Question for the experts...

[Speed]

I don't know why, but this sounds funny to me...

From www.f1racing.net
“The main difference is that I brake with the right foot and he uses the left," said Barrichello. "We have a different driving style – Michael has a higher entry speed and I am faster on the exit.”

Which exit ???...... Pits' ?

Can you tell me other difference between TGF and RB ?

[mjstallard]

"Left foot braking" is braking whilst accelerating - rally drivers/naughty road users use it to induce oversteer/correct understeer.

As F1 cars are rear wheel drive, I assume that it's used for the opposite purpose - to correct oversteer, etc.

And "right foot braking" is the "normal" style, I guess.

Hmmmmmmm...when I get out on the open road (hohoho), I'll have to give it a go. I'll nick my brother's MG B and see if I can confirm the opposite effect to a front wheel drive car;p

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Speed
I don't know why, but this sounds funny to me...

From www.f1racing.net
“The main difference is that I brake with the right foot and he uses the left," said Barrichello. "We have a different driving style – Michael has a higher entry speed and I am faster on the exit.”

Which exit ???...... Pits' ?

Can you tell me other difference between TGF and RB ?

I suspect that left foot braking steadies the car under breaks as the driver reaches the apex and starts to accelerate - I don't know how to put it exactly, but you lift the foot off hte brakes after you start to accelerate, giving a much smoothr transition between brakes and accelerator. The best way to find out is to try it on a dirt road, whre you can use the brakes, accelerator and steering to change direction - it's great fun.

[Airhead]

I guess the way to put it is that you are using the brake out of a corner to reduce wheel spin and weight the car. With traction control one would think this would not be needed now.

As for which foot.

I believe it has to do with the drivers background and the type of car. The drivers background is apparent in karts. Where left foot braking is required due to the placement of the pedals. In the middle formulae it may or may not be a disadvantage as you need the clutch to change down and can use a 'heel & toe' motion with the right foot to brake and blip the throttle. In a modern F1 car with clutchless gear changes and traction control I can't see an advantage either way.

[mac]

You're exactly right Moff. I remember when Zanardi came over that Willy had to build a separate footwell and pedal configuration to Ralf because he just couldn't get the hang of left foot braking. This comes down to his background, as in CART, they have a proper clutch, and the last time he drove in f1, they used proper gearboxes.

[Liz]

When I grew up learning to drive a manual shift car, left foot braking was evil and only people who didn't know how to drive would do it. In fact, I had a terrible time with the first rental car I got after automatics became all you could rent, because I didn't know you now have to step on the brake with your left foot to change out of "park"!

The difference is that real men who find the need for brakes at all (that is, who cannot slow the car with the gears) use the right foot. Girls and children use the left.

[ttc]

Originally posted by Liz
The difference is that real men who find the need for brakes at all (that is, who cannot slow the car with the gears) use the right foot. Girls and children use the left.

You would rather risk spoiling the transmission/gearbox than wear out the brakes? The proper way is to use the brake to slow down, downshifting if needed to accommodate the speed/torque.

Oh BTW, you can use your RIGHT foot on the brake to get out of "P". You don't have to step on the accelerator AT that moment...

[mjstallard]

Here you go chaps, just found this:

from www.drivingtechniques.co.uk
LEFT-FOOT BRAKING

Left foot braking in a rear wheel drive car is quite unusual. It's first use is to aid stability in corners, and help keep turbos spinning by holding the car at the correct speed with the brake and keeping your foot on the gas. Apart from this, it has recently been adopted by some drivers as disaster recovery.

If you are tanking into a corner, particularly in the wet and the car goes into massive oversteer you may wind on the opposite lock. If it has gone too far it may be possible to floor the accelerator and hit the brake with the left foot.

The idea is that you will keep the rear wheels turning due to the power of the engine, but will lock up the front wheels. This puts more grip to the rear wheels and less to the front, hopefully bringing the car straight.

This is really only a last attempt technique for recovering previously irrecoverable situations. If you were to use it as a general driving technique you will be one of the slowest drivers on the road... I mean track!

hope this helps :>

[Wrex]

Originally posted by Valve Bounce
The best way to find out is to try it on a dirt road, whre you can use the brakes, accelerator and steering to change direction - it's great fun.

How many dents do you have in the Volvo mate?

[Valve Bounce]

Originally posted by Wrex
How many dents do you have in the Volvo mate?

Sorry mate, I'm not allowd to drive the Volvo in this manner. I used to drive a Holden ute like this, going up a transmission line access track from Talbingo. It was great fun, and I got brake fade at the top of the hill.
The Volvo AWD is strange to push, I have not been near the limit despite going quite fast around some corners. The Michelin Pilots just hang on. It gets to the stage that I am going that fast that if it does let go, I don't know how it would handle, and trouble could be big time. I think I'm just too old to drive like that anymore.

[Wrex]

Originally posted by Valve Bounce
Sorry mate, I'm not allowd to drive the Volvo in this manner.

LOL, I would love to meet Mrs Bounce one day

[Hans.ca]

I've been thinking about this question all day. Got nothing better to do I hear!
The left foot braking started with the arrival of the high HP Can-Am cars. I can still remember Oscar Kobaleski (president of PRDA and driver of customer McLaren) telling me that these people are nuts, they are full on the brake and full on the gas at corner 5 at Mosport. I then started to talk to some of the drivers and found out that Oscar was correct. The explanation that I got from them was that it smoothed out and limited the weight transfer and since the engine revs are up the corner exit speed would be higher. This was before the turbos, so the idea was to keep the engine revolutions in the ideal power band. It was also hard as hell on the brakes.
I tried it in my BMW and never did get it right. My left foot is trained to stomp down onto the clutch pedal and not feather the brakes. However with small engines the heel and toe appears to work almost as well.

