upgrade), and the Cobra Coil is something I've gotten used to. I figured it was a natural progression. When I played them for the first time, I was so uneven, because my programming of my left foot had become so consistent, I was constantly hitting the left pedal too soon. This took about 2 months to finally dial out (after a lot of practice). One day I played my home kit, and there were my old double pedals... Without thinking too much about it, I started playing and now my left foot was dragging behind. UUUUGGGGGHHHH! Took the pedals off, bought a second set of Speed Cobras for the home kit.
Moral of the story - equipment matters - BUT, only if you can outplay the limitations of the current equipment.