[VJ_MAVRICK]

I had always been driving with my sneakers on and just as other members referred about the driving school guy insisting on removing my shoes,i did not take much cognizance as i am always comfortable with them. i feel u have much better control and grip with a nice pair of shoes and again it depends on the personal choice too.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

orthodox people driving bare chest to the nearest temple on an early morning .....

orthodox enough to give up clothes but not enough to give up cars?

[nosfreak]

Bare foot driver on my m800. I can never get it right with my shoes. Ive tried sandals .. its kinda improving but too used to driving with my bare foot. T
he scene gets worse when it comes to Valet parking . those guys keep staring at me till i get my shoes on.... and the driver take it to park

[rubin2006]

well its all about matter of getting used to shoes or no shoes but one thing i would advise here is shoes should be of right size and not slipry
ones i was wearing those long italian kind of shoes which i picked up from malasiya ( leave alone driving i felt akward walking But man it was in thing ) and i went to a party where i had to drive this frinds santro and my ediotic shoe got stuck in there some where between break and accerlator
and i almost killed a person had the handbreak not working and stoped just 6 -10 inches away from that shocked man God saved me and him

[rks]

Originally Posted by rubin2006

well its all about matter of getting used to shoes or no shoes but one thing i would advise here is shoes should be of right size and not slipry

I fully agree with the need for shoes that are of appropriate size and grip. In my Santro, I cannot afford to wear shoes that are too wide because the "dead pedal", which is a foot rest, is annoyingly close to the clutch. I found that with wide shoes I often brushed the dead pedal while depressing the clutch, except when my foot came down dead straight and centred on the clutch pedal. That was sorted out by picking narrow shoes that hurt my left foot for a while, but are OK now.

On the other hand, I strictly wear shoes while driving, no matter how short the distance. I consider driving with sandals/chappals or bare-foot driving to be a no-no. The soles of your feet could sweat and lead to loss of grip while applying brakes. Secondly you may hit the brakes at least partially with your toes at times, and if you are bare-foot, that could lead to insufficient pressure or even slippage in an emergency.

[Spark]

"Starting barefoot and then advancing to driving with shoes" is just a universal phenominon. Its a matter of time that one gets easy with shoes on, but i think driving barefoot always gives you a better feeling of the car.

[double]

Mine is the different problem. Basically i used to remove only the shoe of right leg ( accele and break ) and for clutch i use leg with shoe only.

I don't know how the habit came , but i am comfortable with it .

[moralfibre]

I am not sure but I feel it is quite unsafe to drive without shoes. In an event of a crash which is fatal enough you might hurt your feet. I have always liked using shoes more than chappals because it gives a better grip. I do drive without shoes when I have tired feet after long driving sessions through traffic in Bombay but this is mostly on the expressway for a short duration to give them some fresh air. The pedals in the Palio are too closely placed. Over my general observations after owning the car for 7 months I have realised that first time drivers of the car never get the pedals right for driving. People end up pressing the accelerator when the try to brake because they do not realise that the pedal is far close to operate without a fault.

[jango]

Just start driving with ur shoes on and in due course u will get used to driving with shoes. I have never driven w/o my shoes....I literally do not get any sense when people say that they get better contol without shoes on....

[mainak]

it's just about taking the first step to drive with shoes. Initially it would be a bit tough. But sooner or later it would become ok and one would get the hang of it.

@moralfibre.
I wear size 11 shoes and my shoes are pretty wide. Initially it happened that I wasnt depressing the clutch fully. Now I wear little narrower shoes. As I said it's just about getting accustomed.

[GTO]

Great thread topic!

For long drives (say Bombay to Goa), I drive barefeet. This gives much more feedback and feel from the car.....just feels more in rhythm with the machine. If not barefeet, then its footwear with thin soles. I hate driving with my Doc Martens or any other bulky shoes.

[rks]

Originally Posted by rubin2006

ones i was wearing those long italian kind of shoes which i picked up from malasiya ( leave alone driving i felt akward walking But man it was in thing ) and i went to a party where i had to drive this frinds santro and my ediotic shoe got stuck in there some where between break and accerlator

Just realized something that I ought to have mentioned in my previous post. In the Santro, the accelerator pedal position is very awkward in relation to the brake.

Once when I lifted my right foot off the accelerator in a reflex-action braking response at 130 kmph, my foot went straight under the brake pedal!. By the time I corrected this, it was too late to brake, but the animal which crossed over on the Expressway just missed my vehicle. Probably just as well that I did not brake hard at 130 kmph in my old Santro.

The problem was that in normal driving my right heel was planted directly in line with the brake pedal, and my foot was stretching out at an angle to hit the accelerator pedal (quite far away in the Santro). This is not the correct position. I now plant my right heel closer to the accelerator pedal, so that when I lift my foot off in an emergency, there is no chance of it getting enmeshed under the brake pedal. I find that I have to consciously check and correct my foot postition from time to time. Obviously, wearing oversized shoes will aggravate this problem.

[Rtech]

Bare foot driving? What next, driving naked to feel closer to the car !

Just today I had to drive without shoes to work (as my feet were wet from wading through flood waters) and I hated it. It just felt wrong to me for some reason. I much prefer the grip and comfort of a proper driving shoe or even my usual thin sole sneakers.

As for driving in chappals (or flip flops to our Anglo brothers!), that is not only uncomfortable but downright dangerous as the chances of getting it or your foot jammed is really high.

[V-16]

Originally Posted by Rtech

Bare foot driving? What next, driving naked to feel closer to the car !

Just today I had to drive without shoes to work (as my feet were wet from wading through flood waters) and I hated it. It just felt wrong to me for some reason. I much prefer the grip and comfort of a proper driving shoe or even my usual thin sole sneakers.

As for driving in chappals (or flip flops to our Anglo brothers!), that is not only uncomfortable but downright dangerous as the chances of getting it or your foot jammed is really high.

Adding to the above which i absolutely agree with is one more type of dangerous footwear; driving with those pointed thingy shoes. The shoe is actually much longer due to the narrow front which gets stuck in between the pedals..dangerous

[coolsats]

So, now i beleive that am not alone in the boat, i ve friends who drive barefooted :-)
thanks for the replies guys, and so many replies just within a day, awsome guys, keep up the good work.
Now ve just started driving with my shoes on, maybe its gona take some time getting used to it, but i ll do it...