No shoes.

[MeteorGray]

I drive my Mazda3 barefoot with socks on. I think it gives me a more precise feel for finessing the accelerator. I believe this can help fuel economy a bit.

I do keep my carpet clean, and knocking off dirt and mud from the shoes before putting them inside helps too.

[jcp123]

I drive barefoot a lot, more because I don't care for wearing shoes than anything else. I do, however, find it really difficult to drive with boots. So maybe I'm onto something being able to finesse the pedals a bit better.

[JockoT]

I am now driving wearing an old pair of thin, suede sole, ballroom dancing shoes (just for long trips where it is worth changing them), and they feel great. Haven't noticed any improvement in fuel efficiency so far!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by jcp123

I drive barefoot a lot, more because I don't care for wearing shoes than anything else.

I have a cousin who also doesn't really care for shoes and would instead wear flip-flops even when I would feel like my feet were frozen if I were also wearing flip-flops. I have only seen him wearing boots once when we went to Uruguay.

I do, however, find it really difficult to drive with boots. So maybe I'm onto something being able to finesse the pedals a bit better.

I'm more used to drive with boots, so I would rather blame the pedal layout of some cars instead of looking for some footwear that would be supposed to enhance the feelings on the pedals.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by jcp123

I drive barefoot a lot, more because I don't care for wearing shoes than anything else. I do, however, find it really difficult to drive with boots. So maybe I'm onto something being able to finesse the pedals a bit better.

I use soled moose-hide moccasins to drive the KW. Third pair in twenty years. Kick off the steeltoes and use these otherwise. Breathe better than some pairs of socks I’ve owned. Feet cool off almost instantly, and stay dry.

I enjoy them just as much in the pickup, but tend to use other footwear when off duty. Keen sandals when hot, and roper style boots when not.

My feet are too big when shod with work boots. That wide sole is great for stability when standing, but hell behind the wheel.

[samwichse]

I don't know about efficiency gains from taking shoes off, but I do know when I put my work boots on (vs any of my other shoes), I lose some.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

It still sounds quite pointless to me that changing the footwear could lead to any mileage improvement.

[samwichse]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

It still sounds quite pointless to me that changing the footwear could lead to any mileage improvement.

In my work boots, my ankle is at least partially immobilized. So instead of just resting my heel on the floorboard and using my calf muscles to rotate my foot at the ankle, I have to use my quads to lift my whole leg slightly while moving the pedal. Larger muscle group, located on a longer lever.

Seems pretty obvious to me that this results in a significant loss of precision?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by samwichse

In my work boots, my ankle is at least partially immobilized. So instead of just resting my heel on the floorboard and using my calf muscles to rotate my foot at the ankle, I have to use my quads to lift my whole leg slightly while moving the pedal. Larger muscle group, located on a longer lever.

Seems pretty obvious to me that this results in a significant loss of precision?

Even though your point is valid to some extent, I never actually experienced any decrease in the fuel-efficiency while driving with boots compared to snickers. Never drove barefoot BTW.