for those that can do this in your honda. Is it easy for you to keep the same brake pressure when you blip the throttle. I have the concept 100% in my mind but when i try to blip the throttle i hit the brake real hard by accident. I think it might be because my large feet and large shoes. I just don't know what to try to make it smooth.

 

keep trying. i have size 16', so i feel ur pain. just keep at it and u'll get a feel for it
-spenc

 

Are you moving your whole foot?

Try 'simply' to roll the outer edge of your right foot onto the gas pedal for the 'blip'.

I can do this kind of maneuver quite comfortably in my car with stock pedals and size 10 shoes.

 

I am trying to role the edge of my food while keeping the toe on the brake. but the gas is so much lower than the brake that its like i have to press down my entire foot just to get the heel to touch the gas. I have to be hitting the brake pedal with around the middle of my foot to be able to rotate the heel over. Do any of you all have video of foot work during your races?

 

From what I understand, the optimal time for the heel-toe maneuver is towards the end of the braking portion of a turn. Thus, shouldn't your brake pedal be depressed forward significantly enough to have it near parallel to the face of the gas pedal?

This is how I've practiced my timing and it works well enough that I can blip the throttle with a stock configuration.

 

my pedal doesn't go that far down. might be because i keep fresh fluid in at all times causing the pedal to be firm and not need that much pressure to go down much. I want to try to find some very thin shoes to try out. maybe i'll look into some soon

 

practice practice practice practice...notice a trend...for the longest time I could not do this then I started to practice the movements when the car was off, then on the back roads, then i can do it now with out thinking, its all about practicing...but if you have big feet you have to adapt to the movements....

my .03 cents

 

I agree with Acura Racer. I do it automatically even in rush hour traffic. It took me about 2 weeks to learn, just casually driving around. Now (with my Skate Shoes) I can do it perfectly every time with minimal concetration.

 

i agree...takes alot of practice...i had the same problem when i started doing it, just try different methods and find whats best for you....

i do it al lil differently than others have described...i put the ball of my foot on teh brake pedal...rotate my ankel so my heel hits the gas pedal...when i go to blip i just let my ankle flex so it doesnt push the brake harder than i need to good luck!

 

ryan12321, what car do you drive?

I might suggest trying to bend your pedals, or adding pedal pads to get them to the right height. Ideally, when the brake is depressed it should be at the same level, or slightly higher than the gas. This allows you to roll your foot onto the gas with minimal effort. The other issue *could* be that your pedals are too far apart. Having them closer makes things easier, as long as you don't start hitting both pedals by mistake.

 

Careful what you wish for regarding pedal travel. I think your brake pedal is just right. In street driving it is harder in my opinion to make smooth downshift like this because you are braking much easier than on the track. On the track the brake pedal goes father down since you are braking a lot harder. For example my Talon has perfect heel&toe pedal placement on the street because under normal braking, both pedals are just at the right height. However, on the track the brake pedal is way lower than the gas pedal because of the harder braking. So yeah I do have a great heel&toe car to impress the pedestrians for the street, but it sucks for the track or autox. What good is that?

 

I have a 00 si. Even under hard braking my brake pedal is far above the gas pedal and it is a good bit to the right. I might try adding something to the pedal to make it farther out which should help me. I think the thing i need to get used to is being able to flex my ankle more and not just press down.


alex: I don't have that problem at all, even when i am braking on the track or even threshold braking on the street when nobody is around my pedal is nowhere near even. It just seems like in the 99-00 si's they put the gas down in the corner of the foot area.

 

Practice, practice, and then practice some more. The heel-toe is invaluable IMO, even though I'm just a rookie

 

i second that. i have a much easier time on track, because my brake pedal is better aligned with the gas...but it was lots of practice on the street to get it close, then it was almost easier when i first went on track.

dan

 

Does anybody know where you can buy individual pedals. I just want the gas pedal becasue if i got a whole set it'd move the height fo the brake up too and then i wouldn't be accomplishing anything.

I also have a problem with my knee hitting the steering column under the wheel. My legs are too long and when i try to rotate it hits so its limiting my flexibility. Anybody else have this problem?

 

momo and sparco pedals can be bought individually from your local motorsports shops..

 

I do, and did this: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=287833

It helps, but I still need a lot more practice to be able to do it perfectly every time.

As for other pedal covers, I really like the look of the OMP 1863 pedal, though I have no personal experience with it. A lot of people recommend the Mugen set, but they're $$$.

 

it's not about how ur pedal sits...u just have to learn to adapt to it. it's all about rolling ur foot to get the gas. true that it is easier on the track, but if u practice daily in ur car, at the track it comes even easier. when i started, i used pedal covers to get the right feel, but afterwards, i like the feeling of stock pedals, just feels more sensitive.

 

1. Bend the accelerator or get a cover for it so that it is closer to the brake. Stock distances and puny accelerator size on Hondas/Acuras make it tough, especially if you have long legs.

2. When you brake, push the brake w/ the ball of your foot, and GET YOUR HEEL OFF THE FLOOR. Keeping your heel off the floor will make it easier to rotate your foot and blip while maintaining constant pressure; the brake pedal should be your one and only pivot point. Removing the floor mat (if you have one) helps improve clearance for your heel if it's a problem.

3. Practice a lot. Unfortunately, you can't drive on the street responsibly and practice the kind of braking you'll do on the track, but practicing on the street will still help your coordination of the hand/foot sequence, and the mechanics of rolling onto the accelerator.

4. On the track, give yourself plenty of time, perhaps more than you would otherwise, to brake, heel-toe, and downshift before turn in. As you get proficient w/ the sequence at a slow, controllable pace, you can brake later and increase the tempo.

This has worked for me - your results may vary. Good luck.

 

I do it this way too. It seems very few people do this though, is there any reason the "rolling the foot" technique is better. I've never used that because even with my size 12 feet the gap between the brake and accelerator is too big and I don't want to try bending my pedals when what I'm doing now seems to work pretty well... although it's never been "track tested".

 

thats what i need to work on. I always just rest my feet on the floor and push the pedals. I think if i just worked on braking without having the heel touch the floor i can make the transistion smoother. I also went out and tried a little harder and i was somewhat getting it right. I'm sure i'll get it after awhile, i'm just not used to having something this hard to do in driving.

 

I think you have to assess how the car is setup, how the driver fits into the car, and then do what you have to do to make it work. I learned to heel-toe in Corvettes and it was much easier. The pedals are closer together, there is more leg room, and your legs are at a different angle because of the seating position. In that case, I could simply roll my foot over sort of sideways and catch the accelerator. The right way is the way that works best for you.


[Modified by gjdavis, 4:00 AM 10/16/2002]