How to Heel-Toe with big feet

[PG62FL5]

My problem with the rev match system isn't actually the rev matching, it's the rev hold on upshifts. The downshifting part is what it was intended for, but I guess they also thought upshifting needed a hand.

Don't really think it's a badge of honor, more that I feel more connected to the car when I downshift. Also it's super rewarding to do myself ?, never a bad thing to have an extra skill!

Wait, I didnt think Rev Match system is connected to Rev Hang in our cars. Is it? Rev Hang has been around for a while for other models as well. Getting Hondata can disable that.

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[Cueyo]

Wait, I didnt think Rev Match system is connected to Rev Hang in our cars. Is it? Rev Hang has been around for a while for other models as well. Getting Hondata can disable that.

I don't think this is rev hang, because it completely disappeared when rev match was disabled. I also don't think rev hang holds your rpm at the correct value for a smooth shift.

 

[PG62FL5]

I don't think this is rev hang, because it completely disappeared when rev match was disabled. I also don't think rev hang holds your rpm at the correct value for a smooth shift.

Interesting. I might have to try it and see if I notice any difference if the rev match is off. I personally like it though... lol

 

[zumbooruk]

Interesting. I might have to try it and see if I notice any difference if the rev match is off. I personally like it though... lol

before I turned off the auto rev match, I noticed that it seems that sometimes got confused between up and downshifts. i.e. I intended to upshift, and it reved higher as if I was going to downshift. but that's not "rev hang".

btw, I definitely had a rev hang in my 07 FA5, which did not have auto rev match.

the way I adapted to the rev hang in the FA5 was to lift off the throttle a bit earlier, and keep clutch disengaged just slightly longer.

 

[PG62FL5]

before I turned off the auto rev match, I noticed that it seems that sometimes got confused between up and downshifts. i.e. I intended to upshift, and it reved higher as if I was going to downshift. but that's not "rev hang".

btw, I definitely had a rev hang in my 07 FA5, which did not have auto rev match.

the way I adapted to the rev hang in the FA5 was to lift off the throttle a bit earlier, and keep clutch disengaged just slightly longer.

Hmmm... Now Imma keep a close watch if I experience something like that on my drive lol

Yeah, definitely on my 08 FA5 was my first encounter but disabled it with Flashpro lol

 

[Spart]

Something to note is that the term "heel-toe" didn't originate with the style of pedal work you see in Initial D:



It came from pre-war cars that actually had a center throttle pedal. 1934 Aston Martin pictured below:

You'd put your right foot (toes and ball) on the on the brake pedal which is furthest right (note: floor hinged so they actually go up a bit when you press them) and rotate your heel left instead of right in order to blip the throttle pedal in the middle while you work the clutch pedal (furthest left) with your left foot. A direction of ankle rotation that most guys will find easier to work with!

That's the actual origin of the term.

What we think of as a "standard" pedal layout didn't start to become a de-facto standard until the 1940's.

As such there is no "one true way" to heel and toe a downshift. You do what works for your physiology and for the car's particular pedals. All it really means is you're using all three pedals simultaneously with two feet. Witness Ricky Rudd being a maniac in the 90s:



That car's pedal box is set up to accommodate this style of driving. Most aren't.

For a lot of us, we're going to be doing some variation of the heel-toe pedal work as seen in this classic video of Ayrton Senna driving a Honda NSX:



What he's doing there is putting the ball of his foot under his big toe on the brake, and then rocking his foot over to blip the throttle pedal with the edge of his right foot, rather than his heel.

Unless the pedals are too far apart, this style is going to work the best for a lot of modern top-hinged pedals, particularly in cars like ours where the throttle pedal doesn't extend down very far. Not many cars use floor-hinged pedals anymore, and some that do (thinking of BMW here) only have the throttle pedal floor-hinged, with the clutch and brake "hanging" or top-hinged.

If the pedals are too far apart for your foot to bridge the gap between brake and throttle, there's generally a cottage-industry solution to spacing the throttle pedal over closer to the brake pedal, or putting a wider pedal cover on it that accomplishes the same thing.

Here's a spacer for our cars from Acuity: https://acuityinstruments.com/products/acuity-pedal-spacer-for-the-lhd-10th-gen-civic

I would note that a lot of these also raise the gas pedal, which can be counter-productive if you're rocking your foot instead of using your heel.

I don't find it necessary because I have really wide feet and wear extra-wide shoes.

For a different car, here's a throttle pedal cover that extends towards the brake pedal: https://www.steeda.com/steeda-s550-mustang-billet-heel-toe-gas-pedal-2015-555-1273.html

As for the actual nuts and bolts of getting it done, I find this video by Matt Farah to be easy to recommend:



What I would add to what he is saying is this: He makes it look easy because he's been doing it too long. It's not and that's where most people give up on it.

When you first start doing this, its easy to do way too big of a blip, or way too small of a blip. You need the muscle memory to actually perform the blip consistently no matter what pressure you're applying to the brake pedal.

The way to get good at it is to start in a parking lot completely stationary. Focus first on getting your foot placement on the brake pedal right so that you actually have enough of your foot hanging off the right side to interact with the throttle. Don't look at the pedals the whole time because you can't do that while you're driving, you have to just muscle memory it into position.

Next is learning to blip the throttle a consistent amount but with varied brake pedal pressure. You need to be able to do consistent blips with light braking, medium braking, and hard braking. If you apply this on track, it's going to be 70-80% hard braking.

After that, try doing it while moving but with the car in neutral so if you screw up, you don't hurt anything. Once you're feeling confident in your consistency, actually try a downshift.

 

[PNEUMA]

I went straight to Ayrtons driving video in that NSX!! RIP Legend

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