Is this common?

[espo]

19 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

While there's some truth to that, depending on the car and specific pedal placement, I'll often left-foot-brake when driving an automatic...but I never ride the brakes as so many seem to do.

In the hands of a skilled and practiced driver, tests have verified that the reaction time is significantly quicker hitting the brakes with the left foot, as opposed to lifting the right foot from the gas pedal and moving it over to the brake pedal.

A guy who I knew racing slaloms decades ago was amazingly fast in automatics, and one of his tricks was left-foot braking.

Using it to advantage is, of course, rarely the case with the average dozy incompetent behind the wheel.

 

I would use the "heal - toe method" in that case.

[Ace-Garageguy]

29 minutes ago, espo said:

I would use the "heal - toe method" in that case.

I only use "heel-toe" in manual gearbox cars, blipping the throttle for clean downshifts while braking, particularly with non-or-weak-synchro boxes.

Pedal placement in mushomatics doesn't really lend itself to heel-toeing...at least in my experience.

[Ulf]

I was given a Porsche by my wife in the fall of 2007, without really realizing it I chose a manual.
In short, it saved my life.
It stopped 20 times on the first day and I couldn't deny how exhausted I was, changed my life and became a happier person who also has a Porsche.

[espo]

19 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I only use "heel-toe" in manual gearbox cars, blipping the throttle for clean downshifts while braking, particularly with non-or-weak-synchro boxes.

Pedal placement in mushomatics doesn't really lend itself to heel-toeing...at least in my experience.

I was thinking of manual transmission applications. As for automatic transmission cars, my personal feeling is that using the left foot for braking, while it seems many like to use this method, I feel as though it would be too easy to press to hard without realizing it and cause other control problems. Unless the use of your left foot was and is your normal driving style with an automatic. In emergency situations many drivers tend to brake to hard or even turn the wheel too far and lose control of a vehicle. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

16 minutes ago, espo said:

I was thinking of manual transmission applications. As for automatic transmission cars, my personal feeling is that using the left foot for braking, while it seems many like to use this method, I feel as though it would be too easy to press to hard without realizing it and cause other control problems. Unless the use of your left foot was and is your normal driving style with an automatic. In emergency situations many drivers tend to brake to hard or even turn the wheel too far and lose control of a vehicle. 

Which is why I specifically added the qualifier "in the hands of a skilled and practiced driver" to my comment above about left-foot braking with an autobox.

I also mentioned a slalom driver I used to compete against who was amazingly fast driving a slushbox, often posting FTD (fastest time of the day) in innocuous little shiboxes, and I mentioned one of his "secrets" was left-foot braking.

If you've ever driven slaloms or autocross events, you'll understand why this could be a plus for a driver who'd trained to do it without thinking.

Your basic dozy bozo, which covers the vast majority of drivers, is lucky to get anywhere without putting himself or others in the hospital...and just remembering which pedal makes the car go and which one makes it stop seems to be pretty much the absolute limit of their ability.

 

Edited May 24, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Tabbysdaddy]

"Two footing" an automatic got you laughed at or yelled at, depending on who was in the car with you.

[rattle can man]

Not only can I drive a manual, I can shift left handed on a manual trans with a reverse shift pattern (reverse up and to the left, not down and to the right).  I miss jolly ole England sometimes. Nothing beats a 5-3 downshift and hammering it in my Festiva (loud muffler, of course) and seeing people stare or try to catch up.

 

[bobss396]

On 5/24/2024 at 6:01 PM, Tabbysdaddy said:

"Two footing" an automatic got you laughed at or yelled at, depending on who was in the car with you.

I had automatics in a couple of stock cars, bomber class. Full cages, no weight jackers, etc. I picked up the habit of left foot braking, it made me faster. An old timer showed me how it should be done. I had to break myself of the habit around 2006. 

[bobss396]

I first started driving friend's manual cars when coming home from a night out, when the owner was too smashed to drive. Things like Ford Falcons and Ramblers.

