heel-toe

[aLeX 1.4 s tsi]

Using the width of your feet is called up-hill heel toe..

 

[Tetsuei]

Clown Shoes.

 

[pure_lunatic]

The GTI accelerator pedal is hinged at the bottom because of the drive-by-wire setup. It allows the entire assembly to be more compact.

 

[Erwan1]

I def am having problems heel toeing in th GTI, I can no problem in my civic. Just seems like the brake and throttle pedals are too far apart depth wise.

 

[Bender1]

Make sure you are doing it like this:

http://www.edmunds.com/how-to/heel-and-toe-downshift.html

http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/how-to-heel-and-toe-downshift.html?articleid=119593&

and remember:

The name, stemming from earlier automotive designs where the accelerator pedal was on the left and could be actuated with the heel while the brake pedal was actuated with the toe, is misleading regarding how the technique is carried out in modern cars, i.e., operating the brake with the left edge of the foot, while rocking it down and to the right to operate the throttle.

 

[Hilfloskind]

I've just given up on heel toe and simply rev match blip when downshifting...I don't track this GTI but I think this is a fairly good compromise for cornering on public roads at speed. I've got it down to a very smooth and natural maneuver.

 

[CarolinaBeachGTI]

As somebody mentioned earlier I definitely think its a german thing. If you look at any of the early 911s up to the 964s ( i think) they all had hinged pedals. Personally, Ive had some luck with rolling my foot between the two. I have a size 12 shoe so its kind of hard for me to completely rotate my foot. It seems to work as I put my big toe and ball of my foot onto the break and rock back with the upper part of my heel onto the accelerator. I guess its sort of like a hybrid between a couple different methods as alot of the guys have mentioned. Does having the exact, perfect form make a big difference? Watching some of the pros their form is perfect, and I often wonder how they can turn their foot almost perpendicular to the other.... ive tried and can't do it...even outside of my car!!

 

[McQueen77]

I've just given up on heel toe and simply rev match blip when downshifting...I don't track this GTI but I think this is a fairly good compromise for cornering on public roads at speed. I've got it down to a very smooth and natural maneuver.

yeah, I do and always have rev matched downshifts, making them very smooth and i would postulate, prolonging clutch life. i admit that i don't get out into the canyons as much as I'd like to work on the heel/toe manuever but thats really the only place its necessary. Most real world driving, at least in LA anyway where most everything is on a huge grid, does not require heel/toe.

 

[marcelo929]

Shoes have made such a difference in how easy it is for me to heel-and-toe. I would've thought "drivers" would help since the shoe soles are very skinny and the shoes are alot more flexible but, I noticed on some shoes like my Nike Air Trianers make it easier because of the thicker sole but it the shoes are too big it almost becomes impossible. Try different pairs and you'll find a pair that you'll end up wearing more often

 

[stuck24]

the bottom hinge is also a safety thing. No unintended floor mat forcing-accelerator pedal to floor.

Either way, keep practicing, it'll be ok... I can do it now, but it is better if you're braking hard and blipping the throttle with the heel of your right foot.

 

[BenH]

Heel-toe is actually straight forward in the GTI with this detail - brake with your heel off the floor.

The reason is in street cars, brake pedals have a lot of travel and by the time your foot is in position to rollover with the heel on the ground, you're braking too hard.

first get used to braking with the ball of your foot with your heel off the floor. Once you feel comfortable braking this way with moderate pressure, say 5/10ths, work on rolling the outside of your foot while maintaining contact with the brake pedal. The feeling should be that the ball is the pivot point and you're trying to kick out with your heel. The heel doesn't hit the gas but the outside if your shoe does. Practice 6-5 or 4-3 sequence as they are easier. 3-2 is more difficult and 2-1 is most difficult.

In a race car like Skip Barber's formula, the brake pedal and gas pedals are so close this technique won't work. Also the brake is unassisted, 1/2" travel, and takes 200lbs of pressure to lock the tires up. So heel-toe in this car requires my heel to stay on the floor and I kick my right knee over to the right to blip the throttle. It also doesn't have synchromesh but that's a whole other thread.

Try the above and let us know how it works for you.

 

[LittleJohny]

the bottom hinge is also a safety thing. No unintended floor mat forcing-accelerator pedal to floor.

While true, I highly doubt this was ever the intention. This point was only brought up after the Toyota debacle.

I think it's more of an issue with the fact that that's the way your foot pivots, so it's better ergonomics, especially for spirited driving. The pedal is placed this way on every German car I've ever been in.

Not to mention the fact that the pedals are this way on cars that don't even have carpets/floor mats like the Ferrari Enzo

 

[BrianfCheng1]

I do toe-heel, ball of foot applys brake, heel blips throttle.

 

[gigicd70]

Sounds like you all need wider shoes. If I have my foot half on the brake I can easy hit the throttle in all but one pair of shoes I own.

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