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From: autocar
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  • I think that left foot braking technique was last useful at the early stage of turbo charged cars with huge turbo lag. They kept the engine revving so boost didnt get away and rocket launched out of corners. I don't think it is singificantly faster because you dont have to moove your foot away from accelerator pedal.

    You got understeer? a, You went too fast into that corner. b, Tires are in a bad condition.

    Want tail slide a bit? Use E-brake.

  • I've been driving manual all my life so when I try to left foot brake I can't help but slam on it, lol

  • IIRC, left foot braking while pressing down the accelerator pedal will engage the rear brakes. This sort of "drags" the ass of the car a bit and keep it from whipping out. AWD systems like to do the same thing, but he's showing it how to do it manually on a FWD system.

  • I always thought and use left foot braking (not really day to day driving) for weight shifting. It can reduce under steer if you "jab" it mid corner if you find under steering. It improves exit speed as your right foot is closer to the go pedal therefore get on faster. So it is to go faster in my eyes.

  • I heard from a few guys that left foot braking can help to reduce understeer in corner. Dont know is it true or not. But lets face it, this is more showing off technique, confuse and impress your girlfrend, than technique with much sense... I think you have to be very very good at it to have any result than just damaging your car... If someone can explain in details just how and why should do it, Im grateful :-)

  • Just relised this video was posted on me birthday . Wheyyyyy!

  • 3:20 'the key thing here is were not trying to go any faster..' ... bollocks!!

  • lol he heal toes really strange

  • Putting yourself through the window if you do it wrong XD

  • Do you have a situation or video like this with automatic transmission & SUV or rear wheel-drive?

  • @HelmetReality - Lol what?

  • @arena2101 You can see my vids at my channel. So far, ppl don't like my driving! Check me out!

  • I know left foot braking can help exiting speeds but i also thought it was used to reduce coasting time. Why does he do it that he still has coasting time from the heel toe to brake again. is holding the brake wiht the right foot and switching to the left foot while holding it down recommended?

  • Thx, I'm going to watch this video 100 times, then practice 1000 times

  • i failed my drivers test first time for left foot braking

    the fuck is with that

  • the hell's wrong with coasting?

  • @OsakaBancho it means you will have to take one extra step to perform evasive action if there is a sudden problem. If you're accelerating, you can do so out of harms way and same for braking.

  • @OsakaBancho @supercooled It also means there is no gap where the car isn't doing anything useful to go faster :)

  • sheep are behaving today, we usually get a couple of kamikazes.

    that made me laugh

  • will it drift ( on the wet ) roflmao i dont think so

  • I left foot brake all the time, but on an automatic.

  • @bryonlape

    Same desired results, easier to perform all the time.

  • If you want grip, why not just buy an AWD car instead of FWD? I'm sorry, but FWD sucks for traction. You're asking the front wheels to: steer, brake, and accelerate.

  • I get that a car is all about balance. When you brake or accelerate the balance of the car is always shifting from front to back, when you left foot brake and partner that with some throttle it makes the car very stable with a bit of the weight pitched to the front tires which of course is good for cornering. I have known of snap under-steer which can of course be incredibly dangerous.

  • is braking with the left foot bad on regular streets ?

  • @MexicanGamerz

    its really only applicable in performance scenarios, but yeah, if you're out hotdoggin' around in the hills, you can certainly use left foot braking. but NOT like in this video...pick one or the other, either heel/toe or left foot, not both.

    one of the problems with left foot braking in street cars is the pedal placement...they're usually too close together.  my M3 was close, but worked for left foot braking and my corvette is even closer and doesnt work well with my relatively

  • @Biffle4President

    ....relatively large feet. my racing shoes might work better as they are much thinner than my normal shoes, but i havent tried them...only had the car a few weeks. generally on race cars where the driver prefers left-foot style, the clutch is farther to the left (out of the way) and the brake pedal is larger with a little more room between it and the gas pedal.

    so generally it works just fine, but you have to deal with less-than-ideal pedal placement. so be careful!

  • @Biffle4President

    oops, these posts are backward...the top one is a continuation of the bottom one. sorry im a newb at youtube posting...

  • lol, whats this joker doing? he talks about not coasting a car and then switches from heel/toe to left foot braking...IN THE MIDDLE OF BRAKING!? ...riiiight. you can just as easily left foot brake downshift w/out the clutch in any normal manual tranny. pulling it out of gear w/out the clutch doesnt hurt anything. left foot braking (imo) implies downshifting as well...not sure what this guys deal is.

  • Is this Christ Harris?

  • I don't see why you would left foot brake in any car, unless it is Boosted.

