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Driving/racing Shoes - What Do You Wear?

SS8_Gohan
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SS8_Gohan Grand Master

SS8_Gohan

Posted
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looking to get a pair of nice driving shoes - don't need to be FIA approved etc, just something with like a rounded rubber heel, and quite fitting would prob do the trick.

i'm guessing Puma has some options, but any other brands to check out?

cheers,

daniel

PHaT MR30 Grand Master

PHaT MR30

Posted
Posted

Sabelt http://www.vsport.com.au/ecommerce/index.php?categoryID=132

Sparco http://www.autosportdirect.com.au/itemdetailspage/15016

Puma http://www.revolutionracegear.com.au/index.php?PSO=245&PSID=3002200___&PSV=Primary&EGPUID=104215 (i have these currently)

but preferred these when I had them http://www.futurecats.com/puma-future-cat-low-c-29/men-puma-future-cat-low-in-white-black-p-299

samstain Enthusiast

samstain

Posted
Posted

Not really going to help your case, but I got seriously lucky getting my driving shoes....

Having size 14 to 15 feet I have always had trouble getting anything to fit - I have basically had to wear Converse one stars pretty much every day for the last 9 years as they are the only things slim enough to allow me to do my daily driving comfortably in the s14.

Anyway, about 4 years ago I as going through a market in Shekou (China) and pretty much got dragged in to a shoe shop by one of the pushy street vendors. I thought it would be good for a laugh, and after sitting it there for a couple mintues while the 2 girls pretty much pulled the shop apart looking for something that had even a slim chance of fitting, they finally bought out a pair of blue swade things that I thought were some kind of running shoe. Being some what comfortable and all of about $15 I though I might as well grab them. When I got home I looked them up on the net and it turns out they are boras low cut racing shoes. I have been using them ever since and they have held up very well, so they probably came out the same factory as the originals, which at the time retailed for over $200 :yes:

Beer Baron Grand Master

Beer Baron

Posted
Posted

it really depends what you want. proper driving shoes (racing shoes) are no good for doing any more than the 10 steps from your pit garage to your car and back again. so if you want to wear them in your car at non track events or even do a lot of walking around in the pits they are no good.

luckily there are some good 'cross-over' type shoes now that whilst not full on driving shoes are good for driving in and still fine to walk around in.

sparco have some good ones. oakley have some, puma have some (but more targeted at walking/fashion than driving I think). The puma's are comfortable and cheap though.

if you want all out driving booties then RPM, Sparco, alpinestars and there are plenty of others out there too. just be aware than any decent walking in them will leave you with sore feet and worn out booties.

R31Nismoid Grand Master

R31Nismoid

Posted
Posted

There current generation of Puma Drift Cat's are terrible unfortunately :(

The older gen from a couple years ago were 10x better so in 12 months im hoping they change style slightly again back to something closer to the old format as they are super comfy and great to drive in.

I still have my old pair to use when @ an event etc. One has a slight hole in the sole so i cant use them if its wet cause walking around it fill with water and wet socks is the fken pits.

KezR33 Veteran

KezR33

Posted
Posted

Excuse my ignorance, but how do racing shoes affect your driving?

I'm sure at the very top, top tier of racing the weight and flame/heat resistant material becomes important, but I can't think of any other benefit specifically tailored shoes would provide.

femno Grand Master

femno

Posted
Posted

YEAH! They made me 2 seconds faster at Winton!!!

They hug your foot and are nice and thin (lengthways).

Basically better than your volleys or blundstone...no real advantage as such.

I have the Puma ones from RR. I wear em around like normal shoes theyre so damn comfy! Havent fallen apart as yet.

SS8_Gohan Grand Master

SS8_Gohan

Posted
  • Author
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thanks heaps for the replies guys!, exactly what i was after!!

i'm liking the Oakley's and Sparco's on the autosport site at the moment, the mid boot type is appealing to me. There's some Oakley Karts on ebay, but different to the ones at oakley.com, maybe last season. Oakley ones have "self extinguishing suede" as well lol, at least my feet will be ok in the event of a fire :whistling:

The Puma's are a bit......... i dunno... just reminds of the Ferrari driver at one of the driver dynamics days that had matching red ferrari puma's....., but then again, if Puma had GTR shoes... hahahah :P

so yeah, i'm thinking mid cut, oakley or sparco.... feel free to add any others to the mix if there are some other good ones out there :)

R31Nismoid Grand Master

R31Nismoid

Posted
Posted

Excuse my ignorance, but how do racing shoes affect your driving?

I'm sure at the very top, top tier of racing the weight and flame/heat resistant material becomes important, but I can't think of any other benefit specifically tailored shoes would provide.

Tried driving with boots or runners on? lol.

I just prefer a smaller form shoe so that you don't get an 'edge' stuck on a pedal or something then you are busy.

I also find a thin sole gives better feedback through the brake pedal.

If you have runners on for example they will actually absorb a bit of pedal feel i found with my Asics runners/trainers.

FineLine Grand Master

FineLine

Posted
Posted

I'm using the old school drift cats by puma. Great slimline shoe to drive in with tons of pedal feel.

What makes them good to drive in though is everything that makes them crappy to walk around in. Very thin sole and bugger all cushioning.

ssxRicho Grand Master

ssxRicho

Posted
Posted

I did find the new gen Drift Cat was cut a bit differently than the previous generation. But after wearing them for a while, they have worn in ok.

At sprint days (VIC) you generally see RPM FIA boots and drift cats. I see some oakley and alpine star. I'm always looking at what shoes people are wearing during the briefings happy.gif

phunky_monkey Grand Master

phunky_monkey

Posted
Posted

I wear OMP's too. Just Karting boots, but they were relatively cheap and have great feel.

I'll be upgrading to some OMP Daytona's or Alpinstars Tech 1-t's in the next week or so though as the current ones are looking a bit worse for wear.

Excuse my ignorance, but how do racing shoes affect your driving?

I'm sure at the very top, top tier of racing the weight and flame/heat resistant material becomes important, but I can't think of any other benefit specifically tailored shoes would provide.

Pedal feel, and allowing your feet to move freely between the pedals without becoming caught on anything. I'm a size 12 and wouldn't physically be able to drive the Radical without racing boots on. Once you've driven with them everything else will feel clunky, well worth the outlay in my opinion.

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