Q: “As a follow-up to a past question about left-foot-braking, most coaching/feedback/forums, etc. state that generally you should go from “throttle to brake quickly and brake to throttle quickly”. Thus, left-foot-braking is more efficient than right-foot-braking as you lose some time moving your right foot from brake to throttle and vice versa. My thoughts are that by allowing that split sec to transition between the brake and throttle and back allows the friction and weight of the car to help settle it. To be going 150mph or more and suddenly brake ‘shocks’ and unsettles the car even on a straight-line and by allowing that split sec, allows the car to settle some before pushing its nose down. The question is posed because I don’t want to ‘train’ myself for left foot braking if there is some truth in my argument above. Can you point me to an article you wrote about this and if not, take the time to answer?”
A: I’ve written a lot over the years about the pros and cons of left foot braking, and here is one I wrote many years ago – but my feelings on the topic have not changed: https://speedsecrets.com/the-pros-cons-of-left-foot-braking/
Here’s another: https://speedsecrets.com/right-or-left-foot-braking-speed-secrets-quick-tip/
This: https://speedsecrets.com/q-how-do-i-learn-to-left-foot-brake/
This: https://speedsecrets.com/when-should-i-left-foot-brake-and-where-should-i-position-my-left-foot/
I also wrote about left-foot-braking in my Ultimate Speed Secrets book.
With that out of the way, you make a couple of good points. Can you be too fast going to the brake, and shocking the tires? Yes. But you can do that with either right or left foot. And you can also be too slow with either foot. And if that’s the case, then being faster with the left foot puts it into position and allows the correct rate of application to happen that tiny bit sooner. In fact, one could argue that by being in position sooner, it allows more time to ramp up to maximum pressure without shocking the tires.
Given the choice, with equally skilled left and right feet, using the left foot actually allows you more time so you don’t have to shock the tires. But as I’ve stated in some of the articles linked above, many drivers do not have the sensitivity and control with their left foot as they do with their right foot, simply because they haven’t practiced as much.
The first article I linked to above gives the pros and cons of switching. Part of the reason for switching is the challenge of learning it, but if you think you’re going to shave a bunch of seconds off your lap times, I doubt you will. If you were working your way towards a pro racing career, then yes, you should learn to left foot brake. I’d be surprised if you improved your lap times by more than a couple of tenths of a second when you got really good at left foot braking (assuming that your right foot braking is highly skilled now).
I hope that helps, and sorry if you were looking for an “always do this” kind of answer!
NOTE: If you don’t want to wait for me to answer your question(s) here (which can take months, since I have so many!), you can always use my new SpeedSecrets.ai by signing up at SpeedSecrets.ai. The real beauty of using this app is that you can get out of your car after a session on track, and immediately ask it questions and get your answers, as well as what you should work on for the next on-track session. Since it’s “trained” only with my content, it really is like having me with you at the track.