  • @Red1986GTStang Track work.

  • Accelerating and braking at the same time dose not make to much sense for me.

  • youre coasting when you shift...

  • I've tried this technique for the first time yesterday on my 30hp Cinquecento.

    As a result, I was cornering MUCH faster than other cars did (cars with at least twice that horsepower).

    You can literally feel the car going where you want her to go.

    In urban 90 deg turns, with little room for mistakes, I gained about 10km/h than when I was just coasting to the limit, and the control was unbelievable.

    I wonder if it would do the same just by pulling the hand brake a little.

  • @UnsatisfactionGuaran I don't think you could because the hand brake stops only rear wheels. but you never know till u try :)

  • let me drive that Freakin hot car

  • left-foot braking is good for getting a car sideways or making the rear coming sideways... for example in rallying or hillclimbing (as allready said ), becuase your car loses grip on the rear axle if you brake (but therefore you got more grip on the front axle what is why it is usefull with FWD) the second thing is that you want your differential know what it has to do, and that's why you alway accelerate or brake. But still, Why braking after midcorner? usually full throttle there strange stuf

  • I know where this vid is taken :D

    llangynidr mountain road in south wales ^^ epic valley roads :D

  • what absolute rubbish "you should never be coasting, you should always be either accelerating or braking"!!!! Taht makes absolutely no sense at all, unsafe, uneconomical, uncomfortable!

    Coasting as in driving with the clutch in and no gear engaged is wrong. But constant accelerating and braking!!!

  • @dan101dan -- He was refering to racing/ fast driving etc.Not everyday driving.The "you should never be costing, you should always be either accelerating or braking" method is spot on when racing.

    You probably just picked him up wrong. :-)

    Regards

    Simon

  • @dan101dan you've obviously missed the context of what he's explaining. I don't think he means your gran should left foot brake her vitaz round asda carpark getting her weekly. Course it's uneconomical to drive like this, i missed the part where economy was the goal? If your having some fun in the twisties in your fwd helical diff"d car, the safest, fastest and most controlled way to get round and out of the bend is covering the brake with left foot. He's just explained it!

  • Mit nem Ford kann man das machen!:D

  • wow at 2:37, is that oil coming out from under the car?

  • @juarezvictor89 No, it's over-banding

  • @juarezvictor89 no man if you carefully see its just the road...

  • I still don't see the point in left foot braking on the road.. The only time it really should be used is in hillclimb, rally and sometimes circuit. On the road in a stock road car with stock brakes all you would be doing is cutting the brake pad lifespan in half and most likely the same with the rotors. Also all this fuel economy crap is stupid, If you think you're going to save money left foot braking your wrong.

  • I can right foot clutch. beat that bitch ass chris harris

  • I drive a Knight Rider KITT car and its got brake wings which pop out from the sides and roof of the car. For more assurance I have a parachute in the rear boot strapped to the rear of the car for emergencies when I am doing over 400kmph and then comes a granny crossing the street!!

  • Does the technique he refers to for getting traction out of corners only work with this diff or does it have any affects on a front wheel drive car with an open diff. Also as someone commented, I have a 2001 vw polo and if you brake at all with any throttle it kills the power all together and for a few seconds after your off the brakes. Any suggestions?

  • Surely coasting is a good thing to do if you want to drive economically?

  • @zupperm He was talking about performance driving like on a track.

  • @zupperm coasting uses more fuel... in manual cars. with modern day cars the ECU cuts fuel to the engine when you don't press the throttle because the wheels driving the engine is enough for it to not stall. With the clutch is in (coasting) fuel needs to be injected to keep the engine running so you dont stall...

    on an auto i guess it is saving... but then again this guys driving a rs...

  • @kdk087 When endurance sports car drivers or Indycar drivers on road courses need to save fuel, they coast at the ends of straights before braking and that's obviously in a manual car. Some open wheel drivers even go back to right foot braking if they get into sports cars so that they can get better fuel mileage. From a high performance point of view, coasting is a problem because not only are you not going as quick as you could, it gives less options to adjust when in the corner.

  • I think that people should have three legs :)

  • I think left foot braking is a quite useful technique but I think excessive left foot braking will wear out the brakes or overheat it quickly because of the power that comes from the engine

  • @Karl21836 Wow stupid comment is stupid

  • What a PITA. I hate FWD. GTI's, Mini Coopers(real ones) and SAAB 900's get a pass though.

  • Chris rules!

  • Why would anyone brake in a race car? Brakes are for losers :)

  • i can left foot brake , double clutch and im 15 =]

  • @kj00017 well done

  • @cinarcikli You do not need to explain any of that to me. I am a mechanic and know how cars work.

