Heel & Toe

[Dr Forinor 0]

Anyone managed to get this art mastered ?

 

I used to try it on my (fun to drive) Rover 214SLi but the pedals were far apart, in the current Mazda 323 the brakes are very sensitive and I just cant manage it.

 

The fact that I cant twist my foot around comfortably enough might also make a difference, but the pedals in Corrado are closer, perhaps just use one half of the foot for the brake and the other half for the accelerator rather than twist the foot?

 

Is it easy to do in a Corrado compared to any other car you might have tried it in?

[24V Renshaw 0]

The corrado is a bit easier to do it in than others, but to be honest on the road its pretty much pointless anyway. On the track where you are braking right at the last second then maybe as it will help keep the car straight and not break traction...

 

Jay

[StuartFZR400 0]

Impossible on my C; the pedals are not aligned for that. Think I'd need a super flexy big toe or a bendy size 14 foot. The 16v response is so slow its pointless too.

[dinkus 10]

If you can do it then it's useful on the roads too - takes the strain off your clutch and if you get it spot on, you can hot-shift :lol:

 

I'm too tall to get my knee round under the steering wheel tho, so no-can-do.

 

I've got a video of a guy doing it in my last C tho...

[24V Renshaw 0]

The biggest problem with the C is the position of the accel pedal, its a bit too close to the bloody great plastic liner thingy

 

Jay

[dinkus 10]

It's not very easy, it has to be said - the pedals don't line up very well and there's not a lot of room for movement down there.

[chrishill 0]

I've never fully understood what you're supposed to do, I've read descriptions of the method but its obviously not something you can put over well in words, either that or i'm dense.

[Henny 0]

ummm. big feet don't help with that big plastic thing next to the throttle pedal... :roll:

[Ronan 0]

Yep I do it, a lot of the time. After doing it for a couple of years it becomes force of habit. It's not overly hard to do in the Rado, even when you're giving it some.

[corradophil 3]

Various racing drivers seem to do it differently, alot twist their foot to around towards being horizontal, but I saw Tiff Needell doing it with his foot vertical, one half on the break the other half tapping the throttle peddle.

 

I've tried it a few times, sometimes I get it right other times I don't, but I'm sure with practice I could do it well in my C.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

No point as Jay said.

 

Heel and toeing only came about because of a RWD car's tendency to lock the back wheels mid bend when changing down too many gears, too quickly (my old E30s were great for it). The purpose of H&T'ing is to match the gearbox output shaft speed to the road speed, thereby avoiding the rear wheels locking up. Obviously that just doesn't happen in FWD, just down shift and get on with it :-)

[Riley 0]

ive done this and double de clutching since i was about thirteen years old :D (started driving at 12)

 

if you can master the heel/toe in the car,then you can move on to double de clutching which really helps save your gear box when driving hard.

 

the rado isnt the easiest to do it in at first,but ya soon get used to it,i found the mk1 golf a lot easier.

 

edit:kev,fwd cars will tend to pitch or buck under hard down changes,heel and toe eliminates that and makes the gear change a lot smoother.

[Claret Badger 0]

it's easy in a RENTAL car

 

 

 

NOTHING HANDLES LIKE A HIRE CAR

[Kevin Bacon 5]

edit:kev,fwd cars will tend to pitch or buck under hard down changes,heel and toe eliminates that and makes the gear change a lot smoother.

 

Can't say I've ever noticed that in mine but mid bend in the wet, yeah it's feasible!

[veedub 0]

Claret Badger, Amen, there is no faster car than a rental!!

[StuartFZR400 0]

Im just glad I dont come across you hyper fast ralley drivers enroute to work - eeek :lol:

 

Changing gear mid-bend, next you'll be drifting the back, squaring off the corner to handbrake park up ahead of me, lol

 

For engine care, rather than performance;; as normal gear-changing I can see that if you are driving hard, then chopping it down a couple gears will mean that the re-engaging of the clutch will then mean the forward motion of the wheels+shaft will force the engine revs up, which isn't the best scenario. Whereas your heel&toe is just like bike blipping and means for an easy time on the engine.

[bcstudent 0]

Somebody better call Alonso and warn him that he's got competition from the new breed of Corrado driver :)

[rolex 0]

If you can do it then it's useful on the roads too - takes the strain off your clutch and if you get it spot on, you can hot-shift :lol:

 

 

 

i can shift up an down with no clutch in me works transit, 7.5t,an 18t lorrys, just got to get the revs right. :D

[veeDuB_Rado 0]

Be funny to do it in a Saxo :lol:

 

Could press all three pedals with one foot!

[Rob_B 0]

full throttle gear changes in works van are essential, need to keep the revs!!!

[craigowl 0]

StuartFZR400 said

Im just glad I dont come across you hyper fast ralley drivers enroute to work - eeek

 

Changing gear mid-bend, next you'll be drifting the back, squaring off the corner to handbrake park up ahead of me, lol

 

Quite agree.

This is what gets me about programs like "5th gear" the other night where that bint slewed around a race track in the old and new Mazda MX-5s screeching "what fun!"

I dare say it is, but most of us will never have the opportunity or inclination to get on a track and do that with the second-most expensive item we own.

The trouble is, you then get nobheads thinking it is OK to do it on the public highway. :wink:

[StuartFZR400 0]

I'd love to comment Craig, but I'd be getting way off topic.

[dinkus 10]

Heel & toe is for downchanges only and doesn't make you go any faster - it just smooths the changes out.

 

There are 2 techniques.

 

1. 'true' heel and toe - you brake as normal, then as you press the clutch to change down, you twist your right foot around so that your toes are still pushing the brake pedal and your heel is over the throttle. Change gear, then as you bring the clutch back up to engage the lower gear, you give the throttle a little blip with the heel of your right foot to match the revs.

 

2. the other method is the same timing, but instead of twisting your foot around, you just slide your foot over a bit so half of your foot is on the brake pedal and half is on the throttle.

 

It takes quite a bit of practice to get it right - if you do it too much you push the car forwards while you're braking and might hit something in front. If you don't do it enough then you've not really achieved anything. Similarly, it's quite hard to make sure you keep braking at the same force while you press the throttle at the same time.

 

I tried it for a while in my C (practiced on an airfield first!) and just gave up after a while - it's a pig to do with size 11 feet and unless you're braking very hard, is of little use. It's much easier to brake and slow down, then move your whole foot across to the throttle and match the revs that way.

 

If you want to see some really nuts braking - the guy showing us did left foot braking and heel toe. It was mental.

 

Brake with your left foot, then while braking, swap feet on the brake pedal (making sure you keep braking right on the point of locking the wheels), do the heel-toe change, swap feet back again and carry on driving - all within the space of about 2 seconds. :cuckoo:

 

It really is mind-blowing to watch, but don't try that on the road kids - he said there are very very few people that can do it properly and you are highly likely to mess it up and make a horrible mess.

[Walesy 0]

he said there are very very few people that can do it properly

 

You can bet that some of them are on this forum though Dink :wink:

[ben16v 0]

dinkus, i remember seeing the video clip was amazing

 

get the clip up again