Heel-Toe on track

[Howardwei]

Hey Guys,

I was wondering if you come up to a corner that you could take with 30-35 mph but you were initially at say 7mph. Do you just brake until you hit the 30-35 mph and heel toe? I found that its quite hard to downshift into gear right after you blip the throttle. I always have to shift first then blip then clutch out.

Sorry if it's too vague, let me know and thanks!

[trippinbillies40]

The idea of heel-toe is two-fold: first, you allow the engine deceleration to act as additional braking force. Secondly, you complete the shift to a lower gear while braking so you don't spend time coasting after the brake zone getting into the right gear before you get back on the gas.

So, usually I'll start my braking to get the balance of the car right, and once the weight is transferred to the front of the car, I'll move my heel over and give a quick blip while moving the shifter to the lower gear, then let the clutch out. The key is to get as close as possible to a perfect rev match so you don't jerk the car by letting the clutch out. In an extreme instance, you'll lose the back end doing this and end up giving a hokey pokey clinic by turning yourself around.

Here's a video of me messing around in my Lemons car showing plenty of heel toe action:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJH3yU5TmUw"]Driving the Lemon at Putnam Park - YouTube[/ame]

Let me know if you need me to clarify anything.

[GTM_Challenge]

The more you slow down, the larger blip you need. How you come off the clutch is probably the most important part of the whole mess.

[Howardwei]

Originally Posted by trippinbillies40

The idea of heel-toe is two-fold: first, you allow the engine deceleration to act as additional braking force. Secondly, you complete the shift to a lower gear while braking so you don't spend time coasting after the brake zone getting into the right gear before you get back on the gas.

So, usually I'll start my braking to get the balance of the car right, and once the weight is transferred to the front of the car, I'll move my heel over and give a quick blip while moving the shifter to the lower gear, then let the clutch out. The key is to get as close as possible to a perfect rev match so you don't jerk the car by letting the clutch out. In an extreme instance, you'll lose the back end doing this and end up giving a hokey pokey clinic by turning yourself around.

Here's a video of me messing around in my Lemons car showing plenty of heel toe action:

Let me know if you need me to clarify anything.

I guess I just don't really understand because I would see some ppl heel toe twice for a single corner. but base on what you did. even if you are in 5th gear you could slow down fast enough to go from 5th directly to 3rd? Is it more like predicting what speed range you are going to be in during the initial brake like you said as the weight of the car is transfer to the front then you heel toe according to the speed at that moment? and also I think what you did was you blip after you first shift to the lower gear correct?

[GTM_Challenge]

Originally Posted by Howardwei

I guess I just don't really understand because I would see some ppl heel toe twice for a single corner. but base on what you did. even if you are in 5th gear you could slow down fast enough to go from 5th directly to 3rd? Is it more like predicting what speed range you are going to be in during the initial brake like you said as the weight of the car is transfer to the front then you heel toe according to the speed at that moment? and also I think what you did was you blip after you first shift to the lower gear correct?

This is usually due to styles. Some people rev match through the gears (what I do personally), others would go 5th-3rd. It's all personal preference.

[Howardwei]

wouldn't going through the gear waste more time and increase your chance to corner not as precise as you wanted it to be?

[GTM_Challenge]

Originally Posted by Howardwei

wouldn't going through the gear waste more time and increase your chance to corner not as precise as you wanted it to be?

If you're doing it while slowing down still, there is no lost opportunity that you could be accelerating instead. It truly is an art that takes years to get down just right.

[Howardwei]

You meant if I have to slow down anyway there is no loss of acceleration opportunity right?

[Howardwei]

It's just that some corners don't require that big of a brake which render me in a weird feet position to heel toe.. Especially driving around town

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Howardwei

I guess I just don't really understand because I would see some ppl heel toe twice for a single corner. but base on what you did. even if you are in 5th gear you could slow down fast enough to go from 5th directly to 3rd? Is it more like predicting what speed range you are going to be in during the initial brake like you said as the weight of the car is transfer to the front then you heel toe according to the speed at that moment? and also I think what you did was you blip after you first shift to the lower gear correct?

Always go into the gate, even if you don't let the clutch out. This will reduce wear on your synchros, and extend transmission life.

[trippinbillies40]

Originally Posted by Howardwei

I guess I just don't really understand because I would see some ppl heel toe twice for a single corner. but base on what you did. even if you are in 5th gear you could slow down fast enough to go from 5th directly to 3rd? Is it more like predicting what speed range you are going to be in during the initial brake like you said as the weight of the car is transfer to the front then you heel toe according to the speed at that moment? and also I think what you did was you blip after you first shift to the lower gear correct?

In the Putnam video, I'm never in fifth. It's always 4 to 3 in T-1 and 3 to 2 in T-7. I will do multiple heel-toes in a corner if I'm going down two gears, ie. at Mid Ohio.

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by Howardwei

It's just that some corners don't require that big of a brake which render me in a weird feet position to heel toe.. Especially driving around town

It takes a lot of practice. A lot. Everyone develops habits, especially while driving, and learning to heel-toe feels awkward at first because it just doesn't feel right. It's not something that just suddenly "clicks" and you're a pro. Practice...

If you're only slowing a small bit, you may not need to downshift at all. You can bleed off speed simply by turning into the corner, the tire's lateral friction will chew off a few mph. If this makes you fall out of the power curve to exit the turn, then you may have been in too high of a gear to begin with. A heel-toe downshift can be performed very quickly with enough practice.

Learn to pivot your foot around the brake pedal without changing how much pressure you're applying. Even if it's light pressure. The exact motion and placement you feel comfortable with can vary, but typically you use the inner ball of your foot to brake, and the side of your heel to blip/rev the throttle (as mentioned above). This constant pressure is easier to apply under hard braking, but takes more skill and sensitivity under light braking.

If you're braking you can downshift as many gears as necessary, as long as it doesn't prevent you from accelerating when you need to. I also prefer to downshift single gears one at a time as I'm slowing down.

[Howardwei]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

It takes a lot of practice. A lot. Everyone develops habits, especially while driving, and learning to heel-toe feels awkward at first because it just doesn't feel right. It's not something that just suddenly "clicks" and you're a pro. Practice...

If you're only slowing a small bit, you may not need to downshift at all. You can bleed off speed simply by turning into the corner, the tire's lateral friction will chew off a few mph. If this makes you fall out of the power curve to exit the turn, then you may have been in too high of a gear to begin with. A heel-toe downshift can be performed very quickly with enough practice.

Learn to pivot your foot around the brake pedal without changing how much pressure you're applying. Even if it's light pressure. The exact motion and placement you feel comfortable with can vary, but typically you use the inner ball of your foot to brake, and the side of your heel to blip/rev the throttle (as mentioned above). This constant pressure is easier to apply under hard braking, but takes more skill and sensitivity under light braking.

If you're braking you can downshift as many gears as necessary, as long as it doesn't prevent you from accelerating when you need to. I also prefer to downshift single gears one at a time as I'm slowing down.

I'm just a little confused now. It's been really good help from you guys. So say I'm at 50mph and I slow down for a corner and not knowing what's the proper speed. Wouldn't it always be good to shift to a lower gear? For ex. Like going through all the gear till like maybe 2nd gear since I take most street corners with 20 mph? Lower gears give you more torque right?
And do you shift into gear before you blip?

[KKaWing]

My go-to video clip when anyone asks.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxGtx9xXhlM"]Heel and Toe Braking - Shifting Technique Tutorial: Hooked On Driving - YouTube[/ame]