Which race boots/shoes?
Discussion
Right, I am thinking of doing a bit more motorsport in the future, won't be too much, a couple of trackdays perhaps, and a few karting sessions. I want some comfortable driving shoes or peferably boots, and wondered which could be recommended?
Please don't tell me I would be better off with a pair of big trainers; I need something narrower fitting and flexible as my car is a Seicento and the pedals are extremely tiny and close together (if you don't know) so I would prefer something a bit more racey. Been looking at OMP kart boots on Demon Tweeks; didn't realise you could get them for under £50 for an adult pair. I did really like the Diadora Ayrton Senna race boots that are listed on Grand Prix Legends; I know they're not properly approved motorsport boots, more like replicas, but I do like them. The only trouble is they only do them in size 8 these days and I am size 10.5/11. I do have the trainers which are the same design as the boots and they're good but still a little on the large side. As I said race boots are preferred but I'm generally open minded.
Any ideas?
Please don't tell me I would be better off with a pair of big trainers; I need something narrower fitting and flexible as my car is a Seicento and the pedals are extremely tiny and close together (if you don't know) so I would prefer something a bit more racey. Been looking at OMP kart boots on Demon Tweeks; didn't realise you could get them for under £50 for an adult pair. I did really like the Diadora Ayrton Senna race boots that are listed on Grand Prix Legends; I know they're not properly approved motorsport boots, more like replicas, but I do like them. The only trouble is they only do them in size 8 these days and I am size 10.5/11. I do have the trainers which are the same design as the boots and they're good but still a little on the large side. As I said race boots are preferred but I'm generally open minded.
Any ideas?
dpbird90 said:
Right, I am thinking of doing a bit more motorsport in the future, won't be too much, a couple of trackdays perhaps, and a few karting sessions. I want some comfortable driving shoes or peferably boots, and wondered which could be recommended?
Please don't tell me I would be better off with a pair of big trainers; I need something narrower fitting and flexible as my car is a Seicento and the pedals are extremely tiny and close together (if you don't know) so I would prefer something a bit more racey. Been looking at OMP kart boots on Demon Tweeks; didn't realise you could get them for under £50 for an adult pair. I did really like the Diadora Ayrton Senna race boots that are listed on Grand Prix Legends; I know they're not properly approved motorsport boots, more like replicas, but I do like them. The only trouble is they only do them in size 8 these days and I am size 10.5/11. I do have the trainers which are the same design as the boots and they're good but still a little on the large side. As I said race boots are preferred but I'm generally open minded.
Any ideas?
Having spent a lot of time trying to scope this one out, and tried Sparco, Momo, Monoposto, Alpinestar, the ones with the thinnest, most narrow soles that I could find were Sabelt:Please don't tell me I would be better off with a pair of big trainers; I need something narrower fitting and flexible as my car is a Seicento and the pedals are extremely tiny and close together (if you don't know) so I would prefer something a bit more racey. Been looking at OMP kart boots on Demon Tweeks; didn't realise you could get them for under £50 for an adult pair. I did really like the Diadora Ayrton Senna race boots that are listed on Grand Prix Legends; I know they're not properly approved motorsport boots, more like replicas, but I do like them. The only trouble is they only do them in size 8 these days and I am size 10.5/11. I do have the trainers which are the same design as the boots and they're good but still a little on the large side. As I said race boots are preferred but I'm generally open minded.
Any ideas?
http://www.onyxrallying.co.uk/parts/boots.htm
The "Lite" version on the lower half of the page have uppers that are part fabric, part leather, and are the ones that I use. Perfect for racing.
There does tend to be a trade-off regarding the softness of the rubber of the sole: softer gives better pedal feel, but wears out sooner when in everyday, normal use.
I've got massive flat feet (I can't drive a Caterham in ordinary shoes) and I love my Alpinestars, which I picked out while doing a test a few years ago of racing shoes. I thought they were the best out of all the ones we had.
But, it's totally down to your own preference, go try some on.
But, it's totally down to your own preference, go try some on.
MrKipling43 said:
I've got massive flat feet (I can't drive a Caterham in ordinary shoes) and I love my Alpinestars, which I picked out while doing a test a few years ago of racing shoes. I thought they were the best out of all the ones we had.
But, it's totally down to your own preference, go try some on.
Fwiw, relative to Sabelts, the Alpinestars are hotter and have heavier soles.But, it's totally down to your own preference, go try some on.
