What makes them "driving shoes"?

[OriginalGeek]

Anybody wear shoes like these? I kinda like the concept but not sure why they are called driving shoes or what makes them good for that.




the soles are kinda funny but not sure how that helps driving.




these are Allen Edmonds and cost a pretty penny but I like AE shoes anyway so I might save up for some...

[jberryhill]

1. Because they fall apart when you walk in them, and you'd better have a car handy instead

('driving shoes' as I understand them, have a portion of the sole that goes back up over the heel, since the back of your heel is resting on the floor when you drive)

more like this:

[OriginalGeek]

2. so do you gotta bring some walkin shoes with ya?

I'm all about comfort and convenience. Not sure if these would be either but I like the looks of the AE version. Looks is good but gets outvoted if comfort isn't there...slip-ons are genreally convenient of they stay snug and don;t flop around...hard for me to find good fits in slip-ons as I have terribly skinny feet.

I guess I can understand the concept of the heel going back since that's what's on the floor of the car the most as you clutch, brake, accelerate....but if they suck at walking when I get to where I'm going then it's kinda pointless lol.

Oh! Maybe I'm supposed to bring my butler so he can mind my shoe changes.

[jberryhill]

4. Oh, they're comfy enough

I thought it was interesting that the loafers in the OP were denominated "driving shoes" in the first place, but it seems that like things called "tennis shoes", the categorical denomination takes on a life of its own.

Personally, I wear these hiking boots pretty much for everything:



But seriously, I've been wearing slippers more than I used to around the house, and have finally crossed that threshold of - once in a while - going about in public in them. At first, I felt a little odd about it, but...


THERE ARE PEOPLE WEARING PAJAMAS TO GO TO HOME DEPOT!

[OriginalGeek]

5. LMAO!

yeah, well, I do live in Florida so I can get away with Flip-Flops most anywhere. And I do. I'm too old to be tying shoes all the damn time. My feet seem to have drifted further away from my arms. Yet I'm not any taller.

Not only are the AE shoes called driving shoes - their name is actually Interstate 90 Driving Shoes. They have a similar model named Daytona.

[jberryhill]

6. Oh, that's different

I have no idea what, if anything, people wear on their feet in Florida.


http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime--law/florida-man-tied-footprint-crime-scene-tells-cops-his-shoes-were-taken/eO2udHgpnAW77HJhNrJq4M/

Florida man tied to footprint at crime scene, tells cops his shoes were taken

[csziggy]

11. As a native born Floridian I go barefoot as much as possible

The only time I have ever worn slippers was when I spent time in the rehab hospital after knee replacements. They would not allow bare feet at all so I had to go out and find something that would pass as slippers - moccasins with no slip soles worked fine.

When I was a kid we'd toughen up our feet for the summer - walking across the asphalt roads when they were hot help develop calloused soles so we could walk across sand spur covered ground. Most of the kids in the neighborhood did that - one kid had moved from up north and his Mom made him wear shoes all the time. The rest of us thought that was nuts!

[OriginalGeek]

14. My wife and I are also both Native Floridians

however she has lived her whole life here while I was doing most of my growing up elsewhere. I was almost 50 years old before I could even wear flip-flops and I still can't get used to going barefoot. She, on the other hand, has fists for feet. Her restless leg syndrome at night has left me with bruised legs lol.

Heck she will even drive barefoot - I couldn't do that to save my life.


On the plus side, my skinny, delicate feet are unnaturally beautiful.

[csziggy]

19. I have always hated flip flops - and sandals

Part of it is that when I was a kid I got third degree burns on the top of one foot. Wearing anything with a strap that went across the scars was painful for years and years. Shoes with socks have always been more comfortable. For me, it is a full coverage shoe or nothing.

On the other hand the callouses on my heels shred upholstery and I am constantly recovering footstools.

[TexasBushwhacker]

10. This is it

They have the sole that goes up the heal so that the back of your walking shoes doesn't get scuffed.

[jberryhill]

12. The ones in the OP look more like Uber shoes

[Raster]

3. expensive slippers WITH traction!

[Donkees]

7. I prefer driving socks :)

[Kimchijeon]

8. just seem like comfy slippers

not for much walking just low impact toddling to the car and gettin' the mail?

I guess for when you want to be fancier than a crummy pair of house slippers, but you're only driving to the post office. lol

[OriginalGeek]

9. Lol

I do like to be fancy sometimes but you wouldn't know it by looking at me most days

[hack89]

13. Designed for easy heel toe manual shifting

where you have the ball of your right foot on the brake and the heel of the same foot on the gas.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-heel-and-toe

[OriginalGeek]

16. that was pretty cool

I might have to read around that site some more when the boss goes to lunch lol...

I can't imagine I'd ever neeeeeed to do that but I get the impression that the Allen Edmonds pair was made more for looks than actual driving anyway. The examples JBerryhill posted look more useful but uglier lol.

I was mainly thinking driving as in long distances, not driving as in performance considerations. I drive all over the state for work so the thought of driving shoes appeals to me but I'm on cruise control on the highways for 80% of my driving (in my automatic transmission truck lol).

[Orrex]

15. Because they drive you to make silly shoe purchases.

[OriginalGeek]

17. if you only knew what a shoe nerd I am

unfortunately my taste in shoes far exceeds my ability to pay for shoes. My wife's previously mentioned feet go bare or in 4 dollar flip-flops and she would prefer to never have to go anywhere that requires more shoe than that (although she does have a pair of something that will suffice in extreme cases like a wedding or a funeral).

I, on the other hand love to buy shoes. I like how they look and how they feel and a new pair of shoes excites me as much as a new Cisco wireless router. My favorite pair of shoes is my Allen Edmonds MacAllister wingtips and my second favorite pair is my Lucchese full-quill ostrich boots. Sadly, I don't get to buy as many shoes as I want but at least the ones I do buy should last me quite a while.

[Orrex]

18. I am in no position to judge anyone for their "weird" hobbies

So I encourage you to enjoy your shoes, nerd or otherwise.