S.A.S.C.
General Topics => General Discussion => Topic started by: kaho on May 11, 2018, 04:55:35 PM
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Can anyone recommend me a place for some driving shoes?
I suppose "driving shoes" as a family of shoes can be quite a loose term. I've driven on a pair of puma BMW shoes which the appearance suggests it's meant to drive with. However I found the bottom to be quite thick. They feel more like sneakers. I've also been driving with indoor running shoes which feels light but even thicker softer bottoms. Ironically, the one day when I drove (a semi-spirited drive to get groceries)with slippers it felt much better transferring the pedal feel to my feet. The lack of thickness of slippers seem to contributed to the improved feedback, and I know I could use a good pair of driving shoes.
Being my second season racing ever, I'm not ready to go all out on the most expensive shoes, but would like to know what are my choices and where would I go buy them.
Thanks in advance.
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I use a few different sets, Adidas Busenitz for daily driving which are medium thickness soles I’d say, some sparco shoes I bought in Vegas for $120USD (when the dollar was on par) for lapping and some auto x events, they are fairly thin soled and very narrow (important for some cars I drive), and I also have a pair of lightweight thin sole adidas dragons which are also somewhat narrow and very thin soled.
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Right now I'm just using a cheap pair of athletic shoes with thin foam soles that I got from Payless. They're not these ones (https://www.payless.com/mens-champion-gusto-cross-training-shoe/77437.html?dwvar_77437_color=red_black#start=13&cgid=men-sneakers-athletics), but they're fundamentally similar.
Before those, I wore indoor soccer shoes like these ones (https://www.sportchek.ca/categories/shop-by-sport/soccer/soccer-cleats/indoor-soccer-cleats/product/adidas-mens-ace-163-cage-turf-indoor-soccer-shoes-blackgreenwh-332083688.html#332083688%5Bcolor%5D=99), which were great.
Both were cheaper and better than road race boots like these ones (https://piloti.ca/collections/performance-racing-shoes/products/competizione-red-black-white-performance-racing-shoe) (which cost a ton since they have to be fire-resistant, and which wear out super quickly if you walk around on them) or "driving shoes" like these ones (https://piloti.ca/collections/24h-le-mans-limited-edition/products/24h-le-mans-circuit-lifestyle-driving-shoes), which are often designed for fashion first, and may not necessarily even have the thin, flexible soles that you want for driving.
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I just use a regular set of runners, works great👍
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I use thin soles Pumas which are quite narrow. The indoor soccer shoes are also a great idea.
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Some of the sporting and shoe shops have "driving" shoes. Usually around $100-120 that have a nice thin sole that gives you good feel. I think that is the secret - look for a thin sole but also a relatively snug/tight fit so they do not shift around on your foot.
I see Sport Cheq has some Pilotis too ... go figure. I think I bought a pair years ago at Forzanis (?) at Chinook Mall - upper level on the east side ... north of the food court ... whatever shoe store that was.
R
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I use piloti shoes which are nice for an everyday shoe but expensive. I also just bought some puma drift cat ultra 5s which are great and inexpensive.
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Went into sport chek in market mall (had the misadventure of dropping by for the dermatologist appointment, only to find out I'm a week ahead of the appointment :o) asked for driving shoes and they thought I was speaking Korean. The hunt will continue.
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Some of the sporting and shoe shops have "driving" shoes. Usually around $100-120 that have a nice thin sole that gives you good feel. I think that is the secret - look for a thin sole but also a relatively snug/tight fit so they do not shift around on your foot.
I see Sport Cheq has some Pilotis too ... go figure. I think I bought a pair years ago at Forzanis (?) at Chinook Mall - upper level on the east side ... north of the food court ... whatever shoe store that was.
R
All this time I thought the only criteria was that they were red for good luck! haha
I've seen some Ferrari shoes at stores once in a while, they are not nearly as expensive as I though they would be. Even on the site they are only $185 CAD. I have seen them for sale for a lot less.
https://store.ferrari.com/en-ca/sneakers_cod13331180552011454.html#dept=Shoes_M
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Went into sport chek in market mall (had the misadventure of dropping by for the dermatologist appointment, only to find out I'm a week ahead of the appointment :o) asked for driving shoes and they thought I was speaking Korean. The hunt will continue.
