Tutorial: Heel & Toe Downshift (read description first!!)

[d3vjak]

gret video. It is fun to do see you do it,i will practice it when this snow goes away. Will it be the same afect with the FWD car? I mean does it matter if you have only 140hp. I drive a celica so... :D

[darkchild57]

@d3vjak Thanks! This technique can be applied, no matter how much HP or whether it's FWD, RWD or AWD. It's just a technique to help you slow down faster or slow down to get around sharp curves while staying in you car's optimal powerband. Practice lots! And be safe!

[1FMF2]

Nice Subaru man!

[darkchild57]

@1FMF2 Thanks!

[Jah2070]

Oh yeah, this is alot harder to do in the 350z because the distance between the pedals, sometimes my toe would slips off the brake

[Jah2070]

gotta love those sti's, I just got a 350Z and I am experienced with driving stick but I wanted to take it to the next level and learn how to heel and toe, you helped alot dude, thank you

[darkchild57]

@Jah2070 Nice! I wanted a Z myself and I still want a 370Z at the moment. I'm sure with a bit of practice you'll overcome the pedals. I have a friend who told me the same thing about the distance in the pedals. Good luck and thanks for watching man!

[gconneely92]

Nice video, I know the answer is to just practice and practice like you say but I still try it on the roads occasionally and it just feels awkward to do, I know exactly how it works and what I need to do but the motion is so awkward, maybe it's just the whole "muscle memory" thing and learning a new way to downshift. Either way, thanks for the video - cant wait till I master this :D

[darkchild57]

@gconneely92 It will be awkward, I practiced every time I was in the car regardless if I needed it or not. I still do it currently just retain the motions. It's a good skill and technique to learn. Make sure to practice when there is not too much traffic around. Thanks for watching!

[krnazn323]

Seems hard.. :\

[darkchild57]

@krnazn323 It's a bit difficult at first, I certainly struggled when I started out. But like most things the more you practice the easier it becomes:)

[ThatFoolChrisDailey]

how do you know how much to rev it? i get the idea, i just still dont understand it.

[darkchild57]

@ThatFoolChrisDailey It all depends on your speed. If you're going too fast for the next gear down then the revs will need to be higher on the downshift. If it's a moderate speed (which you shouldn't really need this technique then) the revs will be a bit lower. It's all about the feel, just watch the tach when you're first starting out. Once you get some practice pretty soon you can do it just by feel and by sound. If you want a more detailed explanation, shoot me a PM.

[packers4evr100]

nice clean sti dude

[darkchild57]

@packers4evr100 Thanks!

[80MOOSE08]

Continuation of comment below

Than 10-20 seconds you would start to smell the clutch burn

[80MOOSE08]

If you ease the clutch of while accelerating it doesn't cause the clutch to burn, it just causes the friction plate and clutch plate to stay in contact for a longer time causing excessive wear on it, (think of it a a hill start) burning the clutch means to hold the friction plate against clutch plate together with with excessive engine revs for long periods of time while driving. For example if you were in first gear with the clutch half way out and held it there while accelerating for longer t

[80MOOSE08]

The first thing darkchild57 said is total crap, if the clutch if fully pressed down and you rev the car it will not burn the clutch, when the clutch is fully pressed down the engines power is disengaged with the transmission, the only thing that has large amounts of strain is the springs due to the centrifugal force, that's why racing clutches have oversize heavy duty clutch springs and are much thicker

[DynastyPercussion]

Quick question; when you up shift the car, isn't it bad on the clutch to hold the accelerator when you release the clutch?

[darkchild57]

@DynastyPercussion Holding the clutch down while accelerating will start burning the clutch. Holding the accelerator while releasing the clutch will cause the rpm's to rise briefly and then jerk the car when fully released. This technique is what a lot of people use to launch their cars from a dead stop, very hard on your transmission. If you do this while driving, it's called a clutch kick, some professional drivers use it to give them more power coming out of a turn.

[darkchild57]

@DynastyPercussion Either way, all these methods are very hard on the clutch plate, flywheel and transmission.

[LastXdeth]

When braking to a stop, shouldn't you stay in your current gear and continue braking until you're almost at stalling point, and then shift to neutral instead of downshifting through all the gears?

