Cal Club Autocross Forums

Mark DeShon wrote:You don't drive for Tom and NOT left foot brake... I think he asks me at every event, "Are you left foot braking?"
Mark D.

hahaha
...well are you?

Marshall Grice wrote:

Mark DeShon wrote:You don't drive for Tom and NOT left foot brake... I think he asks me at every event, "Are you left foot braking?"
Mark D.

hahaha
...well are you?

I are... And I have been for most of the time I've been autocrossing. I think he just gets confused because our techniques are so different. His is like he's nursing an egg between his foot and the brake pedal. While mine better resembles 'taking care' of a Black Widow that's on the pedal, making a B line towards my lower leg!
Mark D.

Mark DeShon wrote: I are... And I have been for most of the time I've been autocrossing. I think he just gets confused because our techniques are so different. His is like he's nursing an egg between his foot and the brake pedal. While mine better resembles 'taking care' of a Black Widow that's on the pedal, making a B line towards my lower leg!
Mark D.

hahah, I know what you mean. Or as KMo would say, "you're really good at braking".

Mark DeShon wrote:You don't drive for Tom and NOT left foot brake... I think he asks me at every event, "Are you left foot braking?"
Mark D.

Certainly faster if you can actually fit both feet on the peddles. I haven't figured out how to shove two size 13's that close. Unfortunately it looks like the data won't track or I didn't see signs of both throttle and brake on simultaneously.

Arthur Grant wrote:

Mark DeShon wrote:You don't drive for Tom and NOT left foot brake... I think he asks me at every event, "Are you left foot braking?"
Mark D.

Certainly faster if you can actually fit both feet on the peddles. I haven't figured out how to shove two size 13's that close. Unfortunately it looks like the data won't track or I didn't see signs of both throttle and brake on simultaneously.

the skiny style racing shoes. I have to wear sparco shoes to left foot brake in most cars. Tom apparently used to just buy wrestling shoes, but I co-drove with Max so I know how important it is to look snazzy.

I have racing shoes, GM was apparently more impressed with designing for heel and toe, which my peddles are well set for. It kills me to leave what I see as two or three seconds a run on the course because my feet get in the way.

start practicing walking pigeon toed..

Nicole is taking orders

Haters gonna hate.

Actually, I would probably be smoother if I didn't use my left foot. Alas, it's a habit I just can't brake er...break.

Been left foot braking since 06' and finally when I have a chance to go to nationals, I'm forced to learn to brake with my right. For those who don't know I broke my left ankle recently. FML

Arthur Grant wrote:I have racing shoes, GM was apparently more impressed with designing for heel and toe, which my peddles are well set for. It kills me to leave what I see as two or three seconds a run on the course because my feet get in the way.

A lot of the fast guys right foot brake, Toby certainly does. It's probably more like .5 seconds if that. I believe it's faster, but it makes it much easier to brake and be a chicken.

Aaron Goldsmith wrote:

Arthur Grant wrote:I have racing shoes, GM was apparently more impressed with designing for heel and toe, which my peddles are well set for. It kills me to leave what I see as two or three seconds a run on the course because my feet get in the way.

A lot of the fast guys right foot brake, Toby certainly does. It's probably more like .5 seconds if that. I believe it's faster, but it makes it much easier to brake and be a chicken.

Gary T right foots too. Btw left foot braking doesn't always mean pushing both Pedals at the same time you just don't have the delay between switching pedals.

Many years ago I was able to left foot brake when road racing, haven't done that in 20 years. Besides the peddle arangement in the vete, I have neuropathy in both feet from diabetes. i.e. don't have full feeling. Anyway I have watched closely as Tom has brought my vette back to the line with the brakes smoking. The advantage I see is in the way the car sets with braking and power on applications. I realize you don't have to do them together but it does work well.

I think for someone like Aaron it might only be worth tenths, but I feel if I could pull it off I would attack more confidently. I tend to be a more like Mark, hard on the brakes, hard on the throttle. I know the car is capable.

Plus even if it weren't faster and I know it is, I don't like not being able to do it. So one day when the course is short workers to run over and we have a pratice at someplace wide open like El Toro I am going to work on it.

How are you guys calculating/predicting the benefits from LFB? If it's worth 1/2 second, I'd switch.