As with any race clothing, it's got to be comfortable for long periods of time. The last thing you want is a distracting numbness when approaching Island Bend flat out with cars beside you.
Alpinestars have gained in popularity over recent years. Sparco are "OK", but I can certainly vouch for Stand 21 and Diadora.
Alpinestars have gained in popularity over recent years. Sparco are "OK", but I can certainly vouch for Stand 21 and Diadora.
jacobyte said:
As with any race clothing, it's got to be comfortable for long periods of time. The last thing you want is a distracting numbness when approaching Island Bend flat out with cars beside you.
Alpinestars have gained in popularity over recent years. Sparco are "OK", but I can certainly vouch for Stand 21 and Diadora.
Stand 21 - the soles are thin, but very stiff; not conducive to pedal feel. Also, the width of the toe box and across the ball of the foot is narrow relative to many other brands.Alpinestars have gained in popularity over recent years. Sparco are "OK", but I can certainly vouch for Stand 21 and Diadora.
I've not tried Diadora, but that was because the soles looked quite thick.
flemke said:
Stand 21 - the soles are thin, but very stiff; not conducive to pedal feel. Also, the width of the toe box and across the ball of the foot is narrow relative to many other brands.
I've not tried Diadora, but that was because the soles looked quite thick.
I suppose it depends on your pedal setup and the pressure needed on the brake. In single seaters I get a bruised right foot with Sparco, so the Stand 21s work very well for me, with their soft internals being very comfortable for endurance races. I've not tried Diadora, but that was because the soles looked quite thick.
Diadora are sightly more flexible, and therefore a bit easier to live with out of the car for the various necessary journeys around the paddock.
flemke said:
Fwiw, relative to Sabelts, the Alpinestars are hotter and have heavier soles.
I can definitely vouch for them being a bit hot, although most of the time I only use them in a Caterham so I thought it was the 'heat soak' you get in those cars.I find the soles on them to be just right for me, although I think the ones I have are a lot thinner of sole than some of their other models.
MrKipling43 said:
flemke said:
Fwiw, relative to Sabelts, the Alpinestars are hotter and have heavier soles.
I can definitely vouch for them being a bit hot, although most of the time I only use them in a Caterham so I thought it was the 'heat soak' you get in those cars.I find the soles on them to be just right for me, although I think the ones I have are a lot thinner of sole than some of their other models.
Thanks very much for your help, the Sabelt ones seem to be the best out of the lot, but they aren't exactly cheap. The only thing that put me off the Diadora ones when they were available in my size last year was the price, that and the fact that I was only 17 and having just passed my test and been raped on insurance costs wasn't even thinking about going racing. Are the Sabelt ones being sold anywhere for cheaper?
Cheers,
Dan
ETA: just had a look on Sabelt's website, turns out the rrp on the cheapest ones on Onyx Rallying (the £79.99 ones which I am most interested in) are listed as £95.00, which makes the Onyx price sound great, just wondered can anyone better that price?
Cheers,
Dan
ETA: just had a look on Sabelt's website, turns out the rrp on the cheapest ones on Onyx Rallying (the £79.99 ones which I am most interested in) are listed as £95.00, which makes the Onyx price sound great, just wondered can anyone better that price?
Edited by dpbird90 on Thursday 15th January 15:09
Damn, shame as the website showed some good prices. Still, it says on the top of the page that there is restructuring going on, so who knows maybe there's a chance GPR will be back in the future, but for now that means bad news for The Stig as IIRC the Simpson Diamondback helmet was only available from them.
Anyways, think it's a toss up between the OMP's and Sabelt mid shoes. Am leaning slightly towards the OMP's because of cost, but if I have plenty of money for my birthday I might stretch to some Sabelt ones. The Alpinestars ones do look good but again they're a bit pricey.
Anyways, think it's a toss up between the OMP's and Sabelt mid shoes. Am leaning slightly towards the OMP's because of cost, but if I have plenty of money for my birthday I might stretch to some Sabelt ones. The Alpinestars ones do look good but again they're a bit pricey.
Try lots of different shoes if possible because different people seem to prefer different shoes. I normally drive on the road in a pair of puma speedcat trainers which I find brilliant. I also bought a pair of alpinestars race boots secondhand at the autosport show for karting and decided to drive home in them. Compared to my puma trainers I hate them, no feel and wheras normally I can heal and toe perfectly in my pumas I find the alpinestars boots too wide and bulky.