[darkchild57]

@LastXdeth The purpose of the heel/toe downshift is to get the car to be in the correct powerband when slowing down. Realistically normal everyday driving doesn't really require this skill. What you have described is just perfectly fine. But there are some advantages to the method. You'll slow down quicker and stay in the powerband for quick corners.

[darkchild57]

@LastXdeth If you were in top gear going 50-60mph then you're not at the gear's limit. So if you were just to slow down to stalling point the engine is not helping you brake. Concept is the same if you were in 3rd gear going, say, 15mph. The point of the heel/toe is to get the car to help you slow by downshifting and as a added benefit be in the correct powerband in case you need to speed up again with out fully stopping (ie, a corner).

[EseTontin]

Sti !!!

[carveriscool]

Saw the pedals and knew it was an STi.

[RacingRocks12]

What do you do if you have abnormaly large feet? I can't do it. :P

[darkchild57]

@RacingRocks12 Practice:) I couldn't do it at first, just a lot of practice. 

[ramentasty8]

so when done perfectly, you shouldn't feel any g force changes? or is a bit of lurching ok? and how fast do i drop the clutch?

[darkchild57]

@ramentasty8 If you rev match perfectly the transition will feel very smooth with no lurching. The only motion you'll feel is the braking. Clutch is dropped almost immediately for me, depends if you rev to the right amount. Sometimes if I over rev I'll let the clutch out a bit slower because I'm waiting for the engine and tranny to match up better.

[TheAMGLover]

I actually learned this technique on a simracer in my room :)) safer and won't damage your car ...for people having such a setup at home , a good practise-tool it is ;-)

[darkchild57]

@TheAMGLover Nice:) I think this skill is always nice to know, even if you don't really use this technique. And you're right, your setup will save a lot of wear and tear from practicing on a real car. But you only get part of the knowledge because ultimately there is the lack of feel that can only come from a real car (feedback and sound). It's a good starting point though for those with this setup. Thanks for watching!

[TheAMGLover]

@darkchild57 yups you're right ..although i must say , i hardly had any troubles afterwards, but ioffcourse i've driven my own car for years and knew the feeling aswell.

Only think i had some training in, was how deep the clutch had to be pushed .

Though fact is , i learned the quick-footresponse you'll need for this technique , because when on a track or riding it faster , you'll need to do it very quick. In that case i was glad i allready knew the technique and could concentrate better .

[TheAMGLover]

@darkchild57 you can watch an example here:

=KiaWaXR1DCU

you'll find many more of this ..here you can see that knowing this technique in real or in simracing-hobbies , is an improvement on your driving skills .

These simracers are also used on real racingtracks to learn people the braking-points , hitting corner's apex , blind spots etc aswell as the drifting techniques ..a good tool for true beginners or young people with no driving-license

[Chvija1986]

@TheAMGLover Did u try that later on your car? Is it similar?

[TheAMGLover]

@Chvija1986 The 'technique' is similar ,but with such setups ,it all depends on which one you have.I had the g25-pedals ,stiffened up with an available rubber-kit , to improve the stiffness. And actually ,yes it did feel almost the same .Only thing is , i used it on a ford focus st mk2 and the clutch of that car is way deeper then with g25-pedals . But it did help , because you won't 'think' about what you're doing , after few attemps it felt natural and i also had no trouble matching the revs

[Chvija1986]

@TheAMGLover Thank you mate :-)

[nattapolcha]

I think sim racing help me a lot to learn braking, turn in point, corner speed and racing line. But it doesn't help me to practice heel-toe. I can do this technique on a real car but when I do heel-toe for sim racing with g25 pedal I feel that it's a bit strange. G25 brake pedal has constant stiff resisting force it's OK to push(brake) againt pedal ,but when I blip throttle the brake pedal try to rise againt my toe cause no smooth brake pressure. That's diffrent from real car with brake booster.

[claudiuadam2011]

what do you raise the rpm to ?

[darkchild57]

@claudiuadam2011 That really depends on the speed of travel and gear you select to go down to. If you don't raise it enough or raise it too much you may get lurching. If you're going too fast for the lower gear then you need to rev it more as you brake. Just practice and get the feel for the downshift. The more you do it the more natural it'll become.

[NYRhyme]

didn't even let the turbo spool a lot :(.

