I have an MY05 WRX PPP and when i left foot brakes when on the twisties with the power still on sometimes the brake pedal goes rock hard, and its only when i take my foot off the accelerator that it dissapears, normally when doing quite hight speeds but it doesn't tke much for this to start happening only once or twice!

can anyone shed any light on this please?

cheers

Mickey

 

All I know is when I left foot brake, my head hits the windscreen

It's almost as hard to master as driving barefoot

Good luck

 

Some cars do funny things to prevent us 'normal' drivers doing some dangerous things.

One car I had would cut the engine power if I left foot braked (with the power still on). End result was me braking much more heavily than I intended to.

Maybe it's something like that???

 

Yup, left foot braking in a Renault 5 caused the car to do an emergency stop. Basically locked the brakes and the only way to get out of it was to put the clutch down.

 

Crickey!

How hard are you left foot braking. It's only there to be dabbed while the throttle is planted.....

With regards to the pedal going hard when accelerating. Could be something to do with the servo.

I don't quite understand why you'd need to left foot brake on any road drive though, especially in a car that promotes over steer on throttle.

Craig Rogers
Mighty Minis Racing - C&F Racing

 

LFT - Left Foot Braking is very hard to master. When I first tried it i almost when through the windscreen.

The idea behind left foot braking is to balance the car when slowing down for a bend in the road.

 

One of the best racers I know that left foot brakes is ex BTCC racer Yvan Muller. Can promote shortened pad life but effective to keep the car balance through the twisties. Not tried it yet in my Impreza, still getting the hang of heal and toe.

 

You're using all the avilable vacuum in the brake servo. Once you lift off the throttle, the servo is subjected to much more vacuum, and the assistance from the servo is what pulls the brake pedal down.

If you're running into this problem, you're not doing it properly.

 

lmao @ the windscreen remarks.. I think we've all been there

 

What I was thinking. If you think you 'need' left foot braking on the road, then you're probably going too fast anyway, no offence.
Practice heal &t toe instead.

 

Heal and toe is the way takes a while to do though but works great

 

And the pedals in the impreza are perfectly spaced for it.

 

Personally, I use a technique called heel and toe. So much quicker than attempting to heal something before toeing it

 

LFB should really only be used (in a manual) for adjusting the car mid corner and you wont need much pressure at all, the actual decel phase before the corner should be done with the right foot (or part of it).

I doubt you will get enough speed/space on the public roads to really get the hang of it, it will take a lot of practice. You will also need to set up your car correctly, which on a road car is not really that simple. Without a proper suspension set up and a brake bias valve I think you will struggle to get the full effect.

So what I am saying, is its really only for racers, on the race track, in race cars. IMHO.

Unless you drive an automatic

 

Exactly. Left foot braking is used to reduce understeer when negotiating a corner. If you have room and it's safe the next you go round a rndabt at a 'higher' speed then normal, wait for the front wheels to start sliding (understeer) and then gently (and I do mean gently) touch the brake pedal with your left foot. You'll be amazed at how quickly it kills understeer, as you're shifting the weight over towards the front wheels, giving more grip.

 

Left Foot Braking and Heel and Toe are not a substitute for each other, they are used for different things.

Left Foot Braking is not a technique used on entry to a corner, it's a mid to exit technique which promotes a bit of oversteer to combat understeer.

Heel and Toe is not there to protect your equipment (although it does help), it's there to match the revs of the engine to the gearbox to stop the wheels locking when you change down the box.

Left Foot Braking is not required on the road (possibly with the exception of an Alpine Pass! ) as it's only really usefull when you are full throttle.

Heel and Toe could potentially be used on the road when giving it some.

Craig Rogers
Mighty Minis Racing - C&F Racing

 

LFB is can also be used on the entry to a corner when barrelling into a flat out 'top gear' turn. Can be used to scrub off a little excess speed and/or transfer weight forward to help a car turn in. It is used that way in single-seaters especially.

Bazza

 

Each to their own I suppose, but I'd prefer the option of a bit of lift-off oversteer in this occasion.

 

I can't heel & toe per se as my feet although not huge at 10 feel too big.

I find the little tab on the STI pedals handy so I put the ball of my foot on the brake and rock my foot to the tab to blip the throttle.

As for LFB. I don't bother at all, maybe to ensure you get a firm pedal when it is time to brake hard but not really worth it on the road.

 

Well said.

Can LFB also be used to 'plant' the car when going over rough ground at speed? I find it settles the car without upsetting it.

LFB to prevent understeer works a treat, it just takes practice and this will involve a few **** ups.

Heel and toeing is useful on the road if your 'going some' but don't try it when your not as it's bloomin' difficult!

 

And it's fun too!

 

Same!

Think it would be easier when the brakes fade a bit or you really need to jam on the anchors. But don't want to practise in either of those scenerios.

 

The reason that a few of you "hit the windscreen" is because you are simply not used to it.

Karting will help you get a feel on how to use your left foot to brake. It's simply because you are not used to applying pressure through a pedal with your left foot (apart from a clutch which doesn't have much feed back).

It does take a while to get used to it at first.

 

That's where I learnt LFB mate. I think every performance for owner should do around 20 hours karting before buying their potential 'mobile-coffin'!
Everyone said I was too young to have scooby at 21, but I had been racing karts since I was 15, so I was prepared for most things. Always keep on learning though, as learning to drive never ends!

 

I used to like taking a friends C2 VTR out (The one with a flappy paddle box) for trying out left foot braking. Again first time ended up with a bit of me and window time. LOL

 

In reality, that is what most people do. I believe the term heel and toe originated when the accelerator pedal was floor mounted.

The reason you guys hit the windscreen is because your left foot is conditioned to stabbing the clutch with little or no finesse. the brake pedal requires a lot of finesse.

 

I think you'll find this is heel and toe..

 

But if you use lif off oversteer, does that not mean that you now have the back breaking loose as well as the front. I wouldnt have thought lifting off would help get the weight back over the wheels in a controlled manner.

 

Depends how much you 'lift-off'. If you accelerate, where does the weight go......to the back, forcing the tyres onto the road. If you enter a corner like this, then most of the grip will be at the back. So you brake instead......and all the weight goes to the front, making the back very light possibly leading to lift-off oversteer when you turn the wheel. Best way is to do all the braking before the corner and enter on trailing throttle. This helps to balance the car. You can also use left foot braking, but it won't slow you down very well if you're still on the gas, it will just help stabalize the car.

 

cheers for that guys i guess i will just use LFB in the twisties but only a little bit and to shorten the time it takes to move my right foot over to the brake.

Thanks again for the info guys!