    What I am saying is that you can use left foot braking on ANY car.

    I understand your point. But if the car has a gas shut-off or torque reduction like the hybrids do, you can mess with the ECU to remove that feature.

    Like I said, if you race a car to the point of having to use left foot braking, you would probably spend the money to modify it accordingly.

  • @cinarcikli You can still left foot brake. Can't you? Other topic would be how useful it is.

    Besides, if you are going to be racing a car to the point where you need left foot braking, I am sure that the car would be prepped for that.

  • He's a show-off and being stealthily condescending to his readers...only racers use this in racing but for street cars, it wears out the brake pads/disks and stresses the driveline unnecessarily. It's definitely effective in controlling all kinds of cars, not just FWD cars, through corners but not necessarily quicker as that depends a lot on individual skill and set-up.

  • great video!!! :D

  • I could see the benefits to this on a turbo car almost like youre brake boosting coming out of the corner, but when your brake lights are lit up after exiting the curve in a NA car? doesn't seem likes brakes help accelerate at that point. And if you gear down correctly you should be deccelerating due to gear ratio and you aren't technically "coasting"

  • eh ...... it does help .... just like the the man in the video said .... you keep the momentum of the crank onto the wheels in a corner and exit the corner faster.

    i have a excellent road here with lots of bends i can take in 3rd gear, i just left foot brake half way true the corner while maintaining some trotle and release the brake past half way corner and slam the gas, workf wunderfull.

    try it yourself .... but becarefull ... don't try this with people behind you.

  • I'd advise starting at minute 04:00 of this video and THEN start from the beginning. You will slam the breaks hard if you never practiced it before.

  • @RavenRof i wish i had have looked up about left foot braking before i tried it on a motorway... very nearly a bad accident involving the lorry behind me lol so yes everyone get used to it on an empty road before trying it anywhere else

  • I know exactly where this was filmed :D

    Llangynidr moores in south wales :D i travel that road all the time ^^ brilliant!!

  • Shit, I can't understand him.

  • 258 people don't know how to drive..

  • Why shouldn't your car ever coast?

  • @BestTypoEver only when racing, because then you would be loosing time

  • @BestTypoEver The reason for not letting your car drift is not so much to do with speed, but control. If it is under acceleration or braking then you are more in control of the forces that are acting upon it, that is g forces, inertia etc. You know how much to brake or accelerate to stop it sliding/skidding/losing grip. If it drifts it could reach its limits of traction unexpectadly any time and is harder to control or steer correctly or bring back into line.

  • I don't understand why you are using the brake in a turn, with a stick anyways? Time the apex correctly and you have all the power you need without touching the break even to enter the turn. I am lost here, maybe it's just me.

  • @thermo1984 Maybe your right, and all the profesional racing drivers over the last 5 decades have been doing it wrong all this time!

  • @stellpoons Looks like someone needs a life. Oh wait I checked out your profile your just another video game geek who thinks hes a pro because he plays racing games. There is no reason to left foot break with a stick. Where is the proof anything this video says matters 1%? This person uses the term 'slow second gear' This proves either #1 the Focus sucks or #2 he is not shifting correctly...go play your video games and get a life I really don't care what you have to say.

  • @thermo1984 lol so u dont care about what ive got to say but u cared enough to filll a whole comment box to tell me that. And left foot braking isnt just this guy senna did it, most profesional racing drivers do it. I didnt use this vid to proove shit all of my idea. And i will go play my video games, Trackmania is fukin cool and i make no apologies about it. Its the one game i play its my one nerdy vice so yeah if you dont like it go fuck yourself. U narrow minded prick

  • @stellpoons Hah "narrow minded prick" u just continue to fit all the stereotypes. U dirty Brits are all the same. Let me help you comprehend my comment, since u seem to lack remedial reading comprehension. I don't care what u have to say, because I can tell from ur profile u are an uneducated video game addict. Why would I listen to someone whos probably never even touched a pair of breasts! ha but seriously my point stands theres no proof this matters, sticks are about skill, not left braking.

  • @thermo1984 Well funny how someone so well educated reverts to racist remarks.

    But hey seing as im uneducated i guess generalisng all americans as Dirty Sister fucking Rednecks would be the way to go.

    But no i wont because im not scum unlike yourself.

    So anyway some things dont need proof, the fact profesional race drivers do this means there has to be somthing to it.

    Oh and for the breasts, well i guess the last ones you touched were your mothers U GOTS TO GET MILK YO!

