“Watch my feet and listen.” I still remember my dad saying these words from the driving seat of his Mazda RX-7. It wasn’t long after he bought the car, which followed a slew of quirky, but not exactly exciting, Citroëns. He was back in a sports car, and really, truly driving again.
I duly observed as he brushed the brake with his right foot, dipped the clutch with his left, then rolled his right foot over for a quick stab on the accelerator. Simultaneously, the rotary engine spun faster, and he guided the gear lever from third to second, raised the clutch, and accelerated again. The transition was seamless, with engine rpm matched perfectly to the lower gear, no whine from the synchromesh, no sudden weight transfer.
A few years later, when I learned to drive, the heel-and-toe downshift was the skill I sought to master. My success was hit and miss to say the least, but eventually—to the surprise of my driving instructor, who warned me not to do it in my driving test—muscle memory finally kicked in.
My feet have never forgotten. Whenever I find myself in a car with three pedals, I just can’t help it. Whether I’m trundling around town or barrelling into a bend on a racetrack, when it’s time for a downshift, my right foot will always brake and blip.
I fear, however, that heeling-and-toeing is a dying art. Neither of my younger teammates in EnduroKA match revs when they’re racing, and a poll of other drivers in the series suggests that it’s not standard practice. I’m not saying that’s why our gearbox broke in our recent 12-hour race, but I’m not not saying it.
It’s hard to say whether, with a modern synchromesh, there’s any measurable performance advantage in heel-and-toeing, but it certainly feels like a more mechanically sympathetic way to drive. When you match revs on downshifts (especially on older cars), the gearchanges slot home more readily, and you don’t get that sharp drop and sudden rise in engine speed if you hadn’t quite slowed the car sufficiently for the lower gear.
There are a few factors to consider when perfecting your technique, and they’ll vary from car to car. The exact spacing and type of pedal define which part of your right foot does what. In my Lotus Esprit, and in the Caterham that came before it, the pedal box is so tight that it’s really just the side of my foot that I use to brush the accelerator, with the ball of my foot placed on the brake. In a car with an organ-style accelerator like a 911, you’ll probably get more of the heel onto it. Knowing how hard to blip can only come with practice, as it’s dependent on the difference between gear ratios. Generally speaking, I’d be more over- than under-zealous with the throttle, but remember that no amount of blipping can save you from a money shift if you haven’t scrubbed enough speed before you attempt the change.
There’s no better example of heel-and-toe mastery than Ayrton Senna driving a Honda NSX at Suzuka. His moccasins flit from pedal to pedal so deftly they may as well be ballet shoes.
While I would never pretend to be as adept, I have replayed the “watch my feet and listen” moment with my eldest son. On road trips and track days in the Seven I was truly delighted to watch his feet dance over the pedals. I couldn’t help but wonder, though, how many new drivers are likely to follow in his steps.
The number of cars with manual transmissions is on a steep downward trajectory. In the U.S., they represent just two percent of new car sales. Of those that do come with a stick and three pedals, several now offer an auto-blip system that wrests yet more control away from the driver. Owners of Porsches, BMWs, Nissans, and Hondas need never contort their right foot across brake and accelerator.
Even if this technology matches revs more consistently than a human ever could, more is lost than is gained in the exercise. Out goes one more connection between car and driver, one more reason to focus fully on the task of driving, one more pleasure in a driving landscape that is increasingly congested, regulated, and populated by those who care about the destination more than the journey.
Steering-wheel paddles and sim-shifts in electric cars will try to keep a modicum of driver engagement as time and progress marches on, but neither will ever come close to the pure satisfaction of a perfectly timed heel-and-toe downshift.
As for the Berg household, I hope we’ll keep this dying art alive as long as we can.
If I ever go to test drive a car that has “auto-blip”, and it can’t be disabled, I’m walking right out the door…
Shifting is just a lost art. Many cars with many manuals are not set with pedals tgat you can do this.
Years ago one thing I did learn in a Fiat was how to shift with no clutch. While not something you would want to do daily got me home in a case of clutch failure. The torque spring popped out when I twisted the center on my clutch. I could go but there was no clutch release. I got it home and fixed it.
I lost a line coming out of the master cylinder in my NB Miata, and had to do the same until I could get it somewhere safe for a tow truck.
Then there is shifting some older transmissions. They can be a challenge gor many reasons. The 915 box in a Porsche can make you think.
And watch out for the boxes with no synchro on 1st gear…..
I’ve always rev matched downshifts. But not much heel and toe. I’d say I’m only so-so doing it, but straight-ahead rev matching, plus some double-clutching downshifts is second nature to me.
Most cars come with rev matching now so not needed as much
Tis an art indeed, but becomes natural when well exercised
Being engaged is sometimes it’s own reward 🙂
The point of double clutching was when cars didn’t have Synchromesh. One still should stop in neutral in downshifting to give a blip to match engine speed with transmission speed, but double declutching in any car built sin 1960 is pretentious.
I’ve been driving a manual 2010 BMW 128i and I think the 5th gear synchro is wearing out. Double clutching has been letting it slot in a lot smoother for 5th gear, so I think it has some merit for mechanical sympathy.
Except when you have a high mileage car with worn synchros.
As the owner of a 986 Boxster S, the six-speed is known for having a second gear “pop out” issue.
There is a small device that can be upgraded to prevent the issue from ever starting, but it must be installed BEFORE the issue manifests itself.
The “Second Gear Detent” device is easily R&R’d from under the car.
I was lucky, I bought my car with only 25,000 miles on her and she was owned by a little old lady from Denver.
I installed the device and have been double clutching every 1-2 shift since I have owned the car.
If you have to ask if I heel/toe downshift, then you obviously don’t know me.
The driving experience is pure joy for me, and the double clutching the 1-2 shift is just my attempt to make my “forever” car actually last forever.
Great article. Bravo!
