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Subject You wanna learn how to heel-toe? Here's a writeup w/ pics>>>
     
Posted by John Y(Houston) on January 03, 2002 at 12:22 PM
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Message The heel-toe method is used to get you into and out of a corner the fastest way possible with a standard manual transmission. The easiest way to learn how to heel-toe is to break it down into two techniques: Rev matching and the footwork. The rev matching is, in my opinion, the hardest part of it the technique. I heel-toe in my daily driver every day and I still mess up the rev matching part of it now and then. Basically what you are doing is raising or lowering the engine RPMs to match the driveline speeds (ie: speed of the wheels turning). If you've ever downshifted and gotten that lurch before the car took off its because you did not rev match. The engine was moving at a different speed than the rest of the driveline and that lurch was from the two systems coming into sync. When you rev match you are making sure that the two systems are moving at the same rate so you get a smooth gear change.

Rev Matching
I'm going to make up RPM speeds but say you are in 4th gear traveling at 60mph @ 2500 RPMs and you want to downshift to 3rd gear. If you just put the clutch in, downshift then release the clutch you will get that lurch I talked about earlier and the RPMs would climb. Well when you rev match instead of just releasing the clutch in that situation you would blip the throttle a bit to get the RPMs up before letting out the clutch. If you get the correct RPM then the gear change will be done without disturbing the car's stability. Basically you should still be travelling at 60MPH except you will be in 3rd gear and the only difference you should notice is that the RPMs should jump (maybe around 5500 or so) but the car shouldn't lurch at all. You can practice this technique going in a straight line. Just drive along on a clear road at about 60mph and try switching between 3rd, 4th and 5th gear and try and keep the car stable and the MPH constant. Let me also emphasize that this is where a lightened flywheel comes in handy. The rev matches go much more smoothly and you dont have to be as precise with your RPM matching if you have one. Practice this technique and you'll be able to move onto the footwork part of heel-toeing.

Footwork
Basically what you will be doing with your feet is that your left foot will be engaging with the clutch pedal as normal. Your right foot, however, will be a bit busier as it needs to work both the brake and the gas at the same time. The same time, you ask? Yes. The traditional heel-toe foot positioning is as follows... (No comments about my ugly pedals, please. I know they are ugly but they make it easier to heel-toe)

Your 'toes' are on the top part of the brake pedal while your heel is on the lower part of the gas pedal.

However, my preferred method is like this...

The foot is placed between the two pedals and I can rotate my foot left and right to get either the gas or the brake or I can push on both pedals at the same time if need be.

Putting them together
Here's the scenario: You're barrelling down a straight in 4th gear at 100mph and you're coming up on a right hander that you need to be in 3rd gear for when you come out of the turn for optimum power. Here's what you do...

1. Left foot clutch in, right foot move into position to heel-toe and push down on the brake.

2. Right foot blip the throttle while still braking and do the gear change to 3rd.

3. Left foot ease out of the clutch and right foot move back to the throttle.

4. Turn and accelerate out the corner.

Practice, practice, practice! Once you get the basic concepts down then start to do it at every turn on your drive to work or wherever. It gets easier the more often you do it and eventually it will just become a natural thing to do. And a couple of parting tips my driving instructer told me before I wrap it up. Always brake in a straight line to minimize the chance of a spin due to the weight shift and remember that the shift knob is not an 'oh-shit' bar for the driver. Keep your hands off the shift knob except when changing gears. Both hands on the wheel. :) Happy racing!


John Yim (Houston)
91 ZTT Stage...stages are confusing. Just read the mods. :)
30 BP, Houston Region SCCA
"...Just as they're about to catch me... Twin... Turbos... Kick... In..."


     
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