[darkchild57]

@NYRhyme Well it was purely for tutorial purposes. If you were referring to the very end, it was because I right when I got into 3rd, I looked off to the left and saw a cop had pulled over another person in the parking lot. I let off when I saw him.

[xxsolidsteelxx]

nice car!



[darkchild57]

@xxsolidsteelxx Thank you:)

[joeymountain]

nice ride bunta :D

[darkchild57]

@joeymountain Thanks:)

[ScoobyDriver11]

You have great footwork.

[darkchild57]

@ScoobyDriver11 Thank you, appreciate that!

[321snbify]

so far this is the best tutorial i have seen.

[darkchild57]

@321snbify Thank you:) Appreciate you watching the vid and for the kind words!

[GeXsssss]

I cant do that .. Because I dont have 3 leg .

[MrPaokara100]

nice interior!!



[darkchild57]

@MrPaokara100 Thanks:)

[RednekDude15]

nice quick shifts at the end

[darkchild57]

@RednekDude15 Thanks!

[p1t3n6]

what's the difference in purpose between the normal down shift engine break technique and this heel toe down shift technique?

[darkchild57]

@p1t3n6 The main difference is the wear and tear on your clutch. You're basically slamming two objects that are spinning at different rpm's together. When you clutch it decouples the clutch plate and flywheel, at moment they'll spin a different rpm's. Then if you happen to change gears, the difference is will be greater. Slamming those two together w/o matching revs cause the car to lurch and causes more wear to both friction points.

[p1t3n6]

@darkchild57 but does it really help the breaking? because you rev up before releasing the clutch pedal

thx.

[darkchild57]

@p1t3n6 It really does. When you match the rev in a lower gear the engine is trying to slow itself down in that gear. For example, if you were to rev to 5K in 2nd gear and then just let off the gas the car tries to slow itself. So if you were brake at the same time then you have the help of the engine to slow you down added bonus is when you do this around the corner, you'll be in the correct power band so the car won't bog.

[Subie1337]

thanks for sharing!

As a subaru and rally enthusiast I can say that videos like this are always helpful to both newbies like me and experienced drivers alike.

Keep up the good work!

[darkchild57]

@Subie1337 Thanks for watching! I'm glad you found the video helpful! 

[gospeedgo321]

1 person still cant downshift...

[stuntmonkey00]

This is one of the better done videos on YouTube, but it's still only half the story. If you heel and toe it, it keeps the engine from bogging down on the downshift, but true double clutching reduces wear on the gear syncro as well. Even in normal city driving, on a 3-2downshift for a 90 degree turn, if you double clutch, the gear pops in with less resistance if you match the revs correctly. Clutch in, neutral, clutch out, blip, clutch in, lower gear, clutch out.

[darkchild57]

@stuntmonkey00 Thank you:) I may start learning the double clutch method. I've been watching some demos and tutorials on YT here. Thanks for your input!

[Lymitliss]

Northgate mall?

[darkchild57]

@Lymitliss Yup:)

[rallyaddicted]

i know how to perform a heel-toe , but i still watched the video... nice!!!

next time try a left foot braking or a double clutching... they are awesome too!!!!

[darkchild57]

@rallyaddicted Thanks for watching, I appreciate it! I've tried left foot braking but I really suck at it lol. As for double clutching I've never really got in any practice.

[aocobra97]

thanks for showing us this tutorial with this awesome car man. I love the STI my dream car

[darkchild57]

@aocobra97 Thankyou:) Appreciate you watching!

[nattapolcha]

I think if you doing rev match downshift with out skip gear sequence, double clutching rev match isn't necessary because it's not exceed synchro limit to match difference speed between dog-clutch(transmission) and clutch-drum(wheel). But by doing double clutching rev match you can safe tranny wear both clutch disk and synchro ring, where as normal rev match you can safe only clutch disk.

[darkchild57]

@nattapolcha Good points, thank you adding the comment:)

[FlyBoyGrounded]

So where is the double-clutching? I was taught that you have to let the clutch out before revving the engine when trying to match the road speed and the engine speed.

[darkchild57]

@FlyBoyGrounded I'm not an expert, but I think double clutching was used on older cars or any car with straight cut gears (dog box transmission or spur gears) where they are straight cut. Because of that type of gear getting them to mesh together correctly needed the double clutch method. My car has Helical gears which are angle cut so they'll mesh together a bit easier, as well as syncros that make the shifting more smoother without the need for double clutching.

