Heal-toe help

[Specracer]

You will want to get the down shifts done before turn in, and keep the rev's up a bit. You will find that it will be much smoother which = faster to not have to down shift mid corner or at exit.

Not as much of an issue with an ABS equipped car, but another reason to H/T is as you get to max adhesion while breaking, a hard non meshed down shift can actually break loose the rear wheels.

I was practicing downshifting & blipping without touching the breaks because last year when I was at Watkins, there were several times when I was in too high a gear as I started to accelerate out of a turn. My thought was if I did this kind of non-braking downshift, I could put the car back into the power band without upsetting its balance and maybe pick up some extra speed and power before I left the turn.

 

[Ed Sims]

heel-toe

I practice every time I downshift. Whether I'm changing gears on the freeway or rowing through the gearbox coming to a stop sign I love to blip that throttle. It doesn't have to be a hard brake situation to heel & toe. Left side of ball of foot on the brake & right side of ball of foot on throttle.

After driving Mousecatcher's F430 non-F1 car I now want to try & move the GT's brake pedal 1/2" closer to the throttle pedal. The Ferrari was a joy to heel & toe with my size 8 foot. I've moved the brake pedal on previous cars of mine. I'll keep you informed of my project.

Ed

PS It's not only the distance between the pedals but the height of them also.

 

[Team Jeff]

I've moved the brake pedal on previous cars of mine. I'll keep you informed of my project.

Ed

PS It's not only the distance between the pedals but the height of them also.

I'm interested in doing the same! Keep us posted on your plans :thumbsup

 

[donnymac]

I'm interested in doing the same! Keep us posted on your plans :thumbsup

Me too.

 

[Mark06GT]

Agreed. Being able to adjust pedal height and distance between pedals would make this easier. Please let us know how it goes.

 

[DoctorV8]

I practice every time I downshift. Whether I'm changing gears on the freeway or rowing through the gearbox coming to a stop sign I love to blip that throttle. It doesn't have to be a hard brake situation to heel & toe. .....It's not only the distance between the pedals but the height of them also.

Very well put!

When I got my GT, I was pleasantly surprised to find the pedals positioned perfectly for heel/toe downshifting...better than any of my other cars, even when I'm wearing open toe sandals....but footwear makes a big difference as well.

If you don't own a pair of Pilotis....I strongly recommend you guys pick up a pair.

 

[Superfly]

Mark, here's a GREAT vid showing the master (and no, it's not me :lol :wink) at work!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8By2AEsGAhU&eurl

 

[Mark06GT]

Good link. Thanks.

Was pumping the throttle through the turns a variation of throttle steering or was he doing something completely different?

 

[Superfly]

Good link. Thanks.

Was pumping the throttle through the turns a variation of throttle steering or was he doing something completely different?

Ya, cool link.

I don't know about pumping the throttle, that seemed really weird to me too. I think that would upset the balance on the GT if done that aggressively, but the NSX is one of those 'drive by wire' cars, so maybe someone here who used to own an NSX could comment on that?

Did you see he had the speedo buried almost the whole time?!?! :thumbsup

 

[Triheart7]

Ya, cool link.

I don't know about pumping the throttle, that seemed really weird to me too. I think that would upset the balance on the GT if done that aggressively, but the NSX is one of those 'drive by wire' cars, so maybe someone here who used to own an NSX could comment on that?

Did you see he had the speedo buried almost the whole time?!?! :thumbsup

Cool "racing" shoes. That guy is amazing, because he looks like he is wearing street shoes.

 

[mousecatcher]

Mark, here's a GREAT vid showing the master (and no, it's not me :lol :wink) at work!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8By2AEsGAhU&eurl

totally impractical as a learning aid, as he has obviously had his ankle joint surgically replaced with some kind of spherical monoball!

if you want to be utterly amazed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGIiarIrUCI

 

[mousecatcher]

I’m trying to learn heal-toe shifting and have some GT-specific questions.

My car is stock (OEM brake pads, original tires, no engine mods, etc.)

1. Is there anything that should be done with the brakes (e.g. front/rear bias adjustment) that would make heal-toe more effective?

no, but i use the dr. scholl's pads to help with heal-toe.

2. Are the standard pedals setup for heal-toe or is there some kind of adjustment that would make it easier to work both the brake and gas pedals?

the pedals are not adjustable AFAIK. i do find that just driving the FGT helps with heal-toe and even heal-body. it's just so refreshing.

3. Is there a rule of thumb for how many RPMs I should add when down shifting?

4. Do the gears involved make a difference in how many RPMs to add? e.g. is more (or less) gas added when shifting between 3rd and 2nd than when shifting from 4th to 3rd?

5. How does speed affect the number of RPMs to add when downshifting?

What Jeff said. It's not something that you gauge by the numbers, you do it by visual input (apparent speed) and sound. In general, you do need more of a blip as you go further down the gears.

 

[mousecatcher]

^ on a serious note, while the pedals are not adjustable, you will probably find that adjusting the seating position will help a lot. my normal cruising position is too far away from the controls to be consistent/precise.

 

[Mark06GT]

if you want to be utterly amazed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGIiarIrUCI

I’m not sure which is crazier. His driving or the people standing along the road side. :eek

 

[skyrex]

Okay, first I love the shoes. :thumbsup:thumbsup I think my dad still wears a pair like that. :lol

Second, Senna has ridiculous talent and I would never try to critique his skill. And he was driving that NSX right to the limit. I think his goosing of the accelerator was his way of controlling the car without braking. I loved my NSX but as great as it drove it was weak in the horsepower department.....which is why I slapped some turbos on it....blew the engine :ack and then rebuilt it right. With an extra 140 horsepower it was a sweet little ride......and honestly one of my favorite cars.........but it is no FGT!!!

 

[mousecatcher]

Second, Senna has ridiculous talent and I would never try to critique his skill. And he was driving that NSX right to the limit. I think his goosing of the accelerator was his way of controlling the car without braking. I loved my NSX but as great as it drove it was weak in the horsepower department.....which is why I slapped some turbos on it....blew the engine :ack and then rebuilt it right. With an extra 140 horsepower it was a sweet little ride......and honestly one of my favorite cars.........but it is no FGT!!!

yeah, i would love to get an NSX but they still command too much $$$!

 

[Triheart7]

I’m not sure which is crazier. His driving or the people standing along the road side. :eek

eek No Kidding

 

[AlohaGT]

Two masters in their office. Walter with his full driving regalia and Ayrton in his street clothes and loafers.

 

[ChipBeck]

Senna.

......Senna has ridiculous talent and I would never try to critique his skill......

Senna, like Tiger Woods and Michel Jordan, was in a class by himself. I followed his F1 drives starting back when he drove for Team Lotus (I was a Lotus dealer back then). As soon as he left Team Lotus where he had quite a bit of success, his level of talent was most apparent as the Lotus teams fortunes fell apart.

I attended six different Formula One races and if Senna's equipment held together, he was dominant. A black day for the sport when that young man died.

One other thing came to light as I watched that video. I don't know how to drive at all.

Chip

 

[Team Jeff]

I finally got a chance to stick my head in the foot box today to see what could be done about the relationship of the brake and throttle peddles. I'm not comfortable trying to bend the brake peddle closer to the throttle and it wouldn't gain and decrease in the fore/aft offset. I think a new throttle peddle would be the best way to accomplish what would work best for my geometry, and could easily be swapped for the original.

It looks relatively straight forward to fabricate, and could be made adjustable. I may attempt a prototype in the coming months. It would be nice to have a solution before the rally!