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Old 04-06-2005, 06:27 PM   #17
ntmatter
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Location: Seattle, WA
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The basic idea on heel-and-toe is to blip the throttle to sync the engine with your downshifts. Good HAT technique will save wear on your engine and clutch by preventing that forward "lurch" if you downshift hard and the motor has to rev up to speed. You want to use the ball of your foot on the brake to have the best control and modulation of the brakes, and then use some other part of your foot to blip the gas while downshifting. Some pedal spacing (and feet) make it easier or harder to use different parts of your right foot - there's no one perfect answer. I tend to wedge my foot between the brake and gas, put the ball of my foot on the outside edge of the brake pedal and squeeze the top of my foot onto the gas to blip the throttle. You can try this, or your heel, but I'd recommend using the "toe" part of your foot on the brake because you'll get the best control.

Properly done, you should be able to brake hard and downshift from 5th to first with absolute smoothness. Practice this in your every day street driving, it's a good habit to get into that is also a good track skill.

A
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