Left Foot Braking

  • Thread starter Guffaluff
  • 49 comments
  • 13,301 views

Do you use left foot braking on non-manual clutch cars?

  • Yes

    Votes: 120 90.2%

  • No

    Votes: 13 9.8%
  • Total voters
    133
Gr8_Lakes
I actually did this to a G27 set of pedals. It was early in my sim racing experience, and I only used paddle shifters, and never a clutch. So I removed the clutch pedal, and soldered wire extensions on the brake pedal. I put the brake pedal in the clutch position and left the center hole open. It made the pedal assembly much more comfortable. Now I use Thrustmaster T3PA pros, and use the clutch, heel toe, left foot and right foot braking, whatever's best for the vehicle I'm currently driving.
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I did the same thing and found out while playing dirt 4 that leaving the clutch unhooked left the game with a clutch slip at all times, so I took my pedals out of housing and bolted them to my rig with plenty of spacing ( my pedals are inverted) G25 pedals been using same set of pedals from G25-G27-now G29. Still have all wheels plus bought another G29 when they was on sale. Anyone near Bristol, Va/Tn that would like to try the G29 out let me know.
 
Yep me too, I took my pedals out of the case and flipped them upside down and bolted them to mdf board in my rig (as my profile pic, with 'perfect pedal' mod installed).
Thankfully the g25/g29 pedal case was the same except new logo, because I couldn't find my pedal case when I came to sell my g25.
 
Thanks alot for all the feedback guys! I've always strived for realism so I prefer to use manual clutch and shifter for cars that utilize that in the real world, but for all the racing cars that use paddles I use them. So for those cars I think I'll definitely try to practice and get used to left foot breaking, as it seems to be common practice in motorsports in the real world as well :)

Thanks again, appreciate the feedback! :)
 
What the hell is a non manual clutch car? Is it just an automatic?

In a manual car...
I use my left foot for clutch and right foot for braking and power. The only time I use left foot braking is basically when I've entered a corner too fast and need to scrub off a little speed without unbalancing the car. I'll keep the throttle where it is and use my left foot on the brake to drag off some speed.

I'll also use heel and toe when double clutching on really old cars, put left foot braking on top and you're feet are kept very busy. I've seen a few people do an emergency stop on track as they have stamped on the brake with both feet. It can get quite confusing if you are trying to learn this technique and are going faster than you should be.
 
Last edited:
MilkieKula
Ah I'm with you now.. A Semi Auto gearbox (which are based on Auto gearboxes) never had those back when I was a lad! It was manual or a really slow, power sapping Auto.
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No, we're in the new age now, where automatic 'boxes are only slightly disappointing and steering wheels are capable of being used to operate spacecraft.
 
Can`t use my left foot to brake, as in real life, have you ever tried it in real life?, you nearly go through the windscreen, as my left foot is used to clutch pedal only..:):scared:
 
Jumping on this thread since it was already started (although I could swear I read another thread about left foot braking that inspired to give it a try tonight.)

I have worked by way up to mid DR-B and am now finding the competition much more difficult to keep up with let alone pass. I found myself trying to squeeze extra tenths here and there by transferring my right from gas to brake pedal faster. Which I can do but that usually results in me just mashing the brake instead of modulating or worse sometimes my foot gets caught on the edge of pedal in mid transition.

"ahhh" I thought "this is where the advantage of using left foot 'instant on' braking might come in handy." So I jumped into tonight's 10 lap race on a track I had worked on late last night and gave myself about 5 minutes of going around using my left foot. It was awkward for most of those 5 laps I admit but I was getting smoother each lap and by the time the race was ready to start I was only about a tenth slower than last nights "right foot" best.

The first race I was placed 18th on a grid of 20, got taken out in the second lap and ended up 16th. Better than I thought I would do under pressure actually.

While qualifying for the next race I actually beat by previous best by a half second. "OK now I am starting to get the hang of this." I also started to realize that in addition to the "instant on" aspect I was finding another advantage in long sweepers where if I had gone in a little hot I could gently alternate between brake and gas and scrub some speed while staying in control.

I think I got demoted a bit from the previous 16th place because there were a few more C's in the field and thanks to that and my improved qualifying I was second on the grid. Pole took himself out halfway through the first lap and I led from there to the end and won by 2 seconds. I had not even come close to winning a race since getting promoted to "B".

