Tips on how to heel-toe?
- Thread starter Tom
- 36 comments
- 8,208 views
- 97
- Kansas
- honeydear
- 5,198
- UK
- marunda/GTP_FordMKIVJ5
It really depends on how big your feet are really.
- 5,785
- Norman, OK
- McClarenDesign
Isn't that vid Keiichi Tsuchiya? Driving suit looks familiar.
Back on topic, I had to teach myself in real life, as I don't have a wheel or pedal set.
- 4,741
- Bogota,Colombia
- GTP_ARP93
Well, I'm no master either but what I've learned from a couple of sources is this.
1. You're approaching full throttle to the corner.
2. Begin braking with your right foot but leave a part of your feet to blip the throttle pedal.
3. When the revs are going down, press the clutch with your left foot and bleep the throttle keeping the brake pressure steady. What you're looking for here is to rev the engine with the engine spinning free, i.e with the clutch pedal pressed. Lower one gear
4. Release the clutch pedal.
5. Repeat until you're in the correct gear for the approaching corner.
I've seen many foot positions for heel 'n toe, but the one I've seen in a book and an Ayrton Senna video doesn't in fact involve the heel at all. There's a video somewhere in the internets where Senna drives an NSX in a pair of italian loafers and he seems to use his right foot for operating both pedals.
1. You're approaching full throttle to the corner.
2. Begin braking with your right foot but leave a part of your feet to blip the throttle pedal.
3. When the revs are going down, press the clutch with your left foot and bleep the throttle keeping the brake pressure steady. What you're looking for here is to rev the engine with the engine spinning free, i.e with the clutch pedal pressed. Lower one gear
4. Release the clutch pedal.
5. Repeat until you're in the correct gear for the approaching corner.
I've seen many foot positions for heel 'n toe, but the one I've seen in a book and an Ayrton Senna video doesn't in fact involve the heel at all. There's a video somewhere in the internets where Senna drives an NSX in a pair of italian loafers and he seems to use his right foot for operating both pedals.
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- 6,390
- Kent
- tombrookscomms
I'm sure they're big enough, Size 10 in the UK.
- 5,785
- Norman, OK
- McClarenDesign
I, too, have seen this practice. Looks a little more difficult than the technique in the vid, imo.
- 4,741
- Bogota,Colombia
- GTP_ARP93
Found it, here's the link. I won't embedd it because I'm rubbbish at that 
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8By2AEsGAhU
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8By2AEsGAhU
- 1,184
- Glass Village
- OK8_
1) Brake with your right foot
2) Push the clutch down with your left foot
3) Simultaneously change gear with your hand and press the throttle a bit with the outside of your right foot. You only need to touch the throttle a bit so two toes on the throttle is enough. Some people bend their feet so that the "top" of their foot touches the throttle but after doing this for a long time I developed a bruise on my foot which made simracing very painful.
4) Release the clutch
If you need to change down several gears, repeat from 2) onwards.
In my real car the brake pedal doesn't travel even nearly enough for me to reach the gas pedal in the traditional way so the only way is to have my right foot almost vertical, brake with my heel and somehow bend my toes to blip the throttle.
Fixed that for you (you only need to put the video ID (8By2AEsGAhU) inside youtube tags and it'll work)
That's actually just like what I tried to describe. You don't need to bend your right foot, just brake with your foot on the right side of the brake pedal and when you press the clutch, move the outside of your foot slightly over the gas pedal. You only need to blip it very slightly.
2) Push the clutch down with your left foot
3) Simultaneously change gear with your hand and press the throttle a bit with the outside of your right foot. You only need to touch the throttle a bit so two toes on the throttle is enough. Some people bend their feet so that the "top" of their foot touches the throttle but after doing this for a long time I developed a bruise on my foot which made simracing very painful.
4) Release the clutch
If you need to change down several gears, repeat from 2) onwards.
In my real car the brake pedal doesn't travel even nearly enough for me to reach the gas pedal in the traditional way so the only way is to have my right foot almost vertical, brake with my heel and somehow bend my toes to blip the throttle.
Found it, here's the link. I won't embedd it because I'm rubbbish at that
Fixed that for you (you only need to put the video ID (8By2AEsGAhU) inside youtube tags and it'll work)
That's actually just like what I tried to describe. You don't need to bend your right foot, just brake with your foot on the right side of the brake pedal and when you press the clutch, move the outside of your foot slightly over the gas pedal. You only need to blip it very slightly.
