Heel-and-toe (H/T) manipulation of the throttle and brake with the driver’s right foot is a throwback to ancient motoring days before synchromesh became standard in manual-shift transmissions. To avoid gear clash during up- and downshifting, the careful driver had two choices: wait patiently for gear speeds to match during the shift, or rev the engine briefly with the shifter in neutral and the clutch momentarily engaged between gears.
Today, H/T operation is a standard practice in motorsports to minimize the disruption of the driveline, and therefore the chassis, while braking aggressively into a turn. Even a brief upset of a drive wheel’s speed at the cornering and/or braking limit can cause a major deviation from the quickest line and, in the worst case, trigger a spin. For maximum speed, every driver input must be glass smooth, especially gearchanges.
This motorsports necessity is also an excellent way for the accomplished street driver to demonstrate his/her skills in daily driving. Polishing the H/T technique (see below) takes practice, but, when you get this technique right, there’s satisfaction to be had—without so much as breaking the speed limit. Here’s how to do it.
STEP 1: Place the ball of your right foot right of center on the brake pedal to initiate hard braking, with both hands on the steering wheel. (Optimally your hands will be positioned at 9 and 3 o’clock, but they’re higher on the wheel in these images to better exhibit heel-and-toe techniques.)
STEP 2: Twist your ankle counterclockwise so the ball of your right foot keeps the brake pedal depressed (placed at the extreme right of that pedal) while the right side of your right foot moves toward the accelerator. Your left foot has the clutch fully depressed at this point, and your right hand is moving the shift lever to a lower gear (or toward neutral if you want to double-declutch, which is shown on the next slide).
STEP 3: Lift your left foot off the clutch to re-engage it, with the shifter in neutral (again, this is optional on most modern cars with synchros). With the brake still applied, use the edge of your right foot to press the accelerator one-fourth of the way or so through its travel, raising engine revs. This is also known as throttle blipping.
STEP 4: If you choose to skip the double-declutching, simply press in the clutch once with the brakes still applied, and blip the throttle as you slide the shift lever through neutral and into the lower gear.
STEP 5: Now, with the shift complete, re-engage the clutch with your left foot. Your entire right foot should be available for continued braking.
STEP 6: You’re done! Place your left foot on the dead pedal, put your right hand back on the steering wheel, and move your right foot from the brake to the accelerator.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/2adpKrd
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