I spent the weekend at Mid-Ohio, a scenic, hilly, snake-like racetrack an hour North of Columbus. I've written about Mid-Ohio before. Not only is it the closest road race course to where I live, it is truly one of the best and most beautiful race tracks in the US. This weekend it was even better because just two weeks ago they put down the final layer of new asphalt for a complete resurfacing.

It's now wider, smoother and faster, but that's not what this is about.

This is about left-foot braking, a driving technique that doesn't get enough coverage. There are places it's used a lot. Rallying, for one. Formula cars, for another. And of course, go-karts where you don't really have much of a choice. But even in those venues (karting probably being an exception), you don't hear a lot about it.

Well, I'm here to tell you it's the fast way around. While I'm certainly not Michael Schumacher (or even Bobby Rahal, for that matter), I have spent an inordinate amount of my life learning how to drive cars smoothly while going really fast.

An incredibly important part of that has to do with what you do with your feet, which you may not expect, because when you're really running at the limit of adhesion it's the smoothness of the transitions from brake to gas and gas to brake that make it possible for you to ratchet the speed up another notch. The smoother your transition between the pedals, the closer to the edge you can get without actually going over it.

Left-foot braking lets you get closer, lets you go faster.

This is something I'd forgotten. Back in my Formula Atlantic days I always left-foot braked. The transmissions in those cars don't really require you to use the clutch for either up- or downshifts if you know how to double-clutch, so I didn't use it and used my left foot, instead, on the brake. I thought it made me faster and smoother. Recently, I started left-foot braking again and now I have no doubt: it is unquestionably faster.

Let me give you an example.

This weekend, because of the new surface, tires with extreme grip (that is, full-race tires) were not allowed. The rumor ahead of time was the almost-street-legal Hoosier DOT race tires we use in my race class were not going to pass the Durometer test so I swapped wheels with the Boxster and used my everyday street tires, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s. These are great street tires and pretty good track tires. However, the rears are really new (a couple of weeks old) and the fronts are pretty well worn (6-or-so months old). That means the rears, with all that tread, are disproportionately squirrely.

Squirrely rear tires become particularly (which is to say, disconcertingly) obvious when you're (a) braking hard from a high speed or (b) starting into a turn. In both cases, if you are not incredibly smooth, the car absolutely lurches to one side (or both) in a move that's both slow (from a lap-time standpoint) and scary (from a color-of-your-underwear standpoint).

I mention this because as I fought through my four on-track sessions Saturday I went back to left-foot braking to ease the transitions. Take Turn One, for example, Mid-Ohio's fastest turn (excepting the kink in the backstraight, which really isn't a turn). You come in at 90-95 mph, brake hard for a brief moment, and then transition into an 80-85 mph left turn. The trick is that transition point, where you go from braking back to being on the gas. The fast way through requires that you trail-brake into the turn, which is to say you're carrying some of your braking through the first third or so of the turn. But at some point you need to transition over to the throttle.

That's where it gets interesting.

See, the weird thing here is cars are stable and happy when they're under acceleration and they're stable and happy when they're under braking but, for reasons I'm not sure I actually understand, they are not stable and not happy coasting, which is what you're doing when, using conventional right-foot braking, even with a pretty-highly-calibrated right foot, you transition over to the throttle. The car is unstable--sometimes uncomfortably unstable--until you get over to the gas and get some power back on. Once you get back on the gas, everything's good with the world again but for a few moments there you're not sure you'll actually make it through the turn.

As I said, a little weird, and substantially worse with rear tires accentuating the lateral transitions.

But here's the thing: If you left-foot brake into One (there is no need to change gears), you can start applying the throttle while you're still on the brakes just a bit, during the first quarter of the turn. When you do that and then transition smoothly out of the brake as you go smoothly to full throttle, there isn't that dicey bit of transition time...it stays happy and stable all the way through and lets you carry a good bit more speed than you could do otherwise.

There are proponents on both sides of the left-foot-braking controversy (if you can call it that). In a recent issue of Sports Car, the magazine of the Sports Car Club of America, Randy Pobst, a well-respected racer, said he pretty much thought there was no real need for left-foot braking in road racing--except he then contradicted himself and said, well, except for formula cars. And, autocrosses, where you don't change gears a lot.

It's possible he's right, of course, but I don't agree. In turns where you don't have to shift (or all turns if you're driving a car that doesn't require the clutch to make your shifts), I'm convinced you can be both faster and smoother by using left-foot braking. But, hey, don't take my word for it. Keep doing your right-foot dance. I'll wave as I go by in the next braking zone.

