[Spike]

OK, so I need to work on the zen of down shifting smoothness.
Trouble is, I've had ligament transplants in my ankle and can
only rotate my right foot from noon to about 11 and still be
able to depress it.

Any tips for making it real easy to heel toe? I do not really
want to screw a block of wood to my gas pedal. Being
a Carrera I'm likely to get splinters as I mash the pedal to
the floor trying to convince the car to actually accelerate.

I'm considering those steering wheel controls for handicap drivers...
Now THAT would be a great in the car video...

Do those gas pedals with the tab under the brake pedal actually
work?

[VaSteve]

I thought you had those fancy bling bling pedals? Didn't I sit in your car and comment on it?

Nice avatar! Did you pack that shirt just for the photo opp??

[APKhaos]

Emery,
The term 'heel & toe' is something of a misnomer. The basic idea is to use the old foot to control two pedals at once. There are several ways to do it, and its perfectly OK to create a new one to accommodate your dodgy ankle.

The first step is to figure out what will work for you.
Best way to figure out what will work for you is to experiment a bit. Sit in the seat. Experiment with positions where you can get full pressure on the brake with you foot and/or leg at an angle that will let you blip the throttle. The blip can use your heel, or a rolling action of the ankle, or anything else that works. I do much more of a foot roll than anything that could be described as heel and toe. It works, so its fine!

Next step is practise.
This whole deal is going to feel very strange at the start. It will become second nature in no time, so just accept that it feels weird at first. Find a quiet piece of highway, and start at say 50MPH. Drop into neutral, and work on braking using your new position. Do this enough times to get your body used to getting the position right.

Next stage, try the blip bit while braking - in neutral again. Keep working on it until you can blip whle maintaining full pressure on the brake [without changing pressure on the brake].

Once you've worked out a position that you can manage, its just practise. Force yourself to heel and toe for every downshift on the street. Don;t expect them to be uber smooth at the beginning. It takes a little while. If you start now, you should be ready to use it by the time the next DE rolls around.

The Carrera pedals are almost ideal for this stuff without needing any fancy winged pedals. Save your benjamins for tires and track time.

[Spike]

I do have the bling pedals, but alas they're just shiny and
dont' help me heel toe. Maybe I should sell the current
pedal and install the one with the tab under the brake pedal...

I was trying to figure out how I could add an extension to the left
of the gas pedal but have it raised to be more even with
the brake pedal. It really only needs to be a small surface
I can hit with my heel when I hit the brakes and downshift
in my effort to keep up with Pari.

[Spike]

Tony, you must have been posting while I was typing.
Thanks for the advice. I will give it a try.

I think 270 service lanes will be a perfect place to practice
during the commute Maybe you all can see me on
the chopper shots.

BTW - I took your advice with the rear tires. I got the lower
profile (lowest I could get) and retained close to the stock
diameter overall. Like you said, anything to avoid increasing
the effective gearing is a good thing.

[VaSteve]

It's useless, nobody can keep up with Pari....

[APKhaos]

Emery,
If you think this stuff feel weird, wait till you are ready to try left foot braking. Now THAT is a truly unnatural act that makes H&T seem like child's play.

[Charlie Stylianos]

Emery,

I use the same method Tony described, rolling of the ankle, hitting the gas pedal with the right half of my foot. I wouldn't try raising the gas pedal as its a PITA with its 3 different connections all the way back to the engine. The brake pedal can be lowered much more easily with a 15mm wrench. Loosen the 2-15mm locknuts under the floorboard and turn the threaded brake rod to adjust to your preference. The trick here is to get the brake pedal pretty much level with the gas pedal when you are braking hard, then its much easier to roll the ankle to blip the throttle.

[photoeditor]

Soory to be off topic, but shu-weet avitar Charlie!

You do know that is a copyright'd image, right?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...just kidding. For you man, anything.

[Chopper Dropper]

Couple of things here. First as Tony said, as long as you can get it right, its O.K. I have a badly buggered up right ankle and can heel and toe my 944 and 914 with no prob. My 88 Targa required a "wing foot" which makes it doable. Each car requires a completely diferent movement and as said practise is the only way to get it. I found when a new chip screwed up my idle on the Targa I HAD to heel and toe to keep it going, even in reverse!!. great practise. Most common mistake to watch for is the timing followed by over reving (higher than necessary to match the revs of gearbox you are trying to match to engine, then probably blipping and revs decay to idle before you get the clutch fully out.
Dirk