can someone explain left foot braking in a FWD in auto-x, or point me to a site that explains it? so far i've been happy with throttle-lift to get enough rotation, but i'd like to get to know other techniques as well. thanks for any info!
jeff

 

Some people feel the can better control the tail of the car by left foot braking, allowing more percise control of exactly how much oversteer they want.

 

For me, the #1 benefit LFB (left foot braking) is the transition from throttle to brake. No matter how fast your right foot is, going from throttle to brake with one foot will upset the car briefly. With LFB I can apply the brakes *while* I let off the throttle and the car stays much more settled. Also, I can brake much more quickly, going from throttle to brake through slalom sections, etc. that I never would be able to otherwise.

For most people, LFB doesn't take long to get the hang of. Just an event or two. However, it takes a long time to really perfect. Most folks wind up braking a little too much when they first start, but I think it's a fantastic skill to master in the world of FWD performance.

 

LFB comes super-natural to me...

Suprdave

 

well basically, it's a brake proportioner on the fly.

say with just plain ole braking, you have 60%F/40%R (as an example), but if you give some extra throttle, to the front wheels, it evens out the ratio because the fronts have more to fight against, but the rears still have the same, so you can have a 50F/50R or even more extreme than that, like a 40F/60R.

 

thanks guys, i'll have to give it a try sometime!
jeff

 

I've been bit by this before, so I can say with experience: be careful with terminology-- Left Foot Braking is a specific term beyond just "braking with your left foot".. LFB is primarily taught for rally driving FWD cars.

http://www.google.com/search?q=left%...tart=0&start=0

as for it's usefulness in autocross, I would imagine any technique for car control/manipulation would be handy to have in autocross (especially since brake fade isn't really much of an issue).. on the flip side, you may hurt your times for quite a while messing around with it, figuring out the right touch for it, and learning when to use it and when not to..

 

left foot braking is alot easier when you are drivin an auto. i cant seem to get in the hang of it when i run the civic, my left foot goes into funk mode for some reason or another.