[Arnechk]

@FlyBoyGrounded Synchros do that for you. Normal downshifting wears more, H&T wears less, H&T with DC wears the least. So if you want to do it, you can. Its the same as for upshifting -> Brake(all the time)+clutch&throttle blip&gear to neutral +clutch&throttle blip&to desired gear + realease brake&hit the throttle.

[ItaLyZPlaYa1]

So can I request a vid? I ask you cuz you seem cool. Just finally got an sti but paid half price for one without a turbo, exhaust and intercooler. I need to know exactly what goes where so I know not only what to buy but how to put it in when I'm done. I know general engines but been a Nissan person forever so this turbo boxer engine is a bit confusing. If you can take a vid showing how everything flows like intake to turbo to intercooler etc I'd really appreciate it...

[darkchild57]

@ItaLyZPlaYa1 I'm a bit short on time at the moment. I will try and get a vid up for you. I'm not exactly a wiz at engines but I can point out the general stuff. When I have it up I'll send you a PM...hopefully in the next two days.

[ItaLyZPlaYa1]

How do you know how much to push? I've Been doing this without touching the brake just hitting the gas to get up to where I think it'll catch safely....guess I gotta practice this way if it's more effective..

[darkchild57]

@ItaLyZPlaYa1 I hate to tell you this but it's mostly all feel. Once you get use to the particular car you're driving it'll come naturally. I will say that the H/T downshift is not really necessary for normal driving at all. But if you're ever in a situation where you need to slow down or stop quicker this is the way. Or if you need to slow down quickly and be in the correct gear for powering out of a corner, then this is the method as well. Thanks for watching:)

[rax989]

Thanks, great video. Really logical and helpful!

[darkchild57]

@rax989 You're welcome! Thanks for watching:)

[Neo14261]

Hey man I had a quick question when I am about to take a corner I push clutch in and start to brake while still in third gear then when I take the corner I let off the clutch a little and shift down to second(going 18 mph now) and start to give the car some gas and as I do I feel a little resistance/hesitation from the car..what's my car doing and more importantly am I doing any damage to it?

[darkchild57]

@Neo14261 You should start braking first so the engine can help with slowing down. When you're ready, heel/toe downshift before the corner and then feather the gas until you can full throttle it out of the turn. When you clutch in the revs drop, unless you rev match the engine and the tranny are spinning at different revs, so it'll cause excessive wear if you just let off w/o matching. Normal driving already causes a bit of wear, so this would be worse. I'll send you a PM.

[devilintrainin]

Awesome job dude, you made it REAL simple for me, I just got an '03 WRX and watching this vid made me feel more confident in slowing and cornering now, as this is my first high performance vehicle. I hope you have more vids on the way, if you do I'll be watching. Thanks again.

[darkchild57]

@devilintrainin Sweet! Congrats on your new ride! I'm glad this video was helpful man. I don't make too many car vids and this is my first "how to" car vid. But I am confident that by the time I even make a new vid you will have learned a lot about your car on your own:) Just be careful and practice a lot in empty areas! Thanks for watching!

[michor10]

This is great. I like your camera placement too! Thanks for sharing.

[darkchild57]

@michor10 Thank you I appreciate you watching! It was kind of difficult to do but after after a few tries I finally got the camera's mounted properly:)

[hasido16]

i notice you brake,clutch,heel toe rev,select lower gear, clutch out. I do it brake,clutch,select lower gear,heeltoe rev, cutch out. Does it mak eany difference?

[darkchild57]

@hasido16 Not at all. As long as you match the revs then it doesn't matter the order. Thanks for watching!

[hasido16]

@darkchild57 Thanks for clarifying. Very helpful video.

[darkchild57]

@hasido16 No prob man! Thanks for watching!

[FreshMoney031]

the best video ive seen so far. ive downshifted before but never with rev matching. i would ride the gear down then drop down to a lower gear. never had any tranny or clutch problems with this method but want to learn to rev match

[darkchild57]

@FreshMoney031 Thanks for your very kind words:) I appreciate that! The way you're doing it is probably the most normal and really all you need. But in a higher speed situation or if you need to stop really quickly and make a turn, the heel/toe downshift is the way to go! Thanks for watching!