Then I was 18 and got a part time job where we had to put the fleet trucks away at night. Nobody liked to drive a 1957-ish International flat bed aka The Dinosaur. It was simply immense with very touchy power brakes. Well, I mastered that thing practicing in the parking lot. It was outfitted with a snowplow and did a great job despite being 2-wheel drive.

I did valet parking when I was on unemployment in 1980 into 1981. I was one of the few that could drive a manual. At upscale places I got to drive some cool cars, Jags were the most fun.

[blunc]

On 5/22/2024 at 3:55 PM, mk11 said:

they're probably just out of blinker fluid.

[Ace-Garageguy]

9 hours ago, bobss396 said:

I had automatics in a couple of stock cars, bomber class. Full cages, no weight jackers, etc. I picked up the habit of left foot braking, it made me faster. An old timer showed me how it should be done.  

Yup. It works very well for some kinds of competition.

But I've never found it to be a problem on the street.

I've been driving my recently acquired slushbox Blazer a lot recently, and left-foot-braking is as natural to me as driving anything with a stick.

EDIT: I don't mean to sound like I'm all-so-hot-stuff. I'm just stating fact.

Edited June 15, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 5/22/2024 at 6:55 PM, mk11 said:

If only there was a phone app for turn signals.

You could work them while texting and never take your eyes off the screen.

Edited June 15, 2024 by Ace-Garageguy

[Tom Geiger]

I still have my 91 Geo Tracker with a five speed. Over the years Iost track of the number of guys who asked if they could take it for a spin... then realized it was a five speed and they couldn't drive a clutch! 

Back in the day, our impulsive friends bought a brand new Mercury Topaz at a sales event held at a race track.  They went to pick it up at the dealer on Saturday morning and only then realized the car they bought was a five speed and neither of them could drive a clutch! I got the call to come help, so I drove it home from the dealer.  I spent the day giving driving lessons to both of them. It got tense when the husband wasn't really catching on but the wife did!   

[bobss396]

11 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

I still have my 91 Geo Tracker with a five speed. Over the years Iost track of the number of guys who asked if they could take it for a spin... then realized it was a five speed and they couldn't drive a clutch! 

Back in the day, our impulsive friends bought a brand new Mercury Topaz at a sales event held at a race track.  They went to pick it up at the dealer on Saturday morning and only then realized the car they bought was a five speed and neither of them could drive a clutch! I got the call to come help, so I drove it home from the dealer.  I spent the day giving driving lessons to both of them. It got tense when the husband wasn't really catching on but the wife did!   

My late wife could drive ANYTHING. She drove my '65 Belair with the Muncie, tow trucks, moving vans and stock cars. She was good at jockeying them on and off the trailer in the pits. Her dad gave her a VW bug while in HS and she later had a Pinto with a manual.

[Reegs]

On 6/15/2024 at 6:54 AM, bobss396 said:

I had automatics in a couple of stock cars, bomber class. Full cages, no weight jackers, etc. I picked up the habit of left foot braking, it made me faster. An old timer showed me how it should be done. I had to break myself of the habit around 2006. 

At Riverhead?

[espo]

18 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

I still have my 91 Geo Tracker with a five speed. Over the years Iost track of the number of guys who asked if they could take it for a spin... then realized it was a five speed and they couldn't drive a clutch! 

Back in the day, our impulsive friends bought a brand new Mercury Topaz at a sales event held at a race track.  They went to pick it up at the dealer on Saturday morning and only then realized the car they bought was a five speed and neither of them could drive a clutch! I got the call to come help, so I drove it home from the dealer.  I spent the day giving driving lessons to both of them. It got tense when the husband wasn't really catching on but the wife did!   

