2016 occasional track car and I’m struggling to perfect heel-toe downshifting.

My leg is too long for actual heel-toe with the pivot. My knee hits the steering column if I twist my leg counter-clockwise like that.

So I’ve been trying to get the ankle roll method to work, tilting the right side of my foot over to blip the throttle. But the gas pedal is too far away to reach. Nylon spacers didn’t help so removed them

I then installed the Steeda heel-toe gas pedal and that helped but created a new problem - now I can’t go full brake without accidentally pushing the gas pedal as well.

Has anyone successfully worked through this? What did you do?

Get a Xingeneering module. Plug and play and can adjust timing and blip settings with laptop. Wire in a power switch to be able to shut off for street use. Heel/toe is a great skill. But is archaic in today's environment and definitely affects the consistency and repeatability of braking and downshift events. If you want to stick with it, shift the gas pedal towards the tunnel a bit or shave the edge of the pedal to find the sweet spot.

I use the ankle roll method but it’s very inconsistent with the results. Usually takes a few laps to get it dialed in. It’s a great feeling when everything clicks, but definitely frustrating when you fumble it. Keep at it if you want to perfect it.

As I chase faster lap times against automatic and factory rev match cars, I’ve decided to add rev matching to my car via MMR’s plug and play module. I just ordered it (It arrives Monday) so I can’t comment on it yet but I can report back after my July 8th track day.

Years ago I was lucky enough to have an instructor who explained to me how hard it is to actually roll your ankle, or use your heel and your toe, or do anything with your heel off the floor. Don’t do any of those things.

Make sure your heel is on the floor. Keep it there at all times. Lock your ankle. Left side of ball of foot on brake, right side on the gas. Now, with your ankle locked, roll your knee (not your ankle) to the right towards the center console. Practice with the car just sitting in neutral.

I found this instruction game changing. I quickly picked it up and never looked back. Lots of my friends have said the same thing. There are lots of yt videos out there of amazing racers doing it differently but I guess I’m just not coordinated enough lol. This simple way works because it stabilizes everything plus most people have better fine right left motor control in your leg than you do in your ankle. Good luck, you got this.

Have you put a space under your gas pedal to bring the pedal closer to the brake? That was my fix.

steveespo said:

Get a Xingeneering module. Plug and play and can adjust timing and blip settings with laptop. Wire in a power switch to be able to shut off for street use. Heel/toe is a great skill. But is archaic in today's environment and definitely affects the consistency and repeatability of braking and downshift events. If you want to stick with it, shift the gas pedal towards the tunnel a bit or shave the edge of the pedal to find the sweet spot.

Blip Module

Downshift Rev Matching for ANY H-Pattern Transmissions. OEM Plug-and-Play, Easy Setup, Motorsport Grade Wiring

xineering.com

Click to expand...

What Steve said. I have used both the Autoblip and the Xingeneering units. The Autoblip is easier to adjust with knobs for adjustments while the Xing is more consistent while requiring g a laptop to make adjustments. .

steveespo said:

Get a Xingeneering module. Plug and play and can adjust timing and blip settings with laptop. Wire in a power switch to be able to shut off for street use. Heel/toe is a great skill. But is archaic in today's environment and definitely affects the consistency and repeatability of braking and downshift events. If you want to stick with it, shift the gas pedal towards the tunnel a bit or shave the edge of the pedal to find the sweet spot.

Blip Module

Downshift Rev Matching for ANY H-Pattern Transmissions. OEM Plug-and-Play, Easy Setup, Motorsport Grade Wiring

xineering.com

Click to expand...

Thanks. Definitely something to consider if I continue having trouble. Are double-downshifts tricky with a blip module?

txgt said:

I use the ankle roll method but it’s very inconsistent with the results. Usually takes a few laps to get it dialed in. It’s a great feeling when everything clicks, but definitely frustrating when you fumble it. Keep at it if you want to perfect it.

As I chase faster lap times against automatic and factory rev match cars, I’ve decided to add rev matching to my car via MMR’s plug and play module. I just ordered it (It arrives Monday) so I can’t comment on it yet but I can report back after my July 8th track day.

Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes fumbling it is so frustrating, especially on a great lap. Would you mind sharing why you chose MMR over Auto-Blip or Xineering?

stevbd said:

Years ago I was lucky enough to have an instructor who explained to me how hard it is to actually roll your ankle, or use your heel and your toe, or do anything with your heel off the floor. Don’t do any of those things.

Make sure your heel is on the floor. Keep it there at all times. Lock your ankle. Left side of ball of foot on brake, right side on the gas. Now, with your ankle locked, roll your knee (not your ankle) to the right towards the center console. Practice with the car just sitting in neutral.

I found this instruction game changing. I quickly picked it up and never looked back. Lots of my friends have said the same thing. There are lots of yt videos out there of amazing racers doing it differently but I guess I’m just not coordinated enough lol. This simple way works because it stabilizes everything plus most people have better fine right left motor control in your leg than you do in your ankle. Good luck, you got this.

Click to expand...

Thanks I will give this method a shot! It makes total sense.

byronj said:

Have you put a space under your gas pedal to bring the pedal closer to the brake? That was my fix.

Click to expand...

Yes I tried that first. The gas pedal was in the way when trying to brake normally, but I suppose maybe I'd get used to the change. Thanks.

TMSBOSS said:

What Steve said. I have used both the Autoblip and the Xingeneering units. The Autoblip is easier to adjust with knobs for adjustments while the Xing is more consistent while requiring g a laptop to make adjustments. .

Click to expand...

Thanks. Would you mind sharing why the Xing is more consistent? Does the Autoblip not hold its setting properly?

