Gary McDaniel wrote:
>
> A recent ad for Piloti Driving shoes got me thinking about what kind of shoe
> can you wear all day without getting sore feet from standing on the concrete
> and still be an affective, comfortable driving shoe. Has anyone tried these
> Piloti shoes? I don't really care for the Simpsons.
> Gary
Here are my unsolicited thoughts as written last spring in response to a
request by Katie K.:
Katie Kelly of Team.net fame and Ace Reporter for North American Pylon
once asked about drivers shoes. What do you wear and why. Do they
really make a difference? With the season just around the corner, and
everyone getting ready, I thought I would offer my thoughts on this
extremely important aspect of Autocross. This is important gear, and is
critical to your success in this sport. (sarcasm alert!)
I've worn a lot of different shoes while driving, some very expensive,
some not. I see lots of guys wearing those red leather special driving
shoes. They say "Momo" or "Shui" or something like that on the sides,
and cost can run into three figures very easily. Very cool. I wear
white
canvas boat shoes from KMart at around $3.00 to $6.00 a pair depending
on
the time of year. (Happily, spring is the best time to buy.) Not the
kind with the ribbed white rubber bottoms, but the ones with the
yellow crepe bottom's that kinda look like leather. If your lucky,
these shoes do not say anything on the side because if they did, it
would most likely be "KMart" or something embarrassing like that. To
make things even worse, I
intentionally choose my shoes from the women's rack. While the best
features of
these shoes are their lack of longevity and ease of guilt free disposal,
my current
pair are going into their third season and you can still tell that they
were at one time white.
What are the advantages of these high tech tools?
They are cheap.
The crepe rubber sole is sticky, virtually the R1's of shoes, and will
not slip off pedals even if their a little wet.
They wont EGOD if you don't heat cycle them.
They are cheap.
The sole is both stiff and bendable at the same time. They are
"stiffable".
The total sole thickness is 3/16" (That would be 6/32" in racer talk) at
the toe, and you can feel
the grooves molded into the cars pedals.
They are cheap.
They weight about 4 ounces each, and being all canvas they breath very
well.
The womens version has thinner soles and "sidewalls". Women's sizes are
extremely narrow also. (Take note all you Lotus drivers).
They can easily be folded and stored inside your helmet.
There are, however, some disadvantages:
They are cheap.
If you walk around on pavement too much, like if at all, they will wear
out very quickly.
They are women's shoes. (This could draw fire from those are as not as
enlightened as you)
Dogs love them. They taste great, and they are less filling.
They are cheap.
They get dirty fast.
A 5/16" long thumb tack will project exactly 1/8" into the bottom of
your foot, causing you to trip and spill your drink all over the wood
parts you were sanding on the workbench.
Kicking a workbench will result in a gentle reminder that these shoes
are constructed of canvas.
Do not under any circumstances mow the lawn with them.
They provide ankle and arch support exactly like a pair of socks does
not.
They are incredibly efficient at conducting the solar thermal energy
stored in parking lots into the bottoms of your feet.
In the event of a fire: You must bend forward at the waist, reach down
and grab both ankles, and kiss your feet goodbye.
I am actually thinking of coming out with a line of my own high tech,
expensive, state of the art Autocross driving shoes.
They would be based on the same well thought out design and engineering
principles, and would look and feel very much like the ones described
above. O.K., they would be exactly like the KMart specials. But mine
would come in really hot colors. (Canvas can be dyed any color very
easily) They would have a really cool logo that would say to people: "I
am a force to be dealt with and I am a member of a very exclusive and
prestigious group of demi-god drivers. Bow before me." (That little
scribble my daughter made with a crayola will work, and a dab of hot
melt glue will hold it on.) These shoes will have all of the features
that serious drivers demand. All for only $119.99. (Heh, heh....at
$4.50 total cost, I will clear an easy $115.49 a pair profit! KMart,
here I come!) Try them on and watch your times magically drop as if you
had just taken a Mario-pill. These shoes will shed unwanted weight and
increase horsepower. I guarantee it.
Pat
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