Honest John and Left Foot Braking?
Discussion
Searider said:
borcy said:
I thought on nearly all new ish cars you can't press both accelerator and brake at the same time as the computer says no?
My 2000/X Audi S4 cut all power if you pressed both pedals. left foot on brake hard, right foot on the gas and does a nice burnout
Don't even need to put into track mode or engage line-lock, even in normal mode TC lets you do it.
janesmith1950 said:
JimSuperSix said:
Well it does (or can dep upon the driver I suppose) reduce the overall reaction time as you don't have to move your right foot over to the brake pedal, your left foot can already be covering that pedal.
I hate to think how tired my left ankle would get, constantly hoovering above the brake. Would probably reduce its effective ability to brake...Sometimes people have to invent all sorts of reasons they 'need' to to something that sounds a bit more advanced.
I've driven a few autos over decent miles, RR Classic V8, Forester Turbo, Volvo V90 (current), Mercedes SLK, BMW 320 8sp, M140 8sp, M3 F80 DCT.
Whilst I CAN left foot brake in any of them, I've never NEEDED to in any of them in order to use them more smoothly or effectively.
I can park using my right foot without crashing into things, set off on hills without rolling back into lines of unsuspecting children and I've never felt the need to shave 0.2 seconds of a personal best around Sainsbury's car park.
No doubt in true PH fashion there will be a queue of motoring experts who will tell me I'm a pleb who can't drive, why there are 500 physics equations why it'll save my gearbox or how one time they prevented themselves from dying I a fireball of death because they always drive 599 miles at a time whilst hovering their left foot over the brake pedal at all times.
I can live with that.
Also I don't hold my left foot over the pedal at all times, just in situations where its more likely a hazard will suddenly appear such as outside schools or when passing a line of parked cars. Even with my left foot on the footrest its a more natural leg movement to move the left foot onto the left-side pedal than it is to move the right foot across to the left pedal.
In the end though I suspect there's very little in it, general driving ability and paying attention will count for a lot more for most people that what foot they use, and it's really just a personal preference and what you're used to.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 29th September 11:42
borcy said:
TheJimi said:
Jesus Christ.
What the f
k has his wife, got to do with *anything*?
I can just imagine a face to face discussion with the guy about his opinions on cars & driving, and in the middle of it, borcy pipes up about his wife being Thai.
Oh wait...
Pretty obvious why I mentioned it i thought, obviously not for some though. What the f
k has his wife, got to do with *anything*?I can just imagine a face to face discussion with the guy about his opinions on cars & driving, and in the middle of it, borcy pipes up about his wife being Thai.
Oh wait...
Edited by TheJimi on Saturday 28th September 19:47
I'll spell it out though for the hard of thinking, he spends time out there hence why he reviews odd far eastern only cars.
Happy ?
Another factor is what kind of auto and engine combination you have. If you have something sensible like a V8 backing up a traditional auto, they'll quite happily manoeuvre in most situations at tickover anyway, but a pissy little 4-pot 2.0 or something won't always back up over a dropped kerb or pull out of an inclined junction without some throttle, and at that point, yes, left foot braking comes in handy.
It's this "it stops you messing your pedals up" thing that concerns me. The only time I worry about that is when I'm driving something old with a centre throttle pedal!
It's this "it stops you messing your pedals up" thing that concerns me. The only time I worry about that is when I'm driving something old with a centre throttle pedal!
Edited by InitialDave on Sunday 29th September 12:39
Alex_225 said:
My daily car has been an auto for some years now and I can honestly say I've never felt the need to left foot brake.
Totally appreciate the concept in terms of manual cars and in race conditions but on the road, right for for accelerator and brake as I would generally in a manual car.
I have tried left foot braking in the car but I've not found it advantageous to continue doing.
