I'm currently wearing a pair of OMP sport... size 10.5 and would like to find something a bit narrower to fit in my 88 Reynard FC. Any suggestions? Don't mind if I cant wear them for more than 30 min!
Narrow Shoes
I'm currently wearing a pair of OMP sport... size 10.5 and would like to find something a bit narrower to fit in my 88 Reynard FC. Any suggestions? Don't mind if I cant wear them for more than 30 min!
John H.
Reynard 88SF
I have size 12 dogs in a 94VD. I used to be able to squeeze in size 10s for driving but as I've gotten older and heavier my feet are wider to go along. Always found the good old fashioned simpsons to work well. Wear thin socks and lace up tight in the forefoot. I've even removed the logo patches to get another 1/16".
I will suggest that you look and see if this is static problem or a dynamic one. My feet fit fine just sitting there, but under braking my foot spread out so much that it held the gas down and I didn't want to trim the gas or the brake pedal any farther. I couldn't figure out what was going on until I had my daughter take a pic from above in both conditions.
Solved the problem by taking a piece of aluminum, cutting it to the shape of the ball of my foot, annealing it and hammering to shape. I glued it inside the shoe, put the insole back in, and no more problems.
My normal shoe size is 11 but go down 1/2 size to 10 1/2 for racing shoes. They are comfortable in the car. I currently wear Alpinestars.Originally Posted by azjc
My normal shoe size is 11 ~ 11.5. Problem is the width of the chassis is just too narrow - Can't left foot brake unless I re-do the peddle box, the clutch is too close to the brake. When right foot braking my left foot limits how far over I can go to the brake peddle and occasionally I catch the edge throttle peddle. I do have a very old (I'm talking late 70's!) pair of Simpson Nomex shoes that are very thin and narrow that do fit better in the peddle box but the soles are worn and separated.
John H.
Reynard 88SF
I recently got a pair of the Sparco Race 2 shoes. Had tried on a number of different shoes looking for the perfect fit for my narrow feet. Only had to go down 1/2 size to get the right fit. SIze 9 outside width at widest point is ~3.75" Might be worth a look
Craig Farr
Stohr WF1 P2
You might try seeing if they still make all leather wrestling boots. They are quite thin and have a very thin soles. I used them when I drove. I did have a bit of leather stitched to the out side of my right boot where I operated the throttle pedal while on the brake pedal.
I found that I had a lot of trouble with the soles of shoes being too thick and not giving the foot room I needed.
At one time Simpson made a driving shoe that was very similar to the wrestling boots I used.
John,
Call Averill and get Pyrotec/Racequip.
Under 100.00 shipped and great sole life, feel for brake modulation, and very narrow. Text me if you would like a pic of mine.
M9
Not cheap but worth it. Alpine stars tech 1Z shoes. Basically the size of your bare foot. Sole is paper thin and the kangaroo leather around it as well.
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Looking on Amazon RaceQuip look to be one of the narrowest - Might give them a try. How about size - wonder if I might be able to squeeze into a 10? Easy return if I use Amazon Prime!
John H.
Reynard 88SF
I just bought a set of racequip off Amazon. I went a size up as everyone suggested and they were massive. So they are close to true in size.
But the sole was hard as a rock couldn't feel anything may as well be wearing winter boots.
Returned them immediately.
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Received the RaceQuip shoes.... give me the room I need. So we shall see when our season here in AZ restarts in September!
John H.
Reynard 88SF
Simpson
I have a very old (1978?) pair of thin, narrow Nomex (not leather sides / top) that the sole is lose on (threads worn away) that I dropped off at a local shoe repair.... we'll see how well the repair goes!
John H.
Reynard 88SF
John,
I have found two solutions to a sole coming off:
1) Buy a new pair (you have that covered)
2) Adhesive
I do not think any of the current shoes have a sole that is sewn on (and I doubt that even yours that are sewn rely strictly on the thread) instead, they use adhesive. The adhesive lets go eventually. I have tried 3M contact cement. Spray on the bottom of the boot and the top of the sole. Let them tack and stick them together (make sure you line them up correctly as when the two halves touch, they are bonded). This method works for a while but has not held up well for me. I also tried (at the suggestion of someone else) RTV. Apply to the top of the sole, put the boot on the sole, place weight on top or tape the two together until the RTV cures. Not sure how long this will hold up but I have to say that after curing, they seem more secure than the 3M contact cement*.
