Okay, you’ve no doubt heard of ‘heel and toeing’, and perhaps (as I know some of you practice this technique) have already mastered the art. But what’s the big deal? What is it good for? Why do it? And most importantly, how do you do it?
Many people get confused with what ‘heel and toeing’ actually is. Some people think it’s just ‘rev matching’ and others confuse it with another technique called ‘double clutching’. Technically speaking it’s neither of those.
Heel and toeing is critical on a race track, but it can also be applied to driving on the road, although it does take some practice before it comes naturally (and we will get to that later).
Driving at track speed is all about keeping the car as ‘best-balanced’ at all times, and this is especially true under hard braking. A physics principal called the KAMM circle comes into play here (and that’s a whole other topic in itself). As you brake, physics takes over, and the weight of the car is transferred to the front of the vehicle. Under heavy braking, if done inexpertly, the wheels can lock up (many race cars do NOT employ the use of ABS - some have the ABS units removed - so heel and toeing is VERY important here) which will induce an uncontrolled skid.
Changing down through the gears at speed, combined with braking can load even more of the car’s weight to the front. So what are the options here?
Well, you can brake hard before the corner, before you absolutely need to. This will help you balance the car better, but will also result in a slower time.
You could release the brake and ‘blip’ the throttle to ‘rev-match’ the gear you’ve next selected as a downshift, but you need to do this early too (releasing the brake to ‘blip’ can reduce your control over the car). Or you can heel and toe.
This technique involves braking with the ball of your foot but at the same time ‘blipping’ the accelerator with your heel for a rev match, for a smoother down-change. Thus the ‘heel and toe’ aspect of it. Sounds logical and easy doesn’t it?
It’s not! I found it hard to get used to (and absolutely right) when I first took the plunge to see what all the fuss was about!
Managing the balancing act between accelerator and brake can be tricky – especially at speed. There were times where I pressed the brake so hard I felt like I was either going to be jettisoned out the windscreen or have my retina detached from my eyes.
It can be a hard technique to master, yet some people have the knack and can pick up the basic principles in just a few hours. You see, simultaneously depressing the brake and accelerator with the right amount of force and control on each pedal is something none of us were trained to do when we first got our licences.
Some cars make it even harder with the placement of the pedals. On top of that, footwear is also an important factor. Believe me, having the right footwear will make things easier for you in the short term. If you have a pair of slim-fitting sneakers with a thin sole, they would be ideal to start off with. (Don’t try starting off with the Blundestones – it will add to the frustration in getting it right.)
Practice is the key here. Start off at a deserted car park, much like the one your dad used originally in your first driving lesson.
You can practise your pedal ‘feel’ at first while stationary. Just put your toe on the brake and use your feel on the accelerator to control the RPM of your car. Holding a fixed RPM for a little while, then raising and holding, lowering and holding will give you a good start on what you are trying to achieve.
Another method in getting your head around it is – when driving normally – to try using your heel for acceleration and toe for braking independently. The more you try this technique, the smoother the process will become until it becomes second nature to you.
Knowing your gears is also an important part of heel and toeing. By that I mean knowing what RPM your car will be in on a down-change from gear to gear is important. So, while you drive around normally, pay attention to the revs and the car speed when you down-change gears. This will help you understand how much you need to ‘blip’ the throttle on the down change when you are ready for heel and toeing.
Like anything, practice is the key!
Till next time, happy and safe motoring!
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I’m an avid heel-toer, and when I upgraded my clutch my mechanic was surprised at how good the condition of the clutch was given the amount and type of mileage I’ve done on the car.
I’ve got a pair of race-boot style shoes for driving, and they do make the job a lot easier. Like most parts of driving its a trained reflex, and so after a while it becomes second nature in almost any footwear.
I fairly regularly attend track events (around every 6 weeks) to keep my on-track skills up to pace and in the beginning after getting to grips with the basics, my instructor taught me how to heel ‘n toe.
Back home I sat in the garage with the engine off and practiced it for some time and then went out on the quiet streets late at night to practice.
After the months of practice and a few times doing it on the track, my instructor during a Oran Park training session commented how smooth my heel ‘n toe’s were, I was really chuffed with that out of the blue comment.
Next on the list to learn is left foot braking, great to change the balance of the car mid corner.
Uh…yeah…I think I’ll stick to my rev-matching thanks. It all looks too hard.
So whats the point of rev-matching in a car with a syncro gearbox? I can understand it with a hollinger or similar race type box, but I think you guys are tugging the wurst a bit, if your driving around in a modern car with a modern syncro gearbox, thinking you need to blip the throttle…
Rev Matching and Heel and Toeing are two very different processes, and yes with a synchromesh box there is no ‘need’ to rev match by blipping the throttle.
harro, I’d take a wild stab at this and say “the only reason people rev match today, is that it sounds cool” as it’s not performed out of necessity like it was years ago.
