Heel-and-Toe? Or, Big Toe - Little Toe?

"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion) 07/01/2016 at 12:39 • Filed to: heel-and-toe

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Does anyone else do this? I “heel-toe” my car with my foot vertically, so the ball of my foot is on the brake and my little toe and possibly the next toe are on the throttle. I rotate my ankle to get the necessary throttle blip and that’s it.

photo credit: autoevolution.com via Google Image Search

I’ve always found it much harder to use my literal heel and toe to do this, but I have done it on some trucks where the pedals are farther apart, making it necessary. But I’m not nearly as good that way.

I know my foot could slip off the brake more easily, but I’m not doing this in a racing circumstance. This is daily driving here, where if I slipped off the brake, I would just go around that corner slightly faster.

Am I doing this wrong?

Zip-McBump > functionoverfashion 07/01/2016 at 12:44

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I have no clue. After trying to figure out “heel-toe” for the longest time, I concluded that my feet were too big and just started “big toe (brake)-little toe (throttle)“. Plenty of overlap on both pedals, and have never felt like I was going to slip off either one.

Edit: my feet are pretty much positioned like yours, but right foot is straight rather than angled.

yitznewton > functionoverfashion 07/01/2016 at 12:49

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Yep, it’s common: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/side-of-the-fo…

I did it in my Jetta, and I do it now with the S2000.

Will with a W8 races an E30 > functionoverfashion 07/01/2016 at 12:50

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I’ve only ever had actual heel-toe to work well with a floor mounted gas pedal, like this:

Otherwise, its big toe-little toe like in your picture, even on track and racing. Foot position is the same for both versions.

functionoverfashion > Zip-McBump 07/01/2016 at 12:57

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Interesting. Also, “stock photo” aka Google Image Search. Not my feet, car, shoes, photo, OR foot positioning.

functionoverfashion > Will with a W8 races an E30 07/01/2016 at 12:58

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Interesting... mine is a floor-mounted pedal, but still. It’s more comfortable to toe-to-toe than heel-toe.

functionoverfashion > yitznewton 07/01/2016 at 13:00

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Interesting. Actually, in my truck I just end up doing neither, although I may double-clutch downshift, not because it has no syncros (it does have them) but I think it just goes into gear better that way. Plus, habit.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > functionoverfashion 07/01/2016 at 13:01

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The pedals in the Niva are so close together I often “heel and toe” by mistake. Especially if I’m wearing work boots. If I brought my foot up to properly use my heel on the throttle, my toe would be on the clutch. My XJ’s a bit better, but I still can’t properly use my heel. Given that the important part is just covering on both pedals at once, I’d say do it however is most comfortable for you. Actually picking up my leg to get my heel on the throttle would be super awkward for me.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > functionoverfashion 07/01/2016 at 13:17

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It works okay if you have a car that doesn’t have good deal placement, but it’s aLao dangerous as your foot could easily slip off the brakes or gas.

Nerd-Vol > functionoverfashion 07/01/2016 at 13:40

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Big toe little toe here.

14FeistyFieSTa > Will with a W8 races an E30 07/01/2016 at 13:53

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Interesting, I could make it work with a floor-mounted accelerator, but I always thought it was a PITA because my heel would hit the bottom of the accelerator, which is the least effective place to hit it (since it’s hinged at the bottom).

I can’t do toe-to-toe though, I always get too worried about my foot slipping off the brake.

Will with a W8 races an E30 > 14FeistyFieSTa 07/01/2016 at 13:55

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If you’re driving a fiesta, heel-toe of any sort isn’t going to happen without a size 14 boot or pedal modification.

14FeistyFieSTa > Will with a W8 races an E30 07/01/2016 at 13:56

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Hah, yeah I don’t heel-toe in my fiesta, it’s my DD and I simply can’t get heel-toe to work when not on a track (have to be hard into brakes to get pedals to line up properly). I had a Hyundai Genesis Coupe that I used to track and more recently I had an e30 outfitted for track duty, and both of those has OK-spaced pedals with a floor-mounted accelerator.

JRapp: now as good as new again > functionoverfashion 07/01/2016 at 14:24

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This is what I do. Again, not my picture. the gas pedal on the Fiero is so small that I always have to use the side of the foot anyways..

Edit: this is what the Fiero pedals look like.. don’t know what the number are for on the image...

cberg > functionoverfashion 07/01/2016 at 16:52

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Yup. I’ve always found it easier in my Saabs & now my Volvo.

Any such antics produced dangerous understeer responses in my Nissan Prairie though.

Nauraushaun > functionoverfashion 07/02/2016 at 21:45

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It doesn’t matter. This question seems to come up a lot.

As long as you can hit the throttle while you’re braking, that’s the only goal you need to hit.

I think the name “heel and toe” is deceptive - people think it describes how it needs to be done. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re hitting both pedals.

In my 300ZX the pedals were far away and my feet aren’t huge. I had to rotate my foot to hit the throttle, it was a true “heel and toe”. In my current MR2 the pedals are absurdly close together, I can keep my foot upright in-between them and hit one pedal with the left side side of my foot and one pedal with the right. I’m not even using my heel or my toe, but it doesn’t matter. I’m blippin’ through changes like a boss.