Recently, discussion about the “heel-and-toe” downshift technique has raised quite a bit of interest in our Racing and Competition forum as also on my local (Singapore) motoring forum. It is the norm for most (if not all) driver coaching / instructing schools to teach their students to proficiently perform the heel-toe technique. It is widely accepted as a requisite skill in order to competently drive a car like the S2000.
There is, however, another school of thought that believes the heel and toe technique is not necessary since there seem to be quite a few drivers who deliver record setting lap times and win races without its use. Yet others think it is vital for both longevity of the transmission components (especially during endurance races) and for smoother and faster lap times.
First of all, let’s break down how the heel and toe technique is commonly performed and then assess the benefits it can confer if done correctly. The driver first applies the brakes to slow the car down to the appropriate speed before entry into the corner and then depresses the clutch pedal. The driver then quickly blips the throttle (a quick stab of the throttle) by rolling the outer section of his/her foot onto the accelerator pedal to raise the revs of the engine to match the engine speed of the lower gear after the downshift is complete. The driver then shifts to the lower gear and releases the clutch to complete the heel and toe downshift.
What benefits does a properly executed heel-toe confer? The accurate matching of the engine speed by blipping the throttle allows the driver to release the clutch upon downshift without any jerk caused by a mismatch of engine speed. This achieves multiple benefits of reducing the chance of wheel lock from the shock of the mismatch when cornering at traction limits, reduces the shock to drivetrain components, and eases the forward weight transfer caused by the braking action. All of these benefits should translate into less wear and tear on the drivetrain while possibly giving the driver better lap times through optimized grip. I have personally experienced the benefits of this technique as a used oil analysis of my gearbox and rear differential fluids (after two and half years of ownership) showed minimal wear despite heavy track use of up to fifteen laps per run.
The counter-arguments to this technique would be that it may be unnecessarily distracting to perform the heel-toe technique thus leading to less optimal braking. Data plots recorded by my Performance box track data-logger showed slight relaxation of brake pressure at the point where I was heel-toeing lending some truth to this argument. Many also state that it isn’t strictly necessary to use this technique since winning drivers have already been winning without it.
Perhaps the best approach is to keep practicing both techniques so that one is not hobbled during a race. For someone who is starting out and not well-versed in the heel-toe technique, they’d probably be faster learning braking and turning points along with proper car control. Heel-and-toe can be picked up once confidence is gained and one is able to consistently drive the line.
With that said, do you think heel-and-toe is an absolute necessity for driving on the track or do you think it’s not particularly significant to being fast? We’d like to hear your views.
Image courtesy of cthree and joesnow
RELATED LINKS:
S2000 Racing and Competition – Heel and Toe Technique
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on Jun 10th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
I have never driven a car that is as easy to heel and toe than the S2000. I have plenty of room by the pedals, and fit perfectly in the car with no cramping / size issues. Because of this I say heel and toe away!!! I know others may be less fortunate (taller than 5′ 11″people). Plus, I enjoy driving more by doing it and it helps the wear and tear of the car.
on Jun 10th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
I say yes heal-toe needs to be learned and used during racing unless you have a trans that doesn’t need a clutch. Not only does it help with longevity of the clutch and motor, but it’s also needed so that you can be in the proper gear and ready to excelerate out of the turn. I’m trying to figure out how someone is downshifting with out rev matching…just use the speed of the motor to shove it into gear? I think rev matching and heal-toe is a good thing to learn especially if you’re just learning how to really drive and race the car. So heck yes to heal-toe!
on Jun 10th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
I’ve always associated heel and toe with a double declutch.
I always heel toe with a double declutch. A beautiful way to drive fast and smooth.
Ayrton Senna, arguably the greatest driver in the era prior to automated gearboxes didn’t heel toe, he heel toe’d with declutching – check him out driving an NSX before he died…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8By2AEsGAhU
on Jun 10th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
… actually upon a closer look is a mix of heel toe and heel toe double declutching. In any event is a great demo of rev matching using 3 pedals at once!
on Jun 10th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
I can’t imagine NOT heel-toeing in the S. I previously drove an 08 Civic Si and it was absolutely necessary to keep up in the corners by heel-toe downshifting to the proper gear. The car just didn’t have enough torque.
