Driving Shoes... hahahahaa.. seriously.

[dscabra]

I wear a 10-1/5 wide shoe and when driving my Cobra, I have to wear shoes that don't have any extra width on the soles. I also prefer shoes without laces after getting laces tangled up on the pedals. The footbox on the Cobra is very small and the pedals are close together. I have Wilwood pedals that allow me to reposition the pads, but it's still a tight fit. Compound that with the seat angle that cants the driver toward the left.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by Donatello.

My sneakers have never been a problem for driving.
Maybe I should try driving in my riding boots (Horse) lol

Hard thin leather soles are better IMO than many types of sneakers. I have some Wolverine 1000 mile boots that give really nice pedal feel.

For sneakers, probably Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 or Nike Killshot 2 are pretty good.

[Maxx Power]

Interesting topic. I was just thinking the other day that the pedals in my g30 seem closer together than my other cars.

I usually wear size 14 Air Force 1s, and it is pretty tight between the sidewall and the brake pedal (foot on gas pedal, RHD)

[Mr Pete]

Tried a pair of modern Puma Speedcats recently. Hate to admit it, but driving a manual car in the Pumas, the pedal feel is superb over the various Nike dunks I wear all the time.

[DrFerry]

Track use

[M5Rick]

BMW Motorsport 'neo cat' style driving shoes I always have in the car.

[wdb]

I wear lightweight trail running shoes. Google "Merrell Trail Glove" to see an example. Side benefits: they are all-day comfortable, have great traction, and don't make me look like a poseur.

[G30M]

Hush Puppies

[erickonphoenix]

I'm not proud of it, but occasionally I drive in wearing cowboy boots on casual Fridays.

[happyjack]

i like my OG janoskis for just about anything. the suede ones even dress up pretty nicely. i have them in about 5 colors...

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by erickonphoenix

I'm not proud of it, but occasionally I drive in wearing cowboy boots on casual Fridays.

I have a pair too and those are about the worst things you can wear for driving, even winter boots are better!

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by peelerec

Since I am a barefoot enthusiast and pride myself in being barefoot as much as possible and wear barefoot shoes or sandals when venturing outside, I typically tend to drive and track with either my Vivo's or Wildlings as they have minimal sole, great pedal / road feel, wide toe box, and zero drop.

https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/prim...-iii-mens-ss22

https://us.wildling.shoes/collection...tanuki-yoru-rw

I've had 2 pairs of Xero shoes now because they fit so nicely. Honestly don't really enjoy doing anything in them, though did appreciate pedal feel.

Any alternatives which are a similar shape but better for driving (especially heel construction)? Vivos are just crazy expensive...

[jmg]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

PUMA SpeedCat has been my favorite for probably 25-years. They came out with a remake of it called the SpeedCat LS and it is faithful to the original. I still wear my SpeedCat BMW/Williams F1 shoes, even though they are worn flat now. I have several pairs of SpeedCats and Future Cats and wear these nearly every day, all-day at work. The pedal box on my E82 6M is small for my size 11 feet and these work perfectly.



With SpeedCats it is best to go at least a half-size up from your normal shoe size, if not a full size!

I wear a size 12 and my feet are wide. Pumas look pretty narrow, what's your take on the width? Are they just right for you and are you wide or narrow?

Originally Posted by NickyC

Nothing but the greatest shoes of all time of course. OG breds or fire red IVs in a pinch tho!

I had these shoes in grade school. Best birthday gift I ever got. I was the coolest kid in school for awhile sporting these.

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by jmg

I wear a size 12 and my feet are wide. Pumas look pretty narrow, what's your take on the width? Are they just right for you and are you wide or narrow?

I've always considered myself a "D" width, when shoes had such designations. I wear an 11M in Keens, a 10-1/2D in WeeJuns, and 10-1/2C in many of my dress shoes. For driving, only, with thinner socks my favorite FutureCat shoe size is 44.5 (11) and some of my earliest SpeedCats were 44. If I want to wear them all-day long with thicker socks in winter, then the 45 (11-1/2 US) is my choice and I have three of those in SpeedCat and FutureCat. My very first pair from decades ago is a 43.5 (10-1/2 US) before I learned they run small, but that didn't keep me from wearing the soles flat walking around many driving schools. Try for real leather as they fit better and the tongues stay in place far better than the synthetic leather or suedes.