So while it seems, to someone who has been driving for a few decades, that left foot braking is awkward (and it is) I am sold on it being significantly superior for sim racing.

I am a left foot braker from now on.
 
gmaki
Jumping on this thread since it was already started (although I could swear I read another thread about left foot braking that inspired to give it a try tonight.)

I have worked by way up to mid DR-B and am now finding the competition much more difficult to keep up with let alone pass. I found myself trying to squeeze extra tenths here and there by transferring my right from gas to brake pedal faster. Which I can do but that usually results in me just mashing the brake instead of modulating or worse sometimes my foot gets caught on the edge of pedal in mid transition.

"ahhh" I thought "this is where the advantage of using left foot 'instant on' braking might come in handy." So I jumped into tonight's 10 lap race on a track I had worked on late last night and gave myself about 5 minutes of going around using my left foot. It was awkward for most of those 5 laps I admit but I was getting smoother each lap and by the time the race was ready to start I was only about a tenth slower than last nights "right foot" best.

The first race I was placed 18th on a grid of 20, got taken out in the second lap and ended up 16th. Better than I thought I would do under pressure actually.

While qualifying for the next race I actually beat by previous best by a half second. "OK now I am starting to get the hang of this." I also started to realize that in addition to the "instant on" aspect I was finding another advantage in long sweepers where if I had gone in a little hot I could gently alternate between brake and gas and scrub some speed while staying in control.

I think I got demoted a bit from the previous 16th place because there were a few more C's in the field and thanks to that and my improved qualifying I was second on the grid. Pole took himself out halfway through the first lap and I led from there to the end and won by 2 seconds. I had not even come close to winning a race since getting promoted to "B".

So while it seems, to someone who has been driving for a few decades, that left foot braking is awkward (and it is) I am sold on it being significantly superior for sim racing.

I am a left foot braker from now on.
Click to expand...
Sort of reminds me of what I do when I’m trying to convince a GT car to turn in sharply or maintain speed around a sweeper. In this case, I’m dropping throttle and dabbing the brakes with a mind to getting the fronts to dig into the road.

That in mind, it’s a pretty beneficial technique on the way around the Nordschleife.
 
Since creating this thread and seeing the overwhelming positive feedback on left foot braking, I decide to do it whenever I'm racing cars with no clutch. It took a little bit to get used to, but I'm really liking it ! :)

Thanks again for all the feedback here :)
 
AbsoluteBarstool
Sort of reminds me of what I do when I’m trying to convince a GT car to turn in sharply or maintain speed around a sweeper. In this case, I’m dropping throttle and dabbing the brakes with a mind to getting the fronts to dig into the road.

That in mind, it’s a pretty beneficial technique on the way around the Nordschleife.
Click to expand...

Right the back end tends to come around which in last nights case was not something I wanted to happen but I can see it being beneficial on other tracks. The good news is since you have your foot on the gas it is more controllable. You could certainly never ride that balance if you had to try to move your right foot back and forth that fast.
 
I left foot brake in the game as well as in real life Time Attack. It was a weird to get used to at first but it feels completely natural now. Trail braking is really helpful in a lot of situations.
 
In a sim, I always left foot brake in an Automatic, and I'll usually do it in a manual if I only need a dab of brake for weight transfer or something.

In real life, I haven't found it beneficial on track - I'm losing plenty more time elsewhere - and never even considered doing it on the road.
 
DaveTheStalker
Left foot braking in gaming feels perfectly natural. In a real car, man it feels WEIRD!
Click to expand...

Yeah my track car IRL is manual so not sure I want to try any left foot braking on an actual track. Sadly I am not that great with heal/toe either. Always so much to learn.
 
gmaki
Right the back end tends to come around which in last nights case was not something I wanted to happen but I can see it being beneficial on other tracks. The good news is since you have your foot on the gas it is more controllable. You could certainly never ride that balance if you had to try to move your right foot back and forth that fast.
Click to expand...
I'd consider myself more of a semi-automatic guy in this respect.
 
I dont have a wheel anymore. stolen. But, in real life ive raced many cars and yes, every corner you dont shift for, left foot brake. its faster. It takes a couple tenths of a second to move your foot over and if you can save a couple tenths for a couple corners a lap? do the math.
 

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