Here are the pedals I was referring to. Notice the setup is ideal for heel toe driving. I just foung this picture on the internet

 

I had a similar problem until I began experimenting with different ways to get both brake and gas covered with one foot. What works best for me is to not even lift the very back of my heel off of the floor when moving over to brake. I leave my heel planted on the floor under the accelerator in the same position it's in when I have my foot fully on the gas. When it's time to brake, I simply pivot the top of my foot to over to the brake. This gets my toes and the ball of my foot over the brake, leaving the rest of my foot over the gas pedal. I find that this gives me enough control over both pedals to be able accurately modulate pressure on each one.

Once you learn to trust the fact that just your toes and the ball of your right foot are enough contact area on the brake to use it effectively, you should be okay. Good luck!

Gary

 

Great thread guys =)

Thanks for sharing.

 

ya it is turning out to be a good thread, anyway, will that set of pedals fit on our cars? becayse with those sorts of pedals i think the heel-toe would be much easier. Ive been trying it alot for the past two days (just while driving normaly) and its pretty tough. Need some practice, no shoes like someone mentioned previously would probobly help in the beggining. Also those M5 videos were very cool, but i think the diagrams on those websights helo alot too. Thanks for the imput guys...... keep it commin.....

 

This is what i do (and with great success i might add )

 

The people who are so uncomfortable in trying these techniques are explaining what we meant when people have posted: Don't try this on the street!

When you're learning these techniques you need to be doing it slowly, with the car moving slowly (like at a walk!!), with lots of space around you. When I taught one of my son's friends we did it in a parking lot and when he had trouble getting comfortable we worked with the parking brake on and in neutral for about 15 minutes until he felt he could maintain brake pressure and still raise the revs to a point near his target: 3500; 4500; 3000; etc.

Then we tried it in motion, just using coast in neutral, shift to 2nd, then do it again.

Jus tlike golf, throwing a ball, swimming ... one step at a time! Good luck.

 

I actually lift my heel off the floor (so my toes are almost curled up, with ball of foot on brake) and then rock the side of my foot against the acc. pedal. I find my foot rocks to the right MUCH more comfortably this way, and I also feel like I have full control of the brake.
I don't like having my heel on the floor at all, I don't know how you guys have control of the brakes.

I guess you really need to practice and see what feels natural to you.

One more tip, make sure you've shifted down before you blip, and let the clutch out as soon as you've blipped. It shouldn't have two notes, if that makes sense. The blip and decelerate sound should be one continuos note. Kinda like...vvvvooooooooommmm not vvvoooo ---- ommmmmm
When I first learnt, I would do the voo ---ommm, I'd do the blip way before I downshifted...but I know better now and it is a much smooth transition.

 

im startin to get the hang of it.......

 

I just got back from the Derek Daly School of Racing where we worked extensively on heel/toe braking/downshifting in Formula Ford 2000s. These cars have racing trannys with no synchros, only dog gears, so you really can't get into a gear unless the revs are matched perfectly. They basically teach you to have your right foot placed in between the brake and gas pedals, so that the ball of your right foot is on the brake pedal, and the right half of your foot is on the gas. You don't have to use your toe on brake and heel on gas (it's sort of a misnomer). Just brake hard, and blip the throttle by rolling your foot onto the gas. The blips are very quick and deliberate, not a slow rev. In fact, the braking distance in the formula cars is so short that we would heel/toe downshift 3 gears in less than 2 seconds. The motion is as follows:

1. Accelerating down the straight with foot on gas.

2. Enter braking zone and brake as hard as you can without locking up the wheels with the ball of your right foot on the brake pedal

3. Simultaneously blip throttle with outer edge of right foot and depress clutch pedal and select lower gear (all at the same time, in one motion, in about a half second)

While you are doing all of this you must maintain constant and even pressure on the brake pedal. This is the hardest part (at least when you are racing) because people would either brake harder when they blipped the gas and lock up the brakes and spin, or not push hard enough and overcook the corner and miss the apex, or not blip the gas enough and lock up the rear wheels when they let the clutch out and spin the car. Performing heel/toe in my Z on the street is easy because I'm not driving at 10/10ths at the limit, but it was much more difficult to do this in a race car driving at 100% with no ABS or traction control. One little brain fart and your *** was in the gravel traps. What a rush...

 

Nice thread. I've got one of those aftermarket pedal kits on my Accord and they definitely make it easier.

The other thing about pedal location and placement, all three pedals should not be on the same vertical plane.

By that, I mean that when the brake is fully depressed, the gas should be level with it. That way, your foot can easily cover both. If the pedals are on the same plane when they're not being used, then at maximal depression of the brake, the gas will be "higher" and it'll be awkward.


I hope that made sense.