1. Enver Khorasanee06/19/2006 12:29:30 PM

Hello Scott, I am a retired Driving Instructor. I am almost 70 and took to Left Foot Braking about 15 years ago. Taught few students LFB including my two children. I believe if we can convince Insurance companies that they will save very big by way of claims that might have a great impact. Trying to talk to Driving Schools is something I have not had any luck with. How do we (You and I) go about it. I am very passionate about this.
Regards
Enver Khorasanee
Phone 905 793 3972

2. Scott Good06/19/2006 04:39:44 PM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Hi Enver,

Nice to hear from you. I think there are more left-foot-brakers out there than you know about. We just all need to come out of the closet!

After I wrote this piece I spent another weekend--this time for a race--at Mid-Ohio. It rained on and off all weekend including all through the last race on Sunday.

As I was trying to run down the leader (which I eventually did, although I couldn't find a way past), I could see that where I was making up the most time were the turns where I was left-footing it.

This was most noticeable in Turn One and the right-hander (11, I think) into Thunder Valley, where I would make up multiple car-lengths in each turn (only to lose them again when he powered away on the straights).

In those slippery conditions, left-foot braking made it possible to push closer to the limit than I, at least, could do with more conventional pedal applications and, consequently to be faster both into and out of the turns.

How you convince other people of this? I don't know. Talk about it, I guess. I find it a difficult technique to use very effectively on the street. Partially that's because I'm simply not going fast enough to be able to take advantage of it and partially it's because most of the time on the street it seems like you end up downshifting into the turns and, therefore, needing your foot on the other pedal.

Scott

3. John Dillon09/14/2006 06:02:47 PM
Homepage: http://www.WidgetRacing.com

Scott is absolutely right. I'm a rally codriver (e.g., I don't get to work the important stuff like pedals or steering wheel) but I can tell you that LFB is the key to quick times--and it's a heckuva lot safer too.

I practice LFB in my street car all the time, even though I'm not particularly speeding or driving crazy. It's just a good thing to lodge in your muscle memory so when you DO need it, it's already natural.

And while we're at it, don't hook your thumbs inside the steering wheel. Man, did breaking that habit ever take a long time!

4. J12/06/2006 10:14:20 PM

Ever since i heard of the left foot braking technique i have wanted to learn how to do it...so i research online and not much valid results come up...can i do it in an automatic?

5. Scott Good12/08/2006 07:33:35 AM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Sure. It's SIMPLE to do in an automatic since you don't need your left foot for the clutch.

6. Sung Park04/15/2007 06:42:49 AM

I really agree with you on the LFB. I have a Mitsubish Lancer evolution, which is a turbocharged AWD vehicle. Recently, I've been going to local HPDEs at NHIS and LRP. My car, being a turbochaged car is really easy to upset the balance of the car if you are not extremely smooth with throttle. For some reasons, I find left foot braking makes the car a lot easier to drive smoothly and precisely around the corners like left hander after 'Big Bend' at LRP. I almost believe that I find left-foot braking more easy to drive around most corners where I don't have to downshift. I am going to keep practicing it until it becomes my second nature to LFB.

7. Scott Good04/16/2007 09:19:01 AM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Actually, with a tubocharged car, there's another advantage of left-foot braking: You can start building boost earlier so it's ready for you when you're ready for it.

8. Debayan Sinha05/21/2008 05:46:27 AM
Homepage: http://www.freewebs.com/racerdabba

HEY SCOTT,
this is really good to hear about old techniques being reinvented.
i drive a FF car, & in corners it really is a gr8 technique.
thanks for the article.
MAN. U ROCK

9. Debayan Sinha05/21/2008 05:48:06 AM
Homepage: http://www.freewebs.com/racerdabba

HEY SCOTT,
<br>this is really good to hear about old techniques being reinvented.
<br>i drive a FF car, &amp; in corners it really is a gr8 technique.
<br>thanks for the article.
<br>MAN. U ROCK

10. Shawn05/25/2008 01:22:42 AM

Poopie poo!

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Homepage: http://www.ankara-nakliyat.name.tr

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12. ankara evden eve 06/02/2008 05:45:27 AM
Homepage: http://www.ankara-nakliyat.name.tr

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13. Jon08/14/2008 05:04:48 AM

I just started driving and as soon as i start i used this technique and its very easy but my family in the passenger seat always say that this technique is not the correct way and by having your left foot over the brake you run down the brakes, Is this true?

14. Scott Good08/20/2008 08:47:24 AM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Jon,

Well, yes and no. If you're driving with your left foot on the brake--that is, touching the brake pedal when you aren't intending to brake--then yeah, they're right. The same goes for people driving manual-transmission cars who keep their left foot lightly on the clutch. That ends up costing extra clutches over time.

While I am a pretty big proponent of left-foot braking, I have to wonder if you really want to be doing this right now. When you say you just started driving, I assume you mean you're 16 (or so) and a truly a new driver, as opposed to, say, just starting high performance driving or something.

If you are brand new to driving, I would make sure you first learn how to brake properly with your right foot. There are times when you're going to need to know how to do that well, not the least of which being when you start driving a manual transmission.