The comical reality disconnect between BMW ZF6 auto throttle pedals and the real world has actually meant a spot of left foot braking at certain times is useful as it makes the car do what you’ve just asked it to do on the same day that you make the request. But other than trying to get a car to actually move forward when asked in the centre of London traffic I haven’t really ever found the need for it and it does seem to fall into a similar category to folding the rear seats because race car. Others may just find it a more sensible way to use the pedals for themselves. Totally appreciate the concept in terms of manual cars and in race conditions but on the road, right for for accelerator and brake as I would generally in a manual car.
I have tried left foot braking in the car but I've not found it advantageous to continue doing.
AdeTuono said:
Any tri-peds care to tell us how they drive a manual car?
I'll tell you how I, a bi-ped, drives a manual Vito with 4 pedals, gas, brake, clutch, and foot operated parking brake round hilly places like Sheffield, the answer is with difficulty plus liberal use of heel and toe. Hate that van.InitialDave said:
FiF said:
foot operated parking brake
Oh God, those bloody things! Yeah, not a fan!Edited by Toltec on Sunday 29th September 20:01
DonkeyApple said:
The comical reality disconnect between BMW ZF6 auto throttle pedals and the real world has actually meant a spot of left foot braking at certain times is useful as it makes the car do what you’ve just asked it to do on the same day that you make the request. But other than trying to get a car to actually move forward when asked in the centre of London traffic I haven’t really ever found the need for it and it does seem to fall into a similar category to folding the rear seats because race car. Others may just find it a more sensible way to use the pedals for themselves.
The sport auto option helps as it wakes up the throttle response, given it was only about a £100 option it seems weird that it is so rare. I don't find the positioning of the brake pedal very comfortable in my auto or DCT for left foot braking, otherwise it would probably become my default. Feels like it's at a funny angle, the DCT brake pedal isnt oversized like the auto either.
It comes very naturally in a go kart etc.
It comes very naturally in a go kart etc.
A1VDY said:
SidewaysSi said:
Always left foot brake when driving quickly. No issue with me.
What's driving quickly got to do with left foot braking?? Just use right foot for both pedals, its crowded roads you're on not a track..
Also why would you care which foot he uses?
A1VDY said:
SidewaysSi said:
Always left foot brake when driving quickly. No issue with me.
What's driving quickly got to do with left foot braking?? Just use right foot for both pedals, its crowded roads you're on not a track..
Krikkit said:
Had one on my Merc and I think it's the best thing since sliced bread, want one on every auto now instead of the stupid EPB.
Don't worry, I think those a fking awful too.A1VDY said:
What's driving quickly got to do with left foot braking??
In a FWD car, it can be quite handy.Countdown said:
Toltec said:
All sorts of reason, very useful for control while parking on a steep hill, similarly on a steep junction. Reduces the control gap while moving your foot between pedals and keeps the car more balanced as you can make a smoother transition between braking and acceleration.
Going further when using a little braking into corners to get a better feel on turn in you can also use it on the way out to compensate for the way an auto in some cars will kick down abruptly. Again in some cars the time it takes between pressing the accelerator can be a bit variable so you can demand a little early and use the brake to time when you actually want to accelerate. This is tenths of seconds stuff, not necessary, but nice to be able to do.
I'd actually like the brake pedal in an EV to act with the accelerator as a front/rear torque proportioning control.
It may be nice to be able to do but it is literally pointless on public roads if you're driving "normally". It saves time and helps with load transfer and (IMHO) if a person is so close to the limit on a public road that they need to left-foot brake to assist with load-transfer they're probably driving like a twunt.Going further when using a little braking into corners to get a better feel on turn in you can also use it on the way out to compensate for the way an auto in some cars will kick down abruptly. Again in some cars the time it takes between pressing the accelerator can be a bit variable so you can demand a little early and use the brake to time when you actually want to accelerate. This is tenths of seconds stuff, not necessary, but nice to be able to do.
I'd actually like the brake pedal in an EV to act with the accelerator as a front/rear torque proportioning control.
I've got my own heel toe technique down this way, I just got in my car one day and said to myself 'I'm going to drive doing this all the time' after a year or so of usage it comes naturally.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff