Steering wheel users: Left or Right foot braking?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Devedander
  • 195 comments
  • 22,385 views

Left or Right foot braking?

  • Left

    Votes: 58 69.0%

  • Right

    Votes: 26 31.0%
  • Total voters
    84
  • Poll closed .
When I started sim racing, I was a left-foot braker through-and-through - a habit later cemented by karting. However, I found out that the F1 cars of '67 had no room for left-foot braking, and they still used H-pattern boxes which occasionally necessitate the use of the clutch. Then there was that awesome arcade game, Ferrari 355 Challenge, with the 3-pedal set-up and h-shifter - that left somewhat of an impression on me.

Anyway, to make my GPL experience more authentic, I switched to right-foot braking. I'd also started driving by this point, so was used to all the movements I developed in the arcade :p

I sometimes play GT5 with the sequential shifter, in which case I almost certainly will left-foot brake, because I can. If I'm using the clutch, I'll tend to right foot brake except in circumstances where I know I won't need to use the clutch. For example, keeping the throttle planted in a FWD car, heading for a fast sweeping corner, and just jabbing the brake with my left foot to set the car up.

On the ice / snow stages, in cars with an H-shifter, I sort of mix between the two and really dance about on the pedals, occasionally screwing it up (e.g. pressing the brake instead of the clutch :ouch:) That being said, I can get some of the benefits of left foot braking (e.g. trail braking in a rear wheel drive) by just using my "heel" (as I would in a heel-toe downshift) to lightly drag the throttle on turn in and approach to the apex, but only as much as needed. The latter only occurred to me recently whilst watching footage of the late great Ayrton Senna; then I started noticing lots of drivers doing it... :)

EDIT: voted right, because that's my default setting nowadays.
 
Left foot is for the clutch, right foot for go or no.

I'm not a racing superstar, so I stick with what's proper technique in normal automobiles. I'm not slow, GT5 or my A4.

People who left foot brake in automatic, regular cars (real life) are very annoying.
 
garbuckle
I'm surprised that so many people use left foot braking. Is it because of age (i.e. too young to have driven in RL, and gotten used to right foot braking)? Is it the fastest way to play the game, and you separate it from RL? Just curious.
Click to expand...

I'd guess that most of the top racers use left foot braking in GT games... it just gives you so many more options.

A few examples of the benefits...

It's soooo much quicker to go from braking to throttle and vice versa.

Left foot braking is pretty much essential with MR cars as you often need a bit of gas on whilst braking to help keep the rear in check.

Left foot braking allows you to slightly feather the brake without coming off the gas if you following someone really closely in a race... great way to avoid contact in close situations or prevent running in to someone when in their draft.

With regard to real life... I can do either, equally as competently as I spent a lot of time deliberately learning to get the feel for braking with my left foot many years ago. Once you have the feel for braking with your left foot it becomes easy, though the drivetrain layout really determines if you need to use it or not... for me, it's something I'd only ever use on 4WD or FWD cars.
 
I used to right foot brake.
Then I did the Vettel X2010 challenge and now I'm used to left foot braking.

I find that I actually drive some cars better this way. Car's that are generally tail-happy (FGT, Lotus Elise, etc) brake better if I apply just a little bit of throttle while braking. Though I assume I could just as easily use partial braking.
To each their own :)
 
I tend to use both when playing, the hairpins I instinctively right foot brake while chicanes I left foot.

When driving IRL during winter, my carbureted car can't idle under it's own power before it warms up. So I constantly have my right foot on the gas a lil to balance the idle while I work the clutch and brakes with my left foot. I also Have to double clutch 2nd gear cus it sucks.

Also, depending on the car, if it revs slow i would left foot brake while i keep the revs going.
 
IRL its right foot, in GT its left but ive never taken the fact that its quicker into consideration,

When I was learning to drive IRL I started by putting my right foot over the Accelerator and left foot over the brake, after a 'calm' interjection by by instructer I then 'calmly' moved my left foot over the clutch pedal/foot rest.

In game though I use a DFGT so left foot braking just makes sense, as someone said, I have 2 feet and 2 pedals, it makes sense,
And then if you try to right foot brake I find the pedals become unstable because the weight constantly shifting around and moving them.
 
Usually left foot brake (DFGT) so no clutch pedal. If there was a clutch, I'm confident that I would right foot brake since this is what I do driving in real life. If I'm in an endurace event and my left foot becomes tired, I will sometimes right foot brake for a couple of laps.

In short, it depends.
 
tezster
If someone can clear the X2010 challenges using right-foot braking, I would really like to see it.
Click to expand...

I did. :p Always use right-foot braking here, even though I'm using a DFGT and not a G25/G27. Used to it in real life so I'm using it in game as well, simple as that really. Managed to gold everything in GT5 so far so it doesn't seem to be that much slower (if any) than left-foot braking.
 
Firehuntah
I did. :p Always use right-foot braking here, even though I'm using a DFGT and not a G25/G27. Used to it in real life so I'm using it in game as well, simple as that really. Managed to gold everything in GT5 so far so it doesn't seem to be that much slower (if any) than left-foot braking.
Click to expand...

I'm used to right-foot braking in real life too - but my real life car doesn't weigh 545kg or have 1500HP. I bow down to your quick reflexes :bowdown:
 
Left foot brake in games, right foot in real life. The left foot braking in games just seems natural and easier to me than having to switch one foot between pedals. I just switched to clubsports from a DFP. I tried right foot braking and I just did not like it. Positioned the pedals for left foot braking and everything felt right. I don't have a shifter so it is not currently an issue. If I decide to get one in the future, I may have to change to right foot.
 
I used both on my cheaper old wheels, because the brake spacing and weight was so bad. On my G27 I use right even when I don't use the clutch, because it feels right.
 
In real life, I havent had the chance to drive a manual, so all my real life driving hours is on an automatic. I use right foot braking as my left foot is on the dead pedal.

After playing in GT5 with my DFGT, I've tried to brake with my left foot and it didnt feel right because first, its feels awkward, maybe the spacing and seat position. Second, my left foot is not used with the sensitivity on my car's brake, if I use it to brake, I would be braking harder and adruptly compared to with my natural braking foot, my right one.

So when the first time I got my DFGT, my first initial decision was to play and drive in the game using only my right foot for braking and acceleration. I found out that I'm not fast enough to do both. I dont get the right balance that is needed to navigate smoothly through turns. So I had to play with my left foot braking. It felt natural actually and it is better for me.
 

Latest Posts

Back