Proper Heel Toe technique

I cant seem to get it right for the life of me Id like to here others thought on it. When do you use it why. How do you do it?


Have we discussed this before?

well it doesn't come up in search but who knows...

i use it so i can brake (toe) and then rev match (kick the gas with my heel) and down shift...all to slow the car down as quickly as possible.

so like it says, you press the brake pedal as you usually do with your toe/ball of your foot and then while doing it swivel on the ball of your foot so that you can blip the throttle. This is while down shifting of course so you can rev match the rpm's to the next lower gear.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JliPGde8jMM

I try to do it to rev match whenever I downshift. easiest way for me to do it cuz my big a** feet (u know wut that means) is to get the top of my brake pedal with my toes, and the heel of my foot on the gas.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Aqjipul6Jg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuoZeuSgEj4&feature=PlayList&p=673929D06282543E&index=0&playnext=1

first one FTW lol

not only foot position but also seat position so you can twist your leg a bit and not hit your knee on the steering wheel

brake with the ball of your foot (toe) and rotate your foot to blip the gas pedal with your heel. This allows you to rev match while downshifting without removing your foot from the brake. You can do this for engine braking coming in to and/or being in the right gear to accelerate out of a corner. I learned by rolling in a parking lot and trying to heel-toe into first gear smoothly. Once you can do that try it while braking into a corner and downshifting. Hope this helps. I know others on here probably have more technical descriptions.

One thing I find is knowing how much gas you need to give it, its always cool when downshifting is when you set the blow off valve off, especially when downshifting twice lol.

/ricer moment

Pretty much what everyone else said. My only things is I make sure my foot is higher up on the brake so my toe is near the top end of the brake and my heel can have plenty surface area on my accelerator peddle and not just barely touch it or fall off trying if this makes sense. At first I used to have my foot too low where I was having a hard time making contact with my heel on the accelerator.

And it's easier or smoother to do while going faster then slower. While I was practicing on the streets going about speed limit it felt a bit awkward but when you do it taking a fast corner it feels very smooth. I just kept playing with it while driving back and forth to work until it became a automatic reaction without having to give it any thought now.

yes it's much easier when you're slamming on the brakes that way the brake pedal is farther back toward the floor board and more even with the accelerator.

Nothing much for me to add other than with larger, American-sided feet you don't really use your "heel." It's more of the lower half of the right side of your foot. I keep the ball of my foot centered on the brake for maximum force and use that lower half of my foot to blip the throttle.

And yes, on the track it's MUCH easier. Most cars are more amiable to the technique at high revs and your foot if much more stable with more braking pressure.

i have small feet so it works perfectly with the way the WRX's gas and brake are seperated

Once you get it you'll wonder why you didn't learn earlier. It's perfect harmony when carving a corner. It makes the transition from braking to acceleration feel seamless and smooth.

Keegan wrote:

i have small feet so it works perfectly with the way the WRX's gas and brake are seperated

For some reason its easier in the 92x than it is in the STi I wonder if the pedals are further apart on the is shouldn't be

Yeah, I agree. I learned on the street and the "lazy" way ... just rocking the ball of my foot to the throttle. It worked and was fun.

I got the Evo and some nicer driving shoes (Puma Future Cats) and had to relearn as the sole was so narrow. I learned the right way, again on the street. Used the new technique a little on mountain drives ... it was more fun and smoother.

I went to a track day and OMG! It was awesome! I was normally a little jerky on the street but it was like butter at the track.

like butter, exactly!
I've always used either adidas sambas or currently just a plain puma. The pumas are more narrow than any other shoe I have bought.

RoMe wrote:

For some reason its easier in the 92x than it is in the STi I wonder if the pedals are further apart on the is shouldn't be

could be that and also the pedal firmness, the sti might not sink is as deep as the saab might

So its pretty much

Clutch in...brake+gas blip..Clutch out

NO. You have it all wrong.

ok wtf? umm anyway, i quoted kev and meant to say it doesnt allow you to brake quicker, it allows you to brake without upsetting the balance of the ca

RoMe wrote:

So its pretty much

Clutch in...brake+gas blip..Clutch out

well you're braking already then you do a rev match down shift. if you can't rev match and downshift just driving along the street no braking involved, that's a good place to start. then once you have that, you can try to heel toe.

Well in order to get ANY of this correct you have to have a decent set of pedals that'll allow you to do all this

Use the Force Luke!


--Obi Wan Kenobi

how's it work in your car bobby. I tired multiple times in my bro's MS3 and could not get my heel to the gas it was too far back compared to the brake...

Grocery Grip wrote:

Well in order to get ANY of this correct you have to have a decent set of pedals that'll allow you to do all this

Incorrect. If I can do it in a Scion xB, you can do it in a MS3. It just takes practice. Again, it's a PITA to learn it correctly on the street as braking force is minimal. You really need track time to perfect it.

TouringBubble wrote:

Grocery Grip wrote:

Well in order to get ANY of this correct you have to have a decent set of pedals that'll allow you to do all this

Incorrect. If I can do it in a Scion xB, you can do it in a MS3. It just takes practice. Again, it's a PITA to learn it correctly on the street as braking force is minimal. You really need track time to perfect it.

yea it makes sense Bubble if you have Big Feet!....lol...or sprained ankles...lol