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.