[bluemoonseller]

very nice video

[darkchild57]

@bluemoonseller Thanks! Appreciate that!

[UnknownTrickShooter]

Is that at northgate mall?

[darkchild57]

@UnknownTrickShooter Yup:) My favorite place to go for shooting car related vids...but only early in the morning before people start showing up lol!

[collegesnareboy]

can u make another video like this with better view of your legwrk

[darkchild57]

@collegesnareboy I actually was trying to do a second vid shortly after this but my camcorder is very hard to mount in another position where it doesn't interfere with operation of the pedals. I don't have the recording equipment that the professionals use, such as the Best Motoring vids. If you watch some of their track races they usually have cameras on the pedals and they have way better angles than I do. Sorry!

[ambidextrous21]

nice car!

[darkchild57]

@ambidextrous21 Thanks! 

[SXR1337]

cool man

[darkchild57]

@SXR1337 Thanks!

[HeavyMetalMike666]

I'm just here to learn, but can this work in any Drivetrain? Rear or Front?

[darkchild57]

@HeavyMetalMike666 Yup, this technique will work with them all :) Give it a go, but in an empty area if you can. Technique is not needed for most average driving scenarios but it's always good to know.

[HeavyMetalMike666]

@darkchild57 Thanks man! I was actually trying it today. I'm pretty sure i was doing it correctly. My foot is really wide, so i couldn't really used my heel, but i manage to use the right-side of my right foot to blip the accelerator. If you think there may be a problem with that, let me know because i want to perform this correctly.

[darkchild57]

@HeavyMetalMike666 You're welcome:) I don't think there is a correct way to blip the throttle just as long as you can blip it with some part of the foot. Pedal placement makes a huge difference. I drove an Eclipse where the pedals were too close together and I was accidentally hitting the throttle when breaking sometimes. Nope, I think you're doing it correctly. The next trick is to make sure you blip it enough to match the engine revs:)

[HeavyMetalMike666]

@darkchild57 haha yeah, i've been practicing all over the weekend and even on the way home from school haha! i got a 1989 Honda CRX DX. the brake and Throttle are a little close too. Not all cars were made for bigger people like me! haha. yeah, i get the rev matchs really close, and sometimes i mess up and give it too much rev.

[freedoomed]

I used to drive an '02 WRX, traded it in for a '10 Volvo S40 AWD R-Design. I never got into any fancy tricks like this but it seems like a good tip.

[darkchild57]

@freedoomed That's cool man:) You had one those classic bug eyed WRX's:) My friend had a Stage 2 upgrade on his. Mines got the same stuff. The H/T is not really needed for everyday average driving, but it's good to know, just in case you need to slow down in a hurry or keep the car in the correct power band when slowing. This is a definite must if you hit the tracks:) Thanks for watching!

[ZippoThisKnifeThat]

Great video!

Heel Toe'n is a lot of fun!

I learned in my buddy's 350z, but definitely not a pro. Learning on such a beast is difficult. lol

[darkchild57]

@ZippoThisKnifeThat I'm no where near pro lol, I just got the motions down thats all:) But it's fun to do and especially for us turbos, try and negate some of that lag (which the Sti is notorious for). I tried and failed on an Eclipse before. My Sti is much easier to H/T. I think it has better pedal placement. Thanks for watching! Good to hear from you!

[SparkSilver2011STI]

Very good video! This will help me as I just got my first manual car which so happens to be an STI :P Are you a member on IWSTI?

[darkchild57]

@SparkSilver2011STI Thank you:) Congrats on your Sti! I'm sure you're diggin it! I'm a member of NASIOC but I don't post much there except for photos. Thanks for watching!

[Schmidt54]

a really cool video!!! thank you very much!

strange, in Germany I hardly see a Subaru, it's very rare.

You should try out a BMW once in a while, they drive really nice.

[darkchild57]

@Schmidt54 @Schmidt54 Thanks man! Actually I've driven one BMW so far, it was my cousins automatic '99 M3. What a comfy car! It had great acceleration for an auto! But I would have preferred a stick. Also it's too much technology inside, there were buttons everywhere in that car. I had no idea if I was going to hit the wrong button and eject myself out or something lol! Subies over in my area are way abundant, especially the WRX's. Thanks for watching!