  • @stellpoons lulz, pulling the race card out? looks like someone needs to pickup a dictionary. But seriously thank u for proving how uneducated u are. What no spell checks over there? Funny how u bring up red necks, see we define rednecks over here as someone who watches tons of car racing like nascar, so u just made fun of yourself. Odd how u didn't correct me about the breast thing, I guess I called that one. Sigh another uneducated fan boy who just says what people tell him too its so sad.

  • @thermo1984 you MUST be gay.

  • @03056932 yeah I care about this video .01 of a percent. And you fanboys are going crazy about it, and I'm the gay one? hah go back to your sockpuppets you dont fool anyone.

  • @thermo1984 WOW you write with every tell and signature of a true homosexual internet user. This your only way of mouthing off to the big boys with the big muscles? DO ME

  • @03056932 wow seriously thank you. You just made my friday awesome! to come home to this comment and laugh my ass off was just priceless. Did you just say Do me? whoa, now you just proved that you really are gay. Hey if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and asks other men to "do me" well yeah its a duck. lulz seriously thanks man, Im going to show others this so they can laugh as much as I am right now! P.S. Fuck ur mom

  • unlike top gear....these guys KNOW what they're talking about

  • wtf.... ok this guy is stupid.... it makes sense.. but for everyday driving theres no need for it u just kill ur brakes hella fast. therefore costs you more money.. for a racer.. sure but fuck that for regular driving he should be shot.

  • @slipprywenwet03 it isnt intended for everyday driving its a trick to give racers an edge in corners

  • I do left-foot braking because I'm left footed (I kick with my left, but I am not left handed however) and therefore have more control on the brake.

  • not sure there is much point to this in a car with TC and stability control otherwise youre just pissing money away on brake pads

  • Flids and "boy racers" of Britain... please DON'T try to go out an learn left foot braking. You won't be able to do it, and will probably kill someone in the process.

    That is all.

  • Coasting in N burns mote furl than in gear coasting?

  • @supercooled yup, it does

  • @LP640ROADSTERdk

    mayb for some cars but not mine.

    at 80kp/h, in fifth gear, on a cool day my cars economy reader says its using 2.4L/100 when im not on the throttle.

    if i put it in nuetral it says its using 2L/100km when im doing 60kmh so it should be less when doing 80

  • This is a good trick to get the LSD to work in any vehicle if you are in mud or snow to prevent spinning down (ie. get stuck) Another on the long list of things drivers Ed. should be teaching people but don't.

  • I've always done this just as a matter of course.

    Same with heel and toe braking - it just seems natural to have more control to me. Yes its more difficult and more effort than usual but I think worth it for the extra control over what the car's doing.

  • word up, preach on !!!! :D

  • @siraff2 I remember having to this with a basic golf.. But with all the driver aids.. the car reacts badly ..( but I thinking of modern rear wheel drive cars)

  • @siraff2 When I was driving my old Mini, I had to heel and toe brake from 3rd to 2nd most of the time because their ratio difference (it was 4 spd). I then just get the hang of it. But it's very hard to left foot brake as the left foot is too used to pumping the clutch and just end up over pressing the brake pedal and I always get thrown forward.

  • @TangoR34 I know what you mean. A lot of people get that because - as you say - your left foot is a bit de-sensitized from a heavy clutch pedal. You'll get used to it with a bit of practice though and it's a handy little skill to have in certain situations.

  • he forgot to mention about keeping boost up in turbo cars.

  • @Alecoc14

    Sir, you have no clue. You can left foot brake on ANY car. Auto or Manual.

    I do not know what are you talking about.

  • @Katlunazul - You are correct, but I think he's talking about legality; a petty issue. Technically, your driving instructor will tell you to never left foot brake, presumably because it's difficult and easy to do wrong; which means more risk of a crash during real-world application. But, most of us know this is nonsense; it's a matter of coordination and practice. Alecoc14 clearly didn't notice the part in this video showing the driver's footwork; clearly, you CAN left foot brake a manual.

  • @Katlunazul, sorry, what I don't really understand is: do I brake at the same time I accelerate (in this case I supposed to burn my brakes) or do I brake and accelerate separately? And do I use this technique while in the corner, before it or on the way out of it? Thank you ;)

  • @Katlunazul his a dick i dont like any of his vids

  • I get it now,the reason i was doing it ,was just to keep the rpms up during the turn,but now i see why it is done thanks for the advice...

  • does this only work on cars with differentials?

  • torque-sensing*

  • Thanks man I knew this technique but you explained it technically so its more clear in my brain now. Cheers.

  • u cant be coasting if ur automatic

  • Can't do this in my Fiero!

  • lfb works on civic

  • Coasting is smart. Idk what he was talking about either.

