adeel.a

Ask a silly question but I have suddenly become interested in the 'left foot braking' technique (also known as 'heal & toe' I think...) The question is how is it done in a Scooby, when you brake where is the weight transferred, when do you brake, does the clutch go down and do you continue accelerating throughout???

Confused... please advise...

tonybooth

You might want to find yourself a nice deserted airfield after checking out www.drivingtechniques.co.uk

TONY

rr_ww

Right I'll start with Heel and Toe as it's easier.

As you'rte driving along (e.g 3rd) coming up to a 90 right which you want to take in a lower gear (e.g. 2nd). Start to brake with your RIGHT foot then turn your foot to point to the left (NS) and with the heel (or little toe if you've got big feet like me) blip the throttle. The 'blip' can be big or small depending in the difference in gears revs etc. Whilst bliping the throttle press clutch, change gear and release clutch. The revs should (with lots of practise) be perfectly matched to the road speed in the lower gear. (I.E 3000rpm in 2nd = 2000rpm in 3rd ) Easy to learn. I learnt it about 18 months ago and I cnat stop doing it, its become instinctive.

Left Foot braking.

Very simply braking with your left foot instead of your right. Allows you to put the power on sooner as you save the few tenths moving feet around. ALso allows you to brake without making the car pitch (ala Schuey and Button at the esseses). When you first start this brake very lightly. Your left foot is only used to on or off (clutch) and not the graduation that braking requires. I taught my self my driving down a road with loads of speed humps in 2nd braking and accelerating.

Good luck, and have fun.

adeel.a

That sounds tricky, but not to say I will not give it a try. Thanks for the advice. However, tell me something, should I be skidding around the bends???

Bitten Hero

Depends on if it's fun or not In theory, the fastest way to get round a bend is not to skid, but to use the 4wd system to pull you round. Slower in, very fast out is Scooby style

In terms of left-foot braking, if you do this a lot, bear in mind you'll increase the wear rate of your brakes and the clutch in doing so...

Cheers
Richard

zoog

Be careful trying left foot braking on the public road for the first time - I would use a deserted car park or similar initially to get the modulation right - our left feet are used to coarse clutch movement and need to develop the sensistivity of fine movement required for braking.

Jza

Just read this with interest.

The problem i have is...

How do you, once youve dabbed the throttle to change gear, move your right foot back onto the throttle??

As soon as i move my foot off the brake back to the throttle, only my toes on the throttle as i heeled the brake. I cant seem to get the whole foot back on the throttle smoothly so i tend to lose revs whilst i fudge about getting my foot back in the right place!!! That kinda negates the benefits of the extra blip!!!

Ideas anyone??

Jza

carpet

Practice !!!! ?????

Dave T-S

Been heeling & toeing every time I drive for the last eight years, and it helps you drive ALL cars more smoothly, on road or track.

Jza, when you have your foot on the brake and blip the throttle whilst downchanging, you should have the ball of your right foot on the brake pedal, and roll your ankle over so the outside of the arch of your right foot blips the accelerator - NOT the heel. "Heeling and toeing" is a total misnomer!

Your foot will be at about a 35-40 degree angle, and the heel stays roughly in line with the base of the accelerator. Then, when you take your foot off the brake and return it to the accelerator only, your heel is in the right place and the toes swivel round so they are back on the accelerator.

Probably easier said than done (when you've done it several million times).

brickboy

On two-wheel drive cars, left-foot braking is also a way of controlling the car's attitude in a corner -- which is why it's popular in rallying.

If it's oversteering excessively, a hard jab on the brakes with the left foot (keeping the power on with the right) will brake the rear wheels, correct the oversteer and help the car resume the course.

If it's understeering excessively, a swift jab on the brakes causes weight transfer to the front, getting it to tuck in and get back on line.

Sounds easy, takes years of practice to get it right ......

Edited to say that it's popular in F1 as described above. Gerhard Berger was one of the leading exponents of left-footing -- it's reckoned that once paddle-change gears came in, he never used the right foot to brak at all!

[Edited by brickboy - 1/10/2002 9:08:41 AM]