Heel Toeing
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I normally brake to the speed I'm going to enter the turn at and heel toe at that speed to the appropriate gear. However, if I'm going 50+mph I'll brake to 40mph then go from 5th or 6th to 3rd, then to 2nd. Oh and I'm not always this specific with my heel toeing, it's just a habit that I became aware of haha
Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Windsor, CA
I do heel-toe when setting up for corners in daily driving, even at a relaxed pace, merely out of habit. But I rarely do it if approaching a stop-light. And I don't think it's a very important skill regardless.
Skip Barber says heel-toe is one of the last things a driver should worry about. You can put down very fast laps without using the technique. What you gain in reduced clutch wear or reduced body motion is often lost in uneven braking force while you are blipping.
It is really easy to heel-toe and focus on matched shifts. It is really freaking hard to maintain threshold braking AND heel-toe at the same time. There's more time to shave off in braking than there is in heel-toe. Like I said, heel-toe is just my habit at this point, even though I KNOW I lose time by having occasionally uneven braking as a result.
Skip Barber says heel-toe is one of the last things a driver should worry about. You can put down very fast laps without using the technique. What you gain in reduced clutch wear or reduced body motion is often lost in uneven braking force while you are blipping.
It is really easy to heel-toe and focus on matched shifts. It is really freaking hard to maintain threshold braking AND heel-toe at the same time. There's more time to shave off in braking than there is in heel-toe. Like I said, heel-toe is just my habit at this point, even though I KNOW I lose time by having occasionally uneven braking as a result.
Joined: Aug 2011
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I heel toe every time i corner the car. I also rev match every time i downshift (I used to double clutch but the revs fall too quickly i find the extra clutch pump wasn't worth it...or i just got lazy 
) Been doin it for years, just a habit now actually.... and NO this does not mean i'm slamming on the brakes every corner and taking it while squeeling the tires. This is normal braking, slow down heel-toe to downshift and make my turn.
if anything i'd say overrev since while you're changing gears the revs will drop. I think this would be easier to compensate while learning.
good way to do it imo is to keep ur toe more on the right side of the brake then pivot your heel out and stab the pedal with your heel. Just make sure your toe is firmly on the brake pedal.. eventually youll be able to even adjust the pressure on your brakes while blipping the throttle. just keep practicing. start slow with the technique as well then move on to closing the gap on getting your rpms right.
) Been doin it for years, just a habit now actually.... and NO this does not mean i'm slamming on the brakes every corner and taking it while squeeling the tires. This is normal braking, slow down heel-toe to downshift and make my turn. if anything i'd say overrev since while you're changing gears the revs will drop. I think this would be easier to compensate while learning.
good way to do it imo is to keep ur toe more on the right side of the brake then pivot your heel out and stab the pedal with your heel. Just make sure your toe is firmly on the brake pedal.. eventually youll be able to even adjust the pressure on your brakes while blipping the throttle. just keep practicing. start slow with the technique as well then move on to closing the gap on getting your rpms right.
Joined: Apr 2011
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From: South East Queensland Oz.
I agree thomsbrain, it is not possible to brake with maximum efficiency, while mucking around down shifting, that is one of the reasons we did as little as possible. I will also mention I have never used the bottom of my foot to "heal" the accelerator. I have always found it better, depending on the car, to use the side of my foot, or my ankle.
In the very early days, racing drivers had to ease the strain on brakes with engine retardation. Once brakes were adequate most went to the one shift technique. We did have to be careful not to over rev the engine using this technique.
For example, at Bathurst, in the F1 Brabham at the bottom of the straight, we were going from about 180 MPH down to about 40. To get maximum braking I would brake in 5TH [we only had 5 back then] from 9700RPM down to 3750, which related to 9500 RPM in second. Change at higher revs & you would blow the engine. A quick blip, & into second had the car ready to to power on, as soon as we turned in. That was important in the cars of the day, before wings, as they required some power to handle properly. They could not handle the trail braking we see today.
I must say I believe the clutchless press button gear shifting, with a computer matching revs, & preventing over revving, is making modern formula 1 racing a bit too much like a computer game today. Track days in an S or many other sports cars today is much closer to the racing driving in the classic era, than is driving modern open wheelers.
In the very early days, racing drivers had to ease the strain on brakes with engine retardation. Once brakes were adequate most went to the one shift technique. We did have to be careful not to over rev the engine using this technique.
For example, at Bathurst, in the F1 Brabham at the bottom of the straight, we were going from about 180 MPH down to about 40. To get maximum braking I would brake in 5TH [we only had 5 back then] from 9700RPM down to 3750, which related to 9500 RPM in second. Change at higher revs & you would blow the engine. A quick blip, & into second had the car ready to to power on, as soon as we turned in. That was important in the cars of the day, before wings, as they required some power to handle properly. They could not handle the trail braking we see today.
I must say I believe the clutchless press button gear shifting, with a computer matching revs, & preventing over revving, is making modern formula 1 racing a bit too much like a computer game today. Track days in an S or many other sports cars today is much closer to the racing driving in the classic era, than is driving modern open wheelers.
