Heel and Toe

[Tarmac]

Ok, can any of you heel and toe afficionadoes please explain the proper way to do this? I know this probably sounds ridiculous, but I'm having serious trouble trying to do this properly, no matter how hard I try. I always end up hitting the brake way too hard with my heel and then, on occasion, by toe slips off the accelerator Is there a special trick to picking this up properly or will I just accept that it's something i'm rubbish at? I watched a vid that someone (i think mark) posted of him driving in Cadwell Park last year. he made the heel and toe thing look like riding a bike!

 

[Duncs]

well, perhaps i am wrong but i brake with the ball of my foot and 'blip' the throttle with basicly the side on my foot.

 

[Wootty]

I'd love to find out how to do this properly.

I've tried using my heel on the brake then toeing the throttle but cant get the right ammount of feel on the brake. Then tried toes on the brake and trying to blip the throttle with my heel only to cramp up. So at Hullavington i was mainly using engine brakeing - which is not the best for racing (cough cough) proper driving

So if there is a video or something out there pease let me know.

 

[User]

Heel & Toe will help you down change gear smoothly, and will avoid frying your clutch and stressing out engine mounts etc.

Ok, heel and toe - as simple as I can explain it :-

Left foot - stays on clutch. End of story.

Right foot :-

Let's imagine you're in 4th gear, coming up to a bend, you need to change down a gear to 3rd.

Come off the gas pedal
Move right foot onto brake and start braking
Press clutch in
Move gear from 4th to 3rd

DONT BRING CLUTCH UP

Instead:-

Keeping your toe on the brake, swivel your right foot so you can tap the gas pedal with the right side of the lower part of your foot - you wont be hitting it with your full heel, just the right side of your heel, and flick the revs up.

Do this - hit the gas and flick the revs up to match the engine speed you are going to get when you bring the clutch up and engage 3rd

Once the revs are up, bring clutch up.

That's a smooth change down - you've been braking all the time, and you've change gear, but because you've flicked the revs up before bring the clutch up - you've got the engine speed and transmission speed the same so the engine has not been lunging and rocking around in the engine bay or the clutch worn unnecessarily.

If you can't get the hang of it I'll video myself doing it in slow motion but It'll take a few days because my camera is out on loan atm.

 

[Wootty]

Nice write up.... xthumbup

I was trying that roll over method in the end but I think I need bigger feet... :lol:

 

[Tarmac]

Thanks for that User. I had been trying to do it the opposite way (brake with heel and blip with toes). If you can do a video of you doing it in slo-mo - that would be absolutely perfect. I'd imagine I'm not the only person it would help out!

Thanks again xthumbup :xnworthy:

 

[User]

No probs, this is not in slo-mo - but well worth checking these two out and watching the foot camera :-

http://www.superhonda.com/video/DC2RvsDC5R1.wmv

http://www.superhonda.com/video/DC2RvsDC5R1.wmv

8)

 

[g-zone]

Those are good vids.

I've now got the hang of H&T and I learned from this:

http://www.mx-5.org/oxford/driving.htm

Just practice the exercises on this site and you'll soon be able to do it. The key is getting the blip right. It's actually a good hard shove on the throttle with the revs quite high to get a smooth downshift.

 

[crazy_catfish]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... urburgring :wink:

 

[Crisis]

Interesting. Glad someone explained that.

 

[kingston]

Did anyone get the Road Angel/Autocar guide to art control a few months ago?

It covers it all in that. Got it through the post

 

[Wootty]

I think I've got the hang of it now too.

The problem I had when trying it out was that i was not braking hard enough. Just practising by covering the brake pedal then trying to blip the throttle cant be done as the pedals are not inline. I Know it sound obvious (doh!) but when you are braking harder then the throttle pedal is the same level as the brake and then you can twist your foot round and roll it over so the heel pushes the throttle pedal.

Do it quite a lot now :lol:

Also - for the older generation - if your wearing your Cuban heels its easier too :lol:

 

[kingston]

Your not meant to use your heel dude, unless youve got really small feet?

 

[Duncs]

i have small narrow 'ish' feet so i can do it but i struggle i am looking at making an extension to the accelerator pedal which i will fit for track days.

 

[Wootty]

Your not meant to use your heel dude, unless youve got really small feet?

Strange - I thought it was called Heel and Toe - not Toe and Side of Foot.. :lol:

Fek - you must have big feet then :shock: - my little size 8's fall through the gap like duncs if i just roll my foot over. I have to twist my foot round then roll it over and extend hy heel down. That why i sometime get cramp when doing it.

Be interested in your adaptor plate Duncs - get some pice up when you've done it.

 

[Tarmac]

likewise - i've little size 8's myself so that adapter sounds interesting. all the same, i doubt those japanese drivers have flippers of feet, so maybe it just takes practice...

 

[Duncs]

if you go to halfrauds some of their after market pedal sets have extensions on the accelarator pedal fitted,
i'm just to tight to spend £30
those with big feet might find these dangerous as you would be close to the brake!!!!

 

[kingston]

If im able to ill scan in the mag i got that explains it all there, but in User's post, it tells you hwo to do it there...

I have size 10/11 feet though ive got some shoes in size 12 (my Oakley Racing shoes and i think my carbon fibre ski boots 8) 8) 8) :shock:

 

[SiKBoY]

I blip the throttle with my heel with varying degrees of pressure on the brake, you'll find that after 6 months or so you will do this instinctivly without thinking. No matter what I drive I tend to do this now, its great for making the car smoother but also very good for those 'Ultra Super Late Braking Techniques' often used on Initial D

Now lets move on to left foot braking.....................

 

[rayray]

I blip the throttle with my heel with varying degrees of pressure on the brake, you'll find that after 6 months or so you will do this instinctivly without thinking. No matter what I drive I tend to do this now, its great for making the car smoother but also very good for those 'Ultra Super Late Braking Techniques' often used on Initial D

Now lets move on to left foot braking.....................

hah I was thinking about Initial D when you mentioned the "ultra super late braking!! :lol: "

As with heel and toe, its just the matter of practicing swiveling your leg so that your heel can get good contact with the throttle. Upon mastering this, heel and toe should be easier. try practising with the car in neutral and just the right foot part to blip the throttle without touching the clutch. Ive found after driving a fair number of cars, the integra is by far one of the more heel and toe friendly cars out there..