I read the following in the Toyota user manual of the car I hired on holiday.
"Depress the brake pedal using your right foot. Depressing the brake pedal using your left foot may delay response in an emergency, resulting in an accident.
I share this with you out of interest knowing the subject has been flogged before.
( exits stage right rather quickly)
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Your point is ?? Regards Peter
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>>An automatic, I assume?
Sorry omitted that vital info. It was an "automated manual" Auris
( brain still in holiday mode)
Your point is ?? Regards Peter
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After long threads in the past about left foot braking an automatic, I was surprised to see this information in a user manual from a current major car maker.
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The instructions are correct. Your left foot is too far from the brake pedal during ordinary driving.
However, under certain circumstances, having the left foot covering the brake pedal means the response is faster than moving the right foot would be. A prudent driver will do this when approaching a hazard and will thus be able to stop more quickly than a RFB-only driver.
I know what suits me, and I know having the ability to LFB is a significant improvement on RFB-only braking.
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One problem I've found with LFB is that the left foot/leg is not as finely 'attuned' to braking as its brother - resulting in over-zealous retardation. This may cause problems for those behind, and may even be mis-construed as 'provocation' by an aggressive tailgater!
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OS, it's even worse when you have the emergency brake assist feature - can make for quite a spectacular stop.
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I think the relevant words are..."I hired on holiday"
Somebody who normally drives a manual would be ill-advised to start LFB in a strange car. Also if they are in a LHD car the pedal layout tends to be towards the right so there is a considerable gap between the left footrest and the brake pedal; whereas in the compromises necessary to convert them to RHD for UK the pedal boxes tend to be narrower.
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The relevant word would have been 'Automatic'. Now that we know that then Left foot breaking is a no no as you do not have the feel for the applied pressure unless you left foot brake all the time. Add to this that in an emergency you are laible to stand n the brake and the throttle at the same time. Fo r thise who have not tried LFB then check it out but make sure there is no one around as you are likely to stand the car on it's nose. Regards Peter
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Cor - talk about throwing a live grenade in a crowded room!
I left foot brake all the time, but appreciate that others don't appreciate the benefits I think it confers. Each to their own..... (Have I poured oil on troubled waters??)
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Its not something that I can get annoyed or het up about. Each to his own , whatever suits you sir .
Racking my brains I can say with some certainty that I have never knowingly used my left foot to brake on any car , manual or automatic in 40 years plus of driving....
..... I have however caused severe seat belt testing by myself and passengers by forgetting what I am driving and trying to change gear in an automatic by pressing the brake pedal with my left foot thinking it was a clutch.....
...so that is why I stick to right foot braking.
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caused severe seat belt testing by myself and passengers by forgetting what I am driving and trying to change gear in an automatic by pressing the brake pedal with my left foot
I did that in an NSU RO80 not a hundred yards from where I am sitting. One of the most mortifying driving experiences of my life. I blush now remembering the occasion.
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My worst habit when driving a manual after some time in an automatic is forgetting to push the clutch in when coming to a halt - cue a series of embarrassing shudders at the end of motorway slip roads and filthy looks from passengers.
Also equally embarassing is trying to put it into gear without pushing the clutch. Loud grinding noise and because you've forgotten about the clutch, you're trying to work out what's gone wrong with the car...
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My worst habit when driving a manual after some time in an automatic is forgetting to push the clutch in when coming to a halt - cue a series of embarrassing shudders at the end of motorway slip roads and filthy looks from passengers.
Did that a couple of times in the wife's car when I had the BMW auto. Though I'd cured myself of it till last year when I became the regular driver of a Volvo FM9 lorry with the "I-shift" transmission , now occasionally forget with the Hyundai.
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This irksome subject comes up time and time again.
LFB is only relevant in rallying, to prevent weight bias to the front of the car in a fast corner. However, with modern electronics and particularly the fly-by-wire accelerator, this is prevented as the power will be cut. In some cars if you apply the brake first then this can be overcome.
LFB really is of no relevance on the public road. Some say that it is an option to consider with an automatic but I'm far from convinced. LFB is only faster if your foot is hovering over the pedal. I have driven many thousands of miles perfectly happily not deploying LFB and will continue to do so. And I regularly switch from manual to auto. Any suggestion that LFB is necessary to retain control in an automatic low speed is nothing more than conjecture and opinion.
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Any suggestion that LFB is necessary to retain control in an automatic low speed is nothing more than conjecture and opinion.
So how, in your opinion, do you disengage the drive on automatic if the car surges forward whilst manoeuvring in a tight space on bumpy ground?
There's a hump to get over so you give it a bit more gas, and once over the hump the car surges forward as the torque converter slips a bit less. In a manual you simply press the clutch (which your left foot should be covering), but in an automatic there is no clutch. It's all covered at www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=15
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..... I have however caused severe seat belt testing by myself and passengers by forgetting what I am driving and trying to change gear in an automatic by pressing the brake pedal with my left foot thinking it was a clutch.....
Like Lud I've used the left foot to brake thinking it was the clutch. My excuse; the parking brake on my Citroen DS semi-auto was where the clutch should be. Excuses or not; still very uncomfortable.
Back to the original subject, when manoeuvring a strange automatic I like to press the brake pedal firmly with the left foot when putting it into gear; it avoids the lurch as the drive finds all the loose bits in the handbrake system. Then if I set the revs at a fast tickover I can shunt the car around using the brake as I would a clutch; release the pedal to move and depressing the "clutch" gives a quick stop.
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I would only ever use my right foot. My left foot is far too insensitive for braking.
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Each to their own. You could say I have trained my left foot to brake sensitively. If you don't want to do it - fine, but to say that it has no point is pointless. Some of us think it has a point. I have (touch wood) never crashed a car due to LFB.
I probably will today :-(
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The only time I've used left foot braking for extended periods of time is when at kart tracks. You have no choice - right foot to go, left foot to stop and a steering column in the middle.
The first time I tried it it felt very strange but inside a lap or two you just forget about it and it comes naturally. Although in those circumstances there isn't a lot a finesse involved!
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>>..... I have however caused severe seat belt testing by myself and passengers by
>>forgetting what I am driving and trying to change gear in an automatic by pressing
>>the brake pedal with my left foot thinking it was a clutch.....
>>...so that is why I stick to right foot braking.
All the more reason to LFB - it means you don't run the risk of stamping on the brake pedal with your LF.
I wouldn't ever manoeuver an auto without it.
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Don't try left-foot braking with a Prius. You'll hit the parking brake, which for some reason known only to Toyota, is where the clutch would be on a manual. It's actually slightly higher than that, so if you have dainty little feet you may be all right.
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