Does anyone left-foot brake?

[rustomatic]

Since I've given up manual transmissions, I plan to try left-foot braking a bit more often...

Then again, unless you've got a decent bucket seat, you can really use that left foot for holding your human differential in place (on roads where I live). In my pickup, this is quite necessary...

[Z06vette]

I really like left foot braking. I relate it to a go cart at times. I like being able to get back on the throttle with my foot on the brake in certain situations, then coming off the brake as the throttle is on the way down. I'm not sure if its the right way, as I do it by feel and was never taught whats right or wrong (or fastest). Every once in a while if I need to down shift from 2nd to 1st for a tight slow section... sometimes i mash the brake and downshift thinking im on the clutch... I've never been on a road course. When I was running the dragon a couple months ago I found myself doing a little of both, depending on if I was going to heel-toe downshift or not.

[Chad-1stGen]

for autocross I wish I could left foot brake. However, at 6'3" my left foot is in a super awkward position due to leg to steering wheel interference.

I run a T56.

[zz430droptop67rs]

With an auto I left foot brake exclusively, and have forever.

It goes back to the days where I had a car that didn't idle for crap and I had to keep it running, and my circle track days as well.

I got into a flame war on another forum and I was told to have somebody video me from the rear while driving down the street and he "would bet" that the brake lights would be on when they shouldn't be because I dragged my foot on the pedal, and would "confuse other drivers", which was BS.

I was born with 2 feet and I'll damn sure use both of them instead of my left just taking up space. (Auto trans of course).

[Dr G]

I just stumbled upon this page on left foot braking:

http://www.motorsportsuniversity.com...t-braking.html

The first video of Walter Röhrl driving the might Audi Group B Quattro is pretty psycho. Mainly because of the spectators! But it also shows a combination of right and left foot braking that is a nice example of what can be done.

[Shmoov69]

I've never NOT left foot braked. I don't know why I learned it that way when I was 15. I don't know if it's better or worse, but in my tiny brain it seems like it would make you quicker around a track. I'm like Don I guess, I got two feet, might as well use them!

[GregWeld]

You'll be way faster when you learn to left foot brake....

[Vince@Meanstreets]

Remember these Rally guys use the brake to transfer weight in the hard high speed turns (braking while accelerating). Not sure if it would apply well to auto x unless you are doing it for lightning fast slow then go transitions.

[GregWeld]

When you ARE NOT left foot braking - what you're doing then is huge weight transfers each time you lift off the gas to stomp the brake.. then off the brake and stab the gas. Weight transfer can be your friend and it can be your enemy.

Going hard into a tight corner - lifting suddenly and going to the brakes and also asking the tire to grip to cause turn in... and you've just transferred all the weight to the nose of the car.... now you're loose. Then you lift off the brake and stab the throttle --- if you weren't on the throttle you're not moving the car forward... the time it takes to go from the brake to the throttle adds up. And it's not smooth... smooth is fast. And it's jerky and moving weight all over in sudden motions. You might feel fast because you're busy... but you're not.

Proper braking - including the use of your left foot - is critical to improving your times. And being just a bit earlier back into the throttle will also help your times... and it will be smoother. And there's nothing in the rules book that says you can't be both braking and using throttle to balance the car in certain instances. In other words - taking speed off while maintaining balance. Try it in a decreasing radius corner.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by Vince@MSperfab

Remember these Rally guys use the brake to transfer weight in the hard high speed turns (braking while accelerating). Not sure if it would apply well to auto x unless you are doing it for lightning fast slow then go transitions.

In rally school you'll learn it's all about the brakes and the throttle, and the steering wheel is just about the least important tool.... You can make the car corner 90* with the brake and the throttle -- or hold a long sweeper - nose 45* to the edge of the road and suck the car in tighter or let it drift out just using the throttle or the brake. A quick application of the hoon handle will rotate the car
while you're still into the throttle - whip the ass around and off you go. We don't have hoon handles... That might be too sloppy for Auto X.