It's possible you'll never have a manual but if you're wasting time reading my blog I'm willing to guess you have high performance driving somewhere in the back of your head and that will probably lead you into manual cars. You can't shift and brake at the same time without using both feet, so you need to be able to do that (right-foot brake), too.

In any case, keep your foot all the way off the brake pedal when you're not really, truly intending to brake. It will not only save the brakes but it will save gas, too.

Scott

15. scot04/03/2009 09:34:30 PM

been driving for 30 years and left foot braking is natural for me, even with automatic transmissions. some people tell me it is dangerous but i say if they are not coordinated enough to use both of their feet they are ones that have a problem.

16. Arp05/25/2009 12:43:14 PM

i dirt track race FWD and i left foot brake on the road but now i will try on the track

17. Scott Good05/25/2009 02:41:07 PM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Absolutely. If you're racing a front-wheel-drive car, left-foot braking will give you new options for getting the car to rotate. With the gas on, the front wheels will continue to turn as the back ones slow...it can be like using the handbrake to get it to turn if you do it right...but faster.

18. Michele Alexander11/10/2009 09:31:41 AM

Hi there....
My boss is telling me I am not allowed to drive any company cars because I brake with my left foot. Recently a company Dodge Caravan needed front brakes and roters costing $1100.00 the mechanic said its because someone is using two feet when driving....so of course even though I only drive the vehicle maybe 4 times a month and only for 20minutes a day I am banned from driving company cars....any help out there that I can show my boss would be greatly appreciated.

19. Scott Good11/10/2009 09:52:13 AM
Homepage: http://www.scottgood.com

Hi Michele...

Good luck on that. There are people out there who brake with their left feet but always seem to be dragging the brake. You've seen 'em, they're the ones whose brake lights are either on all the time or are incessantly blinking on even when they're going down the road. If that's you, then you're doing it wrong (and might even be guilty as charged).

On the other hand, if you are only using your left foot to brake when you otherwise would have been braking with your right (and don't keep your left foot over the brake the rest of the time), then I'd say you're probably innocent.

I guess I would point to the repair history of your own car. If you're not going through brakes in your own car, I can't imagine why you would drive any differently in the company's vehicle.

I'd love to know what makes the mechanic think it's a left-foot braker causing the problem. It's typical for the front brakes to wear out more often than the rears as street vehicles are biased to have most of the braking done in the front for safety reasons.

Does the van regularly haul heavy loads? That would cause much higher wear on a set of brakes than a light load. If that's the case, they may want to look at higher-performance brake pads.

Is there someone who drives it hard all the time? Hard braking causes more wear, as does the higher heat generated by repeated hard braking in a short timespan.

Not that my vote matters, but I'd be looking for somebody other than you to blame...

20. Enver Khorasanee04/26/2010 05:29:38 PM

I bet Michele Alexander's boss is someone you cannot reason with. Suggest Michele direct his boss to this website and let him read it for himself. Best of luck
Enver Khorasanee

21. jeff05/29/2010 05:16:10 PM

I've been lfb street driving since highschool (35 years). we were taught that the left foot can stop quicker than moving the right foot off the gas and then onto the brake. i never think about it as being weird or wrong as it is how i drive. it is no different than how we do anything when we drive as we are not born to drive with certain feet positions for driving. in a panic stop, i can physically stop hundreds of feet less than a right foot braker. its basic physics. it takes less time to push my left foot down than someone that has to move their foot from the gas pedal to the break.

22. jeff05/29/2010 05:21:13 PM

meant brake not break

23. Mark09/22/2010 04:58:42 PM

I'm only a road driver and have been using left-foot braking with automatics for nearly all of the several decades I've been driving. I actually started doing it so that my left foot would be trained to operate a pedal in case I needed someday to drive a clutch, but then I quickly came to realize that it's just a superior way to operate, especially in the time to get on the brake in a hurry and for certain kinds of maneuvering in the snow.

Later, I started also driving manual transmissions, and never had the slightest trouble moving back and forth between manuals and automatics, which I now do on a regular basis. At least for me, all the claims about why LFB is bad because you'll have a problem if you have to drive a manual is just so much hooey. Not to mention that for very many US drivers on the road today, switching which foot they're using for the brake would be the least of their problems if they hopped into a car and found a clutch there.

Now, besides all the benefits and the lack of true negatives I've known about for years, it seems to me that a very large number of accidents, many serious, would have been avoided if the silly LFB proscriptions had never been adopted in the first place, because the odds that a left-foot braker is going to mix up the brake and gas pedals is just about zero. And even if that confused soul was driving a clutch and forgot he was, his left foot would push the clutch pedal down, not the gas, when he thought he was going for the brake, which is a lot less likely to cause havoc than trying to stop by standing on the accelerator.