tytek

Which foot do you mainly use? Obviously, when heel/toeing you have to use the right foot (except in an auto).

Vote your preference...

Also, any tips on how to start left foot braking for those that don't?

Racingswh

I use my left foot on approach to corners that only require a speed change and not a downchange.

Similar to heel and toe every time you drive an automatic on the street you should be using your left foot to brake.

I got really good at it when we had the GTR for 2 seasons. Tons of trailbraking used in those to get them to turn and it made the transition to power seamless.

Hardest part in the Corvette or Viper is you are using your left foot on the clutch and brake and it requires some getting used to. The tendency is to smash the brake because you don't have the necessary learned muscle control to press the clutch deftly and then use a sensitive pressure on the brake.

Practice is the only way I became half decent at it.

FuriousDonuts

I left-foot tap to correct pad knockback (and make sure I have brakes) before every corner; right foot brake for actual deceleration.

l98tpi

AutoX left foot brake, left foot on brake and right foot on the throttle at all times. On track lapping I left foot also, but keep my left foot off of the brake unless need to brake. I practice every day in my daily driver on the street. It is now instinct for my left foot to go to the brake in panic stops or any time I apply the brakes.

troyguitar

You have no choice - you will brake with your left foot!

V4kerker

Tip: practice on the street every time you can this winter and spring before going to the track to work on muscle memory. I panicked on the track one time when I first started doing left foot. Went to right foot and left foot brake at about the same time at a turn and got me and the car all unbalanced. This is coming from a auto driver that had been right foot braking all his life

SouthernSon

Really a helpful technique when you need to shift weight to the front tires for more equal load share between the two if you find yourself pushing really badly while allowing continued throttle float. Also, can be helpful when at the limit in a somewhat compromised misaligned suspension. In other words, most needed when at the limit and you need corrective action RIGHT NOW! Thus, you really need to be really good at it, have a well trained sensitive left foot and not prone to confusing clutch pedal for brake pedal....seriously, it happens.

Captain Buddha

SouthernSon has very good points. I left foot brake in the GTA car, no clutch needed other than when starting off and coming to a stop. Right foot is blipping throttle on downshifts. It's really nice to be able to put a little weight on the front when under throttle. Learning was a humbling experience! No power brakes, no abs.

krisa9977

It is very simple. If you are not using the clutch other than when starting off, you can left foot brake. With regular manual gearbox left foot braking doesn't make any sense unless you are driving FWD rally car on gravel or snow.

mikeCsix

I left foot brake and no longer think about it.

jtmck

OK,
In my opinion, you should left foot brake.
You should also NOT hell and toe.
Slowing down at maximum is not the time to be wiggling your foot.

You needed gears to slow down 40 years ago with drum brakes, now you just want to be in the right gear to come out of the corner.

Tips.....Practice,
Drive the track in a higher gear so you do not need to shift.
Do exactly the same with your left foot as you do with the right foot brake with out shifting.
Off the gas, on the brake. off the brake, on the gas.
You will find very soon you will be bringing up the gas pedal just as you finish the braking.
You will then be ready to do shifting.

There are some who disagree with this approach

Bill Dearborn

Anybody ever remember the videos ESPN used to show of Rusty Wallace's footwork at Watkins Glen. He switched from heel to to left foot braking and back plus shifted without using the clutch all the way around the track. If you blip the throttle correctly you can shift without using the clutch so that leaves your left foot free to brake.

Bill

SouthernSon

Hard to argue with Jim (although we have had discussions ). He has been known to set records at tracks during his first visit!

troyguitar

So you just brake, then coast/downshift through apex, then get on throttle after that and it's somehow faster than downshifting while braking?

Racingswh

I so want to understand this in detail as well. Are you saying that you don't shift during your quickest laps? If you do shift when do you shift? Do you use the clutch or do you match revs?

As I understand it constant mesh transmissions don't like to be shifted without disengaging the clutch as it damages the synchros. Dog box non synchromesh transmissions with straight cut gears like are found in stock cars from what I understand can and are shifted without the clutch.

Captain Buddha

Racingswh: driving/shifting a Jericho is a blast! For upshifts you just back off the throttle for a hair, shift and keep on going. Downshifts are handled with a blip of the throttle.

tytek

I know... this sort of flies in the face of everything that I had read and learned so far. Blipping the throttle and downshifting before turns that require a lower gear has been a staple of track driving and racing. I have read your other posts and saw you mention the above technique. Since you are really fast, it is hard to argue with this approach, as it seems to work for you. I have been in cars where a driver was lazy about rev matching and would slide the rear end when the tranny would lock up the rear wheels under braking without matching revs with speed... how do you avoid that phenomena? Not downshift until after the apex? I am very curious to hear more...

Bill32

True, but they did change to a dog ring trans at that time. Makes a world of difference since they don't have syncros to slow down your shifting.

I build a lot of these gearboxes. They shift so nice.
You can see the dog ring on it's slider here in the middle of the gear stack.

Bill32

We also add a left foot brake pedal on some cars, no sense moving your foot very far.

Racingswh

My friend Mike Ellis I bought my Wife's car from took the same route you have. He was telling me how he liked the trans as well. He came from karts and spent a little time in Grand Am racing so the left foot deal wasn't that hard for him. I don't think I am ready yet for that move from a time in car setup standpoint although Mike Beckers car would be a fantastic ride.

I have to say I do really like all the foot work and rev matching that you need to do in order to be quick in any of these cars and not nearly as big a fan of the dilution of driver skill that's taking place when driving the newer nanny filled stuff. As I mentioned driving the GTR was really boring for me. Even though ours was really fast I never felt like my driving ability was being tested. I would love to try an ASA or TA2 car at some point. I know I would love it!!