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Two foot driving

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Sig698

Model S Sig Perf #698
Jan 18, 2012
182
1
Los Angeles, CA
Anyone that drives with both feet on brake and gas shouldn't be allowed to drive anyway...


In all seriousness, I do left foot brake when driving an automatic. With a properly tuned/sensitized left foot, reaction times are much quicker. It seems the person involved in the accident may not have been a regular left foot braker :)
 
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It never even crossed my mind to drive pushing both brake and accelerator at the same time. I'd say commit to one and go for it!:smile:

Some drivers defend the habit as providing them with "smoother" driving. There is less slack time between going and stopping so less chance for an awkward or jerky outcome.

Me, ... I think they're just too lazy to pick up their feet and want them both gently at rest at all times.
 
My opinion is that the other big problem with two foot driving is when in a panic situation you're likely to stomp on both of them. I have talked to people who are firmly convinced that the reaction time difference overrides all the other problems. I remain unconvinced, so it's one foot driving for me.
 
I will post a confession however. I do every now and then tailgate on the interstate ("there are 5 lanes, you don't need to drive 60 in the left one for 5 miles" type scenarios). I will hover my left foot over the brake (not touch it) in case they brake check me. This happened to me once when I flashed my lights when doing this, I have been prepared since then.

I also heel/toe around corners when I feel the need to drive a little quickly. I drive a manual so no left foot on the brake.
 
Left foot braking is very effective in autocrossing and can be as well with street driving, but it takes significant experience to do it well. It is definitely not recommended for your average driver. This minor rear ender I'm sure was due to the driver not paying attention and being cought up in the excitement of finally getting their hands on their highly anticipated holy grail.
 
My opinion is that the other big problem with two foot driving is when in a panic situation you're likely to stomp on both of them. I have talked to people who are firmly convinced that the reaction time difference overrides all the other problems. I remain unconvinced, so it's one foot driving for me.

And could quite possibly be what happened in the incident noted by the OP.
 
My opinion is that the other big problem with two foot driving is when in a panic situation you're likely to stomp on both of them.
Shortly after switching from a manual car to the Prius, I almost ran over a person on a morning jog who crossed a residential street. The brake pedal on the Prius (and most automatics for that matter) protrudes far above the accelerator (I.e. moving your right foot to the brake requires you to lift your foot or bend your knee). On this particular incident, the sole of my dress shoe got caught behind the edge of the brake pedal, because in trying to move my foot to the left as quickly as possible, I didn't bend my knee quickly enough. I could not brake in time.

I concluded that operating two pedals with the right leg/foot when you have a perfectly healthy left leg is wasteful, an unfortunate relic of the manual transmission past, and unsafe. Since then I have been driving with both feet.

As soon as you retrain yourself that the right foot is for accelerating and the left foot is for decelerating, then your concern goes away. In addition, the Prius, and most other newer cars, have brake override, so even if you were to push both, the ECM will disregard the accelerator input. It is yet to be confirmed if the Model S has brake override - I intend to test it. If every new driver was trained from the beginning to use both feet, there would no issue either.

In my opinion, though, the safest approach of all would be to just have a single pedal, with computer controlled application of friction brakes if the pedal input exceeds regenerative braking capability.
 
Single pedal would take some getting used to, but with all the assist technologies single pedal with assists could work. Maybe 15 years away.

Two footed driving will work if you aren't using your left foot to push yourself back into the seat. F1 drivers are strapped in, so they don't need the leverage.

So I think 2 footed driving is either for when you are strapped securely to the seat or you absolutely need the extra reaction time (I'm not really buying that argument). Otherwise one footed is fine for an automatic transmission.

And if you ever drive manual transmission cars, you should definitely stay with one footed.
 
I also have a confession that I have driven a manual transmission vehicle (for two days) 100% with my left foot. I tore a few ligaments in my ankle (or someone tore them for me) playing soccer. And for some stupid reason didn't get a friend to drive me home and to the doctor (my best friend, fiancee, and father were all out of town though). It is possible.
 