* These were not my shoes, they were a borrowed pair (I really need to stop forgetting to bring things to the track). That is why I do not know how they will hold up over time. That said, I would be inclined to try RTV on my next need over contact cement.
Just my 2 cents.
Eric (new shoes cost HOW MUCH?!?!!!!) Little
If you are going to glue soles back on I would respectfully suggest 3M 801 yellow weatherstrip adhesive.
I glued some leather wear patches on about 20 years ago with it and they are still stuck solidly.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...E&gclsrc=aw.ds
The Simpson shoes do have the sole sewn, not glued.... Made back in the 70's when Bill owned and ran it in Calif. Quality hand crafted product, I worked for a large Simpson distributor back then. We'll see how the repair comes out, the might have to use some glue depending how the stitching goes.
John H.
Reynard 88SF
Sounds like you have a solution, but I'll comment anyway; my suggestion is to try on different brands and sizes to see what will work. I have size 12.5 feet and currently use a size 10 Simpson (but not the REAL-OLD Simpson). They are wearable in the car but I wouldn't want to wear them while standing for very long. A few years ago at the Indy run-offs I tried the Tech 1-2 Shoes from Alpinestars, size 10 1/2 - they will be my next shoe purchase. I did try a couple of brands but liked the Tech shoes the best.
Good luck.
-Jim
RJS Mid Top shoes. I got mine from Summit: https://www.summitracing.com/int/par...0157/overview/
Thinnest shoes I found, nothing rigid at all. The sole is so thin that you feel pebbles while walking. The $69 price is a pleasant surprise.
I'm stunned at how rigid most 'racing' shoes are.
Sounds kinda like my old school shoes, might take a look
John H.
Reynard 88SF
I have these...
https://www.apexspeed.com/forums/sho...s-Size-10-5-US
If you pay shipping, you can try them on and see how they would work with pedals.
Mike
narrow shoes
Like Steve Lathrop I bought wrestling/boxing shoes for my driving shoes when I first started in the early 70's. These were thin leather with nearly no soles and did not catch on anything around the pedals. Finally wore out and not found anything as good since. Went online to look yesterday and guess what they all have bells and whistles on them like our current available driving shoes with logos and stripes, colors, etc that serve no purpose. It is obvious that those people that are designing them have no clue!
Soles, leather or rubber?
John H.
Reynard 88SF
The RJS shoes have rubber soles. Quite thin and soft. I don't walk much in these but I had to add Shoe Goo as I was going to wear right through the heel area in 2 years of use. That's only walking around my grid spot at autocrosses.
I used to wear Asics wrestling shoes, these are much narrower.
3M 90 high strength contact adhesive also works well. McM link: https://www.mcmaster.com/7610A256
Dave Weitzenhof
I checked the width of my size 10 RJS shoes - the hard part of the sole is about 4-1/8" wide. That's really approximate as there are no parallel edges.
The upper bulges out as wide as your foot is, with only nomex, suede, and thin vinyl wear patches on the outsides of your feet.
Lol just got a pair of Simpson shoes to try. What are they thinking? The sole isn't the worst I've tried but far from the best.
But they are so thick, like winter boot padding on them. I put them on and immediately started to sweat...
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Bringing it back
Old thread but I find myself in the same situation width wise. Is the RJS shoes still the narrowest sole width wise out there? I got a pair from crow that have an over 5 inch wide sole. Can’t even work the pedals on my Anson with them.
I know exactly what you mean and are looking for from my experience about three years ago. I went through / tried on / exchanged / sent back about 4 different brands and at least 5 different pairs. Some I didn't even need to try on because I'd simply take a ruler across the widest part of that part of the sole that goes across pretty much where the base of your big toe's bone is. I finally settled on some Sparco
I have some Puma karting shoes that fit me and the car. The sole is less than 4 1/2 wide. I'm going to see if their racing shoes have a similar sole. If not I'll probably do as you did, order, try, return. Pain in the azz but with no one local to try, what else can you do?
Racers safety source
Contact Chris at Racers Safety Source. He carries multiple brands of the best equipment and is very knowledgeable.
https://theracerssafetysource.com/search?q=boots
chris@theracerssafetysource.com
“Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague wish for something salty.” -Peter Egan
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