- Joined
- Dec 14, 2003
- Messages
- 3,294
Gumbo said:Actually by 'matching revs' in this sense I was referring to downshifts. By giving a little blip on the throttle with your heel, or the outside of your foot (see pic of my shoe for mark made by the accelerator), as you pass the gearstick through the neutral position you get a much smoother release of the clutch. This keeps the car balanced, and in extremely wet conditions in a rear wheel drive, light car, you can prevent the wheels from losing traction as the engine braking would try to slow them down too fast.
So matching revs is the result of using heel and toe braking.
Do not try this unless you have a nice empty road with nothing to run into at first. It's a track technique and if you screw it up you can find yourself falling off the brake pedal or actually making the car try to accelerate while you're braking. When you do get it right it does make the drive smoother, and with the right car makes a great sound as you pass that bus stop into the roundabout
Actually Gumbo, though right to a large extent it is not limited to when heeling and toeing. If you are slowing for a junction and downshifting then with adequate distance you can begin slowing with the brake if necessary and lift off the brake as you change down a gear to dab the throttle hence raising the engine revs to the appropriate level for the lower gear at that speed before getting back onto the brake to continue slowing down for the obstacle. This is a simple technique for those not wanting to try the heel+toe stuff. It is always good driving practise to select the appropriate gear in advance of the corner/junction, of course.
