The Best Sim Racing Boots and Socks: Buyer’s Guide

Featured image: my Sparco K-Run kart boots

Kart boots, race boots, sim racing shoes or socks – what should you wear on your feet in the sim? I compared my own race boots and kart boots on my Heusinkveld Sprint pedals, and for the money it has to be karting boots, the Sparco K-Run specifically. Socks are a no from me, but if you prefer them there are a couple of grippy sim racing socks worth a look as well.

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As a racer, I’m naturally going to want a similar pedal feel close to what I’d expect in the car. I’ve found that the edges of the Heusinkveld pedals have quite a sharp edge. Not sharp enough to cut you (obviously!!) but certainly enough to start to hurt after a while, especially if like me, you drive with a shifter and spend a lot of time using heel/toe for downshifts.

Unless you’re Max Verstappen, it’s nice to use race boots of some type on the pedals. Ordinary footwear tends to be too thick in the sole area, which can rob pedal feel. I don’t know if this is how everyone feels, but certainly the people I’ve spoken with all say they wear some sort of footwear for pedal work.

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Why wear sim racing boots in the simulator?

Back in 2020 I tested three pairs on my Heusinkveld Sprints. The Alpinestars Tech 1T race boots are soft and thin-soled with loads of pedal feel, but I felt the edges of the aluminium pedals were gradually damaging the thin outer. The Sparco Skids (my choice for the Mazda that season) are stiffer, and a hard suede section around the outer edge gives a really nice amount of throttle control. The Sparco K-Run kart boots are the stiffest by some way, and after a month there was almost no visible wear on my throttle foot.

There are a few things that decide how well a boot works on the pedals, whether it’s a kart boot, a race boot or a sim racing shoe.

Pedal feel

A thinner sole gives you more pedal feel, which makes it easier to be smooth on the throttle and the brake.

Laces and straps

Some boots add a Velcro strap, like my Sparco Skids, which also have an offset lace.

Choosing your boot size

Every maker’s size chart is a little different, so check the chart on the product page before you order. Matt Westby has wide feet, and in his Sparco K-Pole video on YouTube he went half a size up in the K-Pole and found they fitted well, with room for his toes.

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Some drivers prefer socks, but an ordinary pair gives you no protection from the pedal edges and very little grip on the pedal plates. If you do go that way, get a sim racing sock with a grippy sole.

Syncmesh Pace S1 Sim Racing Socks

The Syncmesh Pace S1 is a sim racing sock with a silicone patterned sole, which gives you some grip on the pedal plates instead of sliding about on them. Syncmesh says there’s compression built into the sock, too.

They’re 90 percent cotton and 10 percent spandex, and you can wash them by hand or in the machine. They don’t cost much, either, so they’re an easy way to find out whether driving in socks suits you.

Cube Controls G+ Sim Racing Socks

Cube Controls makes a sim racing sock too, sold as the Gplus Racing Socks. They’re made in what Cube Controls calls a “no-stress” fabric, and there’s an internal gel pad in the heel of each sock.

Only the left sock has a PVC grip on the sole, which puts it under your clutch foot on a three-pedal set, or your brake foot if you left-foot brake.

Karting boots are still my pick over socks, and Sparco makes the two that follow, the K-Pole and the K-Run I tested in 2020.

Sparco K-Pole Karting Boots

The Sparco K-Pole is a karting shoe, and Matt Westby found he had a bit more throttle feel in it than in a pair of Vans trainers he tried. The upper is microfibre with a matt finish, and inside there are lateral and heel reinforcement inserts.

It’s fastened with thin, flat laces, and the natural rubber sole has a differentiated grip texture to stop your foot slipping on the pedal face.

What’s also great about karting boots is they’re available in so many more colours. Sparco sells the K-Pole in lots of them.

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Sparco K-Run Kart Boots

In 2020, the K-Runs were the cheapest pair in my test.

On the sim, these boots really stand out. They happen to be the stiffest boots by some way, which in my view is exactly what’s needed with the Heusinkveld pedals. I think (with all due respect to the manufacturer) the cheaper upper is simply harder wearing than real leather. And that hard-wearing feature works well with pedals. Particularly if you have grip tape on yours. All of this is with no loss in pedal feel, as the sole is as thin and grippy as on my Alpinestars and Sparco Skids.

Sparco Hyperdrive Sim Racing Boots

The Sparco Hyperdrive is designed specifically for sim racing.

I suspect the tall “sock” that covers the lower ankles would be really useful to alleviate tiredness during endurance racing. They look good, too.

Sparco says the Hyperdrive uses technology from the X-Light+, its top racing shoe.

The upper is a knitted sock, which Sparco describes as “ultra-breathable, enveloping and extra-lightweight”.

Alpinestars now makes a dedicated sim shoe too, the Tech Gaming Shoes, which were £74.99 on its UK store on 28 September 2026.

What are the best boots for sim racing?

For the money, it has to be the Sparco K-Run kart boots. I’d choose them over the race boots because of the price, but also because that stiffness is precisely right for years of aggressive sim racing. They’ll last an age. I’m not sure why you’d want FIA approved racing boots for sim use, either – you’re paying for approval for real-life motorsport, which just doesn’t apply here. My recommendation – go sim racing in karting boots.

If you’d rather drive in socks, the Syncmesh Pace S1 has grip under both feet, and the Cube Controls G+ has it under your left foot. Either way, a good set of racing gloves is the next thing I’d sort out, and I’ll see you out on track!

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