  • neutral coasting downhill burns MORE fuel than geared coasting because you do not have the drive from the wheel helping turn over the engine.

  • You are totally right. On the more fuel part. Most fuel injected cars...above a certain RPM have fuel cut on deceleration. So, if you are in gear, going down hill with your foot off the gas you are burning NO fuel. However, if you slip it into N and coast you will be burning what ever gas the car uses at idle.

  • This technique was invented by Group B rally drivers,

    it was invented to combat the turbo lag problems the cars had in the 1980's

  • Just dont get the brake and clutch confused.

    Surprising to say the least.

  • @DriverSideEd Haha!!!thats a good one)

  • left foot braking could also be used in combination with "clutchless shifting" so u only need to use the clutch for moving off

  • Ps never lift the gas when jumping, keep it steady or floor it ! If u dont gas he nose will dig in and destroys the whole front :)

    I told Avis some one back up into me while parking ;) Poor Citroen Saxo ...

  • so letting off the gas from like 60kmh and letting ur car roll is bad?

  • in neutral yeah, it can wear out hub bearings and brake pads quicker etc. also the handling of a car rolling in neutral is less stable than a car in gear.

  • it depends on the speed and car. rear drive cars dont do it as bad as front drive would. other cars just cant jump, they die on landing like an old geo metro 4dr...

  • So... You need to lift your foot of the gas when applying the brake? Not maybe all out but a little bit? Or accelerate more than without brake?

    Sorry about my bad knowledge, Enligh isn't my mother tongue so keeping up while listening is difficult.

  • you are pretty much tricking the differential to into thinking that there is equal traction on both wheels

  • that least scene...has led to many young kids killing themselves..jumping over a crest...

  • I used this technique..in winter in a front wheel drive VW golf..(before the Traction control aids) ..In order to do this...in a modern car..Do you remove all traction aids.. ( I would assume so...but have yet to try this on a rear wheel car....) new to rear wheel..so it will come..

  • Right ok then. Your comment sucks.

  • easing on the brake while on going through a turn...okay...this should be fun lol

  • Sometimes i right foot clutch and left foot brake/throttle. Try it.

  • lol!

  • ur nuts. lol

  • the pros also left foot heel n toe to double clutch then brake with thier cock

  • ;D!

  • @03056932

    Wheres my bodyfiller?

  • Sorry, can't take this sort of patronising wally seriously... He's read far too many books and is all confused. Just drive it properly knob head.

  • he is driving that type of car properly, like he said.. it wouldnt work as good with other types of diff, only these lil front wheel drive hatches with a torque diff

  • LOL

  • 3:20 - so it ain't faster, though u get more control. handy in a circuit, ha?

  • 2:38 why is he breaking past the apex???

  • because the reason why you left foot break, is to keep the front from washing wide. when you press the gas in a front wheel drive car the front wash's out, so you use the breaks to slow the rear wheel down allowing the back of the car to come out, like in a rwd car, ex you use the breaks and not the gas to preform this act.

  • listen to the video!!!!!!

  • to maintain control i guess? XD

  • Hell Yea Hilltopping!!!

  • this is use only for front wheel drive?

  • efficient only on front wheel drive but doesn't mean you can't use it on other drive

  • XD obviously

  • sena first used it and he was the best

  • I don't know which Sena are you speaking about (because their are many race driver with that name) but i m sure i saw somewhere that the thing was invented by some sweedish guys

  • Comment removed

  • there are many reasons to do this...but the point of this video is to highlight how LFB can be used in a front wheel drive car with a differential.

    I usually use this technique for longer sweeping corners, to keep the revs up but to lower my speed a bit. You can also use this to avoid turbo lag in a corner for turbocharged cars.

    Yes this will wear your brakes faster and it might even warp your brakes (esp if your brake kit is not a good one)

  • wont this wear the brakes?

  • no shit, but when you are performance driving, when are you not wearing on the brakes?

  • lol true

  • won't you ruin the car?lol

  • U'll get confuse at first ONLY... or u're not WILLING TO LEARN... Coz I CAN DO IT... AND IT ALWAYS WORKS :)

  • LFB is easy if you consider it normal (which is quite..well it`s not normal) it takes practice but you should be very patient with that, and..i`m not so that`s why i prefer RWD cars.. you could perfect your RFB and also get great results, now it`s your choice ^__^

  • only takes about 10 days to learn

  • That`s if you`re a fast learner, even so you can say that it`s kind of easy to learn but hard to master

  • You wouldn't use your left foot to brake if you were needing to use the clutch as well. You only left foot brake if you are staying in the same gear. I think the video is pretty clear about when it can be used.

  • Comment removed