performance driving shoes
OK, you are with your racer companions and theyre talking about heel & toe driving and wondering to yourself, "what is heel and toe pedal work?". You might be mis-lead into thinking that you somehow use your heel to press the accelerator while using thebig toe to press the break pedal.
You see, the term comes from previous car designs, where the gas was on the left of the pedal assembly and you COULD use your heel and toe in that fashion. Obviously, thats not the case any longer. As such, the difficulty of performing heel & toe pedal work is lessened by getting special performance driving shoes that are made for heel & toe pedal work; hence, heel and toe performance driving shoes.
What you actually do is put the left side of your right foot on your brake pedals right side. To tap the gas, you twist your right ankle and tap the gas with the right edge of the right driving shoe.
Using the heel and toe technique, performance driving shoes can greatly improve a persons skill.
Next, youre asking yourself what is performance shifting good for? heel & toe driving can be used for downshifting when sliding through a corner. By blipping the accelerator while youre pressing the break pedal and feathing the clutch, youre able to downshift while keeping the cars revs up.
However, Mostly it is the technique that allows you to downshift smoothly while not having to double clutch or drop power to the rims. It also allows you to more quickly put torque and power to the tires for faster acceleration while keeping the vehicle level. This is especially true in a high performance car, like the Shelby Cobra. as a matter of fact, Carroll Shelby has a signature line of performance driving shoes designs specifically for heel and toe shifting.
A good performance driving shoe will have:
* Cow suede with traditional Cobra double stripe trim.
* Soft, Leather lining with removable insole provides extraordinary comfort driving or walking.
* Rolled heel for easy movement between pedals, round toe to avoid hang ups, outside abrasion panel for comfortable heel and toe shifting.
* Breathable Leather Lined Innersole that will shape to your foot.
* Removable Innersole which may be replaced with many styles of orthopedic insoles.
* Soft, padded, heavy duty Poly Knit Sock.
The shelby shoes include:
* Carbon Fiber-Style reflective heel.
* Cobra Logo embossed into side.
* Performance Tire Tread Sole Design for extra traction.
Never drive without shoes on. Driving with sandals or flip flops is also not a good idea. Also, always make sure your carpet doesnt slide around on the floor. This can interfere with the pedals and can be very hazardous.
If youre going to be driving a long distance, you should stretch your legs, calves, ham strings, etc to ensure youre comfortable throughout the trip. Also, dont forget to stop and use rest areas.
Remember: Smooth is fast, smooth is good, smooth is safe, and correct use of heel and toe, especially with performance driving shoes, makes SMOOTH.
This page also found at special driving shoes and was inspired by a2z racer website. Tony a2z has also designed several driving/walking shoes.