Sport Chek carries piloti but online only. If you wait for a friends and family sale (usually once or twice a year) you can get 25% off them which isnt a bad deal. I also have a set of Sparcos as well which i picked up from the border on my way to packwood last year and they are quite attractive price wise. However I prefer the Piloti's to the Pumas and Sparcos that i've used previously.
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Converse shoes are my favourite to drive in - good edges for easy heel & toeing, but thin enough that there's plenty of feel. And cheap!
Ironically I absolutely hated Pumas, they're too rounded at the edge. In a car with pedals *just* close enough for me to heel and toe it meant slipping off the gas a few times while trying to blip and brake. And I can't stand the spongy feel of a runner/training shoe.
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I agree converse is a good, inexpensive route to go.
The sole is thin enough to deliver feedback & its comfy for use all day.
Even powerlifters & strongmen use them for the same reason
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Converse shoes are my favourite to drive in - good edges for easy heel & toeing, but thin enough that there's plenty of feel. And cheap!
I think your definition of cheap and my definition don't have any common ground :) My current driving (and everything else) shoes cost me $30 at Payless.
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Converse shoes are my favourite to drive in - good edges for easy heel & toeing, but thin enough that there's plenty of feel. And cheap!
I think your definition of cheap and my definition don't have any common ground :) My current driving (and everything else) shoes cost me $30 at Payless.
Only a year, and already you are starting to sound like a retired guy! Hahahahaha :)
R
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Converse shoes are my favourite to drive in - good edges for easy heel & toeing, but thin enough that there's plenty of feel. And cheap!
I think your definition of cheap and my definition don't have any common ground :) My current driving (and everything else) shoes cost me $30 at Payless.
Hey, Converse are only ~$50-$60 - that's dirt cheap by lady shoe standards! Especially compared to a purpose-built driving shoe. ;)
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Here's my perspective on pumas vs sparco race booties since I use both.
Puma racing inspired shoes (Future Cat or Drift Cat IIRC, the narrowest ones without a foam midsole on the front half) use the same thin rubber sole and construction as their FIA rated racing counterparts (like Chris'). In my experience they have the thinnest sole and best pedal feel among street shoes. But the sole is slightly stiffer compared to the sparcos.
The sparco race shoes are the same narrow width, but have a softer and slightly thinner rubber sole, and thin leather insole. The difference is you can walk around a parking lot in pumas, but wearing the sparcos you can feel every tiny pebble and surface change to the point of it being uncomfortable. The rubber is soft enough that you can make out the brake pedal in the wear on the bottom.
I'm not saying that the sparcos are the ticket to make anyone faster, but the difference in pedal feel between the pumas and the sparcos is noticeable.
For street driving, a wider converse style shoe is much easier to heel-toe with, especially during mild brake inputs.
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Went into sport chek in market mall (had the misadventure of dropping by for the dermatologist appointment, only to find out I'm a week ahead of the appointment :o) asked for driving shoes and they thought I was speaking Korean. The hunt will continue.
Sport Chek carries piloti but online only. If you wait for a friends and family sale (usually once or twice a year) you can get 25% off them which isnt a bad deal. I also have a set of Sparcos as well which i picked up from the border on my way to packwood last year and they are quite attractive price wise. However I prefer the Piloti's to the Pumas and Sparcos that i've used previously.
They're doing 20% off right now on online stuff. 'DEAL20' is the promo code. I just ordered a pair of the Piloti's, my G-Force shoes are fine for racing but terrible for walking.
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And now all of the Piloti stuff is 50% off
https://www.sportchek.ca/search.html#q=piloti&lastVisibleProductNumber=4
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Just a little note: If I was working course, I would actually change to my regular walking or hiking shoe/boots in between heats as to not wear out the driving shoes or to not experience discomfort from stones, ripples/bumps in pavement and other imperfections. ... cost of having "feel" in the pedals. :)
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The prototipo model looks fairly budget friendly. Anyone had it before?