Two Guys Rally

How To Handbrake Turn [ April 15th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Performing the Handbrake Turn

1. Approach the Corner at 20-25mph (in 1st or 2nd Gear)
2. Turn Into the Corner with lots of Steering Input
3. Clutch In
4. Hold Button on the Handbarke In
5. Pull the Handbrake Up HARD
6. Wait for Car to Rotate
7. Drop the Handbrake (button still depressed)
8. Straighten the Wheels
9. Clutch Out and Go

The key to the handbrake turn is having enough speed to rotate the car and pulling up on the handbrake with enough force to break the traction of the rear wheels. Remember to Clutch In before you pull up on the handbrake in AWD and RWD cars. If you do not, the engine will stall or you will hurt your transmission and brakes.

The steps will blur together as you get better at this. Steps 3, 4 and 5 will be almost simultaneous and steps 7, 8 and 9 will start to blend together also. At first, focus on getting the car to rotate and learning how long you have to keep the handbrake applied before dropping it and getting your move on.

If the car is still not rotating, very light foot braking can help the car lose rear wheel traction as it unweights the rear end. As with any driving maneuver you must practice it to know how to do it right. So find a safe place to do it, preferably a loose surface. As always, with most sliding techniques, high center of gravity cars are more dangerous to do this in.

Why Perform a Handbrake Turn?

Sometimes the fastest way around a corner is to slide around it. This is especially true through a hairpin turn where a 180 degree rotation is required.

The handbrake is also used to correct mild understeer mid-corner and tighten up a sloppy wide corner. Although in North American rally races you do not see the handbrake used as widely as it is in the WRC races. I wonder why that is…

Anyway, with a FWD car you can actually apply power to the ground while the handbrake is up. This is very handy for getting the car to rotate without losing as much speed in very slippery conditions. Remember, stay safe and don’t keep repeating it too many times after you get it right.

How to Left Foot Brake [ April 8th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

*WARNING*
DO NOT TRY THIS FOR YOUR FIRST TIME ON A PUBLIC STREET
If you’re used to using the Clutch Pedal with your left foot, you will slam on the brakes the first time you try this.
*WARNING*

Performing Left Foot Braking

1. Press the Throttle with your Right Foot
2. Apply Pressure to the Brake with your Left Foot

Left Foot Braking (LFB) is, in theory, very simple. With your Right foot on the gas you use your left foot to brake and that will change the balance of the car. The trick with LFB is the technique changes from car to car and from surface to surface. When I was learning how to use LFB one of the cars I drove “preferred” a stab at the brakes followed by firm pressure, while another one preferred smooth application of the brakes and far less pressure than the first car. My WRX, in the snow, prefers throttle to pitch the car with light and short LFB to upset the balance and flick the car.

In order to succeed at LFB you should practice normal braking with your left foot in an EMPTY parking lot. The first time you try it, you will probably apply a bit too much pressure and abruptly stop. Once you’re comfortable braking with your left foot use it while driving normally. You will develop better control over your left foot.

Why Left Foot Brake?

Left Foot Braking can be used in a few ways, and those ways are surface dependent. On Tarmac it is primarily used to reduce the time from throttle to brake. On gravel, snow and dirt it is used to pitch the car into a slide. In turbocharged cars it can be used to keep the turbo spooled through corners,.

On the loose stuff it can be used to slide front wheel drive cars (FWD), and very easily rear wheel drive cars (RWD), without using the handbrake. It does this by un-weighting the rear end of the car and giving the front wheels more traction. Try it out: find an empty lot of loose stuff (parking lot with snow, field you have permission to be in, gravel parking lot you’re allowed to wreck) and start driving in a circle. Start with little steering input (so that means not full lock!) and with your right foot on the gas (keep it at a decent pressure), apply the brakes slowly and smoothly with your left. If your car just slows down, keep trying, but use less braking pressure. You might find your car enter a slide. Maybe, if you still aren’t sliding, try stabbing at the brakes with your left foot. Experiment, it is one of the best ways to teach yourself anything. You will eventually see the effects of weight transfer, and you will be a safer driver because of it. This is very hard on your brakes and your engine, so be warned and be safe!

It sports yet another nifty use: Left Foot Braking is a poor man’s limited slip differential. A car with a normal differential will apply no power to the ground if one of the drive wheels (assuming 2WD) is spinning freely. Adding braking forces to the wheel will cause the differential to act as if both wheels are gripping and will apply power to both wheels. So next time you find your dirt launches to cause a one tire fire, or one of your drive wheels is stuck in a ditch and the other is in the air, apply a tiny amount of brake pressure.

How To Heel-Toe [ April 7th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Performing a Heel-Toe Down Shift

1. Start braking with your right foot
2. Clutch In when the Engine is in/below the low end of the power band
3. Move the Gear Selector into the next lower gear
4. Blip the throttle with your heel by rotating your right foot while keeping pressure on the brakes with your toes
5. Clutch Out smooth and easy
6. Keep Braking

Step 4 is what makes the Heel-Toe a Heel-Toe. Its name comes from the fact that the toes of the right foot and the heel of the right foot are on separate pedals. Specifically the toes (balls of the feet) are braking while the heel blips the throttle. Depending on the pedal setup of the car a Heel-Toe becomes an Inside-Outside where the Inside of the right foot brakes while the outside blips the throttle.

Steps 3 and 4, after practice, happen simultaneously. The six steps end up taking very little time to execute with practice. To make it even more complex steps 3 and 4 can also be expanded to include a Double Clutch to be easier on the transmission. Double Clutching during the Heel-Toe procedure adds 3 steps to the process:

1. Start braking with your right foot
2. Clutch In when the Engine is in/below the low end of the power band
3. Move the gear selector into Neutral
4. Clutch Out
5. Blip the throttle with your heel by rotating your right foot while keeping pressure on the brakes with your toes
6. Clutch In
7. Move the gear selector to next lower gear
8. Clutch Out smooth and easy
9. Keep Braking

Why Heel-Toe?

Under braking and cornering a sudden load on the drivetrain (because of a failure to match RPMs in a downshift) could cause the drive wheels to lose traction. The Heel part makes the downshift smooth while the Toe part keeps the braking pressure on. A properly executed Heel-Toe also keeps the car balanced while braking.

Keeping the drive wheels loaded with the engine’s torque will also make braking lock-ups of the drive wheels harder to do.

Just as with Double Clutching the point of a Heel-Toe is smoothness and it gets easier and easier with practice. Remember, keep it smooth and the speed will come.