I also have a confession that I have driven a manual transmission vehicle (for two days) 100% with my left foot. I tore a few ligaments in my ankle (or someone tore them for me) playing soccer. And for some stupid reason didn't get a friend to drive me home and to the doctor (my best friend, fiancee, and father were all out of town though). It is possible.

Should we start an ElSupreme confession thread :biggrin: lol

-Shark2k
 
I also have a confession that I have driven a manual transmission vehicle (for two days) 100% with my left foot. I tore a few ligaments in my ankle (or someone tore them for me) playing soccer. And for some stupid reason didn't get a friend to drive me home and to the doctor (my best friend, fiancee, and father were all out of town though). It is possible.

Wow, that lends a new meaning to "heel and toe". How the heck did you press the clutch and the gas pedal at the same time without hitting the brake?
 
I'd say commit to one and go for it!:smile:
I agree.

People who drive two-footed (other than manual transmission) always, without exception, claim that they can do this without riding the brake. I am skeptical. I strongly suspect that between 90 and 99 out of a hundred of them are deluding themselves. It requires suspending your left foot in the air the entire time you are not braking. Or if you keep your left foot on the floor there's really no advantage.
 
Wow, that lends a new meaning to "heel and toe". How the heck did you press the clutch and the gas pedal at the same time without hitting the brake?

Well I use the hand brake a good amount. That helped me with red lights and hills.

My GTI actually puts out a good amount of torque at idle so I was (very carefully, and at the expense of some clutch life) able to fully engage 1st gear without the throttle. I did wedge a shoe on the gas pedal twice and worked the clutch until I had some speed (at even greater expense of clutch life) then dropped to neutral removed the shoe (somehow I was able to prevent hitting my redline doing this) with my left foot. Once was driving out of a parking lot (steep uphill), the other was a Red Light on US41.

In general though I didn't use the clutch much while driving. Syncromesh is a great tool to driving with only 1 foot no clutch required for moving shifts.

I also did the same tricks when I first learned to drive, where you do everything in your power not to come to a complete stop.

And I stalled more those two days than I did in the two previous years.

EDIT: I in no way condone these driving tactics. I will never attempt to do them again, as it was probably quite dangerous. I blame the tremendous amount of pain I was in for my stupid actions.
 
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I two foot drive when driving an automatic, but drive "conventionally" when driving a stick. It really is smoother, and your reaction times are without a doubt faster. In traffic, yes, I hover my foot over the brake at the ready. I do not ride the brake. Right foot go, left foot stop. Been driving that way for 25 years.

Naturally I heel and toe at the race track. I tried left foot braking once, going into the Kink at Road America, in an attempt to increase my smoothness. Didn't work, so I didn't try it again. However, I did autocross for several years left foot braking a manual transmission, so I'm all over the place. I've never gotten confused. It's called paying attention to your driving.
 
The world's most talented drivers, such as Michael Schumacher and Eric Carlson and many others, use two feet to accelerate and brake, even in manual cars. There are advantages and disadvantages, but to get the best possible vehicle control, use two feet. For most people, the best possible control is not even a consideration. Instead, the easiest and lowest risk way to get enough control to go to the store to get a gallon of milk is what is called for.

GSP

Erik Carlsson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
By the time you reach the million mile mark the various modes of driving become second nature. Like being able to (in a pinch) steer with your knee should a rabid squirrel begin ripping at your ear or (add your own nightmare scenario here). One goes into and out of driving modes as necessary; one need not always be in two foot mode for example. Also, operating in these modes is not game-changing such that users become unsafe drivers in other modes. An example of this would be the boy who learned how to ride his bicycle with his arms crossed. Having learned to ride this way limits him forever to such operation; he cannot go back. [doug will find the word for it]. Suggested for next lawn party where there is a very soft lawn(!).
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