RedStallion27 said:

Thanks. Yes fumbling it is so frustrating, especially on a great lap. Would you mind sharing why you chose MMR over Auto-Blip or Xineering?

Click to expand...

In general I’m a fan of MMR products. Their module is plug and play and is controlled via an app on your phone so that was the deciding factor.

RedStallion27 said:

Thanks. Would you mind sharing why the Xing is more consistent? Does the Autoblip not hold its setting properly?

Click to expand...

Exactly. The knobs of the auto blip have moved on me. Some have put rubber bands or o rings on the knobs to hold the knobs. With the Xing unit you can program in, by percentage, the amount of delay and activation. When working out which setting is best, repeatability is important for me.

I'm a kart racer, it was either left foot braking or left foot braking and a sequential box, so I never was good at heel n toe, for this reason I use an auto Blip, and for me, not having to mickey mouse around with a laptop and programming is a massive plus, just reach down n turn a knob, and Al is an incredible person to deal with.

*ninja edit for spelling*

RedStallion27 said:

Yes I tried that first. The gas pedal was in the way when trying to brake normally, but I suppose maybe I'd get used to the change. Thanks.

Click to expand...

It takes a few minutes to get used to. Place the the pedal is about 1/4 to 1/2 lower than the brake

..the left ball of foot & slight roll onto the throttle (with a wider gas pedal) is great advice, & if you practice on every downshift during street driving it’ll become second nature at the track. Also very important is having the throttle lag deleted &or programmed out, or a throttle plug-in module, helps for accurate throttle blips.

RedStallion27 said:

Thanks. Definitely something to consider if I continue having trouble. Are double-downshifts tricky with a blip module?

Click to expand...

Not really, you do need to be on the brake and fully release the clutch for the second shift. I can sometimes beat the timing if I don't fully release the clutch.

fwiw, Auto Blip make a unit that fits into the OBD port as well.

Still prefer heel and toe, it is a tango that has your shifter as your dance partner and I always felt learning it well was what helped me keep my transmissions alive. My Mach 1 had a factory blip shift and I never really cared for it. Yes I am an old fart ,but it was a right of passage for race drivers and it became so natural for me it felt odd when downshifting the Mach --- only thing I did not like about the car.

PS - it also helps that I only wear a 9 1/2 to 10 size shoe ,ha.

Bill Pemberton said:

Still prefer heel and toe, it is a tango that has your shifter as your dance partner and I always felt learning it well was what helped me keep my transmissions alive. My Mach 1 had a factory blip shift and I never really cared for it. Yes I am an old fart ,but it was a right of passage for race drivers and it became so natural for me it felt odd when downshifting the Mach --- only thing I did not like about the car.

PS - it also helps that I only wear a 9 1/2 to 10 size shoe ,ha.

Click to expand...

I've been watching this thread with interest as to me it appears to be an American thing to use "artificial" heel/toe addons. I've never known they were even a thing till this forum. My guess was the propensity for automatic transmissions and big lazy v8s. Manual gearboxes weren't the norm. In reality it may just be an age thing. Learning to drive manual back in the dark ages was more the norm and as @Bill Pemberton mentioned, a right of passage getting heel/toe working properly.
I still remember my track driving instructor yelling in my ear "BIG REV" on down changes 30+ years later.
Now what worked for me and what i've noticed teaching young ones.

1. Can't do it on the road to save myself. The speed differences aren't sufficient to warrant the "BIG REV". There is no subtlety required on track. Whack that throttle. On the road smacking the tacho into the high 6's results in the engine rpm being way to high for the road speed being matched. Clunky results.
2. Gears are for going and brakes are for stopping. Sounds obvious. Back in the day when brakes were crap and overheated in no time, "race driver" went down through the gears. Is this necessary today? I don't believe so and it is a reference to a question above about double downshifts. Stand on the brakes, 2 hands on the wheel all the way in, smacked my friend on that one. Would hit the brakes and hand would instantly go for the gearshifter and he would be one handed into the braking zone. Not good when it was on one of the worst surfaces in Australia. At the appropriate point drop 2 gears in one go. 5th to 3rd is an easier shift than 5th to 4th then 4th to 3rd.
3. This one kinda aligns with No.2. and i'll use my friend again. Would hits the brakes and instantly be trying to downshift. Mate, give the brakes a chance to do some work and not try buzz the engine because you need 8500 rpm to match your current speed. Don't be rushed. Allow the process to go through each stage. Another reason to drop double gears so you don't feel like you don't have enough time to do all the processes in the ever reducing space to the apex.
4. Short gear knobs are a problem. They require too much force for your arm and become a brain overload making sure you got it in the right spot. Extend the length and the leverage allows finger tip control. Just extended mine a while back by 3' and the difference was amazing. What i wanted as i was fighting to get it pushed across to 2nd at the end of a big stop from 120mph. Yes i went 5th to 3rd, and just before the hairpin would then grab 2nd. Way too much concentration went into that 2nd gear shift that i would loose concentration on the rest of the world around me.
5. Does most of this have anything to do with the actual heel/toe? Not directly but i think that a lot of the issues come back to not being comfortable to concentrate on the process till it becomes muscle memory. I honestly can't tell you exactly how i do it. Ball of foot on edge of brake and i think i slightly roll my ankle and hit the throttle with the outside of my heel. Could i swear in court that true, not a chance. Can i practice on the road, not a hope. So don't feel discouraged, it takes time to work out what works. Or come out of the dark ages and embrace technology and use a blipper. I'd love to be closer to be able to ride along and experience the difference.