Is Heel & Toe Downshift Possible on 02?

[Harv]

When downshifting there is a fair amount of wear on the syncros in the tranny. So when downshifting one depresses the clutch moves the shifter from a gear into neutral releases the clutch and blips or rev matches the throttle then depresses the clutch and selects the lower gear. If you do it right the down shift is smooth.

So now do this the same time your foot is on the brakes. (this is where the term heal and toe comes in)

Yes this helps to drive your car when the clutch hydraulics die because it will teach you how to match engine speed to tranny speed.

John

[thaddeussmith]

goooootcha. it's actually quite clear now.

[Guest Anonymous]

The biggest application would be on turns. Say your in 3rd, and desperately need to get into second as your approaching your turn, but also need to keep on brake, so this would be amazing for the best down shift.

[jgerock]

If you take a driving school, they try to teach it by first showing you as a passenger, then you get to try, try, try, try and then try some more.

I was never any good unless I really concentrated while practicing - that is why I loved the SMG trans in the E46 M3 (on the courses).

[Swiftus]

vs other cars where I usually use the left side of my foot on the brake and the right side on the gas.

John

I had always heard this sort of downshifting while braking coined 'trail-braking'. In all of the 02's that I have driven, this hasn't really been possible because the gas pedal falls away much faster then the brake. Because of this, my foot tends to roll off the brake and stay only on the gas...not good.

There are really two methods of heal-toeing. One has your toes on the brake and your heel on the gas. The other is vice-versa. From what I know (just to preface, I wouldn't at all call myself experienced or at all trust-worthy on this subject, so take all that I say with a grain of salt), the heal should be placed on the pedal that tends to stay higher during the operation. So, if you have a very hard brake pedal that barely moves when you press it, your heal would go there and your toes on the gas.

If both pedals tend to move at the same rate, then you do what I know as trail-braking and split the difference between the two pedals with your whole foot, rolling it back and forth to blip the gas. In my Opel GT, this is actually quite easy. All of the pedals hang down and move essentially perpendicular to your feet. Even though it has only 60 whp, getting downshifts perfect while flying through a twisty road is pretty darn close to what I picture heaven being like.

Remember, the goal at first is to make the downshift as smooth as possible. Double clutching can save synchros if done properly, but it can ruin everything else if not done properly. To teach yourself, first learn to rev match a downshift while double clutching on a long, straight, flat road. The gearshift should be able to move in and out of the gears with very, very light pressure. Like single finger on top of the shifter type of pressure.

Once you get that down (through all of the gears except for 1st. 1st if very difficult and I think is best learned after you can heal to all of the other gears), then you can start with foot positioning while rev matching. Put your foot in the position that it would be in for a heal-toe but don't press the brake. Just double clutch and rev match the downshift at a steady speed.

Then you can move on to using the brake while heal-toeing in a straight line.

Then try a long, fast corner. Then a sharper corner. And then sharper (and slower). Then eventually try it on a hairpin that requires a 2nd to 1st transition. This is the hardest simply because the jump between the ratios is the largest percentage (I may be wrong here, but it sure feels like it).

HTH,

Jay

[M3M3]

trail braking is a whole different thing. it involves easing up on the brake pedal going into a corner to help rotate the rear of the car.

the term "heel and toe" is a misnomer as you don't use heel or toes. there is only one way. ball of foot on brake and right side of foot on gas. the ball of the foot goes on the brake as it is the most sensitive to modulate the pedal during threshold braking. the technique is used to match revs when downshifting to your corner exit gear under hard braking before a corner.

i have yet to drive any bmw that didn't have pedals perfectly placed for this method. however....they are generally perfectly placed for when you are on the brakes HARD. not around town stuff. 2002 pedal height is adjustable though so this can be changed.

[12XU]

IMO the pedals on the later BMWs with the large diagonal gas pedal are easiest to drive aggressively with. The pedals in the 02 are too small and far apart for my preferences.

[TobyB]

that's why you bend the clutch pedal towards the gas about 3/4".

"there is only one way. ball of foot on brake and right side of foot on gas."

Huh. I use my big toe on the brake pedal.

you can tell, because I wore the toe out of my nomex racing shoe.

Actually, the BEST reason to heel- toe is to match revs so you can dump

the clutch without spinning. It's particularly critical in corners where dragging

the rear wheels will spin you, e.g. third- to- high- second going downhill into an off- camber sweeper.

If the engine is spinning as fast as (or faster than) the clutch disc

when your foot comes off the clutch,

the rear suspension will not lift, you won't lose rear traction, and

you will progress around a corner in an orderly fashion.

And yes, you can also do it to synchronize the transmission. I did that for

years with the old Porsche style synchros that had worn out on the

'drag' side but still worked on the 'push' side.

So 2 blips is not uncommon if you're really doing it right.

t

[Cameron]

The gearshift should be able to move in and out of the gears with very, very light pressure. Like single finger on top of the shifter type of pressure.

I always teach people to imagine the shift knob is an egg, and you don't want to crack the egg.

I can downshift and rev match, just as about as smooth as a regular downshift, without the clutch into every gear besides first (I don't really want to try). But unless you are about to throw your tired four speed under your workbench like I am, I wouldn't recommend it...

And I have to say, heel-toe makes such a huge difference in cornering when you've got it down nicely. The first few weeks take a bit of conscious thought, but after that it comes pretty much naturally. I wore my workboots home one night and my girlfriend said, "Oh good, now you will drive like a normal person", in reference to my downshifts.

[jtmasters68]

Ever since I read Bob Bondurant's book on high performance driving, I've heel and toed with no problem, especially on the 02. I can even heel and toe the pedals on my 78 VW van. On a big vehicle like that it takes some finesse, but it's really worth it because of the extra vehicle weight on the tranny.