Just as sure as your car needs to be tuned up, you need to be in tune with your car to optimize fuel economy. Your feet represent one (or two) of the most important touchpoints. Wearing the right footwear (or no footwear at all) can make a measurable difference in efficiency. When the summer rolls around, I often drive my own car barefoot. It’s a habit I picked up while growing up, and it’s never left me. Bare feet are a boon for light-footed driving.
Of course, it’s not always practical to drive barefoot. The mere thought repulses some people (particularly those with foot phobias or the dreaded fungus). The socially acceptable thing to do is to wear something on your feet. But it shouldn’t just be any something …
A proper pair of driving shoes provides the next best thing. It’s also a whole lot more pleasant when the weather turns wet or cold (or both). That’s why I’m kicking off a Driving Shoe Review series. While I rarely wear shoes while driving my high-MPG project car (a.k.a. Slambo) in the summertime, I usually wear driving shoes of some sort when I’m test driving review vehicles, no matter the season. I’ve owned half a dozen pairs of driving shoes over the years – from Minnetonka Mocs to DC Pro Spec hightops – and I’m in the midst of refreshing the shoebox, so to speak.
Reviewing footwear isn’t an entirely new thing for the MPGomatic YouTube channel. I did a combination Toyota Tacoma pickup truck / Keen Tacoma Wellington boot review last fall. While it’s taken me a while to knock out a follow episode, I’m working on a plan to produce a series with consistency.
Celebrity menswear stylist Ashley Weston named driving moccasins an “absolute must have” one of “5 Shoes Every Guy Should Own” … and I couldn’t agree more. If you’re serious about your driving, you need serious shoes.
Seems interesting … might have to give a pair a try!