This fact is doubly realized in the S and I can’t imagine having enough torque to pull through a corner in the wrong gear with such a high reving low torque output motor.
on Jun 10th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
9k, i wish you the best while your toe heals.
on Jun 10th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Who is winning in conventional three pedal cars without heel toe? Heel toe is not even a racing technique, it is a general driving technique and you cannot even drive properly around town without it.
on Jun 10th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
If there are drivers who are competative without using heel/toe technique then they would probably be even more competative once they had practiced the technique to the point where it was as natural as launching a manual transmission equipped car from a stop.
I have never had much luck with the toe-on-gas heel-on brake method and my feet are too narrow to use the side/side approach. When I downshift I keep my heel on the brake and dab at the accelerator with my toe.
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 12:08 am
NA1NSXR: “Heel toe is [..] a general driving technique and you cannot even drive properly around town without it.”
Can’t drive around “town” without heel toe?
Braking and then rev matching is sufficient (the actions are sequential) but how is heel toe required (braking and rev matching simultaneously)?
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 1:12 am
I use this technique driving around town lol. It makes the car feel smoother and less jerk. I also rev match like no other. Its become more of a habit more then anything. I heard it saves the tranny in the long run. Everyone has their own driving style. Its up to the driver to pick that certain style and to push that technique to its limit if not further and beyond.
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 2:03 am
I raced a number of Lotus & Brabham F1 & F2s in the days when we still changed gears & worked a clutch. These cars had the Hewland racing gearbox, which were a simple “dog” engagement.
There was nothing like syncromesh to help the clumsy change gear. If you didn’t get the revs matched, damn near perfectly, you did not get a gear. Turbosix the Brabham Repco F1 was redlined at 9700 RPM, so 9000 is not too much different.
I do believe you can not brake with maximum efficiency while mucking about blipping the throttle, so on the track I always used the one change system. At Bathurst for example, with the 185 MPH diff fitted to the F1, & suitable gearing, 3250RPM in top gave me 9500 in second gear. I would brake in top until I saw 3250, then select second with a quick blip of throttle. This way I got maximum braking, with no chance of over revving the thing on the down shift. I believe most failures in racing are due to over revving on the overrun under brakes, & rough changes.
Around town, where I rarely brake really hard, I invariably heel & toe, in the S2K, & my Triumph TRs & do it completely unconsciously.
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 5:38 am
I can’t safely do it in the S. At 6’2, the position that is most natural for me to drive in simply won’t allow my legs to do this. I end up severely underbraking as my concentration has been completely taken off driving and on the technique. While I can physically do it, I fear at high track speeds it would cause a bad situation. I’d rather be 100% focused on braking/throttle play, my line, and my tires than add an extra distraction.
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 5:58 am
H&T is definitely a plus as far as track times goes but –
- its’ possible to heel and toe succesdfully without it being effective. ie if you’re braking hard and “blipping” motion reduces brake pressure it gives back some if not all the advantage gained over the brake first then downshift technique.
I am semi effective at it in my 911 on the track but still feel I’m pulsing the brakes.
- Haven’t tracked my s2k and have’nt learned the HT on it either. Major variables are the size of your feet, pedal size and placement and how your leg twists. For awesome H&T watch Gan San on youtube driving the ‘ring in the s2k proto, however my feet don’t work that way.
You can buy wider shaped gas pedals for the 911 that help a lot and many trackies use them. I may look into a wider GP for the s2k at some point.
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 6:39 am
I use this about 75% of the time — if the revs are not high when I am down shifting I usually don’t bother but any type of spirited driving warrants helping your tranny as much as you can.
tof – and others with smaller feet – you might try my technique of toes and ball of foot on the brake and heel on the gas. I have small feet compared to the guys and this seems to work well for me. You may need practice arching for your foot.
Wider pedals would definitely benefit me. If I can ever afford track days again that might be something to look into
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
For regular street driving such as going to your office, getting groceries, grabbing something to eat, you know, just your normal regular everyday driving, heel and toe is pretty much, well, UNNECESSARY! It’s just a waste of time involving extra footwork and effort. But when you’re racing or doing time attacks on the track, it’s a whole different story. Heel and toe becomes important and definitely a MUST. Watch the drift king on youtube’s best motoring videos and you get my point. So, yeah……do not H and T on the streets and roads but do it on the track!
