How to heel/toe?
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
I've always heard from instructors, and read in books, that your toe should be on the brake. The reason being that your heel is just not sensitive enough to modulate the brake accurately. Your calf muscles are more accurate than your thigh muscles.
I've never been able to do it that way in an F-Body tho. I can almost do the side-of-the-foot thing, but not consistantly, and I often fear my foot will slip off the brake
So, I use the heel-on-the-brake method. At least until I can get those pedals linked above! Nice looking!
I've never been able to do it that way in an F-Body tho. I can almost do the side-of-the-foot thing, but not consistantly, and I often fear my foot will slip off the brake
So, I use the heel-on-the-brake method. At least until I can get those pedals linked above! Nice looking!
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: houston, tx.
the few times i've heel-toed in my car, i've never thought that my heel being on the brake was at some disadvantage. i can't do the side of the foot thing, so i end up turning my foot with my heel on the brake, and then using my toes to throttle....it works for me!
Originally Posted by 4mula1
Ok, I'm definately a newbie at trying to participate in road races, but is the main purpose of the heel/toe to keep rpm's where they were so you do not unbalance the car while shifting on a corner?
yes.
but you should complete the heal toe before you ever start to turn the wheel. at high speed, simply dropping the clutch while being hard on the brakes ( all traction on front tires and not rear) could lock up the rear wheels..sending you off the track. you have to be smooth in a car. a proper heal/toe should not be felt.
The term "heal toe" has nothing to do with what it is. It was a term with the old formula 1 ferraris that had a different petal arrangment than we have.
the ball of your right foot should be on the righ side of the brake
Originally Posted by Lucas Black
the few times i've heel-toed in my car, i've never thought that my heel being on the brake was at some disadvantage. i can't do the side of the foot thing, so i end up turning my foot with my heel on the brake, and then using my toes to throttle....it works for me!
You have much more sensativity with the ball of your foot rather than your heal. for street driving im sure its fine, but when "thresh-hold braking"( braking right before the wheels lock up) , you need that extra feeling
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 196
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k, thanks for the answer Jamie, let me ask you or anyone another question please.
Many people complain that our pedals aren't setup for this, and they are certainly at different heights, have you found a solid and reliable way to adjust the pedals?
And do you all think the aftermarket pedals with the widened lower portion of the gas pedal to be worth having?
Thanks
Many people complain that our pedals aren't setup for this, and they are certainly at different heights, have you found a solid and reliable way to adjust the pedals?
And do you all think the aftermarket pedals with the widened lower portion of the gas pedal to be worth having?
Thanks
Since this thread started, I made a new gas pedal for my car that bolts on top of the old one. I cut it out of a 3/8" thick slab of plastic stock and drilled a lot of holes in it for lightening. It's much wider than stock, leaving only 1/2 inch gap beteen gas and brakes. Now I can heel-toe using the ball of my foot every time, but there was a relearning period before I got good at it. My ankle also feels much better than before! I can still do it the old way with heal on brake, toe on gas when I drive someone else's car.
I used this pattern from Craig Leres, only widened it even a little more:
http://www.xse.com/leres/ss/heeltoe.html
I used this pattern from Craig Leres, only widened it even a little more:
http://www.xse.com/leres/ss/heeltoe.html
Originally Posted by 4mula1
Many people complain that our pedals aren't setup for this, and they are certainly at different heights, have you found a solid and reliable way to adjust the pedals?
And do you all think the aftermarket pedals with the widened lower portion of the gas pedal to be worth having?
Thanks
And do you all think the aftermarket pedals with the widened lower portion of the gas pedal to be worth having?
Thanks
if you were serious with your car, you would want to setup the petals . when the brake is pressed all the way down right before lock up of the tires, it should be in a straight line with the throttle. this helps with consistency of the downshifts
cal may have a setup to help you
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At my loacl GM dealer, a replacement gas pedal was just a couple of dollars.
Get a piece of plywood, resize it to make it wider, screw it to the stock pedal and then get a piece of plastic from a stereo shop and screw it to the top of the plywood.
Paint the wwod with flat black spray paint and you will never notice it.
Now, the pedal is higher AND wider.
Getting the pedal BACK onto throttle perch can be frustrating.
Get a piece of plywood, resize it to make it wider, screw it to the stock pedal and then get a piece of plastic from a stereo shop and screw it to the top of the plywood.
Paint the wwod with flat black spray paint and you will never notice it.
Now, the pedal is higher AND wider.
Getting the pedal BACK onto throttle perch can be frustrating.
Originally Posted by mitchntx
Getting the pedal BACK onto throttle perch can be frustrating.
I followed these instructions and had no problems.
Why thank you, yes I do! 
I know it seems difficult, but after the first time it gets mucn easier. And after you have it off and see what it looks like, you can do it blind no problem.
I know it seems difficult, but after the first time it gets mucn easier. And after you have it off and see what it looks like, you can do it blind no problem. 
Teching In
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
What I do depends on the pedal placement of the brake and gas pedal. The Z06 is fairly close, so I can brake with the left part of my foot (toe area) on the brake and then rotate my ankle over, so the right part of my foot (baby toe area) hits the gas pedal.
What I do when the distance is too far is to put the ball of my foot on the brake and then pivot my heel over and touch the gas. I've seen several people do it this way including a Porsche driver in the ALMS series. They had an onboard camera in in the footwell area of one of the GT Porsche's and you could see the driver keeping the ball of the foot on the brake and then lifting his heel up and pivoting it over to touch the gas.
I'd try several different techniques and see what works best for you. There is no real correct way to do this. Just make sure that you don't sacrifice the brake pedal at all. Make sure that your foot is securely on the brake pedal. You don't want to be coming into a braking zone hard and then have your foot slip off the brake and onto the gas.
X
What I do when the distance is too far is to put the ball of my foot on the brake and then pivot my heel over and touch the gas. I've seen several people do it this way including a Porsche driver in the ALMS series. They had an onboard camera in in the footwell area of one of the GT Porsche's and you could see the driver keeping the ball of the foot on the brake and then lifting his heel up and pivoting it over to touch the gas.
I'd try several different techniques and see what works best for you. There is no real correct way to do this. Just make sure that you don't sacrifice the brake pedal at all. Make sure that your foot is securely on the brake pedal. You don't want to be coming into a braking zone hard and then have your foot slip off the brake and onto the gas.
X
The only problem I've ever had heal-toeing was once at an autox I hit the brakes and gas at the same time, and the gas won out over the brakes! The only harm done was a couple of cones taken out. I think this happened becasue I was not that used to my wide gas pedal yet. No problems as of late, but it's a good thing nobody else drives my car.