Most shoes aren't made like they used to be. I was raised in the shoe biz (St. Louis) and know that most American-European immigrants such as my family have feet that are best suited to what was called a "combination last" where the heel was made narrower than the ball of the foot. Shoes used to be so designated by 11 D-over-C, etc. My father was an EEEE width and my Mom an AAAA, so I guess I'm normal by the average of their widths.

[RugbyBro]

ASICS Matflexs (or other flexible wrestling shoe) - super cheap and is as good feel as you're going to get from any driving shoe.

I use them for both track days and certain barefoot lifts if I can't be barefoot.

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by jmg

my feet are wide. Pumas look pretty narrow, what's your take on the width?

They look like baguettes! Not even close to the shape of my feet.

[peelerec]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

I've had 2 pairs of Xero shoes now because they fit so nicely. Honestly don't really enjoy doing anything in them, though did appreciate pedal feel.

Any alternatives which are a similar shape but better for driving (especially heel construction)? Vivos are just crazy expensive...

Xero shoes are great! Although I much prefer the thinnest sole possible ie. Wildlings. I don't have any personal experience with others than Vivo, Wildlings, Shamma,Earthrunners and Xero. All are similar in heel construction which is very minimal. If you are feeling discomfort or pain from barefoot shoes, then it indicates lack of foot muscles.

Some more suggestions here: https://anyasreviews.com/best-barefoot-shoes-foot-type/

Perhaps the best driving shoe is none and driving barefoot.

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by peelerec

Xero shoes are great! Although I much prefer the thinnest sole possible ie. Wildlings. I don't have any personal experience with others than Vivo, Wildlings, Shamma,Earthrunners and Xero. All are similar in heel construction which is very minimal. If you are feeling discomfort or pain from barefoot shoes, then it indicates lack of foot muscles.

Some more suggestions here: https://anyasreviews.com/best-barefoot-shoes-foot-type/

Perhaps the best driving shoe is none and driving barefoot.

Thanks for reply and link - will check it out.

My foot muscles are, I'd guess, in reasonable shape - years of rock climbing, and a couple of years wearing the xeros. It wasn't fatigue that put me off; more that just standing on a rogue piece of gravel made me wince. Like standing on a piece of Lego. And the heel I found got sore after a while when driving though the toe end was great.

I only had 2 pairs of the xeros because the first pair the sole started coming away from the upper after only a month or so. They sent me a second pair as a replacement, and I kept the first pair going a while with glue... Can't fault their customer service, so that's cool. Best driving shoes I've had really, but the heel thing wasn't ideal.

[Rocket455]

Interesting topic.

My most comfortable driving shoes for 3 pedals are my converse sneakers (or similar), but noticed this was only true for softer clutches. Using those same shoes when I'm in my '72 Firebird doesn't work; the clutch pedal on that M21 Muncie is a real son of a b**ch and the soles of the converse are just too soft for it, so I have to wear my Underarmor or Bates boots.

I simply can't 3-pedal in my Ariat or Caterpillar boots because the large sole sticks out beyond the actual foot, leading to an increased footprint and a bit of a disconnect to where I think my foot is going to what it actually ends up pressing....sometimes accidentally snags on a different pedal too. Slippers, flip-flops and other "unsecured" footwear are a definite no-no for me when a clutch is involved; always interesting to see people who confidentially rock those and are fine with 'em.

[peelerec]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

Thanks for reply and link - will check it out.

My foot muscles are, I'd guess, in reasonable shape - years of rock climbing, and a couple of years wearing the xeros. It wasn't fatigue that put me off; more that just standing on a rogue piece of gravel made me wince. Like standing on a piece of Lego. And the heel I found got sore after a while when driving though the toe end was great.

I only had 2 pairs of the xeros because the first pair the sole started coming away from the upper after only a month or so. They sent me a second pair as a replacement, and I kept the first pair going a while with glue... Can't fault their customer service, so that's cool. Best driving shoes I've had really, but the heel thing wasn't ideal.

Haha I can agree with the pain when on gravel. I mistakenly wore my training vivo’s on a hike once, never again. Feet were sore from all the pebbles and rocks feeling like Lego’s, lol. Now I have vivo’s all terrain and boots. I’d say by far vivo’s has the best quality thus far of all the barefoot shoes, and totally agree with a bit of the “handmade” mfg outpoints Xero has.

[eluded]

Make sure they meet the fire standards of your local racing events

[TTM0TION]

Puma has these on sale for $40. Hard to beat that even if I feel a bit stupid with a roundel on the heel LOL .