jscott82

divegansh, to rephrase what others have already said....
Heal toe is about matching the transmission input and output shaft speeds on downshift. you do this to:
A) reduce wear on the syncros
B) reduce "shock" to the tires, this is more important as you get closer to the limits of adhesion...
There is nothing “magic” about a 996 turbo’s transmission (unless it is a tiptronic) that sets it apart from any other car from a pinto to a sequential shift cup car…. They all can benefit from a blip to smooth out the downshift. Could he have misunderstood the question, or you misunderstood his answer? To say it is unnecessary implies a complete lack of understanding of the concept, and I would hope any instructor would know the basic concept, even if he doesn’t/can’t do it.

PJorgen

BTW - it's HEEL and toe, not HEAL and toe. Unless you've injured your toe and it needs time to heal.

diveganesh

many thanks for the replies, some very informative and clearly unanimous!

since a couple of you have asked questions (maybe a little rhetorically perhaps):

i doubt that the instructor was suggesting i wasn't quite there as yet (as @doginblack wonders) - would expect he'd just tell me not to rather than feed me some random story. to be on the safe side, next instructor i'm assigned to, i'll just ask.

i don't think there's a misunderstanding (as @jscott82 asks) because the conversation was clearly around heel & toe and rev matching...there's a definite lack of understanding and that's me not getting his explanation down.

i believe he must know how to heel and toe, can't see how you get to be a PCA instructor without it, he must have his reasons. i suspect more than a couple of you would like to know these, apologies for not being able to relay that.

again thank you, i'll maintain those throttle blips.

ps. wonder if he's reading these posts?

LDadrenaline

I had an instructor a few years back who couldn't heel and toe. He also over-emphasized shuffle steering so much that he almost looped it on the warmup lap trying to show me why it is beneficial.

quite a few PCA regions don't make sure their instructors can even drive prior to getting an instructors license. Only qualification is to be solo for a year and there are a few poor drivers who sneak through as everyone is aware.

jscott82

thanks for noticing

PJorgen

Hey, somebody's got to be the a$$hat.

951and944S

Disagree with the instructor but his line of thinking probably has something to do with the turbo engined cars having less compression ratio and thus, less engine braking and rear wheel hop on downshifts.

T

Charles A. Toupin

Still, there is compression, therefore you need to heel and toe...

I wonder how he got his instructor's degree...

C.

race911

Plenty of track miles on 6.5:1 static compression 3.0 930's.....even on those you don't heel-toe to your wallet's detriment.

I go with the common thinking here, that we have an instructor who needs a bit of schooling himself.

jscott82

Hmmm.. still can't think of a good reason not to... But what I tell my students, HEEL toe is not a requirement in a synchronized transmission (all street cars) it’s just "better". You can get away without it and a lot of DE folks (instructors too) do. But if you really want to get out on the edge and run 10/10ths then yes you need to learn how.
…but....
Contrary to popular belief, The track is not the place to learn. This is one skill you need to master (and I do mean master) on the street before you come to the track. I read somewhere that it takes 60,000 attempts at HEEL toe before you will get it right. Driving an hour a day, 3 shift per minute, every day of the week for a year would just about do it..... Getting exited and screwing this up at speed near redline can be catastrophic.

Just my 2 cents (maybe less)

race911

If we move the conversation to "when did you learn".....how difficult WAS it to learn? I read chapter and verse about technique in the mid-70's just before I even could to drive. Legally. (The '52 Ford flathead V-8 at my grandparents farm did NOT count.....) And when I finally did when I was 16 in my Scirocco, it came pretty naturally. Then I found out I was toe-heeling based on the pedal setup. When I got my first 911 a couple of years later, even the bottom-hinged pedals didn't really annoy me. But I finally clued in to REAL heel-and-toe a couple of years after that when I got some time in a Formula Ford!

srf506

P.S. a throttle blip must be relevant on any manual car. A friend just bought a new 370z. It's manual autmatically blips the throttle for you on a down shift. It's a pretty neat system and makes your downshifts very smooth.

wanna911

The gearbox is one of the weakest components on the Turbo, you want to baby it as much as possible, and rev matching is the perfect way to do that. You won't get engine braking, but your transmission will last a lot longer.

Needless to say, your instructor was very wrong to say the least.

TT Gasman

I always heel toe on my turbo, that includes the street and track. I learned it well at the Porsche driving school some years ago, I can still remember Hurley screaming "clutch-gas!" Sounds like your instructor needs a ride with Hurley LOL, I bet he doesn't trail brake either.

Willard Bridgham 3

I heel and toe on my turbo because it's waaayyy smoother and unbalances the car less when downshifting/braking.

Saving the transmission is an added benefit.