hey tech people. i just read over something about how heel-toe shifting is better for cornering and turning. Out of curiousty, what exactly is heel-toe and can is this a practical application to use during normal turning and such? i'd appreciate it if you could expalin what exaclty this is and how it can be done. thanks

 

in a nutshell, it's a way to downshift while braking. toe goes on the brake, press the cluth in, use your heel to rev up the gas, downshift, continue braking and then turn.

 

all it really is, is keeping your rpms in the meat of the powerband while downshifting. It also helps prevent the car from jerking while downshifting, so the car stays balanced. So, when you come out of a turn/corner you can get back on the throttle and your rpm's will be right there where you want em' to be. It takes some getting use to if you've never tried it before; you'll tend to overrev and jerk the car while downshifting......

 

To add to the question, I've tried it once or twice and is it really practical for someone with a size 12 shoe to do in a smaller car like a 90 Accord or Civic?

 

i have a size 15 shoe and i use a method i invented called "wide foot" since my foot is wide, i can hit the brakes and rev the gas without using my heel, just tilt my foot and hit the gas....hope that makes sense...much easier for people with big feet....feel free to try it, its simple as hell

 

when you are about to take a turn, apply brakes with your heel at usual stopping distance, at the same time shift into neutral and let the clutch out. while the clutch is out and the shifter is in neutral, rev the engine with the toes of your right foot while still using it to break. Push the clutch back in and down shift to proper gear, usually second, then you can transfer your right foot from the break to full throttle and release the clutch. All this is done quite quickly after PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
You will know you got it right because you will pull smoothly out of the turn, it's a great feeling, soooo much better than breaking through the turn and then downshifting after the turn wasting time, and losing revs.
It might be tricky at first, and it will be weird to do two things with your right foot, but it is totally natural for me now, I don't even think about it when I do it.
The same basic concept can be used when driving stright to. Say your behind someone that decides to turn right, and you have to slow down for them. Instead of just downshifting after slowing down and getting the jerking, you can shift to neutral (remember to release clutch, so your tranny and engine can equalize speeds) rev engine, downshift, pull smoothly out

 

lol sorry to go OT but seano, that is the funniest damn avatar ive ever seen..

 

hehe, thanks

 

my friend once tried out my other friend's new 2002 civic si and he said he had to use "toe-heel" instead of "heel-toe" on that car becuz the gas pedal is way lower than the brake pedal. he was good at it though

 

Well the gas pedal is lower than the brake pedal on pretty much every car, but when you push the brakes in, it brings you closer to the gas.

 

..another thing heel/toe is good for, even when not racing, is quicker deceleration in a hairy situation. Thing you gotta watch out for is people behind you who aren't paying attention, such as when people suddenly hit their brakes on the freeway....i hate when that happens...just a sudden wall of cherry red brake lights, that sh*t always scares' the sh*t outta me when traffic suddenly comes to a quick stop.....one of my biggest fears is getting rear ended by some fawkwad who's not paying attention when a situation like that happens on the freeway..

 

which brings this to another point. nice pedal covers. there is a reason for getting them, good ones. the ones with the height adjustments. it extends the throttle pedal closer to the brake pedal and you can level them both to meet on the same plane as you depress the brake and blip the throttle. usually throttle and brake covers is all you need. but i have all four, including the dead pedal (the riceboi in me ).
i blip my motor every time i downshift. scares most drivers around me. :D
stan

 

here ya go :
Heel toe shifting the full run down...

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving..._heeltoe.lasso

 

Cool! I have also heard of some people who use their heel to step on the brake, and their toes on the gas pedal. I guess this would work better for cars that have the gas pedal attached at the bottom.