consolidated

Most of the blue/solo students I've had recently cannot heel/toe effectively yet. They slowly release the clutch, sometimes skipping intermediate gears if needed, works but gets dicey as speeds increase. Going from 5th (140+mph) to 2nd (40mph) smoothly heel/toeing is second nature to those who race or have tracked but for street drivers who never see that much brake pressure it's a big leap.

misterwaterfall

Not easy sure, but not that difficult with some practice either. I can drive a stick well after doing tons of laps in a spec Miata, but can see how those new to the track would have issues as they can't hit apex's consistently let alone properly row the gears while doing it.

Mike Murphy

Akunob

No I can't. I can drive a manual, my first cars were manuals but my first track car was a 997.2 turbo S (PDK only), never had the need to learn heel/toe nor rev matching either for the track. My guess is that neither Lewis Hamilton nor Sebastian Vettel can execute 'perfect' heel/toe PDK level rev matching shifts either...although I could be wrong.

Palting

I would disagree with your last statement on several points. A lot of people cannot drive a stick, but I would opine that most people who buy a Porsche, particularly a GT3, can drive a stick. If you can drive a stick, it's not that difficult to learn how to heel toe. And like everything else, not limited to heel toe, practicing is what gets you closer to "properly" do anything. And lastly, the GT3 is just another car with a gearbox. If you can properly drive and heel toe a Miata, you can properly drive and heel toe a GT3 with a little practice. You'll just be a hell of a lot faster

Archimedes

My thoughts exactly. Can threads on this subforum get any more stupid?

raclaims

I've driven a manual since I was 16 (46 now)

had to master heel/toe when I started racing spec Miata and then mx5 cup

Although almost all new race cars are now paddles sadly

I love the satisfaction of proper rev matching

in mx5 and sm it's often a real difference maker but most guys have it figured out

its the one miss shift that loses the race!

GrantG

I can do it well enough to preserve the hardware and put a big grin on my face.

Sloopy

I have tried many time to heal toe but for me it was easy to use left and right side of my foot for rev match and get it down quite well this way.

Mike in CA

Obviously not required with my current car but 45 years of muscle memory is good for something so: properly drive manual yes, rev match yes, heel and toe yes.....at least well enough that I don't usually embarrass myself.

ricsan

At 13 years old i drove abitually my family’s fiat 500 without synchro.
Now i’m not young and i drive my R without blip assistance.
But... the gas pedal is just a bit under level respect the brake pedal, the optimum will be if it should be registrable.

96redLT4

Same here. Rev match yes. Heel toe no. I love to practice though, every time I drive!. I have yet to hear any GT owner here admit that they cannot drive a manual period....This must be a little re-assuring to the Stig
Jim

mooty

some find it to be right of passage but it really is not very hard.
took me 3 hours when i was 15

"y feeling is a large majority of GT3 owners who drive a PDK and dont track their cars cannot drive a manual properly and had it not been for Porsche offering PDK, they wouldnt be able to manage a GT3.Driving a stick is one thing, driving it properly is an entirely different thing. Doing that with a GT3 is in another league all together."
====> that is incorrect. while heel and toe can be easier on drive train and smoother, i know some really fast drivers who DO NOT heel and toe period.

also when you are off beat heel toeing it is way worst than just not do it. witness the destruction of 997 cup gear boxes. most of the wear tear is b/c drivers' heel and toe off beat.

i do not heel and toe on street, if you need to do that, you are likely doing too fast for street driving.

unless of course, you have non synchronized box. then i it's really some fancy foot work.

sampelligrino

I can drive stick (I didn't say well, but in a pinch I can do it) but wasn't comfortable spec'ing it for my GT3 admittedly, and was set on PDK for the .2

For my first GT car I wanted to focus on other sensory inputs: steering, the engine, braking, mastering the car and enjoying it respectfully, rather than worrying about the gearbox and potentially harming a $170k car or not paying enough attention to what is in front of me, to the sides of me, and behind me, plus I still can't believe how good the PDK is...also for a daily driver yes sometimes I like to hold a coffee while driving or just pay attention to the roads/scenery in canyon carving, so it was PDK or bust for me...

No there is no clutch pedal, but being able to cruise in auto, or execute insanely fast upshifts or downshifts to make the engine sing with the flick of a finger and find sweet spots in the rev range (sounds naughty I know lol) , makes me grin like a kid and very happy which is what these cars are about - I would be very cumbersome doing that in a manual box

Another note is I am 28 years old, and didn't grow up with a manual transmission so perhaps it is a generational thing..I had to go out of my way one summer to rent a stick shift car just to experience what it was like (Subaru WRX STI which was hell on Earth I think for my first go at MT, had the thing bucking like a bronco for the first couple days)

Many of these threads need polls for those genuinely curious!

Carrara Design

Can't drive a manual car in any sort of spirited fashion without knowing how to heel toe in my opinion. Unless of course the car has an auto-blip. Rev matched downshifts are imperative for my enjoyment of a manual car. Both for the sound, the added speed, drivability, versatility, and smoothness of the experience.

I learned in my first car, a 1995 Miata, and haven't been able to do a non rev-match downshift without cringing ever since.