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Never thought about it, but now that I think about it I do let go of the brake a little bit when I do a heel-toe downshift. Ill have to change my track driving style a little bit now so I downshift near the corner entry, Ill give that a try.
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
“..Heel toe is not even a racing technique, it is a general driving technique and you cannot even drive properly around town without it.”
I’m just not buying that. Not for a second.
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
heel and toe, skip shifting and left foot braking are all beneficial techniques to learn, tall guys need more leg room from a sport bucket – saying that it’s necessary is absurd it’s just a skill that you can use if necessary
on Jun 11th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
@ Brian Bohnet – do you have a BYS seat rail or similar? I’m taller than you and the BYS seat rail will buy you some leg room. Best mod for a tall person.
on Jun 12th, 2011 at 12:12 am
i dont heel toe, i find that its harder to modulate the brake and less efficient(softer on the brakes) if you blipping the throttle at the same time. i also prefer to have the front suspension unloaded as i turn in which gives me plenty of time to rev match and down shift before i hit the apex. the only benefit of heel toe is if you need to jump right on the throttle after braking, even then there are other techniques such as down shift engine braking and left foot braking which are just as good.
on Jun 12th, 2011 at 4:45 am
Brian – I’ve found it easier to execute H&T on the track because the Brake pedal is depressed further and closer to the level of the GP and therefore an easier “blip” motion for your leg foot.
Thisdiscussion might inspire me to look for a wider s2k GP
on Jun 12th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
@Brian Bohnet
Your height is not a problem. Could be size of your feat or how you place them. Brake with your toes and you will have the rest of your foot to stab the pedal with. Also H-T is not effective if you are not slowing drastically for a turn. Do it only for turns that require massive braking, hence why some people on here say they use H-T on track and not on street.
oh! and it takes practice. when you driving on hwy, take exits to every rest area in the way to practice h-t. Once you learn itr enough you can try on track. I’m 6′ 3″ BTW and no issues with H-T.
on Jun 12th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
“Heel n Toe” is the way to go if you want a smooth ride, not just on track, but on our daily driving. Another advantage is to extend the life the gear box as well as the clutch. I always Heel and Toe my S whether I am on my way to work, or on the track.
on Jun 12th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
As a youngster I drove sports cars, then went motor racing. But like most, then came a wife, houses, kids & all that goes with that.
I drove sedans, utes, [pick ups] & a small truck for the kids horses. I towed a horse trailer, a boat, & rubbish to the dump. Driving was a chore, & I changed gears like my mother, depending on syncromesh. At least I never sank to autos, or front wheel drive.
Then the kids left home. Each day, as I looked at it, that horse truck got smaller & smaller, until it finally looked like a sports car.
I bought an old Triumph. Second & fourth gear syncromesh were shot, & I had to relearn to heal & toe to get a gear, without the crunch. Suddenly driving was fun again. Getting those changes right is so satisfying, & so much more involving.
I’m not sure my wife approves, [who am I kidding, she hates it], but I now have 3 classic sports cars & the S2k. She has her auto rice burner, & I have 4 great cars to chose from. Who would you rather be?
If you haven’t tried it, give real driving a go, it’s fun.
on Jun 13th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Heel-and-toeing ROOLS!
Just don’t try to learn it on a public street. lol.
on Jun 13th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
I practiced learning it in my Prelude on the streets before buying the S. I am 6’1” and I can heel-toe just fine. I can’t do it in a miata though haha. Being able to have enough foot room was important to me because I knew I would take the S to the track.
on Jun 14th, 2011 at 7:17 am
The heal toe downshift should be seen as a racing technique only but can be viewed many ways. Its only purpose is to rev match while braking. I find myself doing it leisurely on my daily commutes, however I have discoverd that you only benefit from it if you actually are on a track or a “full attack” on back roads. Doing it on daily drives is great practice, and how i learned, but really serves no point on the street.
on Jun 14th, 2011 at 9:12 am
I take my S2000 to the track but don’t heel-toe. I’m not very good at it and in the S2000 I really struggle to find the room to perform this maneuver. I’m 6’2″ and when I try to heel toe my knee hits the bottom of the steering wheel or I find my big feet hitting one pedal too much.
