Driving with or without shoes...

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Flynch3211
Without falling into a pun there ( sing the title..) have you been using shoes or not on your pedals when driving with a wheel?

thanks
 
If I may add, for those who would drives with shoes on, do you feel it make a difference... I also do not want to break the pedals ( made of plastic) too.
 
I didn't have much space with my old wheel set up so I always drove with socks on. I didn't like the feel of barefoot or shoes anyways although with a proper setup I guess that would change.
 
Without falling into a pun there ( sing the title..) have you been using shoes or not on your pedals when driving with a wheel?

thanks

If you are using a Logitech DFGT or other pedals made of plastic, never wear shoes while racing as with them it is easy to press too hard on the accelerator or brake and damage the pedals.

I upgraded from a DFGT to a T500RS which has a metal pedal set, but still race with socks because they allow greater "feel" and also because the springs used give the pedals a much softer action than a real car, hence the level of "feel" is very important. I have a special pair of very high Tog (ultra warm) socks to use on cool days to keep my feet warm - I don't like the room too warm as the motor of the wheel generates a lot of heat and my upper body generates even more heat from the wheels force feedback!

Real racing drivers use ultra thin soled shoes which wrap around the feet rather like a sock because this gives them a greater "feel" for the pedals and also because this style of shoe has the absolute minimum width and size and space in the pedal area of a racing car is normally so restricted that normal shoes would be impossible to use. Also this prevents the risk of the side of the shoe sole catching on the pedals or accidentally pressing two pedals.

I have seen videos of sim racing where the person is wearing normal shoes, but these are normally with Fanatec Club Sports and other high end load cell pedals, which have the strength, resistance and pedal spacing to suit.
 
If you are using a Logitech DFGT or other pedals made of plastic, never wear shoes while racing as with them it is easy to press too hard on the accelerator or brake and damage the pedals.

I upgraded from a DFGT to a T500RS which has a metal pedal set, but still race with socks because they allow greater "feel" and also because the springs used give the pedals a much softer action than a real car, hence the level of "feel" is very important. I have a special pair of very high Tog (ultra warm) socks to use on cool days to keep my feet warm - I don't like the room too warm as the motor of the wheel generates a lot of heat and my upper body generates even more heat from the wheels force feedback!

Real racing drivers use ultra thin soled shoes which wrap around the feet rather like a sock because this gives them a greater "feel" for the pedals and also because this style of shoe has the absolute minimum width and size and space in the pedal area of a racing car is normally so restricted that normal shoes would be impossible to use. Also this prevents the risk of the side of the shoe sole catching on the pedals or accidentally pressing two pedals.

I have seen videos of sim racing where the person is wearing normal shoes, but these are normally with Fanatec Club Sports and other high end load cell pedals, which have the strength, resistance and pedal spacing to suit.

I have a DFGT indeed... noted... no more shoes
 
I have a DFGT indeed... noted... no more shoes
I used a DFGT for many, many hours in GT5 over 2 years and always wore slippers with a harder sole. I also put a sponge ball behind the brake pedal and used a bungee cord to get more resistance and progressiveness and had no issues with the pedals even though I used a lot of pressure with them. Use whatever you feel comfortable with.
 
Off topic, but before embarking on his land speed record breaking career, Sir Malcolm Campbell used to race on circuits against other drivers - he was a very competitive man and his mechanic Leo Villa noted in his book (The Record Breakers) that in an attempt to get every ounce of speed out of the car, Sir Malcolm was in the habit of pushing so hard on the accelerator pedal that on several occasions he pushed it clean through the floorboards!

If you are careful you will be fine with slippers, but if you are like Sir Malcolm ...
 
I feel like I'm smoother without shoes. My pedals don't have much resistance, so any little bit of pressure and I'm on the brakes without even knowing, wondering why my car doesn't want to rev.
 
Agree with fordlaser777 - with thin sole shoes I get really good feeling of the pedals. :)
 

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If you are using a Logitech DFGT or other pedals made of plastic, never wear shoes while racing as with them it is easy to press too hard on the accelerator or brake and damage the pedals.

Anyone that uses a wheel with plastic pedals should be mindful of this warning but to say shoes will damage the pedals is not true.

I wear athletic shoes & my first wheel (Logitech DF Pro) severed me well from the early days of GT 4 until the release of GT 6 when I replaced it with a DFGT because of intermittent problems with gear changes via the paddle shifters. I've had no issues with the foot pedals (other than routine cleaning) on either wheel and certainly no breakage.

IMO the person and their driving style dictates if wearing shoes will damage these plastic pedals.

I'm 47 years old and take care of my things but a over zealous teenager or someone accustomed to using expensive high resistance pedals would probably break them in no time even wearing sox.

If think you are being too rough on them you probably are and should consider using socks or a "softer" shoe like moccasins but not everyone who currently uses shoes with plastic pedals will damage them.
 
I use socks. Last time i used shoes on GT5 years ago i felt like it would break the pedals. especially when i golded the S Vettel Challenges i went hard core with it .
 
@nowcontrol Do your feet get sweaty in those things? They're Neoprene right?

I use a specific pair of old shoes because they have super thin outsoles (worn out). I guess I have sensitive feet because with the rubber cone brake mod on my t500 pedals its hurts to use them without shoes.

I did try to use sandals once because its now summertime and thats what I was wearing. But the thicker outsoles actually threw off my positioning, - it was weird, I thought someone had adjusted my rig without me knowing.
 
Look at my sparco's in my pic. I wear them every time I drive just not a socks kind of guy :cheers:
Car racing boots are expensive but karting one's are not
 
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