Chwatson

I have fairly large (size 12.5 or so) feet and, furthermore, being as tall as I am with an early car with the low steering wheel, it's hard for me to move my legs around to do 'proper' heel-toe shifting.

I have a big throttle pedal so the only problem is that when I get overeager on corner-entry and have to brake harder, I sometimes rev the engine up a bit too much.

As I understand it, 'proper' heel-toeing is as follows:

(I'm sure some of you can tell how difficult that is for me)

Here's my version.


Am I the only one who heel-toes like this?

Spidey944

Well, a set of adjustable pedals made for this type of shifting is prefered of course. This is a skill I have yet to master, but when you do, it's smooth like Butta Baby. From my readings, it's best/easier if you can position the right foot to where the braking is done with only the edge of your right foot. Also some people have adapted the strategy to be more of toe/heal than heel/toe. So it's all in the orientation of the right foot and what's comfortable for you.

My advise has been to get to a big parking lot and practice around 20 mph and work your way up to 40 mph. It's a lot like patting your head and rubbing your stomach. Seems harder than it is, but once you do it, it's not too bad.


EDIT: damn those some sehkzie legs!

Chwatson

yeah... those pictures are a week or two old. you should've seen those things after i got home from Sebring on Saturday night.... they were just a bit red...

anyway, I am, in my opinion, quite competent at heel-toeing, on the street at least. I just wanted to see if I was alone in my sacrilege.

Spidey944

It's not sacrilege, it's easier on the whole drivetrain as there are no jerky movements, and less wear on the clutch disk in general this way. It's all in the timing.

Rock

My version of heel-toe is more like fatassfoot-fatassfoot.

I just use my whole foot.

Nice hairy legs

Techno Duck

I used method two. More of toe / toe rather than heel toe. I find its easier to do it this way with cars that have floor mounted accelerators. In cars with the pedal hanging from under the dash, the typical heel / toe method is what i use.

Kburke

i like to have my heel on the brake and toe on the accelerator although i am starting to conform to the older ways

J Silverman

There is no right or wrong way to heel toe. You can use the right, or left sides of your foot, or the ball or heel of your foot. Hell you can reach down and use your left hand as long as the shift is smooth. For me I find it easier to rotate my foot counterclockwise and hit the acclerator with the right side of my foot. I have a friend that rotates clockwise and uses his toes on the gas pedal. Do what works best for you.

mtccl

No you are not the only one that does it that way.

Picture number 2 is how many folks do it. It is how I do it and the way I taught my son. It is more of a roll of the ankle to use the left and right half of your right foot versus using the heal of your foot on the gas pedal.

The extension on the gas pedal closes the gap and keeps the ball of your foot from sliding between the gas and brake.

You should be able to exert enough pressure with your big toe and the meat of your foot right under the big toe on the brake to stop the car.

knfeparty

I have 14s so I understand.

On my 325, I just toe-toe. I can dip the right side of my foot over to blip. In the 944, the gas pedal is too far back from the brake, so I have to rotate my foot CCW to use my heel on the middle/bottom of the gas pedal. I find myself doing the latter for both now. Only problem I have is that sometimes I will not leave enough foot on the brake, and I will not have a good surface to brake with. It hurts me to brake with one toe.

BeerBurner

I position my foot so that I can blip the gas pedal with the right side of my foot. I can do it fairly competently and am now working on making it second nature so that I can do it in the event of an accident avoidance thing.

BB.

Scootin159

I do # 2 as well (toe-toe) for exactly the same reason as you. I've gotten so 'used' to doing it this way, I even do it that way in the STI as well, even though there's enough room to do it the 'proper' way.

My question is... how do you guys left foot brake (for trail braking)? I don't have enough room in either of my cars to get my left foot on the brake pedal when my right foot's on the gas...

jgleano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4iQM9P044Y in a 944

Opeth

I have nothing of value to add... except that Ill donate some zip ties to contain that speaker wire!

Chwatson

sacrilege as in not doing heel-toe in the exact meaning of the word. i have to try so hard NOT to heel toe. has anyone ever looked down while heel toeing and turning and shifting and so forth and thought 'holy crap i'm amazing'?

opeth, you're welcome to come over and fix my speakers. the PO had an amp and subs installed.... so that's just the beginning of the wiring absurdity.