Hey guys,
So my buddy and I were talking about heel toe. Long story short he showed me how he does it and he actually does it backward than what I have always seen. His foot is positioned with the toe pointing at the 1:30ish position. He presses on the brake with the middle/rear part of his foot and taps teh accelerator with his toe.

Works fine for him and appears easier for throtttle control. However, since I don't know much about it, him and I are wondering, is there a reason not to do it like that? I couldn't see any clearance issues with his legs and amount of pressure on the brakes is precise too.
So are there any drawbacks guys???

Thanks,
Amar

 

I can't see the heel being as precise as the toes when applying the brakes. I know that during heel toe I'm not manipulating the throttle I'm just pushing it down really quick to bring the revs up, I'm not trying to hold the throttle in position.

Also try moving your right toe away from your body then try moving it inwards. For me it is much easier to turn my toes inwards then it is outward.

 

To each their own, though there is probably a reason why you have never seen anybody use that method before. If I had to choose, I'd rather be able to modulate the brakes better than the throttle while I am braking and down shifting, but I aint no LFB. I guess some guys are good enough to increased their entry speed by balancing the car with some throttle under braking.

 

I'm focusing on my braking modulation primarily. I want the finest control of that pedal. Like others have said, I just blip with the heel and it doesn't have to be precise. Actually, it's the clutch release timing that has to be more precise than the actual throttle position. I'm just "catching" it on the way down.

 

Just what CKit said. You don't need much precision to rev the throttle to above the required RPM and let it drop. You do need careful control of the brakes when you are braking into a turn.

 

I remember when NASCAR was at Infineon a few years ago and one of the retired drivers/announcers was demonstrating how to heel/toe and he was doing it that way. Guess if that works for some people and they're used to doing it that way, it achieves the same thing as the conventional heel/toe method.

 

I do it that way just because my hip/knee don't want to bend the other way. I think the other way is better like others have said it's easy to over break using the heel on the break, but it's an option for people that can't do it the conventional way. I have seen video of pros using their heel on the break and gas with the toes.

 

Ignore the majority of the above posts

I learned to heel-toe with my foot on the brakes and my toe on the throttle. I found my leg gave me precise control on the brakes, which take a lot of force, and my toes gave me precise control on the throttle. However, I've also driven cars where this is just not practical based on pedal spacing and leg room. I've done toe on the brake and heel on the gas. I've also done foot completely vertical, with half on each pedal. In anyone one of these techniques, enough practice will let you precisely modulate both pedals. Both your leg and foot have enough force and fine motor control for these purposes.

On another note, anyone who doesn't "need" precise control of the throttle is doing it wrong. The whole point is to match the speed as closely as possible so your engine is matched to your transmission when you let the clutch out after the downshift (and so your input and output shaft speeds are matched during your shift if you are double clutching). Sure, in a car with synchros you can just rev it higher and force the shift...but in a car with synchros you can also not rev it at all and force the downshift. Or you can "catch it", if you have multiple seconds to complete a shift. That doesn't mean either one is proper technique or a good idea on a hot lap.

 

No, we are not doing it wrong. You could match the speed of the transmission input to the crankshaft by modulating the throttle precisely to provide the correct throttle opening for the engine to run un-loaded at the required speed. You can also give a quick burst of throttle to rev the engine to slightly above the required speed and release the clutch as the engine speed falls through the required speed.

If you find that you have the ability to brake precisely with your heel or the arch of your foot, by all means use whatever part of your foot gives you adequate control. But I stand by my statement that you need precise control over the brakes, but you do not need precise control over the throttle in order to execute a properly matched downshift.