Grande Punto - Heel and Toe

[TVR MAN]

Is it just me (most likely!) or does the pedal alignment in the grande punto make it near impossible to heel and toe?

I really want to learn this technique but I can't seem to twist my feet to fit the pedals!

So is it the car or me?

[RicksAlfas]

I haven't driven a GP but many modern cars have the pedals spaced so it is very difficult - if not impossible - to heel and toe. I suspect it's done deliberately to reduce "enthusiastic driving".

Of course on an Italian car that doesn't make sense so you'd best get down to your nearest tuning shop to buy some pedal extensions and keep taking the cod liver oil so you can rotate your right ankle 90 degrees.

[dom180]

The brake pedal is too high, relative to the accelerator which makes H&T very difficult indeed - the massively over assisted brakes don't help either. Aside from this the Grande Punto is a nice car to drive - drove a Sporting model recently and I really liked it - bet the Abarth version will be really nice.

Edited by dom180 on Sunday 28th September 21:46

[TVR MAN]

I'm glad it's not just me then. I can still consider myself to have superhuman driving abilities given the right vehicle!

[dom180]

Not you - I had a previous model Punto (W reg), (think it was the 2000/2001 model year one, with the button to lighten the steering) - the pedals on that were perfectly placed for H&T - you'd think that the Fiat test drivers would have mentioned it!

With the Grande Punto I find it quite bad to have to lift my foot so much in order to switch from accelerator to brake! (no DDC/H&T - just braking.)

>>but many modern cars have the pedals spaced so it is very difficult - if not impossible - to heel and toe

Indeed. In the Golf GTI if you brake, the car's electronics don't seem to allow you to blip the throttle - this in a "Performance car".

Edited by dom180 on Monday 29th September 19:25

Edited by dom180 on Monday 29th September 19:26

[bodhi]

It's a shame Fiat engineered this out, the brake and throttle on my Mk1 Sporting are ideal for H&T. As the throttle is so sensitive you only have to brush it to get the revs where you want. Not something I expected to find when I bought a cheap hatchback.