Heel-Toe Shifting

Heel-and-Toe shifting is a driving technique used when downshifting. It involves operating the gas and brake pedals simultaneously with the right foot, while the left foot operates the clutch as normal. The right foot toe presses the brake while the heel, or side of the foot, covers the gas.
Heel-toe shifting allows for smooth downshifts and consistent throttle response by matching the engine rotational speed (rpm) to the wheels rotational speed. In addition, the rev-matching characteristic of heel-toe shifting places less stress on the entire drive train since the engine and transmission are operating at similar rpm. If the rotational speeds differ, the drive wheels will momentarily lock with a sudden jolt of the transmission – this can make a car unstable especially when cornering.

advantage of this sudden wheel lock to get the car sliding sideways. Shift Lock Drifting is the complete opposite of heel-toe shifting since it’s initiated by downshifting without rev-matching, causing the drive wheels to lock. Shift Lock Drifting is not recommended for dry roads because of the drive train abuse – use this drifting technique on snow and wet surfaces.

Advantages of Heel-Toe Shifting

• Smooth downshifting
• Consistent throttle response
• Less drive train stress

Sports cars are usually modified so that the heights of the brake and accelerator pedals are closely matched and the pedals are not too far apart, to permit easy use of heel-toe shifts.