Is heel and toeing...

[thom]

...doable on the Cerbie? It seems to me the pedals are quite close together so it should be easy to do.
Any opinions, please?


Thom

[phythian]

It's very doable Thom. It's also easy to have the brake and clutch moved in or out with respect to each other to set it up even better.

[thom]

That sounds good!

[AdamB]

Its problematic if you have the brake and clutch moved toward th driver as the Accelerator doesn't adjust (as far as I know) so the height difference between the 2 is too much unless your double jointed.

[olly]

I have only just been brave enough to try heel & toe, but it is certainly doable... I have a 4.2, so without the alloy pedle extensions found on some 4.5's, I don't know if it would make any difference though.....

[octane junkie]

I find it quite doable Thom - in fact I thought it was mandatory ???? That's how I was taught to drive (showing my age now.....)

[richb]

quote:
I have only just been brave enough to try heel & toe, but it is certainly doable... I have a 4.2, so without the alloy pedle extensions found on some 4.5's, I don't know if it would make any difference though.....

You do not need to be brave Olly, just practice at times when there is no pressure on you to get the downshift spot-on i.e. when there is no one else around. It really is pretty easy to do in a rough manner, it is however more difficult to get the throtle revs to rise to the right level with some acuracy. Practice getting the delicacy of touch required on the throttle with the outside of you foot. That said I used to occasionally drive a 3 speed crash box car so it was necessity, and on most 4 speeds sycro had always worn out on 2nd!

[tvrheart]

Up until almost a year ago I had never used heel and toeing thinking it was just for hardcore racing driver types! When I got my Chimaera I started practising when the roads were clear and within only a few weeks my success rate was about 95%. I now use heel and toeing all the time, it is great for making progress in a fast but smooth and safe way, also nice to give a blip of the throttle when approaching junctions just to show the Porkers what they're missing !!

[philshort]

I have tried this prior to my first trackday, and adjusted the pedals to suit. Still couldn't do it well enough, and when it mattered (chicane approaching at 130mph) any thoughts of heal and toe vapourised.

Would anyone care to explain how a normal mortal would attain this motoring nirvana? Is there some particular yoga position which will give the necessary flexibility to perform this ritual? My ankle seems only to flex in the one direction, which doesn't seem to allow operation of brake and throttle at the same time. Am I a freak, or am I missing something vital?


Phil

[GreenV8s]

quote:Would anyone care to explain how a normal mortal would attain this motoring nirvana? Is there some particular yoga position which will give the necessary flexibility to perform this ritual?

There are several different ways and you need to experiment to see which one is most comfortable. Generally you brake with the ball of your foot, and twist your foot so either your heel or toe overlaps the throttle pedal. Toe is easier to get sensitive throttle control but heel is easier to compensate for changes in pedal travel. Since I've got long legs I drive with my knees bent which makes it very uncomfortable to twist my foot while braking. So I use a third approach, brake with the ball of my foot off-center on the brake pedal and roll my foot slightly so the outer edge of my boot leans against the throttle pedal. Takes some getting used to, only works with the right shoes, could be quite dangerous if my shoes are wet/slippery so I use this technique with care.

Suggest you avoid learning this when it matters i.e. don't charge up to a corner, leave your braking to the last moment and then try it. But you do have to be braking quite hard to get the pedals in the right position, so the best bet is to practice it in a straight line on a quiet road.

Using heel and toe braking lets you leave your braking later and change gear under braking. If you leave your braking late enough to *need* heel and toe you can get into trouble if it goes wrong. The bail-out option is to keep the clutch down, stay on the brake and make sure you shed enough speed to get round the corner safely, then collect it together again on the other side.

Cheers,


Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

[WalterU]

I brake with the ball of my foot slightly off-centre on the brake, and control throttle with the heel. You'll have poor throttle control that way (you have much more feel in the ball of your foot), but I prefer to be in full control of the brake.

I started in a Fiat 500 - you HAD to know how to do it because it didn't have a synchro gearbox.
Rgds, WalterU

Edited by WalterU on Monday 14th January 16:00

[dyb]

Quote -
I brake with the ball of my foot slightly off-centre on the brake, and control throttle with the heel

Me too - then I never have to use the crap handbrake

Next step is left foot braking to really enjoy those fast corners when you don't need to change down - watch the windcreen with you head though. I've found it only took about a week to get it sensitive.