I was wondering between everyone who races and auto-x's, do shoes make much of a difference when you're driving? I was considering getting a good pair when i get home, and i was wondering what brands people wear.

Just curious.

 

it depends, if you are hardcore and you feel like your current shoes are uncomfortable or it gets in the way when u heel toe, then i'd look into them. if not, ur regular ones are fine. i've seen alot of good drivers race with their daily shoes.

i think the racing shoes vent much better than regular shoes, so if you are doing long road courses, then u might wanna look into it as well

 

I did notice a difference. I bought some Piloti Monaco's and they do feel more comfortable when driving for a while. They have a rolled heel which provides more support and a reinforced area on the side of the right shoe for heel-toes. Also the soles aren't real thick on them so you get a positive pedal feel, especially when they break in. If you don't wanna spend the money for some actual driving shoes, try a pair of older pumas.

 

I just bought asics wrestling shoes. They were $16 and have lasted 2 years. The only difference is that they are not fire retardant.

jeff

 

I picked up some low Puma's. I wanted something that I could wear for casual too if I wanted (and do). I think they help with pedal modulation and heal-toe.

Sometimes with my helmet on, the windows down, and following a loud car I can't hear my engine, so it helps to feel the pedals more. Just my .02.

 

As long as they are comfy, NO ...

 

i got a pair of piloti's. i like them alot more than my normal shoes for driving.

they give me a better feel on the pedal, and aren't nearly as wide as most of my regular shoes, so i am not accidentally hitting pedals i don't want to be.

 

puma ftw.... i have 5-6 pairs, all comfortable and i can wear them everyday =-)

 

I luv ma OMP's .......

 

I think they do make a big difference. They are lighter, and not as wide as a regular shoe. I wear PUMAs for now but will try the Piloti's next.

 

Timberland boots FTW

 

They give better feel and don't get hung up on my gas pedal extension doing heel-toe, but now that I've practiced A LOT I can use my normal shoes just as well, even without the added pedal feel.

 

I like them in cars with small footboxes. Other than that I don't really notice a difference, and in street cars, I actually like wider running-type shoes better because the wider bottoms help me with heel-toe..

+1 on the wrestling shoes for Autocross, I also have a set of the Pumas for autocrossing formula cars/instructing in small footbox street cars, but not tearing up my Sparco driving shoes.

walking around in any of them.. blah.. too thin.

 

i like the puma kart racing series myself

 

I use my old wrestling shoes from high school.