Left Foot Braking

Well, if you hadn't broken your mate's left foot . . .


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Title fixed... i.e. 'Braking" instead of "Breaking"

Mike

 

lots of people, me included, doing it all the time on regular roads, especially when in a hurry. it would allow u to drive faster while retaining the reflection time while driving normally.

on track it is a must!

 

I only do this on the track. Most of the time, when I'm driving my Ferrari on the road, I'm pretty much just relaxing and enjoying the cruise.

 

Doesnt make sense on public roads.

I want to savour the drive.

 

I always drive with 2 feet. More comfortable for me and the reaction time is so much better.

 

I hate following left foot brakers. Brake light is always flashing so you have no clue what they are doing. Brake pad life and fuel economy go to pot, as well.

Great technique for the track, though, and note that F1 cars (the real ones) usually have a center divider so left foot braking is all they can do. Cannot reach the brake pedal with the right foot.

 

100% agree. Left foot brakers drive me nuts and it prematurely wears the brakes.

 

Well as all profis drive with left foot braking as its much quicker, unless you have a stick you are going SLOWER if you don't LFB it as you can't get back on the throttle as quick

 

LFB also allows you to apply a little brake while still on the throttle, transferring weight to the front wheels under turn-in. In some corners it's all that's needed to stay flat on the gas.

e.g.
Turn 1 Road Atlanta
Turn 1 Mid Ohio

 

Great discussion, and I agree with Taz.

Dan

 

Good for the track and by a driver who actually knows what they're doing! I laugh as well, when I see this being done by drivers on regular roads.....as many of them tend to ride their brakes!

cheers
FN.

 

Mike , really ? Give me a brake .

 

Taz sums up my feelings. I did try it for the track and I am just not coordinated enough with my feet- I think if I practiced it, I'd get it, and it is definitely effective for the track but for the street- nah- I'm like the other guys here who say just enjoy the cruise - sometimes its a sporty cruise- but its not like at the track.

 

I've been left foot braking since my vintage Indycar days. So, yes..... the CS gets some left foot braking!

You will find that you can brake later, balance the car better on throttle and brake through the corners and just generally have more fun! It is definitely a different skill set, but worth the effort.

 

I find it very useful and now that I'm comfortable with it I wouldn't consider not using my left foot to brake when driving with a purpose.

On the track (for example in my 430 challenge) I always LFB, it opens up more options of control

For rallying on loose surfaces, especially with adjustable brake bias, it's very useful also for a manual gearbox car- allowing the rear to lock up/break traction under weight shift during turn in. Very useful with a well timed application of the brakes to increase the pendulum in a "Scandinavian Flick" and being able to go directly on throttle to sustain the slide and powersteer the direction of the front end.

On the road I rarely use the technique, but there was a time when learning to use my left foot that I would LFB all the time. In the beginning using LFB on public roads in daily life is useful to develop the proper feel and coordination- but start off in a controlled place like an empty parking lot. You will feel like a teenager learning to drive all over again, not smooth to say the least.

 

Whenever I do this I always feel like my body is twisted. The pedal position isn't really set up for it so I find it uncomfortable for prolonged road use.

 

Well put.

Thanks for sharing.

Dan

 

+1 bonjoh

I just began left foot braking on track, it does add a new level of car control. And I also used my pdk car on the street to train my left foot, it was very dumb and lacked sensitivity. IMHO as a technique on the road - not useful- if your driving fast enough for it to help then your not far from an accident. At that speed through corners you will not be able to avoid the silly unexpected road stuff. Remember how people love to point to the crazy irresponsible exotic car drivers when we do something bad.

 

Having a quicker reaction time to the brakes is helpful anytime and anywhere you need to apply the brakes in a hurry. I started doing this in 1993 after a motorcycle accident left me unable to use my right to brake and maybe having already been a drummer for many years made it very easy for me to do without any of the issue many of you seem to have.
I know its quicker and I think it is much more comfortable for me as well so I continue to do it without using up a set of pads every 500 miles. I don't think hovering over the brakes is a left foot braking issue but a bad driver issue, just easier to do with your left foot.

 

I find LFB useful especially on some cars with weird paddles positions like the Maserati Gransport or the Jaguar X-type; the brakes and throttle are very close to each other to a point I almost feel dangerous not using LFB.