I can’t help but lay some of the blame on the lack of leg room (for me).
on Jun 14th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Totally with Hasbeen’s last post.
As for “..Heel toe is not even a racing technique, it is a general driving technique and you cannot even drive properly around town without it.”
TOTALLY agree with this. I bet you 90% of people with manuals don’t even rev-match when downshifting, and don’t even know what it is. Doesn’t mean they are driving the car right.
So as for the retort “For regular street driving such as going to your office, getting groceries, grabbing something to eat, you know, just your normal regular everyday driving, heel and toe is pretty much, well, UNNECESSARY! It’s just a waste of time involving extra footwork and effort….” I ask, “why do you have a manual transmission car then?”
on Jun 14th, 2011 at 11:14 am
If you understand the purpose of heel-toe, you’d know the real question is, street or track? Its a level of effort one only really needs when driving at 10/10, not related to driving a manual or not.
on Jun 14th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Heel & toe is usefull to match engine revs to road speed so you don’t get additional braking – from engine braking – at the driven wheels when you release the clutch.
Thats it.
I guess with a front wheel drive car you can actually use the extra engine braking, without changing the brake balance to the front – and get less at the rear.
On a rear wheel drive car, extra engine braking as you release the clutch is like pulling the e-brake close to turn-in – a bad idea.
This is when heel & toe rev match works.
You may have less wear on the clutch as there is less (or no) slip during engagement.
I don’t think you get any less wear&tear on the transmission and synchro’s. And actually.. modern day gearboxes with synchro’s and (important) Baulk rings (look it up!) need some speed difference to shift smoothly.
So you don’t want to double clutch and stuff to shift properly.
Oh well…..
on Jun 14th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Why buy a S2000 if you aren’t going to heel and toe?
I’m 6’4″ and heel and toe (and double clutching) work great. So much fun!
on Jun 14th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
question
when you refer to the momentary loss in brake pedal pressure is this on a non abs equipped car? I know when im braking at the track im crushing the brake pedal and letting the abs reduce the braking force, thus i dont believe that the questionable brake pedal pressure loss would affect how the actual braking at the ground.
I couldnt imagine not using heel and toe to get the car into gear for the next corner.
I have rode with s2000 drivers who were putting up faster lap times than I, who were not using heel toe, but i could feel it upset the car and i do no attribute the lack of heel toe as to why they were faster
on Jun 15th, 2011 at 8:55 pm
@bradskee: you will need to hook your car up to datalogger to see if there is significant brake pressure let up during the throttle blip. You will probably not notice it through regular observation.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 5:49 am
Well this may not be the Place or time for this statement, But I sure as heck learned alot from this article very well written and very informative. I have a much better understanding as to why the heel toe is even used. Great stuff, I will practice this style of driving as much as I can I can see the benifits now, I SEE THE LIGHT!
on Jun 20th, 2011 at 11:02 am
Gee what happens if you have a size 15 foot? You can’t heel toe with that!
on Jun 21st, 2011 at 6:43 am
HnT is a Great Technique and I’ve been using it for 30 Years.
However, IMHO the S2000 Pedals are not conducive to doing it correctly – the Pedals are too far apart. I adapted a Pedal extension on the Accelrator Pedal in order to HnT
on Jun 27th, 2011 at 6:43 am
Hey, it’s my car!
on Jul 6th, 2011 at 6:49 am
‘Don’t.
Over’a whole lodda yearz never foun’a difference’r'a need to.
(Budd’I don’ hol’ my pinky out when I’m drinkin from’a cup eida.)
‘S’fine’iff’yuh’doo.
I don’t.
on Jul 10th, 2011 at 8:33 am
My wife doesn’t understand this. I tried to explain it to her. It kills me each time she drives this car. Thank god it has only been a handful of times. I will let her read this as she thought I was killing the car when I knew otherwise.