Driving shoes, your thoughts pls...

[nick_j007]

Looking forward to my Petrol head nirvana Alps tour this July, and would appreciate some driving shoes to compliment the occassion. I don't want to look conspicuous and thought that these were on the way to fitting the bill:

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/leisurewear/footwear...

Any other suggestions please that are muted in colour but functional? £100 max

I'd really like to hone my 'heel and toe' technique and have found that the shoes I wear make a big difference in the S2 Elise.

Thanks all.

Nick

[Baryonyx]

I used to have a pair of these:



Hardly conspicuous, but great for heel-toe downshifts with the flared heel base. Gave you a wide bit of a shoe to blip the throttle.

I drive in these nows:



Good grip, responsive sole, stiff enough to support over longer drives. Obviously, neither trainer has any fire proofing but for driver enjoyment they're both fantastic shoes. Good for fell running too!

[anonymous-user]

nick_j007 said:

Looking forward to my Petrol head nirvana Alps tour this July, and would appreciate some driving shoes to compliment the occassion. I don't want to look conspicuous and thought that these were on the way to fitting the bill:

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/leisurewear/footwear...

Any other suggestions please that are muted in colour but functional? £100 max

I'd really like to hone my 'heel and toe' technique and have found that the shoes I wear make a big difference in the S2 Elise.

Thanks all.

Nick

I have some in black / white - smashing

[nick_j007]

They were being sold in the shoop here a while back...no longer?

[blueg33]

Baryonyx said:

I used to have a pair of these:



Hardly conspicuous, but great for heel-toe downshifts with the flared heel base. Gave you a wide bit of a shoe to blip the throttle.

I drive in these nows:



Good grip, responsive sole, stiff enough to support over longer drives. Obviously, neither trainer has any fire proofing but for driver enjoyment they're both fantastic shoes. Good for fell running too!

Do those really give you enough feel? I have some like that and there is no way I would drive the Tuscan in them. For me a driving shoe is more like a slipper. A bit like the pilotti ones on the link.

Op, I would go for Puma Speed Cats and save a few £££'s to spend on fuel

Edited by blueg33 on Tuesday 31st January 20:24

[ewenm]

I like the Puma SpeedCats when driving the Caterham - variety of colours available.

[vdubbin]

Always been a fan of Chucks.

[Baryonyx]

blueg33 said:

Do those really give you enough feel? I have some like that and there is no way I would drive the Tuscan in them. For me a driving shoe is more like a slipper. A bit like the pilotti ones on the link.

They do. That said, I'm fairly versatile in terms of the shoes I can drive in. I can drive a car in mountain climbing boots, as I have to wear boots at work. Mind you, even then I go for Adidas GSG9's as they are better for driving in than heavy boots! With regard to the Salomans, the Speedcross trainers are particularly good for sole. They have a fairly thin sole with the raised treads for grip. They let you feel the minutiae of the car through your feet, I like to feel every vibration from the pedals and have superior control over them. This is particularly important in something like my MR2 where you want to be getting maximum feedback at all times and able to make precise inputs.

Where I find them better than say, other 'driving shoes' is that they're good for more than just driving and waiting around on the hardstanding, they're a good day to day trainer. I have some Asics running trainers on the other hand that are pretty well cushioned and don't give a great response or feedback, but they're far from unusable.

[nick_j007]

Thanks guys, how do the Drift Cats from Puma compare to Speedcats?

[anonymous-user]

nick_j007 said:

the shoes I wear make a big difference in the S2 Elise.

When I had my Esprit I used to either,
- drive without shoes, or
- make sure they were something fairly narrow with a thin sole.

Beyond that it's all a lot of tarting about IMO.

[donna180]

These are brilliant for driving in.

http://www.alpinestars.com/shop/categories/auto/sh...

On a different plane altogether to speedcats and other wannabe driving shoes in my experience...

Edited by donna180 on Tuesday 31st January 20:51

[Little Bob]

Puma Speedcats - comfy and not too ridiculous.

[ewenm]

donna180 said:

These are brilliant for driving in.

http://www.alpinestars.com/shop/categories/auto/sh...

On a different plane altogether to speedcats and other wannabe driving shoes in my experience...

But fail the "I don't want to look too conspicuous" criteria of the OP.

[donna180]

ewenm said:

donna180 said:

These are brilliant for driving in.

http://www.alpinestars.com/shop/categories/auto/sh...

On a different plane altogether to speedcats and other wannabe driving shoes in my experience...

But fail the "I don't want to look too conspicuous" criteria of the OP.

Hmmm, a driving tour but doesn't want to look conspicuous - take another pair of shoes for the walking around (admit it's more a girl thing)....

Ok, a pair of Tod's then.

[GingerWizard]

I have a pair of these,

http://www.prodirectselect.com/products/Puma-Shoes...

picked them up about a year ago randomly in the sale for doss shoes; and they are easily the best shoe I have ever had for driving. Especially as I have worn them smooth now....

The heel of the sole juts out a bit which lends its self to progressive driving.

http://www.prodirectselect.com/V3_1/V3_1_Gallery.a...

[nick_j007]

ewenm said:

donna180 said:

These are brilliant for driving in.

http://www.alpinestars.com/shop/categories/auto/sh...

On a different plane altogether to speedcats and other wannabe driving shoes in my experience...

But fail the "I don't want to look too conspicuous" criteria of the OP.

Just a tad Thanks anyway.

[V88Dicky]

Those slip-on Lonsdales available at Sports Direct are all you need. £12 or so, available in black, brown or white.

Sorry, no picture at hand.

[KP]

blueg33 said:

Do those really give you enough feel? I have some like that and there is no way I would drive the Tuscan in them. For me a driving shoe is more like a slipper. A bit like the pilotti ones on the link.

Op, I would go for Puma Speed Cats and save a few £££'s to spend on fuel

Edited by blueg33 on Tuesday 31st January 20:24

And you don't have to take them off before you get out the car!

[Mr MXT]

nick_j007 said:

Thanks guys, how do the Drift Cats from Puma compare to Speedcats?

Ive got drift cats. Great for driving in, good feel with the added bonus of not looking like a reject from the ALMS.

[Rockatansky]

Colin Mcrae 'crew' shoes for me;

http://www.colinmcrae.com/store_main.asp?int_catal...

Love them