Left foot braking.......Yeah or Nay?........
03-24-2010, 12:18 PM
#31
Burning Brakes
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I've done the "clutch stab" and stopped LFB shortly after that. Not saying it doesn't work for some, but I think that it needs to be 1st nature to not create issues during a track emergency, which one never sees until its too late.
03-24-2010, 02:05 PM
#32
Race Director
The biggest issue I have with it is that where I can use it to gain something happens to be the most critical areas to get the right level of braking.
For me these are not places to just stand on the brakes, but to use the brakes/lift to transfer weight rather than really slowing the car down. The problem then becomes that to be fast you need to not just get the transfer done quickly, but also accurately. Too much weight transfer is bad just as much as is too little. My left foot is still not as sensitive as my right in getting the right weight transfer. So for now I am still faster RFB since I have precision I required. What I really need to do is run some autocrosses where I can leave the car in gear and exclusivly LFB the entire course. Then I may be able to develop a more sensitive feeling of brake pressure vs weight transfer with the left.
For me these are not places to just stand on the brakes, but to use the brakes/lift to transfer weight rather than really slowing the car down. The problem then becomes that to be fast you need to not just get the transfer done quickly, but also accurately. Too much weight transfer is bad just as much as is too little. My left foot is still not as sensitive as my right in getting the right weight transfer. So for now I am still faster RFB since I have precision I required. What I really need to do is run some autocrosses where I can leave the car in gear and exclusivly LFB the entire course. Then I may be able to develop a more sensitive feeling of brake pressure vs weight transfer with the left.
03-24-2010, 02:19 PM
#33
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The biggest issue I have with it is that where I can use it to gain something happens to be the most critical areas to get the right level of braking.
For me these are not places to just stand on the brakes, but to use the brakes/lift to transfer weight rather than really slowing the car down. The problem then becomes that to be fast you need to not just get the transfer done quickly, but also accurately. Too much weight transfer is bad just as much as is too little. My left foot is still not as sensitive as my right in getting the right weight transfer. So for now I am still faster RFB since I have precision I required. What I really need to do is run some autocrosses where I can leave the car in gear and exclusivly LFB the entire course. Then I may be able to develop a more sensitive feeling of brake pressure vs weight transfer with the left.
For me these are not places to just stand on the brakes, but to use the brakes/lift to transfer weight rather than really slowing the car down. The problem then becomes that to be fast you need to not just get the transfer done quickly, but also accurately. Too much weight transfer is bad just as much as is too little. My left foot is still not as sensitive as my right in getting the right weight transfer. So for now I am still faster RFB since I have precision I required. What I really need to do is run some autocrosses where I can leave the car in gear and exclusivly LFB the entire course. Then I may be able to develop a more sensitive feeling of brake pressure vs weight transfer with the left.
Plus I really like how I can stay on the throttle at those times when you need to a quick stab at the brakes; helps keep the car stable. That means safe & fast.
03-24-2010, 05:24 PM
#34
Instructor
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I have practiced LFB a good bit, and two things have become apparent to me. First, there are certain corners in which well executed left foot braking would result in a quicker exit. Second, since I do this stuff for fun, in a street car I need to drive home, I'd rather be just a bit slower, but confident of getting through the damn corner without my spastic left foot punting me in the armco. It's kind of like driving in the wet, I get paid for that level of stress at work, I don't need it on the track. And while it seems to be assumed as a necessary skill for any really competent driver, there are some good ones that don't seem to agree.
03-24-2010, 07:11 PM
#35
NASA Racer
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I like LFB in the situations that FredC mentioned, but find the pedals on our cars very poor for this. I really have to maneuver my feet around and haven't been able to make it a really easy transition. I find I can't keep my heel on the ground which means it makes it more about the large muscles in the legs - unlike the small ones in the feet like you can use in your street car which equals less feel/control.
03-24-2010, 07:57 PM
#36
Drifting
I like LFB in the situations that FredC mentioned, but find the pedals on our cars very poor for this. I really have to maneuver my feet around and haven't been able to make it a really easy transition. I find I can't keep my heel on the ground which means it makes it more about the large muscles in the legs - unlike the small ones in the feet like you can use in your street car which equals less feel/control.
03-24-2010, 10:18 PM
#37
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I don't do it. I wish I could, but (so far) I can't. Braking is already so difficult to do well...
03-24-2010, 10:39 PM
#38
Rennlist Member
Another +1 on the problematic pedal arrangement. OTOH, our brakes work great for this, i.e. the pedal feel is responsive and not overboosted. I tried LFB in my wife's Elise, and yikes that didn't work at all. Pedal feel just isn't there.
03-24-2010, 10:43 PM
#39
Rennlist Member
IMO, you have to really train your big toe of your left foot to find the brake pedal. When I rode with the maestro, Brian Redman, in a real, original 1973 RSR at the old Moroso, he used LFB alot, especially as the tires warmed. But he really only used the big toe of his left foot, since the pedal placement is so awful.
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03-24-2010, 11:39 PM
#40
I'm Still Jenny
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03-25-2010, 08:59 AM
#41
Addict
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No problems with pedal placement in the 924's/944's... maybe that's why they can go so much deeper on the brakes... 
03-25-2010, 09:44 AM
#42
Mr. Excitement
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03-25-2010, 11:05 AM
#43
Race Director
I like LFB in the situations that FredC mentioned, but find the pedals on our cars very poor for this. I really have to maneuver my feet around and haven't been able to make it a really easy transition. I find I can't keep my heel on the ground which means it makes it more about the large muscles in the legs - unlike the small ones in the feet like you can use in your street car which equals less feel/control.
My advice is that it takes practice and lots of it. You need to retrain the muscles and reflexes. When I used my left on the brakes in any car I drive I feel like I have soft pedal. With the right foot the brakes feel fine.
It all comes down to traning my brain muscles to work at something other than "clutch foot".
BTW... I have been working at this slowly on the street for 8+ months.
03-25-2010, 12:30 PM
#44
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Had a DE Instructor (who LHB) share with my the LHB technique and an idea for practice off-track / out of car.
He told me of a Surgeon friend who keeps a soccer ball under his desk. While doing other office tasks, he puts his left foot on the ball and moves it around on the floor to build up feel and left side motor muscle skills. He got the suggestion from a fellow Surgeon / teacher who suggest it to, in general, develop left side muscle / dexterity control (for right handed Surgeons). YMMV.
He told me of a Surgeon friend who keeps a soccer ball under his desk. While doing other office tasks, he puts his left foot on the ball and moves it around on the floor to build up feel and left side motor muscle skills. He got the suggestion from a fellow Surgeon / teacher who suggest it to, in general, develop left side muscle / dexterity control (for right handed Surgeons). YMMV.
03-25-2010, 04:35 PM
#45
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