Heel & toe with a floor mounted accelerator.
Discussion
Really struggling with the above on the 328i. 
Prior to this, never had an issues on my sister's Ka, always found h&t quite easy, the pedals being well placed and light however I'm not having much success in the BM.
The accelerator seems ruddy stiff so applying the right amount of throttle with half a foot is difficult but I'm also finding it tricky with the foot position itself. I think the latter is mostly due to how the accelerator is mounted.
Any hints/advice from seasoned floor mounted accelerator heel and toers?
Prior to this, never had an issues on my sister's Ka, always found h&t quite easy, the pedals being well placed and light however I'm not having much success in the BM.
The accelerator seems ruddy stiff so applying the right amount of throttle with half a foot is difficult but I'm also finding it tricky with the foot position itself. I think the latter is mostly due to how the accelerator is mounted.
Any hints/advice from seasoned floor mounted accelerator heel and toers?
I've never had any problems, but I've driven BMW's pretty much exclusively for a long time.
The more natural application of your foot is approximately a 45 degree angle downwards to the heel so your toe on the brake (obviously) which leaves your heel at the base of the accelerator.
GCSE physics will tell you that this is not a good leverage point given it's proximity to the fulcrum, so you'll need to twist your foot more to place your heel further up the pedal.
If you've got small feet, it can be difficult so you could use the ball of your foot on the brake which means you will reduce the distance of your heel in relation to the length of the accelerator pedal.
The more natural application of your foot is approximately a 45 degree angle downwards to the heel so your toe on the brake (obviously) which leaves your heel at the base of the accelerator.
GCSE physics will tell you that this is not a good leverage point given it's proximity to the fulcrum, so you'll need to twist your foot more to place your heel further up the pedal.
If you've got small feet, it can be difficult so you could use the ball of your foot on the brake which means you will reduce the distance of your heel in relation to the length of the accelerator pedal.
Can't do it in my BMW because of the floor mounted pedal. I thought it was me being s
t but heel toe is pretty much instinctive in the 106.
You can blip the throttle before a downshift but you'll have to scrub off your speed early, not a problem on public roads your not going to be at 10/10th's anyway.
t but heel toe is pretty much instinctive in the 106.You can blip the throttle before a downshift but you'll have to scrub off your speed early, not a problem on public roads your not going to be at 10/10th's anyway.
I have the same problem - it is possible but you need to twist your foot round a lot further to get enough leverage and I find that compromises the accuracy with which I can modulate the brake pressure. I've never really seen the point in floor hinged pedals (except in some racing cars which don't have the clearance for top-hinged ones).
It is tricky with the Bm. Wearing st kicker boots, (though not exactly good driving shoes), does have the advantage that they are wide enough that I can simply twist my angle slightly for the blip.
I've yet to master it in trainers...
Not sure about the 328i, but on the 5er, it will do 70 in 2nd. So I normally just straight rev match before braking.
t kicker boots, (though not exactly good driving shoes), does have the advantage that they are wide enough that I can simply twist my angle slightly for the blip.I've yet to master it in trainers...
Not sure about the 328i, but on the 5er, it will do 70 in 2nd. So I normally just straight rev match before braking.
I've had an E36 and E46 for the past 2 years and always used 3/4 of the shoe on the brake pedal and a quarter on the throttle with a little sideways flick to blip the accelerator. Found it harder to get used to then other cars but definitely doable. Also if the accel pedal is very stiff try changine the cable (if its not fly by wire), this helped a bit too
Which way round do you do it?
I've seen videos of ball of toe on brake and heel in accelerator and vice versa
I actually have my heel/instep in the brake pedal and roll my foot right into the accelerator (halfway up ish)
This has worked perfectly for me in 3 BMW's as well as countless other cars
That doesn't say I'm doin it correctly mind you, but it works for me :-)
I've seen videos of ball of toe on brake and heel in accelerator and vice versa
I actually have my heel/instep in the brake pedal and roll my foot right into the accelerator (halfway up ish)
This has worked perfectly for me in 3 BMW's as well as countless other cars
That doesn't say I'm doin it correctly mind you, but it works for me :-)
My feet and legs are too big to actually use my heel on the throttle.
With my M3 as with my other cars, I just used to put the left part of the ball of my foot on the brake, then roll it sideways and use the right hand part of the ball of the foot on the throttle. Same story as some above.
My Accord has a bottom hinged throttle too, never had a problem.
With my M3 as with my other cars, I just used to put the left part of the ball of my foot on the brake, then roll it sideways and use the right hand part of the ball of the foot on the throttle. Same story as some above.
My Accord has a bottom hinged throttle too, never had a problem.
kambites said:
I have the same problem - it is possible but you need to twist your foot round a lot further to get enough leverage and I find that compromises the accuracy with which I can modulate the brake pressure. I've never really seen the point in floor hinged pedals (except in some racing cars which don't have the clearance for top-hinged ones).
This all over, really. I like the floor-hinged throttle when I'm cruising, but if I found another design deeply uncomfortable then I'd use the cruise control, which is sort of what that's for.For heel-toe stuff, the difficulty of moving the pedal by its bottom half (and the fact that they're designed stiff to start with) does cause problems. It means that you need to give it a big old whack with your heel compared to other cars, which I find can actually lift me off the brake pressure a tiny bit. I agree that the more of your foot you have on the brake, the easier it gets, though - as your heel ends up higher up the throttle pedal.
Practice, practice, practice. Even trying different methods with the car sitting still would be helpful, as you can get your techniques right without distractions and see what sort of engine response you get from different levels of heel movement.
You've been spoilt with the Ka, they are briliant for it.
Its entirely possible with the organ pedal style throttle, just takes practice. "Heel" toe is actually a bit of a misnomer. Its more toe/ball of foot, I find. Do nearly all my braking with only my big toe anyway, so there is plenty of foot left over for a stab on the throttle.
Its entirely possible with the organ pedal style throttle, just takes practice. "Heel" toe is actually a bit of a misnomer. Its more toe/ball of foot, I find. Do nearly all my braking with only my big toe anyway, so there is plenty of foot left over for a stab on the throttle.
I find heel and toeing tricky with a floor-mounted accelerator too. It's supposed to make it easier because your foot now hinges at more or less the same point as the accelerator, but that never seems to be the case. It probably doesn't help that the pedal spacing on Porsches and BMWs tends to be quite generous for all those strapping Teutonic types.
The tip I was given was to dispense with any idea of using your heel and just either side of the ball of your foot. Works beautifully with close pedal spacings, but still relatively tricky on a normal road car.
The tip I was given was to dispense with any idea of using your heel and just either side of the ball of your foot. Works beautifully with close pedal spacings, but still relatively tricky on a normal road car.
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