wmk32

I guess this section is as good as any to post this question.

I signed up for a spring mountain course and their confirmation letter says to bring either flat soled tennis shoes or preferably some piloti driving shoes. All of my tennis shoes are running or cross trainer stuff so i'd have to go buy something new anyway, but is it worthwhile to spend the extra money on "driving" specific shoes? The hpde stuff is all new to me.

Thanks in advance.

c4cruiser

If you are going to be doing a number of HPDE or track days after Spring Mountain, it's worth the extra money for comfort and protection. They will probably do some teaching on "heel and toe" and driving shoes are built to help with that.

Piloti shoes are pretty good and can be reasonably priced with some searching. Look for the versions that are Nomex lined for fire protection. There are driving shoes available from Simpson, G-Force and RCI, all with Nomex lining. Or you can get some Nomex socks.

It won't hurt to get some gloves too. I use Simpson PosiGrip gloves; they have Nomex on the palm and back. If your hands sweat, they will really help with a good grip on the steering wheel and are still very comfortable.

C5 XTC

One of the best early HPDE investments you can make. Makes heel and toe down shifting easier and gives you a "feel" for pedals. Also very comfortable. I am about to buy my second pair. Get them before you go to SM, you'll get a better price. C5 XTC

MungoZ06

Being a newbie and a cheapa$$ 4 years ago I bought a pair of cheap wrestling shoes on sale ... they served me well.
That said ... I'm buying a pair of nomex-lined driving shoes this winter.
you want a shoe with a non-slip sole, no wider than the widest part of your foot, preferably with a rounded heel. Skechers has some casual shoes that come close.

The Spark

I bought some cheap casual shoes for a road race a couple of years ago for ~$25. The looked like tennis shoes and had flat sole. Those things were crap and hurt my feet but they got me through the race.

I bought a pair of G-Force mid-top driving shoes last year and are worth the extra money if you are going to do much HPDE.

A friend bought some Piloti shoes on an online auction a while back. I don't know if they are Nomex or not.

wmk32

Thanks for the help all. I went ahead and purchased some piloti shoes with nomex as i figured its likely i'll be hooked on the hpde after the class. Size 15 is hard enough to find in regular shoes, so i'm just happy that they offer my size.

Joy of 6

Good choice. I have a couple pairs of Piloti's and really like them even for just normal wearing. I find them more comfortable than tennies.

Also see you at SM. You will like the course. got hills and corners that can be challenging

WNeal

I worked several months on heel toe downshifting, while wearing my gym shoes.
Bought some driving shoes and now have found they are too narrow for me to reach the gas pedal.

I don't really use my heel but simply role my foot over to the gas.

Probably gonna need to get a wider pedal if I want to use them.

Just my experience for other rookies to consider.

BBQ

what size foot are you?

WNeal

9 1/2
Second year of HPDE, tried them once and have not had them on since.

G-Force Shoes

fmrfast

I use Pilot's nomex lined for racing my C4. I find the race shoes, boots from other manufacturers are to narrow to work well for heel toe (roll your foot over to the gas pedal) unless you have modified the gas/brake pedal configuration. However, the narrow shoes are very good in an open wheel car. I have both types in my driver bag depending what I may have the opportunity to drive. In my C4 it is Piloti's only!

larryfs

i am rethinking driving shoes:
I have an expensive pair professional driving shoes, and they are very narrow. the c4 clutch pedal needs a narrow shoe because of the close proximatey of the carpet, but the heal toe needs a wider shoe.
I can heal toe better with my sneakers.

Z06 Whisperer

I'm on my second pair of G Force mid-tops--the first pair I wore out on the bottoms and put holes in the toes! I got both pairs from RacerWholesale.

I like that you can adjust the laces pretty far down in the shoe and use the velcro strap at the ankle to help with fit/comfort . I might recommend trying them on for fit though if possible (or check the return policies for mail order).

Good luck and enjoy Spring Mountain!!

Hardcorvette

I've been playing hell trying to find decent driving shoes. I'm a flat footed 14ee and usually wear Nike Cross-Trainers at the track.

gkmccready

8EEEE here in my sneakers. I've never been able to find a nomex shoe wide enough. :-( I just cram my feet in for the session and put my sneakers back on immediately after getting out of the car.

Z11409

SM is a dealer for Pilotes Driving shoes--give Donna a call and make sure she has your size in stock.

Conflicted

I have a pair of leather, slip-on (no laces) Sketchers that I use. For the few HPDEs I've done they've been great. When I start doing more events I'll probably get some better shoes.

PA Z06

I totally agree, im gonna try some elite pedals this winter and see if I cant narrow the gap, but I heel toe much better with regs sneakers

Z06 Whisperer

I've heard you can get custom made shoes from Stand21. Here's a link from the main site: http://www.stand21.fr/bottines/bottines-perso-2.html

I didn't look into the price though!

larryfs

forget Stand21. they are not an American company. they have 1 office in GA, and couldn't care less about their American business. I tried on a Stand 21 helmet, and it was defective. When I removed the helmet, my face was all scratched up. The inside of the helmet was never finished properly. They were totally non-responsive to the situation. There lack of response pissed me off so much, I hired a lawyer, but we never got anywhere because they are not America based. So I'll just continue to tell my story publically.