What racing shoes do you wear?

So I had some RCI racing shoes that bit the dust this weekend (TrackDaze - VIR). The rubber sole portion came loose at the heel all the way up to the arch of my foot. Mind you this happened while I was driving. It felt like I had a floor mat getting stuck under my pedal. Happened first to my right foot, so after the session I finished ripping the rubber sole off. A few sessions later, it happened to my left foor (again while driving). So I finished the day without soles on my shoes and duct tape around the toe area to keep the shoe together.

So... I'm now in the market for new driving shoes. It seems like shoes are either $100 or $250. Very little in between. Safety is obviously important and so is pedal feel (and a bit of style) but cost is a factor too. I only do 2-4 events per year (HPDE - no racing).

Any real differences between low-mid-high top shoes? I'm pretty sure the RCI shoes I had would be considered high-top and I liked them. I don't think I would consider a low-top shoe.

Some shoes are SFI 3.2/5 and some are 3.3/5? Any significant difference in the rating? Does an FIA rating add anything I can't live without?

What do you guys wear and like? I don't have an extra wide foot, so that's not an issue.

I like my Simpson Circuit Pros. About $140 retail. High top, thin sole.

I tried on a bunch of thin-soled ones at OG Racing, many of which cost a lot more, but I didn't feel like I got much extra for the higher priced ones.

My race car has a relatively small pedal box so I actually need thin sole, close fitting shoes, and SFI rating. I've worn a pair of Sparco Tops for about 4 seasons. They've been used for double weekends which were wet every session and probably 150 sessions. They offer excellent pedal feel, are plain and black, and durable.

They're on sale for $129, down from $195 right now:

On Sale at Saferacer

I love my cheap skate shoes for performance driving. For just simple track days/autocross, they're fine. Nice and grippy, and the sole isn't too thick, especially after they wear a bit. Fireproof they aint, but thats ok with me.

http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Forte-Skate-Cement-Black/dp/B00JV2JOFU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1433268977&sr=8-2&keywords=fallen+shoes

30 bucks. Cant go wrong

Yeah I think I tried those, and they were nice. But they were full price at the time and I was too cheap to pay up. At that price I would have gotten them instead.

Thanks for the recommendations! Those Sparco's would be the ticket but they are only available in a size 36 now (which I think is fairly small in US sizing right?)

Why not RCI's again?

I run RCI's (in a rallycar) and I love them for the simple fact that they are cheap so I don't care if I destroy them, light so I can't tell I am wearing them, and give incredible feel of the pedals.

(Following this because I'm curious about racing shoes. It won't add 5HP I'm sure but I notice I hit the sole of my other shoe quite often in rallycross and autocross...)

I'm not entirely opposed to RCI again, though I do feel that the shoes failed in a way that they should not have. The shoes were in great condition but the glue that held the rubber sole on failed. And both shoes failed in the exact same manner which makes me feel like it was a defect. But prior to that I really liked the shoes; thin sole, light weight. Any ways, I'm just considering what's on the market before I spend any money again.

I have a pair of Racequip shoes and have been happy with them. They're fairly inexpensive, too. http://www.racequip.com/sfiautoracingshoes.html

I have some G-Force high tops now and they seem fine and were inexpensive. I used to wear mid-tops, but I got the high-tops because my fire suit pulls up from my ankles a bit when I sit and I wanted to make sure that area was covered in a fire.

I see a lot of people walking everywhere in their driving shoes in the paddock, which strikes me as a bad idea. The soles are very thin by design and I'd expect them to wear out quickly that way.

bigmackloud wrote: I'm not entirely opposed to RCI again, though I do feel that the shoes failed in a way that they should not have. The shoes were in great condition but the glue that held the rubber sole on failed. And both shoes failed in the exact same manner which makes me feel like it was a defect. But prior to that I really liked the shoes; thin sole, light weight. Any ways, I'm just considering what's on the market before I spend any money again.

How hot is the footbox in your car. When I was tracking the viper I was destroying shoes, litle bit of heat shielding and everything was lasting like it should. Would hate for you to buy another pair and have them fail the same way.

wearymicrobe wrote: How hot is the footbox in your car. When I was tracking the viper I was destroying shoes, litle bit of heat shielding and everything was lasting like it should. Would hate for you to buy another pair and have them fail the same way.

That's a good question. I don't notice any discomfort in my feet, but that's not to say it isn't a hot area. The turbo and downpipe is on the driver's side, so I could see that being a hotter area. I suppose I could pull back the carpet and put in some of the heat shield stuff on the floor.

Basil Exposition wrote: I see a lot of people walking everywhere in their driving shoes in the paddock, which strikes me as a bad idea. The soles are very thin by design and I'd expect them to wear out quickly that way.

My feet would wear out quickly that way.

My autocross shoes are low top Vans skate shoes. They were cheap, they're comfy, and they have decent grip and pedal feel. I can walk on them all day.

Puma ferraris. 99$. Light, airy, I've done long mountain stints in them. A bit narrow for me, but good pedal feel.

I've been using a pair of Stand21 high tops for track driving for 7-8 years. FIA approved and all that jazz, plus very comfy for my narrow feet.

Mind you, they seem to be a tad expensive over here...

I have a pair of Sparco high tops, they've put up with hot transmission tunnels in the RX7 without complaint.

When I was auto crossing and track days I wore my Tom Mcan daily use shoes.

More comfortable when you do a lot of standing around.

I have had these low cost dragon slayer shoes for over 9 seasons I'd wear them the whole day they still look new still have groves in the soles feel like slippers too so cumfy they used to be $55....

http://www.cmwraceparts.com/proddisp.php?pn=HTS51100

Alpine stars are the shizz. I love mine!

Double h steel toe engineer boots.

It's actually the only pair of shoes i own. I actually have issues driving properly in anything else now. And I tried the skate shoes, etc. Keep going back to my boots.

I use Sparco shoes becuase I've owned various formula cars with itty bitty foot boxes. I do not walk around in them a bunch, while comfortable in the car I intentionally picked a size that was a snug fit so they are not great to walk in, as they smush my big toe. They were also not cheap so I slap on a pair of skate shoes or the like to walk around in.

Tom

I've been using this pair of Pyrotects for the last 4-5 years. They've been great. Bought them from CS since they are local to me. $88.95 shipped.

http://cs-gear.com/ankle-top-racing-shoes-sfi-rated-free-ups-ground-shipping-p-193.html?zenid=5s5gki57kaa33rh20hs9fu2l83

I have a set of RJS Racing hightops, they have held up well for years.

So I ended up order the Sparco Race Shoes from saferacer.com last night. $100, SFI 3.3/5, and they had a ton of positive reviews. I decided to pull the trigger before I over-thought this decision (I tend to do that). For my limited usage, I think they'll do the trick. And I got them in RED because I was feeling flashy last night, haha.

http://www.saferacer.com/sparco-race-shoes

I also considered this pair from Racequip (305 series). For $90 they look pretty solid. http://www.saferacer.com/racequip-305-series-sfi-racing-shoes