socalspringmountain

Hi all,

My name is Ken Melgoza and I will be posting for Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch on this forum. As a consistent driver and racer at Spring Mountain for the last 5 years, I can attest to the exciting and challenging nature of this track, and the exceptional quality of the staff. Spring Mountain is committed to supporting the driving and racing community, and to that end I plan on creating a series of performance-driving related articles. My first piece in this series is about one of the foundations of performance driving – heel-toe down shifting. If you prefer, go straight to the Heel-Toe video for an action peek at this technique, then come back here for a more detailed explanation.

Heel-Toe Down Shifting

Heel-toe down shifting is the process of matching engine RPMs to transmission RPMs while braking and downshifting. Done properly, your vehicle will remain stable and balanced, resulting in faster lap times.

Here’s how it works:

As you press the brake to slow your car, RPMs drop – makes sense, right? Here’s the catch; when you depress the clutch to begin your down shift, engine RPMs will drop even more because the engine is no longer coupled to the transmission. If you just down shift and let the clutch out, the engine RPMs will be much lower than that of the transmission. The result is the car lurching forward and a possible loss of control (you know, that “chirping” the tires make when you let the clutch out too fast). This can greatly upsets the balance of the car. Not too much of a deal on the street, but imagine if you’re trying to out-brake an opponent on the track – at a minimum you lose time. If it’s really bad, you might lose control.

This is where heel-toe down shifting comes in and improves performance. As you push the clutch in and move the shifter through neutral, you “blip” the throttle. “Blip” means to give the throttle a quick push to “rev” the engine. When you “blip” the throttle you want it to be just enough so that when you let the clutch out the engine RPMs and transmission RPMs match exactly. Easy, right?

Now you’re probably thinking to yourself, how do I brake, press the clutch and “blip” the throttle? I only have 2 legs and my arms are a little busy steering and shifting! The name “heel-toe” is a little deceptive but it gives you a clue that you’re supposed to use one foot to do two things (brake and “blip”).

As you might guess, (right) foot placement is critical and will vary based on the car you’re driving. In general, you want to place your right foot firmly on the brake but shifted slightly toward the accelerator so you can roll your foot enough to “blip” the throttle while maintaining the right amount of pressure on the brake. The pictures and video below are from a Lotus Elise. I chose this vehicle mainly because it was easy to place cameras.

The following sequence of pictures shows the process:








Here is a short video that shows the heal-toe technique in real-time and in slow motion:

Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch – Heel Toe Video

Summary

Heel-toe down shifting is one of those basic performance-driving techniques that must be mastered if you want to be competitive and maintain safety. Becoming proficient in this technique not only greatly improves your lap times, but also reduces wear and tear on your car. Your car stays more balanced, and track safety is improved.

As with all performance driving, heel-toe down shifting should only be practiced in a safe, controlled environment.

At Spring Mountain, we offer classes for all levels of drivers. Our performance driving schools give you the opportunity to learn from professional instructors and practice and master heel-toe down shifting along with threshold braking, car control, proper racing line, and a variety of other advanced driving techniques. So whether you’re interested in Corvettes, Lotus’, Radicals or our new Mini school, you will learn and master the techniques to make you a better, faster and safer driver all in a safe, controlled and fun environment.

Spring Mountain is located just 45 minutes from Las Vegas in Pahrump, NV. In addition to our driving schools, Spring Mountain is the home for the exclusive Club Spring Mountain, the premier private motorsports country club. While a student, you will enjoy access to members only Club amenities including the 8,000 SF club house, men and women’s locker rooms, fitness center, pool, Jacuzzi, massage therapy, racquet ball court and indoor gun range. Spring Mountain is truly a unique experience.

If you have a topic you would like to discuss, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

For more information or to sign up, visit www.RaceSpringMountain.com or call 800-391-6891

WYCKD 1

Thanks for sharing..


lauri

DarkMastyr

Nice writeup. The gas and brake in the Elise must be much more closely spaced than in a vette (or you have large feet). The pics/video shows more of a side-of-foot/toe technique. In the vette, I really have to yank my heel over to heel/toe properly. I know some fellas have to do a reverse heel/toe in a vette.

Dirty Howie

VERY HELPFULL

Best explanation I have read or seen !!!!!

I'm still trying to get comfortable with it and have just got H-T gas pedal to help.

Look forward to more racing tips


DH

socalspringmountain

DarkMastyr,

Your right about the spacing on the Vette. The pedals are less than optimal. I have never been able to HT with my heel on the brake. I just dont have enough control, you have too move your whole leg to adjust the brake pressure. Anyone who can do that is a better driver than I am .

I think I'll address some of those problems in my next post.

Howie,

Thanks for the compliment! I really appreciate it, especially from someone who is doing 1:34s around Willow Properly placed pedals will help a lot.

Ken

rfn026

You should never feel a downshift - you should only hear it.

Richard

NemesisC5

Thanks for your helpful contribution

socalspringmountain

Richard has it right!

TheSkunkWorks

Good post, but may I add/elaborate...

I've frequently heard/read many complaints of putting the proper technique into practice being just too awkward or too difficult to master, but this needn't be an absolute PITA to perform. Thing is, it's not necessarily a lack of ability on a driver's part, but often one of not having invested the time and effort necessary to soundly adjust the positioning and relationship of the pedals; the importance of which to proficient heel & toeing should not be overlooked by anyone truly serious about driving. It may well take a fair amount of bending and perhaps even some welding/brazing to accomplish in a road car, but get them just right for you and h/t will become 2nd nature very much sooner, allowing you to better concentrate on improving other skills; such as out-braking those who are still struggling with h/t because they've compromised here.

As alluded to by the OP, the term "heel & toe" is a bit misleading when referring to proper h/t technique. For anyone who may not quite yet grasp this, with the brake and throttle pedals setup correctly for "spirited driving"/racing, one doesn't actually use the heel and toe, but rather the big toe and pinky toe sides of the foot; the big toe side (I prefer the ball of my foot) on the brake and about the outer third of the foot over the throttle. The go pedal should be just below being contacted (assuming no slack), so as to not be adding power while at max braking levels (bearing in mind the brake pedal may likely become lower over the course of longer stints). With a little practice it will become easier and easier to accurately maintain threshold braking while quickly and precisely rolling one's ankle to blip the throttle.

A last couple of observations... In a racing car, which ought to be equipped with readily adjustable pedal kit, simply DO NOT take no for an answer when you "ask" to have the pedals set to your liking. Also, exactly perfect matching being a rarity, IMCO a mite too much blip (excepting over-revs) is preferable than too timid a blip. Persist, and it will all come together before you know it.


TSW

Janet Curran

Ken, welcome to the Corvette Forum. I'm so happy to see you here posting for Spring Mountain. The heel/toe info is great, please keep this kind of info coming.
Janet