Effective racing techniques
12-30-2003, 04:21 PM
#1
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Effective racing techniques
Can someone with a lot of racing experience describe in detail the best way to get the most out of the s2k? Also, I've heard the term "heel and toe" shifting thrown around a lot and wonder what it means. Yes, I'm new to sport cars... 
12-30-2003, 05:17 PM
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Here is a step-by-step guide on how to heel-and-toe downshift. It will explain how to shift from fourth gear to third gear, though the technique will work for any downshift.
Begin braking for the corner with your right foot. The location of the pedals and the size of your foot will dictate where you position your foot on the pedal, but most likely it should be canted a little to the right, closer to the throttle pedal.
Push in the clutch with your left foot.
Move the shifter from fourth gear to neutral
This is the hard part. With your right foot still applying pressure to the brakes, roll the outside edge of your foot outward and downward to touch the throttle pedal. The pedal design on some cars makes this easier to do than on others. Use the outside of your right foot to blip the throttle. Blipping the throttle means temporarily raising the engine rpms to match the wheel speed. The exact amount of revs needed is dependent on a variety of factors, but it is usually between 1,000 rpm to 2,000 rpm more than the current engine rpm for a one-gear downshift.
Move the shifter from neutral to third gear.
Release the clutch with your left foot.
As you can see, "heel-and-toe" is a misnomer. It actually involves the ball of your foot and the side of your foot. We'll be the first to tell you that heel-and-toe downshifts aren't easy. We've found that a good way to practice is to just sit in your car in your garage and pretend you are doing a heel-and-toe downshift with the engine off. Keep repeating the steps until you are familiar with the process. Once you are ready, try it out for real. Most likely, your early attempts will be botched. Keep trying, though. Practice each step slowly and then work your way to making them all one, fluid motion. Skilled drivers can execute a heel-and-toe downshift in less than one second.
I have only been driving an S2000 for a couple days but I take it to redline and shift fast...
Begin braking for the corner with your right foot. The location of the pedals and the size of your foot will dictate where you position your foot on the pedal, but most likely it should be canted a little to the right, closer to the throttle pedal.
Push in the clutch with your left foot.
Move the shifter from fourth gear to neutral
This is the hard part. With your right foot still applying pressure to the brakes, roll the outside edge of your foot outward and downward to touch the throttle pedal. The pedal design on some cars makes this easier to do than on others. Use the outside of your right foot to blip the throttle. Blipping the throttle means temporarily raising the engine rpms to match the wheel speed. The exact amount of revs needed is dependent on a variety of factors, but it is usually between 1,000 rpm to 2,000 rpm more than the current engine rpm for a one-gear downshift.
Move the shifter from neutral to third gear.
Release the clutch with your left foot.
As you can see, "heel-and-toe" is a misnomer. It actually involves the ball of your foot and the side of your foot. We'll be the first to tell you that heel-and-toe downshifts aren't easy. We've found that a good way to practice is to just sit in your car in your garage and pretend you are doing a heel-and-toe downshift with the engine off. Keep repeating the steps until you are familiar with the process. Once you are ready, try it out for real. Most likely, your early attempts will be botched. Keep trying, though. Practice each step slowly and then work your way to making them all one, fluid motion. Skilled drivers can execute a heel-and-toe downshift in less than one second.
I have only been driving an S2000 for a couple days but I take it to redline and shift fast...
12-30-2003, 07:19 PM
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We're talking about downshifting, you need to enter a turn at an acceptable speed, so you need to brake, and when you brake, you lower the revs of the engine and you need to downshift for better acceleration, that's why you heel to toe so that you can brake and downshift at the same time.
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12-31-2003, 04:32 AM
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Nice. Double Clutching would be the part of the heel and toe technique, is used to slow down and take corners faster not to drag race like a few people think. Since I saw the Fat and the Curious all the kids think that double clutching is to go faster. 
Man do they waste clutch and time.
Pratice heel n toe cuz its very helpfull when tracking.
Man do they waste clutch and time.
Pratice heel n toe cuz its very helpfull when tracking.
