It seems entirely logical to to brake with the left foot with a PDK box but my brain won't calibrate to do this with any degree of finesse. Is left foot braking widely used, should I persevere, is their any real advantage with perfecting the technique.
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PDK - Left foot braking anyone
- Thread starter Curious2
- Start date
FZP
Zandvoort
- Joined
- 18 Jan 2015
- Messages
- 5,876
Left foot braking is really only of good use on the track. For some reason, in a go kart, left foot braking isn't an issue, try it on the tracks fine.On the road and I'm like a teenager at my first ball, feet everywhere and uncoordinated AF. :dont know:
I cant imagine why you would need to do this on the road ??
Im not even sure if you can do it , i think whilst on the road there might be logic to inhibit this ... maybe someone else can shed some light on it ...
Ill try it next time im home & out in ' the beast' ....
Im not even sure if you can do it , i think whilst on the road there might be logic to inhibit this ... maybe someone else can shed some light on it ...
Ill try it next time im home & out in ' the beast' ....
Mad Mark911
Monza
- Joined
- 16 Dec 2011
- Messages
- 186
You can left foot brake with PDK and if you firmly press the brake first and then gently touch the throttle it downchanges several gears. At least on my car ....
i brake with left foot a lot of the time, for some reason i do it at the start of each journey and then i remember its not a manual car and try to stop myself.
im not sure if its the result of driving a manual for too many decades or if its just a bad habit.
I do worry that if i had to perform an emergency stop, I'd almost certainly use both feet and the car would go all weird on me.
im not sure if its the result of driving a manual for too many decades or if its just a bad habit.
I do worry that if i had to perform an emergency stop, I'd almost certainly use both feet and the car would go all weird on me.
T8
Super Moderator
- Joined
- 29 Jun 2010
- Messages
- 21,387
wilpert said:
It's the left foot braking in a manual car that was the bad habit.
If you were a serious rally driver it might have been ok but your last paragraph shows that you obviously are not and really must get out of the habit asap.
Left foot braking in an automatic is fine if you're good at it but it takes time and practice to master. In 15 years of driving an auto I've never had the inclination to do so as I can't see much benefit for road use.
bazhart
Barcelona
- Joined
- 20 May 2009
- Messages
- 1,343
I learned to left foot brake about 45 years ago driving a 4 speed 911 T Sportomatic just 2 pedals and 2 feet - seemed logical to try.
The first time I tried it I found my nose glued to the windscreen - no feel or control whatsoever - but I persevered, eventually as good with the left foot as the right.
But then I discovered a fantastic trick - the 911's of the time were notorious for oversteering if you lifted off in a corner and/or applied the brakes (because you realised you were going too fast and were not going to make it round the corner). I found that as long as you didn't take your foot off the throttle, if you fed in a little brake the car just simply tightened back into the corner with complete stability.
It resulted in driving without too much concern about too much corner speed as it was easy to get out of it if you were in trouble.
I lived in North Wales at the time and regularly used the main roads through the Mountains and towards Telford and there was no one could keep up with that car - even in the wet - as a result of the left foot braking (helped a bit by the LSD that was also part of the system).
You could even go quite fast in snow using that system.
Since then manufacturers have built in similar systems to the control of various cars (including Porsche's) so I guess it is not really as useful today although if I am in a tip or PDK I still use it (and even in a manual if I am in a hurry).
Beware trying it without a clear road behind - it takes a while to get the feel - but well worth it once you have.
Baz
The first time I tried it I found my nose glued to the windscreen - no feel or control whatsoever - but I persevered, eventually as good with the left foot as the right.
But then I discovered a fantastic trick - the 911's of the time were notorious for oversteering if you lifted off in a corner and/or applied the brakes (because you realised you were going too fast and were not going to make it round the corner). I found that as long as you didn't take your foot off the throttle, if you fed in a little brake the car just simply tightened back into the corner with complete stability.
It resulted in driving without too much concern about too much corner speed as it was easy to get out of it if you were in trouble.
I lived in North Wales at the time and regularly used the main roads through the Mountains and towards Telford and there was no one could keep up with that car - even in the wet - as a result of the left foot braking (helped a bit by the LSD that was also part of the system).
You could even go quite fast in snow using that system.
Since then manufacturers have built in similar systems to the control of various cars (including Porsche's) so I guess it is not really as useful today although if I am in a tip or PDK I still use it (and even in a manual if I am in a hurry).
Beware trying it without a clear road behind - it takes a while to get the feel - but well worth it once you have.
Baz
I remember an article donkeys years ago about it, with an interview with an ex rally driver who taught people how to left-foot brake. One factor for him was that the foot was poised over the brake pedal at all times, reducing the reaction time in an emergency braking situation.
These days, particularly in a C4 with PSM I can see little point in trying to out-think the car which can apply power and braking to the four wheels individually.
From the various driving courses I've done over the years, the common message seemed to be that the car should be set up right as you get to the bend, so left foot braking probably surplus to requirements for road use as you should always have a margin of safety.
These days, particularly in a C4 with PSM I can see little point in trying to out-think the car which can apply power and braking to the four wheels individually.
From the various driving courses I've done over the years, the common message seemed to be that the car should be set up right as you get to the bend, so left foot braking probably surplus to requirements for road use as you should always have a margin of safety.
Dieseldave
Trainee
- Joined
- 9 Jun 2019
- Messages
- 83
I left foot brake in everything I drive. I start doing it years ago in my
rally car with a sequential box'.
I do it all the time in manual road cars and even my VW Transporter.
If you are driving a nice fast flowing section of road you car scrub off
some speed with the left foot & immediately back on the power with
the right, the lack of delay in very noticeable.
Its hard at the start to build up the strength in your left ankle to keep
it hovering over the brake.
rally car with a sequential box'.
I do it all the time in manual road cars and even my VW Transporter.
If you are driving a nice fast flowing section of road you car scrub off
some speed with the left foot & immediately back on the power with
the right, the lack of delay in very noticeable.
Its hard at the start to build up the strength in your left ankle to keep
it hovering over the brake.
How else would you set off every time you've come to a halt? That's what Launch Control is for, is it not...?
I'm teaching myself to do it at the moment, having been a passenger with people who are good at LFB. So far, as above, I only practice it when the road is clear and I can think hard about what I'm doing. Hopefully it won't be too long until it becomes subconscious.
I'm teaching myself to do it at the moment, having been a passenger with people who are good at LFB. So far, as above, I only practice it when the road is clear and I can think hard about what I'm doing. Hopefully it won't be too long until it becomes subconscious.
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