[BD]

As far as I know, the only drivers who brake with their right foot are RB and DC. The left foot brakers have their pedals set up so that they can only brake with their left foot. This has many advantages.
-They can dedicate each foot to a specific function. Theoretically this helps as the foot develops its own feel for its pedal. There is no double duty which the right foot would have.
-It is physically quicker to use both feet. You can brake later because there isnt the delay that the right foot has from gas to brake. The differences are fractions of a second, but it does make a difference.
-Braking while still on the gas helps balance the car. Accelerating shifts the center of gravity rearward. Braking forward. So on a tricky or unstable corner(i.e.off camber)the car can be settled by keeping the center of gravity at the center, thereby equalizing traction between the front and rear tires(keeping it neutral)without losing speed and/or momentum.
-Under extremely heaving braking situations the rear tires may lock up as the center of gravity is shifted forward taking pressure off the rear tires. Inputting a little throttle can keep the rears from locking while obtaining maximum braking performance. This is Extremely difficult though.
These are the main reasons for F1. Rallying is different, though the principles are the same. Physics is the same for everybody.

[Yogi]

I've tried this left foot braking thing in my road car and I find it very unnatural. Too much pressure on the brake has caused me to have many a bruised forhead. The other problem is that I always forget to wear a seatbelt, hence the bruised forhead. Oh well, I'll learn one day.

[Airhead]

Yogi,
Reminds me of a friend showing me how he could heel and toe. He hit the brake pedal so hard he nearly spun the car. (Good to see you back by the way).

[BD]

There really is no useful function for using your left foot in a road car, on pavement, with a manual transmission.
The only time it is useful is if you are being very naughty.
Heel-toeing on the other hand is very useful. It saves wear and tear on the clutch and tranny, and makes downshifting much smoother.
Once you've perfected it, it translates perfectly into a race car. But in F1, it is useless with the current electro-hydro trannies.

[Bononi]

Wel, I don't know if I add anything to this thread, but left breaking is a very unsual thing here, and that can explain something about RB... even when I drive a automatic gear car I use the right foot to brake. Therefore I can't imagine someone using the left foot for breaking... and something more guys... I'm left-handed !!! I use myleft hand to write and left foot to kick... errr... everything, wich means I'm blind with the right side.

[enemy-ace]

Originally posted by AMoffat
[B
I believe it has to do with the drivers background and the type of car. The drivers background is apparent in karts. Where left foot braking is required due to the placement of the pedals.[/B]

This is correct, however you don't want to use the brake and gas simultaneously (gas/braking) a'la Schumacher in a kart as this will kill the clutch. Schumacher is widely believed to be very hard on the brakes as he likes to turn in early and balance the car with the throttle and brakes throughout the trajectory, while a driver like Hakkinen like to get his braking done in a straight line, turn in late and power through the corner. Hakkinen's style requires a nice balanced set-up, that's why you'll see him off the pace when he can't find that balance. Schumacher however likes a 'pointy' car and can find speed in most set-ups but he his hard on his cars.
It will be interesting to see with the advent of brake-lights on F1 cars to see how each driver manages the corners. Schumacher has supposedly expressed concern over this as he doesn't want his competitors to get any insight into what he is doing in the cockpit, but then who does.
As for my road car the only time I left foot brake is if I bugger up a corner and I want to settle the car, otherwise never. As for my kart I like to think I have a style like Hakkinen, brake late, turn in late, power through the corner as oppposed to turn in early while trailbraking.

P.S. - this is an excellent thread, it's nice to talk for once about the talents and abilities of the drivers as opposed to questioning their manhood or ethics, etc... etc...

[Bononi]

But RB has a background in karting too...

[Speed]

Originally posted by enemy-ace
P.S. - this is an excellent thread, it's nice to talk for once about the talents and abilities of the drivers as opposed to questioning their manhood or ethics, etc... etc...

Thanks, that's what I thought too...

[BD]

enemy-ace,
I liked your thread. It baffles me why RB and DC use there right foot to brake. Rubens has said that he tried to use his left foot but it felt unatural. Coulthard said he occasionally will use his left foot to stabalize the car through a corner but he is still a right footer.
You'd think that since they grew up racing karts it would be second nature to them...
When I had my BMW I would use left foot braking to cancel out understeer. It worked very well as the car was very responsive. With my current GVR4, it understeers no matter what I do, so its virtually useless, on pavement. It helps on dirt though.
In my kart I'll occasionally apply the throttle very early under braking, on slow corners to keep the rev's up. But thats about it. I only have a back brake so left foot braking isnt useful. The rest of the time its braking with the left foot, not left foot braking.

[enemy-ace]

Originally posted by BD
It baffles me why RB and DC use there right foot to brake. Rubens has said that he tried to use his left foot but it felt unatural. Coulthard said he occasionally will use his left foot to stabalize the car through a corner but he is still a right footer.
You'd think that since they grew up racing karts it would be second nature to them...

Thanks for the info on Rubens BD, after Bononi's post i tried to find some info on Barrichello's driving technique, but could find none. I guess there's just an exception to every rule.

[Don K]

Originally posted by Bononi
But RB has a background in karting too...

Jos has got a background in karting too.
But until last year he used to brake with his right foot.

[Bononi]

So karting brackground for TGF doesn't answer his left-foot braking...

[enemy-ace]

From what i have read, Scumacher likes his car very stiff and pointy, somewhat like a kart, so I imagine his karting background has influenced his driving somewhat. But like other drivers who have moved up through the various Formula, I imagine he has been exposed to a lot of various cockpit configurations, ie.,clutch - no clutch, padel shifters - no padel shifters and so on. In the end i can only guess it comes down to what each driver feels is the quickest for him. General concensus in Grand Prix circles however is that left-foot braking is quickest.