ive watched racing video's and what have u and i notice that when they downshift they give it gas and break at the same time. is this just to keep the same pace of speed or what??

 

its called heal toe downshifting, the thing they are doing is keeping the revs high so when they downshift, they dont lurch cuz their engien is not at the same speed as the tranny/tires are going. You might wanna do it on a beater car first since it might wear your current car quite a bit when learning how to do it...

 

this is indeed referred to as "heel toe downshifting". this is to match revs between the transmission and the engine during downshifts. this is to help make the down shift as smooth as possible. this helps cornering and braking by not upsetting the car or breaking traction. it also helps save the transmission and driveline parts. most people tend to roll their ankle to press on the gas pedal while pushing on the brake, kind of a blip of the throttle to match the revs, using the clutch as normal. takes some practice but at racing speeds it is almost manditory.

 

I have been practicing heel toe techniques for a few weeks now. It aint easy but you will get the hang of it pretty quickly.

 

I would also note that the way the vehicle is set up will help or hinder you. You want to adjust the brake and gas pedal so that when you press the brake pedal it goes firm when it is close to flush with the gas pedal. This makes the "ankle roll" blip more effective.


-billy

 

For FD's, it's a little difficult with the way the gas pedal is shaped. If I'm not wearing my sneakers, the edge of my foot will slip off the gas pedal when I try and heel-toe. Kinda annoying. The Widefoot pedal adapter looks like a great help. There are other pedal adaptors and/or pedal replacements that also do the same.

 

Yea, I forgot to mention that. How far apart the two pedals are is a biggy as well.

I tend to use the left part of my foot near the toes on the brake pedal and blip with my right toes on the gas. For first gens, I usually make a steel piece that I weld on to the lower right corner of the brake pedal to make this possible. Like this:




-billy

 

We bought our Spec7 already prepared, but the previous owner made an "L" shaped gas pedal to make it easier to heel/toe. With the L, it makes it hard to heel/toe with anything other than racing shoes, but since its in a racecar its not a big deal

 

Try mailling David B. from Widefoot racing. I have his large pedal adapter fitted to my FD, and have to say that since fitting heel and toe is a lot easier.

Dan