auto-transmissions; who left-foot brakes?

I have been known to both foot brake. A reflex action where my left foot hits the clutch pedal. It tends to induce fear in the drivers behind.

Yep, it's one of the things I adjusted to really quickly when I got my first auto (E34 525tds)

You know you are used to it when someone else does something stoopid, and you emergency brake with the left foot and the right only comes off throttle, and doesn't try to help the braking!.

Also nice for smooth entry/exit to a corner, as you can be smoothly apply the throttle as you come off the brake.

One of the things I miss with my current car (E39 530d) which is a manual.

John

I don't.

Me neither. I have a manual and an auto. With both cars I brake with the right foot.  Consistency pays as it becomes an automatic response when needed - off the gas & on with the anchors.

I don't see what you mean by "feather the gas pedal". Accelerate slightly whilst braking?

Left foot braking is dangerous simply because on a fast road you are more likely to tuck your left foot away which means a significant delay if you have learnt to rely on it for emergency braking.

Many cars cut the fuel and sparks if the brake pedal is applied at the same time as the loud pedal. and that really doesn't make for smooth progress. I also have a manual and an auto, so err on the safe side of not left foot braking.

Tony

I have over the years had 2 autos and i always left foot braked. Years ago when i had my mini i used to left foot brake and not use the clutch when changing gear. Also did this in my beetle. I had a mk 1 Golf and a mk 2 Scirocco and they both had clutch cable failures. I drove the Golf for a week without a clutch cable and the Scirocco for a few days without a clutch cable.

David

I just use my right foot - usually when driving the left foot is not near enough the pedals for a quick braking response if needed.  

My left foot has only ever been used to operate a clutch pedal, so I doubt I could ever use it to brake smoothly when driving an automatic!

Hook

No. I generally keep  my left  foot on the dead pedal. I can't apply the correct pedal pressure using the "wrong" foot

Growing up on a farm, and having driven tractors, lorries, small and large wheel forklifts, as well as Muir Hill A5000s,  and combine harvesters I have used pedal controls in positions that were far from ergonomic or even particularly safe.

I have usually driven manual change transmission cars, but twice drove automatics. One was a vintage Austin Westminster, and the other a Nissan Bluebird. Without any effort at all I smoothly used two feet on the wo pedals. Not even a hint of using the brake as a clutch pedal with the left foot. When you drive agricultural machines you learn never to move your feet from the controls ... EVER!

What I have never used is a Wilson pre-selector transmission! Now that would be fun!

On my first driving test, I failed, because I was so nervous - it being two days after my seventeenth birthday, and not a lesson in sight - I only used the clutch for starts and stops, doing clean clutchless gear changes once in motion, with never a crunch in the process!

The examiner asked me what I usually drove.

I told him that it was agricultural tractors, and the four wheeler Morris lorry! He smiled, said that I was perfectly safe, but must learn to drive a car according to the way a car should be driven.

Next time I was even more nervous, and failed on looking over my shoulder, rather than relying on the mirror, but past it third time. 

When I had the Volvo 240 she was beautiful for clutchless gear changing! I ran the car for eleven years with no ill-effect from this! I sold it with about 100,000 miles on the clock as a twenty one year old. Excellent motor. 

ATB from George

lol

Dear Chief,

The oddest array of pedals was on the Massey Ferguson 400 combine harvester. There looked to be three normal pedals! Two to the right of the steering column and one the left, but the ones on the right were the left and right wheel independent brakes, and the other side was the clutch.

The single [transmission operation] road brake was under the seat next to the transmission lock [worked as the hand-brake on a car], which was released with the road brake! The throttle was a lever worked with the right hand, and the gear shift was one mounted on the stearing column worked with the left hand! Certainly two hands and three feet's worth of controls!

I first drove that thing on the road at 16, which was legal in those days! I believe that you have to be 21 to drive a combine on the road today. The beast weighed in at nearly ten tons even without a load of corn on board! And the brakes were hopeless!

The steering was not power assisted, and was eight turns lock to lock! Th back-lash was about half a turn ...

ATB from George

I middle-foot brake.

(Yours, Jake the Peg)

Richard

Please edit the rubbish out of this otherwise entertaining thread.

OP - I aspire to a rally driving lesson, heel and toe is the way to go!

Thread pruned.  Let's stay on topic please.

That's what the handbrake's for.

Hi Zinger.

But even if we weren't trying to do a lap record a the Nurburgring, please can't we just go there anyway for a bit of fun , pretty please !  on throttle blip Peter

Point of order Tony - as an ex-Griff owner how would you know what a handbrake is for, they're only decorative on a TVR and perform no useful function.

Phil

I used to left foot brake when driving my sister's Eagle Talon AWD Turbo. I liked keeping the 'boost' on. Especially at a red light. I would watch the boost gauge climb and then 'launch' the car like a slingshot on the first sign of green.

Dave

Right foot = accelerator & brake.

Left foot = clutch (and in the old days (60'/70's) the high beam switch was down on the left lateral floorboard - at least on US cars - does anyone remember that?!?!)