Best pair of boots I have ever worn was when I borrowed a mates really old knacered puma race boots!
Motto is try loads and find whats best for your feet and your car/kart in my opinion!
Best pair of boots I have ever worn was when I borrowed a mates really old knacered puma race boots!
Motto is try loads and find whats best for your feet and your car/kart in my opinion!
I have a pair of Alpinestars which I bought over the internet. It wasn't until I'd worn the things all day that I realised that they were tighter accross the broadest part of my foot than I was happy with. They have loosend up some now but I still reckon it's not a great idea to wear them for 10 odd hours on the 1st day.
Cheers for the advice, was just looking at some Alpinestars Kart shoes, T1-K's. Demontweeks & Merlin are doing them around £75 including VAT which is really top dollar for me, I suppose if I really strectch I could manage £80, for which I would perhaps get the Sabelt ones. I don't think I will be wearing them for long periods of time, just for driving as work and college require I wear "proper" shoes which don't work with Seicento pedals.
I have driven the car in my slippers before (had to move it off the drive) and they felt pretty good, problem is I would get some strange looks going places in slippers, and the fact they wear out very quickly.
On the subject of Puma Speedcats, they look very nice, I almost bought some a while back, but IIRC they were just as pricey as some of the boots I've been looking at.
ETA: Just took another peek at GPL, these Senna trainers look nice, just the soles are a little thick:
http://www.grandprixlegends.com/motorsport-and-f1-...
As I said in my original post, I bought the red suede Diadora Senna trainers (the ones styled like his red boots) last year, they're pretty good, not too rigid, but a little on the bulky side compared to my pedals.
I have driven the car in my slippers before (had to move it off the drive) and they felt pretty good, problem is I would get some strange looks going places in slippers, and the fact they wear out very quickly.
On the subject of Puma Speedcats, they look very nice, I almost bought some a while back, but IIRC they were just as pricey as some of the boots I've been looking at.
ETA: Just took another peek at GPL, these Senna trainers look nice, just the soles are a little thick:
http://www.grandprixlegends.com/motorsport-and-f1-...
As I said in my original post, I bought the red suede Diadora Senna trainers (the ones styled like his red boots) last year, they're pretty good, not too rigid, but a little on the bulky side compared to my pedals.
Edited by dpbird90 on Thursday 15th January 21:22
german tony said:
Just to clarify here, I have really rather girlie size 6 feet (despite being a bloke) so perhaps my experience of racing shoes isn't exactly relevent to somebody whose feet are apparently abnormally big...
well, I wouldn't say abnormally big, size 10.5, maybe 11. My problem is all the trainers I try on in these sizes are incredibly wide, and the space between the pedals in my Fiat, well, isn't. Just need something a lot narrower so I can hit the brake pedal without mashing the accelerator as well.Have you considered simply bending the accelerator away from the brake pedal to suit?
Ok, if this means you lose accelertor travel (ie, it doesn't go down so far) or it's made of unbendable plastic this won't work.
Alternatively you could just use your hacksaw on the edges of the pedals to create a bigger gap between them.
Failing that use it on your feet to cut them to fit the car.
Or on some cheap shoes.
Ok, if this means you lose accelertor travel (ie, it doesn't go down so far) or it's made of unbendable plastic this won't work.
Alternatively you could just use your hacksaw on the edges of the pedals to create a bigger gap between them.
Failing that use it on your feet to cut them to fit the car.
Or on some cheap shoes.
german tony said:
Have you considered simply bending the accelerator away from the brake pedal to suit?
Ok, if this means you lose accelertor travel (ie, it doesn't go down so far) or it's made of unbendable plastic this won't work.
Alternatively you could just use your hacksaw on the edges of the pedals to create a bigger gap between them.
Failing that use it on your feet to cut them to fit the car.
Or on some cheap shoes.
We already did bend the accelerator out, which has solved the problem a little bit (only occasionally hit it when aiming for the brake) but of course there's still the matter of brake/clutch. Can't really saw the pedals up, they're small enough as it is Ok, if this means you lose accelertor travel (ie, it doesn't go down so far) or it's made of unbendable plastic this won't work.
Alternatively you could just use your hacksaw on the edges of the pedals to create a bigger gap between them.
Failing that use it on your feet to cut them to fit the car.
Or on some cheap shoes.
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