On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:04:45 -0500, Douglas Johnson
wrote:
wrote:
On Mar 19, 3:37*am, Ashton Crusher wrote:
Simply not true. *In heavy traffic I can easily gain about a 50 foot
advantage over a right foot braker all other things being equal.
And how would you know that besides just throwing out some number as
BS? Prove it.
Well, I said I was done with this topic and it has motored on without me. But I
think I'll jump back in one more time.
A Google search on "left foot braking reaction times" without the quotes turns
up quite a bit of stuff. Much of it mirrors the controversy here. There are
many, many threads and forums that deteriorate the way this one has. You've got
your LFB folks saying "it reduces reaction time" and your RFB folks saying you
LFB folks are crazy, stupid, or reckless. Pick at least one.
Here is a 2006 LA Times article which basically wishy washes the issue:
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/may...os/hy-wheels17
It says that "the time it takes to move the right foot from the accelerator to
the brake is about 0.2 second". That is about a car length advantage at 60 mph
if the LFB driver is covering the pedal. So it is not nearly 50 feet and is
only there if the LFB driver is covering the pedal.
It also says that "General Motors human factors engineer Brian Kulie said the
company lays out its pedals so that either the left or right foot can be used
for braking, but the design is optimized for one-footed operation"
and that the NHTSA says ""It is an aspect of driver behavior we have never
evaluated." and "In California, the Department of Motor Vehicles, which decides
who gets licensed, also has no opinion on the matter. "
One thing is for sure, they will fail you during a driving test in NJ
if you use left foot braking.
Actually, Google has failed to turn up any official reference to this as a
failure point. The strongest I've found is a NJ driver's guide that says you
"should" brake with the right foot. I would think it would say "must" if it was
a failure point.
Click and Clack are divided on the issue:
http://www.cartalk.com/content/colum...bruary/11.html
Tom says it is OK for older drivers, Ray says no. I'm starting to qualify as an
older driver, but I'm not sure why it is limited to them.
I've asked you for a reference to any credible source of information
that says left foot braking and using two feet on an automatic is even
acceptable, let alone a superior method. Should be easy, if the
facts are as you claim. Link please.
Here is a link to a 1968 Popular Mechanics article where Dan Gurney says LFB is
the preferred method.
http://tinyurl.com/DanGurney
It is worth looking just for the blast from the past. A few pages up from the
link is an article saying that Detroit automakers are asking for sanctions
against Toyota and Nissan because they are importing 100,000 cars a year.
Here's a wild YouTube video showing a rally driver left foot braking:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMEqOGejlrw
No, I'm not claiming that applies to street driving. It's just kind of fun.
LFB also common on the race track. That's why it was taught to me in my
emergency vehicle street driving course. Some race track handling techniques do
apply there.
I kicked over this ant hill and am truly surprised by the amount of venom it
attracted. I'd appreciate it if any replies to this post avoid the venom. I
don't expect anyone to get converted.
It looks to me that LFB was a fad in the mid-60's and has faded away since.
-- Doug
These thread are always the same. They go like this.
1 - Someone will post a comment about something and mention in passing
that they LFB and make no other claim or say whether it's good or bad.
2 - someone else will feel compelled to say that the first poster is
incredibly stupid for using their left foot and are endangering
everyone else on the road blah blah blah.
3 - the original poster or someone else will say that there is not a
thing wrong with LFB and present reasons why they feel it's as good or
better.
2 - the anti-LFB faction will come unglued and start attacking the
people who choose to LFB.
It's as predictable as the rising sun.