Left Foot Braking.... Why Didn't I learn this earlier???
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Autocross Junky
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Left Foot Braking.... Why Didn't I learn this earlier???
Ok, so at the last autocross I attended, was this years ESP national champ... and He was FAST, REally FAST. and luckily some one got some video of him running, one of which was a Foot cam showing him brake...... lots-o-left foot braking. So It inspired me to try to learn this racing techneque......
I'd like to kick my self for not learning how to do this earlier.... in the corners where I can use this technieque (Ie, the corners I dont have to down shift for) are 100% smoother, the car feels much happier (less pitch) and cornering is much faster......
Great thing to learn if you do Track days or autocross.....
I'd like to kick my self for not learning how to do this earlier.... in the corners where I can use this technieque (Ie, the corners I dont have to down shift for) are 100% smoother, the car feels much happier (less pitch) and cornering is much faster......
Great thing to learn if you do Track days or autocross..... 
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From: Washington DC
Rep Power: 425 Ahhh yes... but the true trick lies in A) finding the brake with your left foot (I've found the clutch by accident on several occasions) and B) trying to train your left foot to be gentle. The other problem I've had the few times I tried it is that my foot is trained to the clutch... just kick it in. The brakes don't like that for some reason...
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From: Dallas, PA
Rep Power: 608 haha, sometimes i do that on the backroads here by me......i learned that from all of my yrs of watching Nascar.......at some tracks where they use a restrictor plate, they keep the pedal mashed to the floor and use their left foot to brake, so they keep the rpms up.
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Autocross Junky
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Rep Power: 381 Originally posted by Boilermaker1
Ahhh yes... but the true trick lies in A) finding the brake with your left foot (I've found the clutch by accident on several occasions) and B) trying to train your left foot to be gentle. The other problem I've had the few times I tried it is that my foot is trained to the clutch... just kick it in. The brakes don't like that for some reason...
Ahhh yes... but the true trick lies in A) finding the brake with your left foot (I've found the clutch by accident on several occasions) and B) trying to train your left foot to be gentle. The other problem I've had the few times I tried it is that my foot is trained to the clutch... just kick it in. The brakes don't like that for some reason...
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From: Luling, Louisiana
Rep Power: 0 I've tried left foot braking a couple times. I couldnt get the hang of it though. I would always hit the clutch or just mash down on the brake. I just think it will take a lot of practice.
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Rep Power: 0 I tried it on my last run of the last event and shaved 1sec. off my time from the last run. It is scary at first. Trying to be gentle with your left foot is hard to do and keeping yourself in the seat. I rely on the kickplate too much to keep myself stable in the seat.
I can tell a big difference coming out of corners if I still have my foot feathering the gas petal.....It's like the car just shoots out of the corner. Next season it's LFB all the way!
I can tell a big difference coming out of corners if I still have my foot feathering the gas petal.....It's like the car just shoots out of the corner. Next season it's LFB all the way!
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Autocross Junky
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Rep Power: 381 ya, Definitly worth learning... Driving to work is so much more fun now..... especially with my new found oversteer
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Rep Power: 413 first time I did it, I slammed on them, the ABS kicked in and I came to a dead hault! i need to practice more.
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Autocross Junky
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Rep Power: 381 More reasons to learn how to left foot brake
http://www.modernracer.com/tips/leftfootbraking.html
http://www.scarbsf1.com/leftfootbrake.html
http://www.virtualracersedge.com/left_foot_braking.htm
and another thing to learn...
Trail braking.
http://www.getfaster.com/Techtips/Physics23.html http://www.virtualracersedge.com/trail_braking.htm
http://63.220.125.132:81/Track/..%5C...ue%5CTrail.htm
http://www.modernracer.com/tips/leftfootbraking.html
http://www.scarbsf1.com/leftfootbrake.html
http://www.virtualracersedge.com/left_foot_braking.htm
and another thing to learn...
Trail braking.
http://www.getfaster.com/Techtips/Physics23.html http://www.virtualracersedge.com/trail_braking.htm
http://63.220.125.132:81/Track/..%5C...ue%5CTrail.htm
I'm an idiot.
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From: Houston, TX
Rep Power: 0 LFB or using your right foot for both? which would be more effective...
Or atleast explain more, when you are left food braking do you have the gas floored or are you feathering... and would you be able to do that with your right foot only and keep the same efficiency? And is using your right foot for both braking and gas at the same time called heel toe?
Or atleast explain more, when you are left food braking do you have the gas floored or are you feathering... and would you be able to do that with your right foot only and keep the same efficiency? And is using your right foot for both braking and gas at the same time called heel toe?
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Rep Power: 381 Depends entirly on the corner. If need to down shift in the corner then you dont left foot brake (you heel toe), but if you dont then you left foot brake.