In SFR, people are talking about the super lift

I've tried teaching myself to LFB a bunch of times, but my pedal feel is nowhere close cuz my left foot is flat out lame. I either end up overbraking or underbraking, but the net result is slower times. I talked to Jeff S. about it last event and apparently he taught himself how to do it over a weekend. Bastard!

Jeff Wong wrote:How are you guys calculating/predicting the benefits from LFB? If it's worth 1/2 second, I'd switch.

Corner to corner DL1 data between Toby and I with the throttle and brake logged. There IS time lost in the moving the foot or the getting off the gas to hit the brake, but I usually lose that because my easy access to the brake makes me use it. It also seems to allow me to drive around car problems without noticing them as much compared to Toby and Bev.. which is crappy when trying to set up a car.

Aaron Goldsmith wrote:

Jeff Wong wrote:How are you guys calculating/predicting the benefits from LFB? If it's worth 1/2 second, I'd switch.

Corner to corner DL1 data between Toby and I with the throttle and brake logged. There IS time lost in the moving the foot or the getting off the gas to hit the brake, but I usually lose that because my easy access to the brake makes me use it. It also seems to allow me to drive around car problems without noticing them as much compared to Toby and Bev.. which is crappy when trying to set up a car.

Besides threshold braking, is there any noticeable time loss/gained from brake dragging compared to Toby? Assuming that the car is behaving properly of course.

Jeff Wong wrote: Besides threshold braking, is there any noticeable time loss/gained from brake dragging compared to Toby? Assuming that the car is behaving properly of course.

Only if I drag the brake, which I rarely do. You have to train yourself to actively hold your foot back.

Aaron Goldsmith wrote:

Jeff Wong wrote: Besides threshold braking, is there any noticeable time loss/gained from brake dragging compared to Toby? Assuming that the car is behaving properly of course.

Only if I drag the brake, which I rarely do. You have to train yourself to actively hold your foot back.

I have been a victim to that for the longest time until I starting to train myself to stop "panic" braking or chicken braking. I believe I talked to Jeff about this problem sometime last year. Aaron is also right about LFB being a problem when setting up a car, since it promotes mid corner brake taps which interrupts mid corner steady state. This makes it difficult to actually define a handling problem and finding solutions tuning wise to fix it.

Jonathan Lugod wrote:Aaron is also right about LFB being a problem when setting up a car, since it promotes mid corner brake taps which interrupts mid corner steady state. This makes it difficult to actually define a handling problem and finding solutions tuning wise to fix it.

i disagree. If driving with two feet fixes the problem then there is no problem so long as everyone who drives the car has a similar style. Obviously there are different optimum setups for different driving styles. the only real secret to car setup driving is making sure you drive up to/beyond the limit to actually find out what the car does. Unfortunately that style of driving isn't usually very fast.

Kurt Ra wrote:I've tried teaching myself to LFB a bunch of times, but my pedal feel is nowhere close cuz my left foot is flat out lame. I either end up overbraking or underbraking, but the net result is slower times. I talked to Jeff S. about it last event and apparently he taught himself how to do it over a weekend. Bastard!

i was slower doing LFB for probably a year for the same reasons you list above, but now the investment is paying off.

LFB was a big help driving the STX Subaru, now that I drive a momentum car I find myself (like Aaron) actively thinking about keeping my foot off the brake.

My problem isn't so much my left foot, but my right.

It seems that If I LFB and think I have over-slowed, I try to make up for it with extra throttle which in turn upsets the car, which in turn makes me slow down more, which in turn makes me try to make up for it with extra throttle....it's a vicious cycle.

Jeff Wong wrote:How are you guys calculating/predicting the benefits from LFB? If it's worth 1/2 second, I'd switch.

I switched to LFB this year, after only occasional use in years past. For me it's course dependent, in sweepers I can balance the car better, and get on the gas a bit earlier before releasing the brake 100%. But I think I'm slower on transitional courses, due to quick accurate brake stabs needed. I agree with Marshall that it will take a year to get it right.

If a shift to 3rd is needed, I RFB. LFB also helps keep boost with a turbo.

Rick

Kurt Ra wrote:I've tried teaching myself to LFB a bunch of times, but my pedal feel is nowhere close cuz my left foot is flat out lame. I either end up overbraking or underbraking, but the net result is slower times. I talked to Jeff S. about it last event and apparently he taught himself how to do it over a weekend. Bastard!

It was a fairly natural switch for me because I've always LFB'd in racing games, which I started playing before I even got my driver's license.