Agreed. Its also a process that is becoming increasingly difficult with fly-by-wire throttles which seem to have less feel than the old cable throttles and require a larger prod to get them past the initial period of free-play in the pedal.
This is true. Some of the earlier Electronic Throttle control systems do lack feel, but some of the recent stuff now being fitted to cars is actually pretty good as it does give you a lot of communication in accelerator feel.
For the blokes who can’t help but get their sticky fingers into their cars, there are a few options now available for improvement in the area of Electronic Throttle control. Blitz make an Electronic Throttle control unit which sends signals much faster than those earlier developed OEM units provide, thus giving you a more positive, instantaneous feel, and it’s all due to an increasing in speed of sending the necessary pulses to the Throttle control unit. From what I’ve experience it does give you a more responsive car but not only that as some of these units have multiple settings that optimize response times so they do feel ‘sharper’ the higher up you select the settings.
Now I’m not endorsing the Blitz brand by any means, but they are just one company that is now manufacturing these types of aftermarket units, and they do really work.
Good topic Daniel,
I had a 1970’s Italian (monkey ergonomics design) car and I tried heel and toe on that many yrs ago, mind you with engine mods the power band kick in at over 3000 rpm. It scares the bejesus out of me, yes go practice somewhere safe. My only claim to fame was a flat change on a TX5 with a syncro box. Never able to repeat that again, felt great. Now I drive automatic, on family outings its easier to control the kids at the back with 1 less thing to worry about on the car.
Cool article Daniel.
I heel and toe in my Corolla! The only thing is when switching between the GT-R and the Corolla the clutch and brake friction points take some getting used to again. The throttle pedal in the GT-R is so nice and responsive though so it’s a pleasure to heel and toe in.
Another way of doing it is to push the brake pedal with the ball of your foot, and push the throttle with the right-hand-side of your foot. This requires a car with brake/throttle pedals rather close together, like an Italian car (I saw footage of Dario Benuzzi, one of Ferrari’s test drivers doing this) or I used to do this in my E36 BMW.
One step further is to left-foot brake. Putting all things together requires really good hand-eye coordination, though I will say that if you are new to any of this, trying it in stop start traffic is definitely not recommended!!
Rev matching takes load off the synchros, increasing their life. If you cycle through a car once every few years then its someone else’s problem if you don’t, but if you intend on keeping the car long term then it will prolong the life of the gearbox.
Matching the flywheel revs with the clutch revs also increases the life of those two components, as there’s less friction burning away the contact surfaces.
Using a heel-toe technique to rev match is also of use when driving in a spirited manner, where you want to downchange a lot faster. If you rev match, you can pop the clutch without running the risk of a compression lock when you’re trying to slow down for a turn. If you don’t rev match, you have to ride the clutch to avoid compression lock and, on the track, the cost of failure isn’t claimable on insurance.
That same technique also lets you change gear mid corner without the risk of breaking traction, which is also another useful technique to have in spirited driving.
If you’re a motorist that just commutes then rev matching is a technique you can consider as quaint as changing gears and actuating a clutch yourself. Totally unnecessary and a waste of time and effort. If you’re a driver that cares about the craft, rev matching a manual is still a skill worth having.
I taught myself to left foot brake by driving an auto around. Not having to worry about the clutch is a good thing, and it takes time to train your reflexes to modulating the brake pedal. The first few times you do it, you’ll apply too much pressure and pull the car up like some kid ran in front of you. When I learnt to pull the car up smoothly, I started to experiment with it in the manual car.
I find it good when I’m driving at a fair clip, as it allows me to settle the weight of the car mid corner without having to lift off the throttle. I don’t own a turbo car where keeping engine load up all the time is important, but its a good way to drive around those lazy throttle-by-wire systems in some normally aspirated cars or if you just want to shift the weight of the car without reducing acceleration too much.
Judging by some of the comments here, I am immensely happy, as it goes to show that the ‘art’ of driving is not lost or a dying art.
Definitely, and that’s why car makers like Aston Martin and Ferrari and Porsche should still always offer a stick shift option IMO. There’s no feel in a plastic paddle.
Your animated GIF at the top is also pretty cool
it made me think back; you’re probably more likely to heel/toe by using just the top of your foot (no heel) with some cars that have floor-hinged throttle pedals.
People should also give the double-declutch downshift with heel-and-toe a try!
***Say that to our NSW roads minister - I bet he has absolutely no clue what you’re talking about***
Harro, allow me to correct myself. This is sad. I don’t rev-match. That, as I now recall with your assistance, is something that my Dad used to do in the HK Belmont that lacked synchro on first gear.
No, all I do competently is drive my manual without treating the clutch like it was some kind of on/off switch, itself a rare skill these days.
I’m not heel and toeing, not rev-matching, not nuthin’…just drivin’…
Gotcha. Much the same as me then. I like my blundstones too much.