Driving shoes with sole stitched on?

Just did my last event with these Piloti G16s, the soles have peeled completely off. I'm looking for something similar (not a Nomex "elf shoe" but a driving-oriented sneaker) that has the sole stitched rather than glued on. Any suggestions? These shoes are going to get soaked so glue won't hold up - I'm surprised these lasted 5+ years with only glue holding them together.

I dunno, I'd say $16 a year is a fair price to pay for good driving shoes.

I really cannot say I have had a driving shoe that out lasted my pilotis maybe another pair?

I've never had a shoe last 5 years.

my converse all stars were very comfortable in a very hot cramped stock car.

Yeah the Pilotis weren't a bad deal, I was just wondering if there's anything else better there. Seems like a waste for the sole to separate from the rest of the shoe when both are otherwise in decent condition. On shoes with stitched-on soles, you usually have to throw them out when the sole is completely worn through (or too slick for use).

BTW looks like Piloti's gone out of business earlier this year, that's why the shoes are so hard to find now.

.... What?

There were a couple pairs i really wanted to try...

Yep, the domain on their European homepage has expired and the SSL cert on their US site has expired.

I'd re-glue them! Use "Window Weld" or 3M "PL" adhesive and they should stand up for some further use.

Damn I had heard rumors that Piloti was taking the company a different direction maybe motorcross stuff, guess it's time to hoard NOS pairs bought off ebay.

Meh, looks like I will just move to an elf shoe for track days.

I don't know about shoes with the soles stitched on, but I'd recommend the Puma "Speed Cat" for a non-nomex driving shoe. I've had 4 or 5 pairs maybe, and I've never had issues with the soles delaminating, even when the get really wet. They aren't super comfortable to stand in for hours, and the soles do wear out after a year or two (if you wear them every day), but both those issues are due to having a thin, flexible sole, which is why I like them for driving.

chaparral wrote: I'd re-glue them! Use "Window Weld" or 3M "PL" adhesive and they should stand up for some further use.

I actually tried re-gluing them with hot glue, they barely held up through the event.

Nothing about your typical hot glue makes me think that would work, just sayin'.

I'm with Johnny. I've been using a pair of pumas as my race shoes for about 5 years. They certainly aren't the cleanest, but they are still holding up just fine.

Of course they are not an option if your racing needs some sort of fireproof shoes. Great for autocross though!

I like pumas too just to wear everyday, you can get them as cheap as $35 on sale too.

There is shoe glue at WalMart in the shoe section that works really well. Give it a shot. I know normal adhesives and hot glue aren't plasticized enough for the deformation required to keep a sole on a shoe through it's normal range of motion.

patgizz wrote: my converse all stars were very comfortable in a very hot cramped stock car.

All-Stars are not SFI rated, not even the leather ones. I've checked

I had decent luck with Right Stuff to hold my RCI (I think... maybe G-Force?) shoes' soles back on. They're the only shoes I like BETTER than All-Stars.

Sadly, the last time I wore them, I ended up duct taping the soles back on to finish the day, which is why it's been so long that I don't even remember what brand they are.

(And why are friggin' All-Stars $60? At least they seem to last longer nowadays)

The stuff you want is called shoe goo, has brought many pairs of shoes back to life over the years.

Wrestling shoes have stitched on soles and as long as you don't need them to be rated for fire or anything will be fine. I have the Speed Cats too. I use them daily unless it's raining a lot. Mostly because the leather almost touches the ground and if there is a bit of a puddle to walk through, your shoes/socks get wet quicker than normal shoes. I've gotten them wet a bunch and haven't noticed any ill effects. Wearing them now; bought in '08 or '09.