Left Foot Braking

[fernando_khan]

having been used to loads of fwd cars, lately i have been experimenting using the left foot to brake around roundabouts and bends when the car starts to understeer/slide and allow it go into slight oversteer or just drop the speed down and become more controllable.

im no expert at lfb the only way i can use it is if i use the heel of my left foot to assert the slightest of pressure needed whereas if i use my entire left foot i just slam them too hard and my face nearly smashes into the steering wheel. :laugh:

This made me think in a car like a noble or rwd cars for that matter where understeer isnt a big problem does anyone actually use the left foot to brake? mabye in high speed corners to keep it stable? in low speed corners you can just power oversteer when you get the understeer.. so im guessing there would be no need there.

either way mabye someone with experience with lfb on rwd can explain?


regards

fk

[nick francis]

I tried to learn how to Left foot brake years go when I had the elises. I used to practice getting the right pressure by left foot braking on my automatic transmission cars. I have to say I found the whole thing very difficult, I couldnt get my head round it and reckon I was probably not doing the cars transmission a lot of good! Eventually I gave up and now the only fancy footwork I use is to heel and toe.

[DanH]

I've tried it too, but its a real pain when you require a gear change, which you do for most corners. The technique I was taught for swapping feet to facilitate this is pretty difficult to pull off and always ended up extending my braking, not improving it due to lack of talent.

Its nice when you get it right though, you can trail brake into the corner and get lovely turn in, but if it starts to oversteer you can lock the fronts to balance it out. Also works when you run out of steering lock which is handy in a noble

[broad]

Speaking from a rallying point of view left foot braking is so much easier in a car fitted with a dogbox and better yet with a sequential. You only use the clutch to get off the line and thereafter its just 2 pedals. The difficulty with left foot braking and syncro boxes is that you constantly have to adjust the pressure and sharpness of delivery with your left foot from a quick stab on the clutch to a measured balance/pressure of the brake pedal - very difficult to train yourself to get right and even more so unless you are constantly racing/ testing. Its much easier if you drive that way or that particular car the same way all the time.

Many rallying tarmac experts never got on with it either even with dogs or sequentials - Didier Auriol (ex WRC champ) & Bugalski to name a few.

G

[paulcundy]

I've done a bit of Off road driving. LFB is used there to increase traction in cars with free diffs and between axle diffs. At first its a counter intuitive and a bit bizarre thing to be thinking, the surface is greasy, I'm going to start spinning wheels, jump on the brake!

However teh effect is stunning. by braking the "about to spin wheel" the drive is transfered to the "about to become unpowered" wheel and you can feel the traction improve. You can in fact on a very flat very slippery surface like sheet ice get one or more wheels spinning, leave the throttel where it is, then slowly apply the brake and as the spinning wheels are brought under control and drive transmitted to even though you are applying the brake you start to move forward.

This is all very easy because its very slow speed. The amount of brake pedal pressure you have to apply is measured in wellyfulls, its not a light touch at all, these deisels kick out masses of torque.

I've not been brave enough to do it in the Noble yet.

Regards
Paul C


>> Edited by paulcundy on Wednesday 21st September 12:21

[silversix]

paulcundy said:

I've done a bit of Off road driving. LFB is used there to increase traction in cars with free diffs and between axle diffs. At first its a counter intuitive and a bit bizarre thing to be thinking, the surface is greasy, I'm going to start spinning wheels, jump on the brake!

This is exactly how the TC works on my Disco. Only the computer is better at it than I ever would be.

To learn left foot braking, I think that you realy need to go to a Scandanavian rally driving school. I've seen video of Penti Aricola, and Stig Blomquist's feet on a stage, and it's quite astounding. My driving is in no way good enough to try this in the M400 (I can't even powerslide it so....)

[micknall]

LFB not advisable in any mid-engined car, and unnecessary, too, due to their inherent handling characteristics.

Simon hucknall
Press Officer
Noble Automotive Ltd.

[V6GTO]

If you are under or over steering you are losing time. The only really usefull place or lfb-ing is about 1 second before your breaking point. Start lfb-ing, then at the breaking point move your right foot to the break pedal and break as normal, then move your left foot over to use the clutch for your downshifts. This heats up the breaks so there when you need them, and it also stops the car from unsettling itself. This is how Mikka Hakinen used to drive.

Martin.

[DanH]

Yep but the skill is in the transition from left to right and its a right bugger. The technique I was taught was to use the right foot to push on the left foot and transfer the left foot away using that pressure. Then pass the left foot under the clutch around and over the top onto it.

Right pita and I can guarantee I never got any benefit from it. It requires 100% perfect execution and frankly theres other more important parts of my driving to work on

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

DanH said:

Yep but the skill is in the transition from left to right and its a right bugger. The technique I was taught was to use the right foot to push on the left foot and transfer the left foot away using that pressure. Then pass the left foot under the clutch around and over the top onto it. Right pita and I can guarantee I never got any benefit from it. It requires 100% perfect execution and frankly theres other more important parts of my driving to work on

One word nicely covers what would happen to me if I tried this. Ditch.

[DanH]

Yeah for some reason its not a popular technique. Not sure why. I'm sure professional Irish dancers could pull it off though. I kept getting my enormous hoofs trapped under the clutch though.

[BrianJ]

Left foot braking as taught to me by Andy Walsh of 1st Lotus in my Elise was used when full throttle kept firmly to floor in fast corner - delicate lfb tightened the line nicely. Mastered after a couple of spins on airfield.

To be honest not tried in Noble - not enough balls for full throttle in fast corner!

Brian J

[DanH]

Brian I learnt from Walshy too. You were being shown left foot trail braking by the sounds of it, which isn't quite the full scope of what he teaches. He also teaches locking the front if you start to oversteer to counter it as well as how to downshift under LFB.

Frankly I can't be arsed, its all well and good on an airfield, but on a track I don't want to be hauled out of a gravel trap/barrier. Maybe when I can drive half as fast as the other crap drivers on track it will be a concern, but as Broad mentioned these kind of techniques require massive wheel time that you don't really get unless you are a professional driver/tester.

[paulcundy]

V6GTO said:

This is how Mikka Hakinen used to drive. Martin.

Is that a recomendation?

[DanH]

paulcundy said:

V6GTO said: This is how Mikka Hakinen used to drive. Martin. Is that a recomendation?

Prada handbag for Mr Cundy!