Heel and toe seems difficult in the Viper

[Ulysses]

The brake pedal is pretty high and it's pretty much on the same plane as the gas pedal. So either you have to have a very wide foot and not brake very hard( or else the brake pedal is too far below the gas pedal), or you have to twist your foot inward, brake with the ball of your foot and blip the gas with your heel. The latter sounds and feels really awkward.

What's your preferred technique?

 

[TacDoc]

On my 96 it is not difficult at all. My GTS is an all together different story, I have yet to get proficient.


Greg
96 RT
00 GTS

 

[GTS Dean]

Ulysses,

The second method you mentioned is what is taught at Bondurant's school. The ball of your toes allow good brake modulation while the heel stabs the gas to match rpms. In the Viper, I've found that at the track I need to keep the steering column straight so that my knee had enough room rotate to the left. It's only awkward for a short time until you get it down pat.

 

[gtsviper]

My 94 and 96 GTS were no problem to H/T but my 2000 R/T 10 was another story. The gas pedal was higher than the brake pedal under braking. Good way to kill yourself!
You can adjust the throttle linkage so that the pedal is closer to the floor. On my 2000, there is a bracket which holds the throttle cable to the top of the intake manifold. If you loosen the nut slightly, you can adjust the bracket by sliding it forward and back. Moving it forward moves the pedal closer to the floor and vice versa. When you get it right, tighten the nut. Check the adjustment under braking to ensure the height is correct. Motor should be running to allow for the hydraulic assist to allow for proper adjustment. Also check to ensure the pedal is not prevented from opening the throttles fully. I have thick floormats and am not getting full throttle so I will need to adjust it back. Hope this helps.

 

[Nadine UK GTS]

I agree, heal & toe in a Viper is difficult. I shattered my ankle in a bike accident which has left (or although I mean right foot!) the amount of movement needed difficult.

 

[Robert1994]

I always thought the heel went on the brake pedal, and the toes went on the gas ? I would think (and have practiced) that it's
much easier to to keep a constant pressure on the brake pedal and blip the gas with the toes. That sure works the best in my Camaro, but the pedals are all even and centered directly under the steering column (what a unique concept !)
I'll have to play this weekend and see if I can do it the "right" way .

 

[Ron Hickey]

As an alternative, Zero Altitude Flight sells several styles of pedal overlays which can help in heel-toe (and also look great). I believe there are several other vendors with pedal kits, too.

 

[Ulysses]

Thank you all for your great answers.

Robert1994, on some cars, heel on brake and toe blipping gas is the correct technique IF the pedals are set up for it. For example, on the older Triumphs, the brake was actually lower (length wise near the bottom of the gas pedal) and the gas pedal a little more contour in shape. The plane of the gas pedal was also a bit lower than the brake so that when you pressed on the brake you could actually shift your foot to the right and land on the gas pedal a lot easier. The contour of the gas pedal facilitating this move a bit. The 2000 just isn't set up for this and it's beyond me why because it sure is more natural to do it that way.

 

[PMUM]

I put the very left part of the ball of my foot on the brake and roll my ankle to catch the gas pedal with the ride side of my foot. This seems to work perfectly fine for me and my '01. I also broke my right ankle in a motorcycle accident so it's difficult for me to twist my ankle to get the heel on the gas. You can also buy aluminum pedals (don't know of the vendors) that can make the gas pedal wider.

I was fortunate enough to go for a ride with Stephen Yap at Sears Point last weekend and he was twisting his foot so that the whole ball of his foot was on the brake and the heel would blip the gas. I spent nearly the whole session watching his feet, as I had never seen that before. It worked perfectly for him, so I think whichever way is the most comfortable will work with practice.

 

[John ACR]

10 1/2 EEE's help.
One good thing about big feet.

 

[Dion Fisher]

First thing I did was take out the pedal adjustment knob and workings then pulled all 3 cables and set them to my most comfortable positions where I could roll my ankle while blipping my tach to the 3.5k rpm level while having the brake in the threshold position.. Then I used Sean Roe's advise and loosened the 3/8" nuts and moved the gas pedal closer to the brake..

Now I use the ball of my foot on the brake and roll my foot to the inbd to blip the gas.. Easy for a 9 shoe maybe not for a 12..

Never have missed yet... The thing to work with is the adjustments available mechanically then drive around even just to and fro using heel and toe.. The next thing you know it's natural just like working your apexs on your daily travels..

 

[Robert1994]

Heel on a low gas pedal, and the ball of the foot on a
raised brake pedal trying to blip the gas, and modulate
brake pressure sounds like a chiropractor's dream come true.
P.S. Does anybody else catch themselves leaning to port in
the captains chair ?

 

[LTHL VPR]

I think the Viper is fairly tricky to 'heel-toe' effectively. We offer a couple solutions to fix this problem. We carry 2 styles of Viper pedals that bring decrease the distance between the brake and gas pedals and you shape them to raise or lower the gas pedal. They come with either GTS or RT/10 logos or Viper snake logos.

This should solve your dilemma.

For more info you can reach me at 408.562.1000.
Thanks!
-Wayne (LTHL VPR)

 

[Ulysses]

Heh heh heh.

Robert,

More often than not, I find myself ******* off the people behind me as I practice this technique. Though I did notice I tend to tilt to the left when I walk.

I am going to try Dion's advice and adjust the gas pedal.