Left foot braking

[waynne]

Whilst talking to a friend the subject of left foot braking came up. I can't see any benefit from this at all especially if you can heel and toe but my friend insists it is a vital track day skill.

It doesn't really help if you need to change down which you probably will if you are braking hard but the arguement is that the power can be reapplied more quickly.

As an aside has anyone actually tried braking with their left foot? BE CAREFUL AS YOU WILL PROBABLY COME TO A CRUSHING STOP as the left foot does not have the same feel and control as the right one.

[wezzel98765]

I have done exactly that, I got very very curious about it, and tried it, won't be doing it again.

You just cannot apply a soft pressure on the brake with the left foot, specially when you got a clutch that is like a work out to push down

Something else to try... when you start your car in gear, it jumps right... well.. start your car in gear with the gas pedal fully down, it pulls away, bit jumpy though

Just experimenting with things these days

Can pull away in 5th gear too... (without slipping the clutch)

[waynne]

Remind me never to buy a car off you!

[wezzel98765]

... lol

Wasn't in my car, I said to my mate what I wanted to do, we was out in his car, and he let me.. so he can't complain when his clutch/gearbox goes

[HDi fun]

maniac

[wezzel98765]

I knooow...

Was on private property I must add

[old-git]

Originally Posted by wezzel98765

Something else to try... when you start your car in gear, it jumps right... well.. start your car in gear with the gas pedal fully down, it pulls away, bit jumpy though

This is a usefull skill to master (well, it was in my day when bits were less reliable) for when the clutch cable snaps or pipes burst. Changing up and down without the clutch is a simple process (down slightly trickier than up) but sometimes you just have to stop. Engine off, select first gear, a little throttle, start engine and hold key in start position until car is rolling and engine running smoothly. Not fun but will get you home.


Left foot braking, as I am sure Stamford would agree, is easy to do after a lot of practice.

At its most basic, left-foot braking can be used to decrease the time spent between the right foot moving between the brake and throttle pedals, and can also be used to control load transfer.

One common race situation that requires left-foot braking is when a racer is cornering under power. If the driver doesn't want to lift off the throttle, potentially causing trailing-throttle understeer, left-foot braking can induce a mild oversteer situation, and help the car "tuck," or turn-in better. Mild left-foot braking can also help reduce understeer.

[turbonutter69]

I can left foot brake. I've been doing it for years.... Not on the road though I taught myself how to do it in go karts. I used to love a good race with the go karts.. Great fun.

[pgarner]

i do it now and again, like most i hit the pedal too hard to begin with.
but got it decent now

[kasaGame]

Originally Posted by waynne

Whilst talking to a friend the subject of left foot braking came up. I can't see any benefit from this at all especially if you can heel and toe but my friend insists it is a vital track day skill.

It doesn't really help if you need to change down which you probably will if you are braking hard but the arguement is that the power can be reapplied more quickly.

As an aside has anyone actually tried braking with their left foot? BE CAREFUL AS YOU WILL PROBABLY COME TO A CRUSHING STOP as the left foot does not have the same feel and control as the right one.

Left foot braking helps when you dont have to downshift gears when coming up to a bend in 3rd you can tap the brake with your left foot while your right foot is to the ground, Heel and Toe works much better when downshifting through corners(takes some practice to get right though)

[lutonmatt]

i always do it
being in a auto it helps but when ever i fill a bit racey i do it more

but the fun comes when you use your left foot for the throttle as well

[prevtec]

you know the way it takes you about 2 weeks to get driving properely when you first start, well try left foot braking in a banger, you'll get used to that aswell in a short time

[waynne]

But doesn't heel and toe solve the same problems Old-Git? I know that not all cars are ideal for the H&T technique.

[old-git]

Originally Posted by waynne

But doesn't heel and toe solve the same problems Old-Git? I know that not all cars are ideal for the H&T technique.

Yes. However, relative pedal height positions, the gap between them and driver's shoe size can make the H&T method difficult, if not impossible. Also, LFB, once mastered, allows far more pressure to be applied to the brakes whilst feathering the throttle, awkward with H&T (IMO).

[HDi fun]

Heel and toe is almost impossible in modern cars because of the disparity in pedal height, and, secondly, because modern brakes are ridiculously over assisted at the pedal. Trying to maintain a constant light pressure is virtually impossible whilst jabbing the accelerator with your right heel.

Further, with synchromesh gearboxes (which we've had for half a century, and have got better during that period) it's not essential to double declutch down the box any more.

Yet, I still often do double clutch on the way down - not all that easy with a drive-by-wire diesel engine as they don't respond to quick jabs of the accelerator. Perhaps I should just hang on and change down later?

Heel and toe is used when you want to double declutch whilst simultaneously braking. It was helpful on older cars in that the engine assisted the braking process. Modern brakes are more than up to the job without assistance.

In a racing situation (track situation) things are different so such a skill might be useful. But you'll have set up the car to cope with it and the way you want to drive.