Driving techniques....

merlin

merlin

merlin

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Thought maybe it could be helpfull to have some techinques explained in plain english for people not in the know.

Heel & Toe will help you down change gear smoothly, and will avoid frying your clutch and stressing out engine mounts etc.

Ok, heel and toe - as simple as I can explain it :-

Left foot - stays on clutch. End of story.

Right foot :-

Let's imagine you're in 4th gear, coming up to a bend, you need to change down a gear to 3rd.

Come off the gas pedal
Move right foot onto brake and start braking
Press clutch in
Move gear from 4th to 3rd

DONT BRING CLUTCH UP

Instead:-

Keeping your toe on the brake, swivel your right foot so you can tap the gas pedal with the right side of the lower part of your foot - you wont be hitting it with your full heel, just the right side of your heel, and flick the revs up.

Do this - hit the gas and flick the revs up to match the engine speed you are going to get when you bring the clutch up and engage 3rd

Once the revs are up, bring clutch up.

That's a smooth change down - you've been braking all the time, and you've change gear, but because you've flicked the revs up before bring the clutch up - you've got the engine speed and transmission speed the same so the engine has not been lunging and rocking around in the engine bay or the clutch worn unnecessarily.

Feel free to throw in others for us all to digest. :)
 
Good thread!

I'd wondered about this previously and never really understood it.

So is your right foot pretty much at a right angle then?

I tend to let the engine do a lot of the breaking, which would obviously mean a significant change in driving style. Is this just a different method, or a better one?

The whole concept of using just part of the heel and just a big toe rather than the ball of your foot sounds a bit dangerous on the road? Particularly so for someone with my lack of co-ordination :p Is H&T just a track method, or a recommended advanced driving technique? Is it just a means of reducing wear on the clutch etc, or will it mean faster cornering etc?
 
That's a good description merlin :)

I've tried heel-toeing a few times but can never get the hang of it. I find it weird to swing your heel out onto the accelerator, as using my heel on the brake and toe on the accelerator feels easier.

However, I got bored of trying and just blip on downchanges :D
 
I always find it difficult to brake with my left foot, tried once or twice but for some reason I am always heavy footed, but is that because my left foot is used to the clutch? Me no no...
 
Blipping down the gears: (alternative to heel & toe but not braking at the same time - easier for us noobs)

Dip the clutch, select gear and press (blip) the throttle and disengage the clutch.

Blip: press throttle sharply (not flat to the floor) and quickly release. Should sound like "vroom" and not "vrooooooooooooom" if that makes sense. :p

Don't try and attempt to do this quickly otherwise you're just going to mess it up. Try it slowly and each time you do it you'll be able to do it quicker each time you do it and smoother.

Also, you have to blip the throttle and let the clutch up at the right time otherwise the revs will die before you let the clutch up and it will feel like a normal gear change.

On the other hand, if you rev too much and let the clutch up the car is going to surge forward.
 
subxero said:
I always find it difficult to brake with my left foot, tried once or twice but for some reason I am always heavy footed, but is that because my left foot is used to the clutch? Me no no...
Click to expand...

Most people will have that problem. I nearly put myself through the windscreen first time I tried it. Yes, your left leg is used to the clutch.
 
Quick tip: Going over bridges.

When going over a bridge just tap the brakes just a fraction of a second before the car is about to lift off. This will stop you feeling like you're going to take off. Obviously don't press the brakes hard otherwise that could be a bit dangerous and if you're turning whilst going over the bridge don't tap the brakes because it will probably unsettle the car.

You could also use your left foot to brake but don't do it unless you know how. If you want to left foot brake go into an empty car park and try it. Your wheels will probably lock up because the left foot doesn't have as much "feel" to it so to speak.
 
merlin said:
\

^ Your right foot is like that.
Click to expand...

Yep, or if you have some small car *cough* 106/saxo* cough you could probably use one half of your foot to press the brakes and the other half to press the throttle. :p
 
Think you should have a disclaimer in the OP or something because I just have this mental image of someone trying this out on the roads amongst other cars and screwing up.
 
Enfield said:
Blipping down the gears: (alternative to heel & toe but not braking at the same time - easier for us noobs)

Dip the clutch, select gear and press (blip) the throttle and disengage the clutch.

Blip: press throttle sharply (not flat to the floor) and quickly release. Should sound like "vroom" and not "vrooooooooooooom" if that makes sense. :p

Don't try and attempt to do this quickly otherwise you're just going to mess it up. Try it slowly and each time you do it you'll be able to do it quicker each time you do it and smoother.

Also, you have to blip the throttle and let the clutch up at the right time otherwise the revs will die before you let the clutch up and it will feel like a normal gear change.

On the other hand, if you rev too much and let the clutch up the car is going to surge forward.
Click to expand...

Also known as double declutching.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_declutch

Used to have to do that all the time on my MG Midget as the syncromesh was knackered lol.
 
I have to blip the gas in neutral before i hit the clutch and change down a gear otherwise it crunchs due to the engine spinning too fast, is that right?

See corner
neutral
brake
blip + clutch down
gear in
Clutch up
 
Last edited:
Sp00n said:
I have to blip the gas in neutral before i hit the clutch and change down a gear otherwise it crunchs due to the engine spinning too fast, is that right?

See corner
neutral
brake
blip + clutch down
gear in
Clutch up
Click to expand...

Not really sure what you're asking tbh Sp00n. But that description is dreadfull driving. Just horrid. :(

I think you're replying to Enfield's clutch saving technique - so I'll leave him to help you out. :)
 
merlin said:
Not really sure what you're asking tbh Sp00n. But that description is dreadfull driving. Just horrid. :(

I think you're replying to Enfield's clutch saving technique - so I'll leave him to help you out. :)
Click to expand...

I don't understand it either lol. My technique is the same as yours but without pressing the brake and blipping at the same time.

H&T is a lot smoother than my technique but I can't really do it and don't really want to practise on the roads.


Think I understand now...

See corner
brake
clutch down
gear in
blip + clutch up slowly

mended.
 
merlin said:
Come off the gas pedal
Move right foot onto brake and start braking
Press clutch in

I PRESS GAS HERE

Move gear from 4th to 3rd

DONT BRING CLUTCH UP

Instead:-

Keeping your toe on the brake, swivel your right foot so you can tap the gas pedal with the right side of the lower part of your foot - you wont be hitting it with your full heel, just the right side of your heel, and flick the revs up.

Do this - hit the gas and flick the revs up to match the engine speed you are going to get when you bring the clutch up and engage 3rd

Once the revs are up, bring clutch up.
Click to expand...

If i try and put the gear in before i blip the gas, the car crunches.

Does that make anymore sense?
 
Another quick tip: Braking hard - reducing brake fade.

If you need to brake hard for whatever reason, release the brakes for about half a second to release some of the heat and go back on them again.

I've had to do this before, I was going too fast and didn't realise that the junction up ahead was as close as it was and hammered on the brakes but they faded really quickly so I had to keep going on and off the brakes and change down gears to engine brake. Sooo scary.
 
Enfield said:
No, that's not double-de-clutching at all.
Click to expand...

well, its a similar technique to achieve the same thing, apart from its generally used by necessity, ie when you dont have syncromesh, whereas I'm not really sure why you would use your technique with a modern syncromesh gearbox :/
 
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