Ultimate Altima Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 I was at mid-o 3 weeks ago and was heel-toeing all day on saturday (all of 1 time per lap)! They were all very nice, I never missed and it was a good day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Unless your in a racecar or driver's ed, do some practice on the street. I also do this with my heel OFF the floor. I started practicing various methods of heel/toe deceleration as a teenager. My mother of all people told me to practice it and gave me some basic pointers. She drove a corvette all through college and for a few years after and double clutching and heel/toe were normal for her. I had access to MANY manual shift cars and would heel/toe all of them. Each was different and required me to adapt a very flexible method of execution. Some I could roll my foot over, others I had to use my heel on the throttle and very rare, but I have even found it easier once to use my toe on the throttle. I did NOT like that method as you sacrifice braking feel. My daily drivers are all manual shift and I heel/toe 90% of the time. I find it amusing to heel/toe my Cummins diesel and it is alot of fun when driving my wife's new Mustang GT. Bottom line is that unrelenting practice is required everyday to make this a subconscious operation. Best of luck everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_2kgt Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 ...and it is alot of fun when driving my wife's new Mustang GT. Are the pedals in a better position on the new mustangs? I've only driven automatic ones, with mine (2002) I can't heel/toe w/o racing shoes on b/c the pedals are to close (or my feet are to big). I'd look kinna funny walking into work with a pair of Simpson heat shield shoes on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultimate Altima Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 My dad broke in his new blue racing shoes on the way to mid-o, he looked really funny in them at pizza hut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanrome Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 Unless the car has a lot of room in the footwell (Vipers, older Mustangs, etc.), I can usually only do it with the sides of my feet (in cars like my Vette and newer BMWs). Narrow racing shoes make it harder. Hard soled leather shoes are easiest for me with the method I'm forced to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted May 15, 2007 Share Posted May 15, 2007 ...and it is alot of fun when driving my wife's new Mustang GT. Are the pedals in a better position on the new mustangs? ... I dunno. I can heel/toe any of our cars in flip flops, running shoes, work boots...what ever. So I wouldnt be the best to ask. Try driving one if the opportunity arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markseven Posted May 15, 2007 Author Share Posted May 15, 2007 I've been practicing as much as my commute allows. As most of you, I now find it more comfortable to have my heel off the floorboard. Two things that I noticed were that I wasn't pressing the brakes hard enough to bring the pedal in line with the accelerator and that my foot wasn't high enough on the brake pedal - I was using my toes and upper part of the ball of my foot instead of using the complete ball of my foot... Once in five tries I'm able to get smooth H&T action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secret_Agent Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Dude, I am glad it worked out for you , but the SoCal HPDE RG 1 & 2 director warned us not to learn this on the track. I've been working on this on my daily commutes, and half the time I'm so focused on heel and toeing, that I'm driving worse than a woman in an SUV talking on a cell phone (that was a joke)... I can't imagine trying to learn this on the track! +1 on "not" learning at the track (unless you're in a bonafide race school like Skip Barber or Bondurant). I was recently at a NASA/CRA event at Firebird Raceway and had an amazing instructor (instructs for Bondurant and Ford). I spent all of one lap attempting to heel/toe properly when he told me to ditch and concentrate on finding the proper lines on the track. After my last session he gave me some great tips to practice during typical daily driving. I now can find the proper line AND heel/toe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 .... he gave me some great tips to practice during typical daily driving. ... Please share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markseven Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 +1 on "not" learning at the track (unless you're in a bonafide race school like Skip Barber or Bondurant). I was recently at a NASA/CRA event at Firebird Raceway and had an amazing instructor (instructs for Bondurant and Ford). I spent all of one lap attempting to heel/toe properly when he told me to ditch and concentrate on finding the proper lines on the track. After my last session he gave me some great tips to practice during typical daily driving. I now can find the proper line AND heel/toe There is much wisdom in the methodologies developed and taught by NASA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 .... he gave me some great tips to practice during typical daily driving. ... Please share. every downshift is a chance to practice I've also heard of purposefully going around a cloverleaf shifting & downshifting to practice H&T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secret_Agent Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 There is much wisdom in the methodologies developed and taught by NASA. There is if you happen to get coupled with a good instructor. I've heard some horror stories, however I think some of it may have to do with new drivers "thinking" they know it all and not liking what they're hearing from the instructor. @ Renntag, hell you can heel/toe in flip flops man! I have nothing that would be of interest to you! In all seriousness, kbrew hit it on the head. Once you get the basics down, every downshift is an opportunity to get comfortable doing it. I work on right foot positioning at stop lights, I constantly rev match now, even if it's a simple non heel/toe blip. I was taught that no matter what, learn to match the revs on downshift until it becomes second nature. It seems to be working . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renntag Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 There is if you happen to get coupled with a good instructor. I've heard some horror stories, however I think some of it may have to do with new drivers "thinking" they know it all and not liking what they're hearing from the instructor. Personalities may not be compatible as well. There are many factors. Your example is one. All of our instructors bring different strengths to the table. It is the students responsibility to listen to the instructor as well as create a line of communication with out feelings involved. I would suggest a student get their ego massaged elsewhere. @ Renntag, hell you can heel/toe in flip flops man! I have nothing that would be of interest to you! ... I mentioned that because there are many people watching this thread to gain some insight on the subject. You cant say "my instructor gave me the holy grail of info...." and not share. As for not having info for me, let me politely say you are wrong. The day I stop learning is the day I am pushing up daises. We will never know, everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.