FEATURED
technique
the heel and toe downshift
what is it?
It's a technique used to downshift and brake
at the same time, in a car with a manual transmission.
It's called 'Heel and Toe' because some drivers would operate
the brake pedal with the top half of their right foot, and blip
the accelerator pedal with the bottom half. Most drivers actually
use the left side of the foot to operate the brake, and the
right half to blip the accelerator pedal, but the result is
the same.
why is it useful?
Heel-and-toeing makes downshifts smoother.
The car is more stable under heavy braking, which in turn makes
it more controllable whilst turning into a corner. It's also
much easier on the clutch and drivetrain in general.
is it difficult?
It takes a bit of practice and dexterity, but
becomes much easier after a few days of constant practice. It
gets to be quite natural after you've done it for a while, and
you wonder how you got on without it.
how does it work?
Heel and toe downshifting requires the use of
all three pedals and all four of your limbs at the same time.
It's obviously a bit tricky at first, so the best way to start
learning the technique is by drilling the correct sequence of
events into your head. It goes like this:
- Begin to brake as normal.
- As you slow down and the engine revs fall,
you'll want to shift to the next lower gear. But before you
depress the clutch, ease your right foot halfway off of the
brake pedal, so the other half is over the accelerator as
well (note: your right foot will still be braking as you slide
it over!).
- Now comes the hardest part. Select your lower
gear as normal, but before you release the clutch pedal, use
the right half of your right foot (with the left half still
holding the brake pedal) to briefly squeeze the accelerator
pedal to increase enging revs. At the moment the engine revs,
release the clutch. Repeat these three steps for every downchange
you need to make.
To
see how a heel and toe downshift works, click here.
You can practice getting the sequence right
without actually driving. First practice maneouvering your right
foot over the brake/accelerator, and then repeat the sequence
of 1) disengaging the clutch; 2) selecting the next lower gear;
3) blipping the accelerator pedal while still holding the brake
pedal with the other half of your foot and 4) letting in the
clutch almost immediately afterwards.
Once you get the hang of that sequence, you
can give it a go in your car, on a road you know well that also
has very light traffic. You'll want plenty of time and road
space to default to your normal driving style and save yourself
if you get the sequence wrong.
The beauty of this technique is that it doesn't
require you to drive like a madman at all - just a desire to
make smooth progress. Those who already use this technique in
their driving know that nailing the perfect heel and toe downshift
is one of the most satisfying techniques you can master. Feeling
the increased braking force and hearing the revs spike before
each downchange is a great experience in any car.
Some cars have pedals which are better suited
to this technique than others, but if you're keen to learn it,
there are usually aftermarket pedals you can retrofit to your
car that make it much easier to do.
By G Morgan
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