Left foot braking.

[luggsey]

I used to love Rallycross when they had the by then illegal for road rally over powered turbo monsters with plastic bodies like the Ford RS200 and the Metro 6R4.
That's one Metro nobody would laugh at!
The skill of drivers like Martin Schanche and Matti Alamäki always amazed me.

[Christerart]

Originally Posted by BEJ

Always used left foot braking since my rallying days. People who are not used to this method usually end up with their heads on the windscreen - it does take practice, but in an emergency situation it could save a nano second or two.

I did some racing in the days back when but never left footed - did toe and heel.

Driving an auto - left foot brake - never - no reason for it.

[Christerart]

Originally Posted by green van man

Mk1 escort snapped clutch cable on way to work. Drove 3 miles to complete the journey using clutchless gearchange and starting in gear at junctions. End of shift drive to factors on the way home baught new clutch cable, drove home through 2 sets of traffic lights and 2 hill starts to get tools to change it.

Realised the usefulness of the skill and keep it practiced.

Paul.

MY first semi in the US was a 318 Detroit with a 13 speed non synchro Fuller transmission. On these engines you never used the clutch except to get going - the rest of the time you used your ears to shift at the right revs and speed.

Didn't do any left foot braking though but used the Jake brake a lot as in the US it kicks in when you backed off the gas as opposed to here in the UK (EU?) you have to actually brake b4 the Jake kicks in.

[ma70]

Love the sound of trucks jaking, only seem to hear them on dump trucks round here though. or maybe they're just better silenced on others & the dumper boys just like it loud!

Clutchless shifting is a great skill to have, and left foot braking in automatics... Well, it's OK for those who are comfortable with it IMO. There's no reason for someone in good physical health and capable of driving manual and auto to actively try to learn the skill, but if it's something you are comfortable with for whatever reason, injury/experience in other types of vehicle/motorsport or whatever then keep on keeping on says I...

[monkeh]

Got into left foot braking, normally when parking. Picked up the habit after completing my fork truck training.
Referred to as 'Feathering'

[DSK]

In automatics I've done it for nearly the last 17 years or so.

Oddly, my right foot is fine braking on a manual but not as precise (talking to the absolute limits here) as my left foot braking on an auto.

[LOB]

Originally Posted by monkeh

Got into left foot braking, normally when parking. Picked up the habit after completing my fork truck training.
Referred to as 'Feathering'

I picked up the habit of left fot braking driving electric trucks at Stockholm and and Oslo airport during 12 years. I can't really see the problem with left foot breaking as long as you don't brake and gas simultaneously. For me it's automated. I never push both at the same time. It's certainly some tenth of a second faster 60-0.