Left-foot braking

[219]

Just caught up on this thread. For me, one of the joys of driving a large Auto is that it rolls very freely and will travel a long way before it loses speed. Therefore if I am not on the gas I tend to move my right foot over the brake, particularly if approaching a hazard such as a side turning that may have cars entering/exiting. Thus, should I need to brake, I am already there ready and don't lose a few fractions of a second in moving my foot over. Hence, I haven't considered the need to left-foot brake.

But , even better , especially if turning sharp left off a downhill road , is to slow the car right down with the left foot and , as you start to enter the turn bring in the power as you come off the brake , rather than coasting round the corner . Same applies in other situations.

 

[219]

Nah - he gets one of his pretty young ladies to get his leg over the pedal for him...in between making him a cuppa

Some people have one track minds .

There are none so blind as those who will not see .

 

[219]

Keeping your foot, any foot, on the brake pedal (known as riding the brake) is a fail on a US driving test.

Left foot braking is for rally drivers, everyone tries (and epically fails) after watching this amazing footage of Walter Rorhl:

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No one is suggesting riding the brakes , and it is not just about rally driving or speed .

 

[219]

I've just driven an auto Toyota hi lux 200 miles.
There's no way in the world that those pedals are set up for ambidextrous foot work.
You'd end up steering with your knee everytime you tried to brake

Not all vehicles are as well engineered as a Mercedes-Benz.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

But , even better , especially if turning sharp left off a downhill road , is to slow the car right down with the left foot and , as you start to enter the turn bring in the power as you come off the brake , rather than coasting round the corner . Same applies in other situations.

Auto's will immediately drop gears when you brake & the car should be in an appropriate gear to take the corner at the appropriate speed without coasting. I was taught not to accelerate until the car is straightened up and balanced.....??

 

[Steeve]

Auto's will immediately drop gears when you brake & the car should be in an appropriate gear to take the corner at the appropriate speed without coasting. I was taught not to accelerate until the car is straightened up and balanced.....??

You shouldn't accelerate, but you should be feeding power to maintain grip, thus not coasting

 

[Dickster]

Rallying/go-karting = much the same : dig front in ; get rear out / opposite lock round corner = faster .

In road driving it is all about smoothness : smooth transition between braking and accelerating out of bend ; not necessarily speed , but balance and control .

you don’t want the rear out when go-karting, unless you want to come last.

 

[Dickster]

it appears the OP only adopted the technique as he had a dodgy choke - that’s the only reason I have used it in the past, cars with a tendency to stall for instance.

 

[219]

Auto's will immediately drop gears when you brake & the car should be in an appropriate gear to take the corner at the appropriate speed without coasting. I was taught not to accelerate until the car is straightened up and balanced.....??

You should start applying a certain amount of power , but not too much , to balance the car as you enter a bend and to increase it as you come out , the old saying is ‘ slow in , fast out’

 

[219]

you don’t want the rear out when go-karting, unless you want to come last.

It can be the quickest way round a 180 degree bend rather than slowing too much on the approach; it is certainly the most fun .

 

[219]

it appears the OP only adopted the technique as he had a dodgy choke - that’s the only reason I have used it in the past, cars with a tendency to stall for instance.

I mentioned that I used heel/toe at one point before I rebuilt my carburettor , that was in a manual car and not left foot braking .

The choke incidentally worked fine , but pulling it out to maintain idle once the engine is warmed is bad practice.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Can we please update the thread title, one of these should do?

Left Foot Braking on Race Track
Left Foot Braking Driving Too Fast on the Road

You should start applying a certain amount of power , but not too much , to balance the car as you enter a bend and to increase it as you come out , the old saying is ‘ slow in , fast out’

If the car is not balanced you are driving too fast.
Best keep those sayings for the track.

It can be the quickest way round a 180 degree bend rather than slowing too much on the approach; it is certainly the most fun .

Are we on a track?

 

[togthecat]

Left Foot Braking on Race Track
Left Foot Braking Driving Too Fast on the Road

Nope, I neither race nor drive too fast, was purely interested to see if anyone else used the left foot to brake.....

 

[Deleted member 150136]

Nope , the left foot rests to the left of the pedal most of the time . When braking is anticipated , the foot is rotated

So the same as right foot braking?
But you keep your foot on the accelerator also when braking is anticipated!!

You seem to be a dangerous driver to me, trying to go as fast as possible.
If your drive is not smooth with normal right foot braking you must be doing something wrong.

I bet you must be one of these people you follow who you think are drunk, brake lights going on when the car is accelerating, back end getting unbalanced, trying to go as fast as possible etc etc

I dont see any advantage in normal everyday driving.

 

[Deleted member 149005]

Some people have one track minds .

There are none so blind as those who will not see .

Talking about yourself?

 

[219]

Can we please update the thread title, one of these should do?

Left Foot Braking on Race Track
Left Foot Braking Driving Too Fast on the Road



If the car is not balanced you are driving too fast.
Best keep those sayings for the track.



Are we on a track?

One can left foot brake at any speed : it has nothing to do with speed .

Balance is just as important at normal road speeds : this is taught in advanced driving ; it is in Roadcraft . Slow in fast out applies equally to normal road driving .

The reference to Karting is , of course , on a track , but does not relate to road driving .

While I have once driven a rally car on an airfield , I haven’t done dirt track rallying , where I imagine the technique would work well .

 

[Deleted member 126251]

In cars fitted with steering wheel air bags it is now strongly recommended to use the quarter to three grip, not the original ten to two, to help reduce the chances of wrist injury should the bag go off.

....and your arms slamming into your face. I particularly like the fools that drive one handed with their right hand at 11 on the steering.

 

[219]

So the same as right foot braking?
But you keep your foot on the accelerator also when braking is anticipated!!

You seem to be a dangerous driver to me, trying to go as fast as possible.
If your drive is not smooth with normal right foot braking you must be doing something wrong.

I bet you must be one of these people you follow who you think are drunk, brake lights going on when the car is accelerating, back end getting unbalanced, trying to go as fast as possible etc etc

I dont see any advantage in normal everyday driving.

You clearly do not understand.

I do NOT drive at inappropriate or illegal speeds on the road .

For your information I held my Police Class One advanced certificate and went on to become an advanced instructor many years ago , and taught to advanced level for 11 years . I am still current as an emergency response driver with the Fire Service .

I have explained numerous times that it is simpler to use both feet and that it opens up possibilities which cannot be achieved with only one foot .

I have further explained that speed has nothing to do with it , although the technique can be used to make faster safe progress when required .

Alas all of this seems to be beyond the understanding of some on this forum .

 

[219]

Talking about yourself?

Look in the mirror

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Keeping your foot, any foot, on the brake pedal (known as riding the brake) is a fail on a US driving test.

Left foot braking is for rally drivers, everyone tries (and epically fails) after watching this amazing footage of Walter Rorhl:

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Trail braking is a technique for certain circumstances - foot lightly on the brake to keep the car balanced going into the bend.....