A few days ago, I embarked on my journey to learn the heel/toe method. I don't see any way around that if one is serious about properly driving an MT car.

The first day was terrible, with only 2 barely tolerable results out of about 10 attempts. But today, I'm doing much better, with more hits than misses, so I'm encouraged. The feeling of being able to downshift while braking is really cool!

I'm finding that using my heel on the throttle pedal isn't working that well, since with my size 10 shoe my heel is usually so low on the throttle pedal that I can't get enough leverage. Instead, if I do more of a toe/toe method by rolling my foot, that seems to work better. An intermediate approach which is also showing some promise is to use a combination of the toe and heel (basically, much of the right side of the foot) on the throttle pedal.

The thing that makes me most nervous at this point is being inadvertently too far to the right on the brake pedal, to the extent of possibly slipping off the brake pedal under hard braking. To reduce this risk, can the pedals be shifted or extended, and is that a good idea?

Before I form any bad habits or make this harder than it needs to be, I'd appreciate any advice and experiences you guys can offer.

 

Lol! I am in the same position like you! I usually try this when getting off freeways, feels good when you get it right, I'm getting 50% success rate!

 

you can youtube lots of examples.

guy I know is an instructor w/ his own GT3 (2010)... I asked him same thing..

For daily driving he agrees that the brake pedal feels high, and it is a stretch to the gas pedal...

anyway, he puts the left half of the ball of the right foot on the brake pedal (yes, I've tried somewhat and it feels like you might slip off)... and rolls his ankle to blip the gas pedal... (basically same move it sounds like you're describing)..

obviously the gas blip is easier once the brake is mashed for a real racing corner..

I agree about the 6MT comment... keep it up.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check youtube.

Agreed that the rolling foot method seems almost impossible unless the brake pedal is already down pretty far. That's why I wish I could use the heel instead, but my foot seems about a 1/2" too long for that. Keeping my foot farther left on the brake pedal does make using the heel more feasible, but then the required twist of the foot becomes a lot. Darn tradeoffs!

Maybe it will just be a matter of more practice.

 

Interesting he? I am thinking that you want to make sure, the most important activity is taken care of in each and every control movement. In this case I am suggesting that the brake is the most important part /element of the movement. Failing that movement will get you in deep trouble. So, I make sure the foot sits on the brake FOR SURE, secondary movement is the roll of the foot to get the revs up. Sheer fun.... look what all the 2-pedalers are missing!!

 

Might as well watch a master:


Notice all of the throttle adjustments in the curves.

 

practice in your garage for a long time...practice the whole sequence.... brake...clutch...shift...blip...clutch release...

the problem in practicing on the street is that you don't need the brake pressure you need on the track so the pedals don't line up that well for the side foot method.

then find a large empty parking lot, I used the side of a long high school on sat and sun morning....build up some speed (you don't need alot at first) and practice the blip with no shift....then add the clutch and shift after a while


I use the original heel/toe method since i feel i have better control of the blip with my heel and ankle flexibility is not that great.


I dont think on the track you should worry about heel-toe your first year or so...but in time it will be needed.

good luck

 

OK, unrelated to heel/toe, but I have to share this:

 

That video only illustrates how poorly I drive my car with regards to heel/toe.

 

Manifold,
Install some Rennline pedals. They have a significantly different shape than the oem and will make it possible. Some people will never be able to H/T with oem. There are lots of threads about the various extensions you can also purchase as necessary. Although I was well trained in HT technique, I never could get it right with the oem materials.

I first learned to HT at a Corvette driving school. We accelerated to about 90 mph and then HT'd all the way back through the gears, including first. We went up one side of the strip and then down the other and did this for an entire morning or so it seemed - many, many times. You had to pass that "test" with an instructor in the car before they would turn you loose on the track. Some never got to the track. In other words, this is not something that is instinctive nor learned in ten minutes. If you can find a proper place to practice without getting busted or irritating the neighborhood, invest the time. It's tougher to learn on the track with so much other stuff going on. Have fun, it's a real nice feeling once you get it down and especially so when it becomes reflexive which it eventually does. Best,

PS: HT is virtually worthless for street driving. You simply cannot generate the speeds and decelerations needed to make it worthwhile. This ain't a technique you use on the way to the grocery store. If you do use it on the street, perhaps you should be checking out the good folks that do bail bonds........safe travels......

 

Watching those H/T videos on youtube freaks me out. Its crazy how they do it. Everythings just super fast break/blip/clutch or whatever.takes a beating on the ankel. What a skill to learn though. Good luck manifold

 

Steamboat's advice on the Rennline pedals is good. i failed to mention I do have them installed.

 

Another video https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...t-braking.html

 

Great thread. I've spent some time watching a few YT videos, practicing in my garage, and then out on some backroads...not too much success here either. I actually have a larger foot, but still feel as though I need to do more of a 'roll' method than heel/toe (more of a ball-of-foot to pinkie-toe transition).

I think it's one of those things that only practice will help...and I'm finding out that only practice with more aggressive braking (and maybe Rennline pedals w/ extensions) will do.

Here's a great vid with Hurley Haywood going through the motions while the car is parked. The host is a bit of a goob, but the instructions from Haywood are great:

 

yep, and that's where the pedal will be when on track/at high speed braking. technically there's no need to do it on the street (save for practicing) so the pedal heights and esp travel are set up for track use. stuttgart already thought of this.