....could someone explain to me please.

 

Heel and toe ?

Have a look here http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/howto/art...92/article.html

 

In practice (for me) it means using the ball of your foot on the brake and using the heel to blip the throttle while you are downchanging gears.

The term itself is more applicable for cars with floor mounted pedals and 'how' you do it depends on the car and the pedal layout as well as what feels confortable and safe. When I had the S I would apply brake pressure and at the same time twist my ankle/foot and use the side of my heel to blip the throttle. However, on the westie I don't twist my foot, I revolve my foot and blip using the bottom of my heel. For me, the blip happens just as I'm slotting the gear lever into whichever gear then clutch out. How well it works is down to the timing. Do it too early and the revs drop by the time you let the clutch out, do it too late you might surge forwards a little too much. This is so much easier to explain in a car showing someone what I'm doing with my foot but I hope you understand

The important thing to remember when trying it out is that the important bit is the braking. If you get it wrong, make sure you err on the side of caution (i.e. do the braking!). Get the blipping wrong, NOT the braking. Try it at a standstill on your drive but applying varying brake pressure whilst blipping the throttle. Can be hard at first but after practice it becomes second nature.

 

I have tried it, but not been able to do it, although I haven't really persisted.

There are other easier things to learn first IMHO that can help you go quicker if you aren't used to performance cars, such as fixed input steering and limit points for corners.

 

I find it quite difficult in the honda, much harder than it was in the westy (floor mounted pedals make it a lot simpler, as Dracoro mentioned).
It's very important to learn though IMHO, especially if driving RWD a lot in adverse conditions. Changing down and not matching revs while braking is a good way of locking the rears. If braking hasn't been done before a corner, then it's a great way to setup for a spin.
Worth persevering with.

ISTR one of the aftermarket places like Ricks or Muz doing some pedal extensions that were supposed to make it easier to heel and toe, can't find it now though..

 

I am finding it tricky; can do it while stationary, just not while moving!!!!!

 

I don't think it's about "going quicker", but maintaining a smooth drive. We keep going on about being smooth with the steering, braking, throttle application and gearchange. H&T'ing is just another weapon to have in your armoury. I'm no expert at it, but I can do it most of the time and really do think you should persevere with it.

 

Check this vid out that someone recently posted.

You'll see a lot of it there:

http://www.norcalevo.net/video/motegibattle.wmv

 

I learned to heel and to years ago and as Blurter said, makes for smoother driving. When you change down the syncros in the gearbox have to work hard, then when you lift the clutch up the engine revs rise causing extra braking on the rears. If you are driving spiritedly this could cause the back end to lose traction. When you heel and toe however you blip the throttle so that the engine revs rise to match the changedown resulting in a really smooth gearchange.

Try this

 

I'm with Euan ... never really practiced enough for it to become second nature. My Chimaera had an adjustable pedal box and so it was a bit easier than the S. Heeling and toeing will allow you to brake a bit later (in as much as your braking and downshifting simultaneously), but it's really about smoothness and not unsettling the rear (as will happen if you downshift and don't blip). The right shoes also help enormously ...

Getting it wrong on a public road could be either very embarrassing or very dangerous ... or come to think of it ... both.

This thread might inspire me to have another practice. Never thought about stationary practice before