[TheLazySpoiledKitty]

AHH driving a manual is easy as pie for me and pretty much everyone in Poland :). MOSTLY everyone has a manula car and the licence exams are on manual cars as well :). I find that manual cars have a bit more KICK when accelarating

[darkchild57]

@TheLazySpoiledKitty Awesome dude! Manuals are really nice and I love how they link you to the car. They definitely have more of a kick if driven correctly. Of course the new thing now are those sequential shifters. Clutches are getting too advanced for us humans lol. Thanks for watching!

[wenkrush]

Interesting. I don't drive a manual as I have a tendency to loose concentration and the constant shifting doesn't work for me. However, I have a great appreciation for all the things you can do in a manual that you just can't do in an automatic. Great car. Great video.

[darkchild57]

@wenkrush When I first tried to learn it was rather daunting but after a while it's all second nature and I go onto auto pilot. For the most part normal driving does not require a heel/toe downshift, you can just slow down by braking and then clutching at the very last moment to put the car into neutral. Manuals are great fun to drive, specifically on a track:) I will say though that in rush hour traffic is when I wish I drove my Camry lol! Thanks for watching!

[johnwoodz1220]

cont'd from below... The heel and toe is especially essential in a turbo car to keep it from losing its momentum. you know turbo lag and stuff. I have never owned a four wheel drive car, I can only race around really well in a rear wheel drive. By the way its a really nice Subaru. I'm assuming its the six speed one ?That was a well done video to show heel and toe, seriously v good. Thank you

[darkchild57]

@johnwoodz1220 ---cont-- The AWD cars are awesome. My friend calls them training wheels because it's hard to get them to loose traction lol. I've owned two Subies, a 2.5RS and this Sti. Both are really awesome cars to drive. If you the chance please try one out, you won't be disappointed, specifically if it's an Sti:) The turbo is kind of harsh in comparison to other makes of cars but it's a thrill! Thank you for watching!

[johnwoodz1220]

Its an excellent vid. Very good. I can do it but I just wondered if you'd tried it in some of the older hot hatches and stuff, cos it used to be well hard to do with them the pedals were further apart. My last powerful manual car was a Ford Sierra Sapphire Coswiorth. I dont know if you've heard of it but they were like your Subaru(We call them Scooby Doos in London:)) but was in the nineties. but the're still popular and tunable now. I was always a car nut, love a fast car.

[darkchild57]

@johnwoodz1220 Thank you:) Yup, this is the Sti version. I was going to fix up a WRX but decided I wanted all the Sti parts instead. Excellent points, I forgot to cover the turbo aspect of it. You had a Cozzie? Excellent ride! Too bad they are available in the States lol. I would love to drive one! I've driving mainly FWD's, Eclipses, RSX, Mini Cooper S...etc. It takes some adjusting to H/T all the different pedal arrangements. ---cont...

[haloora]

U GOT A SUBARU !! :D what a nice car

and good technique !! thx

[darkchild57]

@haloora Thank you:) Appreciate the kind words!

[GotBait]

Nice vid thanks for sharing.

[darkchild57]

@GotBait Thanks! And thank you for watching:)

[robbie574]

Cool, Thumbs up!

[darkchild57]

@robbie574 Thanks!

[X4CTO]

Nice tutorial bro... gotta love that boost porn at the end too, haha!

[darkchild57]

@X4CTO Mmmmmm....boost porn:) I love it when the boost kicks in! Thanks for watching!

[X4CTO]

Same here, though I'm not currently rolling boosted myself... I do love it though.

You're welcome brother.

[MountainMonsters]

Waa Haa hahah!! =-D LOVE THAT CAR!!!!! Mr. Fancy feet! =-D

[darkchild57]

@MountainMonsters Thanks man!

[MystikEssence]

Can you make a tutorial on how to drive stick shift? Please and thank you =)

[darkchild57]

@MystikEssence Sure, I won't have time until the end of this week but I can do it for you.

[themediocrepirate]

Great tutorial man! Nice ride by the way, nice to see another Suby fan around here!

[darkchild57]

@themediocrepirate Thanks! The Sti was my dream car and now I've owned one for 4 years!

[wombatbull]

nice video good cam work , sweet

[darkchild57]

@wombatbull Thank you:)  Appreciate it!