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I've discovered the great feeling of driving a manual barefooted...

amdhunter

amdhunter

Lifer
Well, almost barefooted, I had dress socks on. I got some Puma sneakers that seem to be a bit too tight for me, so I took them off to drive the car this morning.

Man, what a feeling.

I had to move the seat a notch closer, but it felt like I was part of the car. I could feel the mechanics and the clutch engaging. I was even surprised that my clutch grips much sooner than I initially thought. I always thought it was somewhat high, but it's not that bad. (I guess having no torque doesn't help.)

Ah, only if I could do this everyday. Felt like a different car.:wub:
 
im the other way around. hate driving barefoot. I like it the best with a pair of sneakers. Any kind of open sandals are the worst, esp for the clutch.
 
I drive my car barefoot 90% of the time since I wear sandals all year round down here. I had a friend who got her front teeth knocked out because she got in a fender-bender driving manual with sandals on and getting her sandal caught and not being able to apply the breaks in time before she hit a parked car.

Now that I think about it...she was drunk (this was in college) and she probably just made the sandal bit up as an excuse...but I still will not drive with sandals on.
 
I don't like it. I prefer to drive with some thin soled shoes. I tried driving in hiking boots once, that was terrible.
 
I didn't mind barefoot, but boots did suck. It was more about muscle memory at that point.

Normal sneakers can be just as hazardous as flip-flops though, I had a shoelace wrap around my brake pedal once and I couldn't get my foot over to the clutch - good times - luckily I was able to pop it into neutral, if it had been a high-load situation I might have kissed a tree.
 
I've driven in steel-toes, chest waders with built in boots, running shoes, boots, and barefoot. I loved barefoot, but I would not want to have to panic stop barefoot...
 
I hate driving bearfoot, I hate being barefoot in general though. I honestly don't mind driving in hiking boots, I can sense the clutch engage with other parts of my body besides the soles of my feet. I don't claim to be a performance driver, precision driver or an organic driver (that's the kind way to say you're a barefoot hippie right?)
 
I was told once that driving barefoot is actually illegal in some places. Sounded like BS to me, but the reason being that if a small sharp rock was caught in the break pedal and you tried to apply break your reaction would be pull away from it.

I drove with snowboard boots on one time... that was hard.
 
barefoot is nice for braking but I can't heel/toe if i'm driving barefoot. I need the extra width of my soles to do it properly.
 
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PricklyPete said:
I drive my car barefoot 90% of the time since I wear sandals all year round down here. I had a friend who got her front teeth knocked out because she got in a fender-bender driving manual with sandals on and getting her sandal caught and not being able to apply the breaks in time before she hit a parked car.

Now that I think about it...she was drunk (this was in college) and she probably just made the sandal bit up as an excuse...but I still will not drive with sandals on.
Click to expand...

FuzzyDunlop said:
I was told once that driving barefoot is actually illegal in some places. Sounded like BS to me, but the reason being that if a small sharp rock was caught in the break pedal and you tried to apply break your reaction would be pull away from it.

I drove with snowboard boots on one time... that was hard.
Click to expand...

vshah said:
barefoot is nice for breaking but I can't heel/toe if i'm driving barefoot. I need the extra width of my soles to do it properly.
Click to expand...

*sigh*
 
i could never drive a manual barefoot. i take my shoes off to play forza motorsport, but not to drive a car.

i've hopped into my current car (and all i've owned, in fact) without shoes on to move it; or maybe just drive around the block while someone else pulls out of my drive. it does not amuse me, i have no real feel for pedal tension when i have no shoes on, lots of awkward jerky starts and whatnot. basically the exact opposite of driving with big heavy boots on, where the clutch always ends up not released enough and you press the gas too hard (making you look dumb + you might roll into someone). i drive in sneakers. be it the thinnest soled pair of generic sketchers/vans or whatnot or a pair of running shoes, they all work. could never wear work boots as a mechanic, though, i lose all the feel in my feet- it's more than driving that is affected; i can't feel, say, brake pedal or driveline vibration as well, which is bad for me.

you need a little sole between your foot and the pedals. just not a lot. if i ever start doing any kind of amateur racing, i'll just wear wrestling shoes.
 
hahaha, wow, I didn't expect so many negative responses. I enjoyed it a lot, it made me feel more connected to the car.

I guess my fat feet are made for the thin pedals in my car...lol
 
Driven in socks only, much different, but I usually race in worn out shoes that had thin soles to begin with (pair of sketchers).
 
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