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- 3,530
- London, Ontario
- Starky513
I have tried Heel + Toe and I find my self braking too hard, I usually just stick to Left Foot Braking
- 5,198
- UK
- marunda/GTP_FordMKIVJ5
- 59
What pedals are you using? Pedal spacing has a huge effect. I've moved the brake pedal on my G25 closer to and higher than the gas pedal based off of measurements from my real car.
As for learning the rythm, I wasn't able to do it in SIMs until I learned it in real life... lol because when you make mistakes in a real car it's brutally obvious.
As for learning the rythm, I wasn't able to do it in SIMs until I learned it in real life... lol because when you make mistakes in a real car it's brutally obvious.
- 714
- NJ
Well, during a field sobriety test, you may be asked to walk a line heel to toe, if the law officer suspects that...oh wait, that's not what you meant. 
I shall look back upon this thread some day when I get a wheel and pedals setup. Until then, it's just me and my trusty, dusty DS3. 👍
I shall look back upon this thread some day when I get a wheel and pedals setup. Until then, it's just me and my trusty, dusty DS3. 👍
- 2,747
- Morgoth_666
Try though I might, I just cannot manage to fit my(not that big) foot into the space provided in my(pretty big) Camaro. At least not in a manner suitable for driving.
I haven't tried much in sims because GT5 doesn't let me use the clutch and I haven't played much rFactor since when I was too concerned with learning a clutch and a completely new brake pedal feel(you have to crush the pedal to get any response in rF) and a new 900/440 degree wheel. I had emergency-upgraded from an old 2-pedal potentiometer and 180 degree wheel.
Looking forward to getting back into rF and working on it once I'm done wasting the forever it's taking me to get all the cars I want in GT5.
I haven't tried much in sims because GT5 doesn't let me use the clutch and I haven't played much rFactor since when I was too concerned with learning a clutch and a completely new brake pedal feel(you have to crush the pedal to get any response in rF) and a new 900/440 degree wheel. I had emergency-upgraded from an old 2-pedal potentiometer and 180 degree wheel.
Looking forward to getting back into rF and working on it once I'm done wasting the forever it's taking me to get all the cars I want in GT5.
- 5,785
- Norman, OK
- McClarenDesign
I've seen Senna's technique used in Indycar/CHAMPcar racing as well.
- 3,221
- Maldives
- zedextreme8177
One idea I have for you to practice: In addition to what the others have stated, instead of trying to shift down multiple gears, just shift ONCE: straight into the gear for the corner. When you get the hang of this, you can try adding more dowshifts
- 7
- Arizona
- Bil07
Also remember that you don't have to necessarily jam the gas pedal down when doing the heel toe move. All you need to do is just give it a little tap while your braking and going into lower gears (downshifting). The car slowing down from braking and the gears catching are helping so that you don't have to press the gas pedal really hard. I hope that's not confusing.
- 2,747
- Morgoth_666
- 60
In real life driving both my cars, and my missus car I use the outside of my right foot, but I have got quite wide uk size 12s. It's just a case of finding which style suites you, and practice. And do it initially while your not under pressure, then work on it. Eventually it will become second nature.
- 7,228
- beyond down under
- Skython11
Jay's advice really is the best advice you can get.
For me, I only have a DFGT. But sometimes I get the pedals from my old wheel and place it next to it and use that as a practice clutch. So I can practise heel and toe. You want to place your heel between the accelerator and the brake when braking (toe curved and sitting on brake), and when you need to blip the power rotate your foot using your toe as a centre point and hit the power... While also pushing down the clutch (remember to do it in the right order... Clutch. Gear, power... The power very closely after the change).
For me, I only have a DFGT. But sometimes I get the pedals from my old wheel and place it next to it and use that as a practice clutch. So I can practise heel and toe. You want to place your heel between the accelerator and the brake when braking (toe curved and sitting on brake), and when you need to blip the power rotate your foot using your toe as a centre point and hit the power... While also pushing down the clutch (remember to do it in the right order... Clutch. Gear, power... The power very closely after the change).
- 41
Practice is the best way to get it. Also make sure you have proper shoes (flat, thin sole) and don't start doing it with just socks... Also try doing it s-l-o-w-l-y (i-e, not in a race) the first times until your brain gets your movements sync'ed 
- 1,184
- Glass Village
- OK8_
I've been doing it with bare feet or socks for years. My pedals are quite close together for shoes.
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