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Old 03-24-2010, 08:12 PM
 
Location: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
11,155 posts, read 29,174,761 times
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Old 03-24-2010, 08:31 PM
 
Location: Eastern Washington
17,120 posts, read 56,781,545 times
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I generally drive an auto the same way as a stickshift. Left foot braking with an automatic car is a specialized technique that's easier to do wrong than do right. Then again, double-clutching and using engine braking are easier to do wrong than right, I do them both and get mega-miles from my clutches and transmissions.

Main reason I stay away from it is I don't want to cultivate a technique that I can only use in the cars that have autos.

One day I got in the Chevy, (auto) and had been driving mostly stick, early morning, not fully awake, started down the road, about when the revs seemed right for a shift to 2nd, I went for a non-existant clutch pedal with my left foot and caught the left-most edge of the brake pedal. Not particularly smooth technique.
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Old 03-24-2010, 09:12 PM
 
19,023 posts, read 25,881,048 times
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Lefty drive stick 90% and automatic 10% mostly snow plowing. Right foot gas and brakes left foot clutch.

I did have an incident once where i was in a chain drive American car, I forget the name of. The drive chain was massive, and so was the power brake pedal I hit like it was a clutch. That was a really fast stop, and I didn't mean too stop at all.
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Old 03-24-2010, 11:03 PM
 
Location: So. of Rosarito, Baja, Mexico
6,987 posts, read 21,852,419 times
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In the mid 1950's some Dr/Prof or something I cannot remember was on the Art Linkletter TV show and suggested using the left foot on the brake pedal. His theory was that driving a certain speed you would be travelling so many feet per sec and the time it took a person to move the right foot from the gas pedal to the brake pedal secs would be saved if the left foot was already there...this was of course referring to the car with a automatic trans and NOT a stick.

I did try the left foot on the brake and eventually taught my wife to drive the same way. She flunked the drivers test because of the left foot...went back three days later using the right foot on the brake and the man passed her. She went right back to the left foot. We have one hand on the steering wheel while shifting a stick with the other hand...no different with using both feet...one a clutch pedal and other on gas...one on brake and the other on the gas. It does take practice and co-ordination.

Steve
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Old 03-25-2010, 12:09 PM
 
460 posts, read 3,540,192 times
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2 foot A/T driver here and believe me I do it for BETTER car control and imo would have MUCH less chances if any of ever confusing the pedals.
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Old 03-25-2010, 05:35 PM
 
Location: PHX, AZ
211 posts, read 639,026 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Mitch View Post
Then again, double-clutching and using engine braking are easier to do wrong than right, I do them both and get mega-miles from my clutches and transmissions.
"Granny shiftin', not double clutchin' like ya should."

I don't double clutch so much as rev match when downshifting. I know it's not the same thing, but I'm more concerned about the smoothness of the gear change than the longevity of the disc. I dunno. Maybe if I double clutched more, I'd get even smoother gear changes, but meh. I'm only so motivated.

Quote:
Originally Posted by M3 Mitch View Post
I went for a non-existant clutch pedal with my left foot and caught the left-most edge of the brake pedal. Not particularly smooth technique.
Happens about once a year, imo. Usually the first corner out from the garage. Enter the corner, hand on the shifter (habit), just before the apex - OHSH*TWTF! :shrug It happens. Never smooth, no.
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Old 03-25-2010, 07:21 PM
 
Location: New Jersey
11,296 posts, read 16,586,919 times
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A lot of 2 feet drivers ride the brake. When I see that I make sure I stay far away from them.
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Old 03-26-2010, 10:51 PM
 
Location: Midwest
9,241 posts, read 11,002,399 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazzwell View Post
Count me as one who uses both feet in an automatic. It's just something that developed early on in my driving. Not that I'm suggesting anyone else should do the same but it has saved me severe grief more than once.

In case anyone asks...

In 33 years of driving I've never had an accident that I caused nor do I ride the pedal causing my brake lights to stay on. Brake wear is right within normal specs and the engine and tranny on the 20 year old daily driver are in top form. I've also had standards over the years and had no trouble converting left foot to clutch and right to gas/brake, panic situations included.
Ditto here. I've driven sticks and autos over the years, converting was never a problem.

When in heavy traffic or other spots where a quicker reaction is handy, the hovering foot technizue is handy and probably saves 1/8 to 1/4 second reaction time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleet View Post
I am a 2 foot driver. Always have been.

And I don't ride the brake with my left foot. How do I know? Because a set of brakes on one of my cars (back when I owned only one car) lasted 8 years, from 1980-1988.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fleet View Post
I hover my left foot over the brake pedal when I think I will be using the brakes a lot, like in heavy traffic, stop-and-go freeway driving and in parking lots.

On long stretches of straight roads and freeway driving with light traffic, I keep my left foot on the floor near the brake pedal.

I don't remember how it was taught in driver's ed, but as long as a 2-footed person can drive safely that way, it is not a problem. I am proof of that (30 years of driving and no on-the-road accidents).
Driver's ed was IMO not the best place to learn how to drive. I guess if you had no clue it was OK, but for those of us who had driving in the blood from birth, it was an exercise in tolerance and giving the right answers to keep the pest "instructor" happy.

I find myself braking with either foot on occasion. It depends on what car I'm driving.
I've never nailed a throttle when I wanted to stop. I try to practice the preaction (vs. reaction) technique, which minimizes the need for hard or panic stops.
Brakes are for stopping.
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Old 01-08-2012, 03:12 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,435 times
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Default Two foot Driving Auto Trans

I have always been a "Two foot" driver (left foot Braking, right foot Throttle) as it has always been my opinion that it is the most efficient, quickest action/reaction timing, to an emergency situation. I never "ride the brake" with the left foot as some do, causing premature wear to the dics/linings, and false signals to those behind me. This has been my habit with every AutoTransmission car I've owned and there have been many, without incident or malfunction anomalies.
I have also had many Manual Trans cars as well without a problem and have an excellent driver safety rating with no my-fault accidents.
THE LATEST! I purchased a 2010 Audi Q7 TDI (Diesel) and I love everything about the car except one thing. The Braking and Throttle application does not like "two footed" driving! It confuses the braking/accelerator electronics of and causes issues i.e. stalling on acceleration briefly to significant! It took Audi six months of communication and visits to the service department to figure out the problem. They finally noticed my left-right foot driving and admitted "it can cause issues...not sure about other models"! Now...I am having to utilize methodology I term "slower response", to prevent stalling... as the electronics of my Audi and performance anomaly resulted in some dangerous as well as scary situations in the last six months of owning the car.
Audi needs to do something about the problem and agreed that there are many that "two foot" drive. I have found that there are a lot more drivers as well, that utilize this "two footed driving habit" then I realized, and the consensus is; "Two Foot" is the most efficient methodology all considered. I'll hear about this I'm sure.
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Old 01-08-2012, 06:43 PM
 
Location: Long Island
9,531 posts, read 15,805,554 times
Reputation: 5948
I only left foot braked when I broke my right foot... could push the accelerator with my right foot big toe side only (gradually and slowly), but I wasn't going to apply the force needed with brakes with my right foot. Then again, it wasn't the safest idea to drive with a broken right foot. No alternative though as my wife doesn't drive and she needed to get to the train station every morning. Crutches into the car, and off we went.
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