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Left-foot braking is the technique of using the left foot to operate the brake pedal in an automobile, leaving the right foot dedicated to the throttle pedal. [1] It contrasts with the practice of using the left foot to operate the clutch pedal, leaving the right foot to share the duties of controlling both brake and gas pedals.
Left-foot braking is the favored technique for using opposite lock in a front drive vehicle. A related technique is the handbrake turn, in which the rear wheels are deliberately locked in order to break the friction between the tires and the road, allowing the car to be spun around a very tight bend or junction, etc.
Rowing is the technique of downshifting more than one gear along with the heel-and-toe technique to provide engine braking and smoother deceleration/braking while in the intermediate gears. This provides for maximum braking when going from a top gear to a much lower gear, and optimal engine rpm for exiting the corner. [citation needed]
Normally the throttle and brake are operated by the right foot, while the clutch is operated by the left foot. However, some drivers sometimes mistake the accelerator for the brake, leading to sudden unintended acceleration and causing 16,000 accidents per year in the US. [5] There are also drivers who intentionally practice left-foot braking.
Inducing oversteer by applying power in a front wheel drive car is possible via proper use of "left-foot braking”, and using low gears down steep hills may cause some oversteer. The effect of braking on handling is complicated by load transfer , which is proportional to the (negative) acceleration times the ratio of the center of gravity ...
Heel-and-toe shifting is where the driver uses one foot to modulate the brake and accelerator pedal simultaneously to allow for rev matching under braking. Rowing, block shifting or skip shifting [27] is the technique of downshifting more than one gear in order to reduce wear and tear on the gearbox. Rev-matching may need to be used to create a ...
Cars such as the original Ford Model T, 1908, did not have dead pedals and had an upright pedal system. The dead pedal was developed to prevent the accidental actuation of the clutch or brake, also known as left-foot braking, by providing an alternative surface to rest the foot on. The dead pedal became more important with time as stronger and ...
Engine braking is a viable method of controlling the speed at which a vehicle travels downhill. By shifting to a lower gear in a manual transmission, or applying "low" mode on an automatic transmission, engine braking reduces the need to repeatedly apply the foot brake, lowering the risk of the brakes overheating. [2]