Puma driving shoes

[chickenroyal]

Hey everyone, I've got a quick question about driving shoes.

I'm wanting to get a pair for everyday driving and probably occasional normal wear. I've found the Puma Inflection and I like the look of them and I saw someone on here had the BMW F1 branded version and liked them. I also saw the Puma Drift Cat L, but they're harder to find in my size and the white-black colour combo.

Just wondering if either of those pairs of shoes are good, or if anyone else has any recommendations. Obviously with them just being for normal driving, I don't want to spend a lot or get proper driving/race boots, I'd like the shoes to look all right when I get out the car and not be too flashy or loud, if you understand what I mean.

Also, if anyone knows of good sites to get the shoes from I'd really appreciate that too.

Thanks in advance

Edited by chickenroyal on Wednesday 3rd September 20:04

[Darkslider]

Can't help you I'm afraid but those Pumas are lovely! I'd always written off the idea of ever purchasing proper driving shoes for doing trackdays as I didn't want to look like a gimp walking round the paddock, I might as well kit up in full nomex! However I'm glad to learn there's a good compromise between casual trainers that offer good pedal feel, I'll definitely look into those in future.

Gotta be better than my old reebok classics with the sole worn so thin you can see through it in places

[chickenroyal]

Darkslider said:

Gotta be better than my old reebok classics with the sole worn so thin you can see through it in places

Haha, I know how you feel. I'm just about to replace a pair of Etnies that I've wore the soles down and the rubber at the join to the material. Want to replace them with some trainers more suitable for driving as I've got a newish pair of Etnies for everyday use.

[snorkel sucker]

any thin soled shoes are good for driving and getting better pedal feel. there was a thread on here not long ago about some of the faves.

i wouldnt say that youd feel like a nonse walking round the pits in a pair of racing shoes- plenty of people do, esp on trackdays.

if youve got the cash, alpinestars seem to be the mutts

[stackmonkey]

Puma do quite a few styles with the 'extended' heel for driving. I've got an all black pair that I use generally and for driving and they're very comfortable.

[Mag1calTrev0r]

I have a pair of Puma/Sparco Kerb Cat which I use for driving, nice an easy to slip on and normally live on the floor in the back of the car. I can really recommend them and I only paid £15 for them from BookaTrack.com. I figured that for £15 you can't go wrong even though they're a bit 'in your face', but then again nobody ever sees them!

[ian in lancs]

The Adidas version are a better fit for me. The Puma ones are a quite narrow.

http://www.shopwiki.co.uk/detail/d=Adidas_ADI_RACE...

[stew-S160]

i bought some of these the other week. very comfy. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

they go nicely with my 3 other pairs of puma

[ruaricoles]

I have a pair of Sparco race boots and a couple of pairs of Puma shoes (Puma Replicats and Speedcats I think they're called) and to be honest find the Pumas more comfortable than the Sparcos and the pedal feel is much the same. Neither are great for walking on cobbles however.

Ruari

[johnzo]

I can't believe that I actually opened a thread discussing SHOES, have I logged into Girlie Fashion thread by mistake?

[crofty1984]

ruaricoles said:

I have a pair of Sparco race boots and a couple of pairs of Puma shoes (Puma Replicats and Speedcats I think they're called) and to be honest find the Pumas more comfortable than the Sparcos and the pedal feel is much the same. Neither are great for walking on cobbles however.

Ruari

If that's the case then you should definetly get them. I've got some sparco race boots and I can honestly say they're the most indispensible part of my racing kit. Aside from a helmet, obviously. And a car.

[RobFerrari]

I have the Puma Inflection F1, BMW Sauber edition shoes. They are really nice, comfortable (once worn in a bit) and relatively hard wearing. I needed a decent pair for my Mini, i used to wear skate shoes and they were too big to drive in, so i bought these.

All in, they look good, feel good and work well for normal driving. The heel is shaped perfectly for "rolling" the foot forward if that makes sense.

Im changing shoes right now, mine looking a bit worn out as i wear them most of the time, but I would have no hesitation to buy Puma again. Looking at the new Ferrari ones right now.


Good luck with your purchase

EDIT: They are more comfortable than my AlpineStars racing boots, which i love so theyre pretty damn good!

Also, if you are looking to buy them from somewhere, i got mine from Schuh, they stock a fair range of Puma's.

Edited by RobFerrari on Thursday 4th September 13:10

[Spleeble]

I recently bought a pair of No Fear driving shoes from Sports World, they look stupid but look like proper race shoes. They only cost £15 and will let me operate the pedals properly, my old DC’s were so wide I hit 2 pedals at once. I can carry a spare set in the car for normal walking around so I don’t look like an idiot.

[MrKipling43]

I've got a pair of Alpine Stars, which are excellent. However, they're not comfy at all for walking around in, but that might be because my feet - according to the O/H - are 'meat flippers': I have fallen arches and driving shoes are very narrow, so I can't walk around in them for any amount of time without getting achy feet.

[CanAm]

I wear Puma Speedcats for driving and they are very comfortable with good feel. BUT they are narrow and a tight fit; you might want to go for half a size bigger than normal. They are also a bit expensive, but I got a pair a couple of years ago from Littlewoods Direct (really!) for £32. Got another pair recently from the Puma outlet at one of those shopping villages; also about half price.
Not quite as good (a little wider) but far cheaper were Lonsdales from one of the sports shops chains (about £25 I think).
Finally, at the budget end are Hi-Tec Squash Classic. Not quite as good as the above but you can get them for about £16 in the right shops.

[chickenroyal]

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions people.

RobFerrari: I had a look at Schuh at the MetroCentre today, and they had them, but not in my size (12) but I managed to try the Ferrari Drift Cats in JDSports and they were a really comfortable fit, I'm assuming the Inflections will be the same sort of fit, if so I'm going to either try the Schuh(s) in Newcastle on Friday or have another look online.

[RobFerrari]

I had trouble getting 12's and eventually had to buy 11's. Im an 11 and 1/2 so they were uncomfortable to start with but the leather stretched a bit.