This article explains it pretty good
This article explains it pretty good
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From: Elk Grove/Sacramento/Davis, California, US
Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by robbclark1
first time I did it, I slammed on them, the ABS kicked in and I came to a dead hault! i need to practice more.
first time I did it, I slammed on them, the ABS kicked in and I came to a dead hault! i need to practice more.
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Rep Power: 331 Well I was inspired by the post and descided to go and try LFB on a back road at about 40 mph, I think that all I did was give myself whiplash.....gotta learn how to be gentle w/ the left foot.
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Rep Power: 381 Ya, take your time. It will take some time before you will be able to do it well enough for it to be of use to you. untill then it will be great as scaring the crap out of you.
I drive an auto, and i autocross it, this methode looks interesting, the problem is that when i use my left foot it brakes way too hard.
also i wonder if my car will downshift if i do this, i need to try this out.
also i wonder if my car will downshift if i do this, i need to try this out.
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Rep Power: 0 just found this post and it seemed purty interesting. and in reply to player about the car downshifting itself i dont think that that would be a problem as long as you dont let up on the gas and keep the revs where the tranny thinks it is still sending power to the wheels you should be good to go! and have fun with it!
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Rep Power: 339 Actually, Left foot braking is very popular in WRC and front drive cars. It's supposed to prevent the car from understeering and smoothing out the corner as I learned it. I trained myself to use left foot braking a little while ago. What I did was have my right foot completely vertical, meaning, I dont have to bend my ankle to step on the gas pedal, so that gives my left foot all the space it needs to hit that brake, and that position also helps my heel-toeing cause it forces my right foot to lift off the floor when I brake... now I drive everyday like that. On a side note, I also use my left foot to get the brake light to come on when someone is tailgating me. As I do that, I just accelerate away and they slow down LOL! My car seems to have so much slack in the brakes that it's almost fun to just blip it, but I dont know if i'm wearing out those brake pads.......
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Rep Power: 339 ive tried this numerous times.. its tricky unless the clutch pedal pressure is identical to the brake pedal... otherwise you gotta keep readjusting your "sensitivity"
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Autocross Junky
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Rep Power: 381 Originally posted by WannaBFast
ive tried this numerous times.. its tricky unless the clutch pedal pressure is identical to the brake pedal... otherwise you gotta keep readjusting your "sensitivity"
ive tried this numerous times.. its tricky unless the clutch pedal pressure is identical to the brake pedal... otherwise you gotta keep readjusting your "sensitivity"
at this point I can jump between the brake and clutch no problem, however when I'm not paying attention I some times mistake the brake for the clutch.
Luckily I know how to shift clutchless.Damn, this is an old thread.
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Rep Power: 339 Hmm... how do you shift clutchless? I think I have some clue from watching a video, for a downshift, do you have to matchrev perfectly and that allows you to enter the gear?
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Rep Power: 0 Yes, that is correct, however, it's pretty pointless unless you're trying to be uber l337...
Plus our transmissions are ment to be used in conjunction with a clutch, they probably won't survive very long if you just ignore the clutch, a much more usefull tool is double clutching, if done properly, it'll give your tranny years of happy use.... plus teach you how to drive when the synchros go out...
Plus our transmissions are ment to be used in conjunction with a clutch, they probably won't survive very long if you just ignore the clutch, a much more usefull tool is double clutching, if done properly, it'll give your tranny years of happy use.... plus teach you how to drive when the synchros go out...
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Autocross Junky
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Rep Power: 381 Clutchless upshifting is easy, down shifting..... Thats a pain.
simple process for upshifting,
1. as you let off the gas pop the thing in to Neutral (the point when the car is nither accelerating nor decelerating is the point where there is minimal pressure on the dog teath of the collar.)
2. push the gear lever tward the next higher gear (Dont push too hard, it doesnt take much effort)
3. when the RPMs drop to the point where the Transmission and the engine are running at the same RPMs, the gear (with you appling a bit of presure) should just drop in to gear.
Downshifting, same process as above except after you've droped the car in to neutural you rev the engine to match the tranny and engine RPMs.
Don't do it too often but its a good thing to know.
simple process for upshifting,
1. as you let off the gas pop the thing in to Neutral (the point when the car is nither accelerating nor decelerating is the point where there is minimal pressure on the dog teath of the collar.)
2. push the gear lever tward the next higher gear (Dont push too hard, it doesnt take much effort)
3. when the RPMs drop to the point where the Transmission and the engine are running at the same RPMs, the gear (with you appling a bit of presure) should just drop in to gear.
Downshifting, same process as above except after you've droped the car in to neutural you rev the engine to match the tranny and engine RPMs.
Don't do it too often but its a good thing to know.