Many many years ago when my first wife and I got married I only owned cars with manual transmissions, and she came from a family that only drove cars with automatics. I had tried for months to teach her how to drive a manual car, but she was so nerves with me in the car she just couldn't get the hang of it.  This meant when I was at work or not at home, she was marooned with no way to get anywhere. We lived in the mountains in southern California and one weekend my mother, who lived in the beach area came to visit. My mother was the type of women that could overcome just about any issue put before her. She was also raised with nothing but manual transmission cars. She took my wife to a parking lot at the local market and within an hour had my wife able to drive a manual transmission very well. This allowed me to go ahead and buy the new car I was wanting. This also became the main family vehicle and my wife's daily driver. In the fall of 1965, we bought a new 1966 Impala SS with the 396 and 4-speed. My wife did become a very good driver and didn't lug the engine and could move smoothly through the gears. My bride of 40 years has always been fine with a manual transmission, and we have had both manual and automatic transmission vehicles in our garage depending on the type of vehicle. For a few years she even drove our JK Wrangler daily, and loved it with a 6-speed manual, 4-inch lift and 33 in. diameter tires. She even was great on our Jeep Jamboree outings. I would get to drive only when she got tired. Now with what is in the marketplace both of our cars have automatic transmissions, but they are of the 8-speed variety, and I have to admit they are more efficient than the manuals for our purposes now. 

[bobss396]

18 hours ago, Reegs said:

At Riverhead?

And Islip until it closed. The Islip class was Novice for one year and the name changed to Chargers at both tracks.

[JollySipper]

My old man taught me how to drive a manual in a '73 Road Runner with a built 340/4 speed combo........ I started to buy that car from him when I was about 15, but Mom wouldn't allow it, said it was too much car for me.............

 

Edited June 17, 2024 by JollySipper

[Tom Geiger]

Replying to Expo..

I found it interesting that people I taught to drive a manual transmission went on to buy clutch cars!  At least three come to mind!

[Rbray47]

I usually have at least one manual vehicle. In 12 years, my wife hasn't tried any of them. She says she knows how, but hates them.

I ran into an issue that I hadn't thought I'd ever see. When I took my BRZ in to get the hail damage fixed, they had to find someone thin enough to drive it. 

[Raoul Ross]

Walter Rorhl is attributed with mastering the 2-foot/3-pedal driving, specifically to keep the turbo spooled-up while on the brakes but also to balance the car. 4WD combined with turbos were kinda new at this time. This is amazing!

 

Edited June 18, 2024 by Raoul Ross

[stavanzer]

It has been awhile, but I can also drive the 3 pedal Planetary Transmission in a Model T Ford.

Tricky at first, but after a little bit, it becomes second nature. A 1926 T was my daily driver from 1989-1990.

 

 

[espo]

3 hours ago, stavanzer said:

It has been awhile, but I can also drive the 3 pedal Planetary Transmission in a Model T Ford.

Tricky at first, but after a little bit, it becomes second nature. A 1926 T was my daily driver from 1989-1990.

 

 

That one is like learning how to Tap Dance. 

[mk11]

On 5/22/2024 at 4:55 PM, mk11 said:

Danged if you do, danged if you don't  

 

[von Zipper]

In 1982 I had this 1962 Ford Falcon 4dr. it had a 170 ci straight 6 and a 3 speed manual trans column shift -it had 44 K miles when i got it, It was a real cream puff !

I was at a bar on 7 Mile in Detroit one night drinking with some friends when some one came in the bar and asked who owned a black Falcon , I thought i might have left the lights on or some thing. 

NOPE , some one had tried to steal it , they ran a hot wire with clips from the battery to the coil then bumped the starter with a screw driver to get it running , they tried to leave the parking lot got in the middle of 7 Mile and stalled it , when they pulled out in traffic some one hit the passenger rear 1/4 trying to swerve to miss it. Im sure if it had been an automatic i would have never seen that car again. I think some one wanted it for parts .

I was able to pound most of the quarter panel out then bought a 1963 Falcon for $125.00 for the rear bumper that got bent