Driving shoes. Do I really need them.

I usually just wear my Keens. They are comfortable, but they are fairly wide.

This is for autocross. There is no heal, toe. There is only dump clutch, mash gas and brake as required, and done. I don't need fire proof.

Tell me what you use and why.

Low top is preferred, my feet sweat like mad.

Probably not. They're helpful for fancy footwork and violent cars with very sensitive pedals.

I have Puma Speedcats. I do fancy footwork and the AE92 is a violent car with sensitive pedals.

whatever I was wearing at the time. usually a soft sole walking shoe.

In reply to GameboyRMH:

You do know what I drive don't you? It does violent very nicely, but the only sensitive pedal is the brake and it's not overly so. The pedal box is pretty tight though.

Lightweight running shoe was the closest I ever found to a driving shoe. Nothing too fancy or expensive. Good pedal feel. Well ventilated too.

If your feet are running into the sides of the pedal box, driving shoes will help with that.

For auto cross they are probibly not needed. As I got older and more aware of my mortality I came to appreciate the fire resistant properties of proper driving shoes.

If you're not worried about fire resistance, you could try a pair of wrestling shoes... they're high top, though.

I like driving shoes for the narrowness, and rounded heel. You can often find good deals on older models on eBay or Amazon for cheap. I found a pair of FIA/SFI rated Pilotis for ~ $40...

I wear my fireproof racing shoes because they have very thin soles so I can feel the brake pedal (non ABS car) and they are narrow so I can work my way back and forth across the pedals without getting hung up but I do have to heel/toe and shift frequently so... YMMV. I have had good success in running shoes too (read as: I forgot my racing shoes and didn't get caught by the stewards).

Old school Chuck's have always served me well. But I have really narrow feet, I'm not sure wide feet work well in them.

I wear steel toe boots. For everything. Church, work, autocross, hpde....

For autocross? Vans slip-ons. I only wear race-booties when the rules say I have to. I'd autocross barefoot if the asphalt wasn't so hot.

If there's a shoe lighter than a vans slip-on, wear that.

These days I usually wear Vans (with laces for me, though I dig slip-ons for other occasions) or Chucks. I really liked the Adidas Adi Racers, but they went from resembling proper driving shoes to resembling cheap kids' Halloween costumes that have a picture of what you're supposed to be on the front (why should I want CF trim on my shoes?), to no longer existing. Got a very confused look from the 20-year-old at the Adidas store the other day when I thought I'd ask whether they were a thing...

I liked that the Adi Racers were pretty trim, and had a moderately stiff sole for a sneaker, which I actually prefer for heel/toe.

I keep meaning to try the Pumas, but they also seem to mostly get weirder and weirder looking...

EDIT: And I only heel/toe under extreme duress at autocrosses; you have to NEED 1st to make it worthwhile to try.

I like the van slip ons if you need to buy from a local store. If you are ok with ordering online try some "bare foot running" shoes. They are a very minimalist shoe all around and not for everyone. I have Merrell clones that were $20 a pair. Very thin sole, very thin upper, basically a few steps up from water shoes/aqua socks. They are very light weight, breathable, and you can feel what's under your feet.

The downsides are you feel everything under your feet and they are lightweight.

Shoes on amazon

Shoes on amazon the originals

I wore Pilotis when I tracked my cars. I've seen wrestling shoes suggested as good driving shoes altho they wouldn't be fire resistant.

I wear minimalist running shoes when driving the Miata. Merrell Vapor Glove's is the current one I'm using. They work great with the tight foot box. They are about the clostest you can come to having nothing on at all but still protecting your feet.

I never wore them for autox. But for LeMons, obviously we have to. I like them, they give good pedal feel. I don't know how to heel/toe (I need to learn), so there's no fancy footwork, just safety and comfort.

To be honest, for the 7 months of the year that Atlanta has shorts and flip flop weather, I drive my street cars barefoot.

I went with Chuck Taylors. Found some camo Chuck's at the local Converse outlet mall for $20-30 I think. Very narrow, very thin sole, perfect for driving and not hitting the other pedals. However I tried to run across the field in them, ouch. Do not run in them. (I'm 50, your mileage may vary)

I'm a big fan of Onitsuka Tigers (Mexico '66 variant) or Adidas Sambas for driving.

I used to wear WalMart imitation Chucks when I was autocrossing, but they were a touch wide for anything narrower than my Mustang. A lot of the old fast guys at the time were wearing department store house slippers that had thin rubber soles. Thin, light, cheap. On my only open track day I wore my Sperry Billfish Ultralights - thin sole, sticky rubber, light and comfy.

I found some Nike low-top soccer shoes (non-cleated) that work very well. They have thin/narrow gummed soles, the upper part is well ventilated, and they are light. Only $40 on sale. Something like this...

Nike Soccer Shoes

I wear whatever I can stand in comfortably for several hours - that is NOT a driving shoe, and I don't want to have to change between drive and work sessions.

For rallycross and such, if width isn't a concern, I usually wear an old (worn out) pair of sneakers. The soles are thinner and more flexible at that point so there's plenty of feel. Although I have run a rallycross in heavy steel toe boots because it was muddy and I didn't feel like switching shoes... It worked, but being smooth with inputs definitely required more concentration.

I bought a pair of booties for the hillclimb and would try them for the autocross, but I don't want the looks of "really? fireproof shoes and shorts? What a tool."

Maybe for colder days.

for rallyx, I switch between hiking boots for course working and these guys for driving. any other indoor soccer shoe would work well, too.

speed samba!