Heel toe question..

[Boomy]

Pardon me for being really really ignorant here.

Do you poke the accelerator with the heel or with the toe?

How do you do this?

Some people keep the ball of the foot on the brake and blip the throttle with their toes/edge of foot, some will keep half a foot or their toes on the brake and blip the throttle with the side or heel of the foot it seems.

It really depends on the pedal setup i think.

[pistonbroke]

matching revs on downshifts is essential to stop the transmission snatching and the rear end temporarily locking up .

This is especially so with some competition clutches , these can be very feirce ad act more like an on / off switch than a clutch.

heel and toe makes the downshift smoother and faster when done properly .

On the track it means you can be on the brakes at the same time as downshifting

It is most effective with a  torquey engine  if you want to brake late  into a corner and downshift to the correct cog for a fast exit without making the rear end unstable  !

You could try driving without using the clutch at all , just accelerator and gearshifter , its quite easy once you get the hang .

[moody]

You just poke the accelerator before you let the clutch up.

I can do it and I'm a spastic.

Er.....  What can one say !!

Term 'heal and toe' demands a bit more complexity than that, there's three pedals remember.

If you get some tuition from an MSA official or study some footage of a professional driver, your understand it's not as easy as many think. Personally, I think it is very difficult to master, trying to implement it as a novice on the road could be dangerous and on track,  your be slow  I doubt it matters whether your heal or toe is either on the brake or throttle pedal, thats personal choice, I'd think.

But if your good at it, it would speed up your reactions and if your that good at it, go racing.    

[alsgsi]

I started to heel and toe when i bought my first car.....an old hillman imp.It was always stalling at lights and junctions and such so being able to brake,change gear and give it some throttle at the same time really helped.Now its about the only way i can drive...just habit.

Al

[V 8]

I have no idea what the effects of heel and toeing are as my busa has so little torque or power, that you could let the cluth out at any time, even when braking hard, and the rear wheels would still not lock up. I love my 'busa as it is soooo easy to drive, even for a numptie like me.

Now if you had a proper car like Tommo's V8, with massive torque and power, you need to be able to master it with appropriate mechanical sympathy and skillful driver input, which he appears to manage with consummate ease.

It must be a b***h to drive unless you're a god.

Aw shucks Jeff

[JeffC]

   

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

I have no idea what the effects of heel and toeing are as my busa has so little torque or power, that you could let the cluth out at any time, even when braking hard, and the rear wheels would still not lock up. I love my 'busa as it is soooo easy to drive, even for a numptie like me.

Now if you had a proper car like Tommo's V8, with massive torque and power, you need to be able to master it with appropriate mechanical sympathy and skillful driver input, which he appears to manage with consummate ease.

It must be a b***h to drive unless you're a god.

Aw shucks Jeff

You'll have to give him a big hug next time you see him Tommo      

[a4gom]

racing sandals all round.

[spence]

I started to heel and toe when i bought my first car.....an old hillman imp.It was always stalling at lights and junctions and such so being able to brake,change gear and give it some throttle at the same time really helped.Now its about the only way i can drive...just habit.

Al

Same as my Mini 1275GT then it was the only way i could drive the thing without it conking out.

Now all i have is a FIAT DIABLO.......Sorry DOBLO van which is ni-on impossible to do without going through the windscreen while wearing a set of steel toe capped boots.

[cast iron]

do it in the 350 just for the glorious V6 bark - plays havoc with the fuel economy, but who gives a dam

[Fangio2]

Interesting comments on this topic.

Can't really heel and toe in my old Westie, a bit cramped down there so I have to sort of soul and toe. Works ok, smoother, keeps the car composed and saves time.

When I learnt it in old TRs it was a necessity if you didn't want to run out of brakes and end up in a field somewhere.

[stewart pickles]

do it in the 350 just for the glorious V6 bark - plays havoc with the fuel economy, but who gives a dam

heel n toe,more like foot in mouth      

[markcoopers]

Force of habit for me, no real benefit on the road these days. Sam, the locking the rears is in part caused by dropping the clutch.......you hooligan.

Company car is it?

[V 8]

You could try driving without using the clutch at all , just accelerator and gearshifter , its quite easy once you get the hang .

only with a dog box and upshifts though

[stu999]

You could try driving without using the clutch at all , just accelerator and gearshifter , its quite easy once you get the hang .

only with a dog box and upshifts though

It can be done with an 'ordinary' box too...      

I once drove my Mini about for three months with no clutch. It was far easier to change starter motors...