Heel Toe Shifting VS Clutchless Shifting

A quick comparison of heel and toe shifting VS shifting without the clutch. Performance driving tips for shifting through the gears to maximize speed and reduce wear on your transmission for street and racing applications. Rally driving is one of the most demanding motorsports and requires the driver to understand racing skills such as heel toe shifting, clutches shifting, left foot braking, lines and apexes, and many other skills taught at the Team O'Neil Rally School.
Learn more about us at teamoneil.com
Click here to book a course: teamoneil.com/...

[@Teamoneilrally]

Hi and thanks for tuning in! Our KZbin channel was recently switched to a brand account from a personal one and some past comments were lost as a result. Please ask any questions you have and we’ll get to them as quickly as possible, thanks again for watching and please don’t forget to hit like, subscribe, and enjoy!

[@jared1212]

Can you guys do a video on setting up a budget friendly car like this Impreza? Covering all the basics i.e suspension and alignment, wheel/tire, etc.

[@wava2187]

I see a lot of people teaching to blip once in gear, rather than in neutral before you put in gear, as you do here. Can you explain the correct technique, or if there is any difference to the timing of clutch release and whether or not being in gear or in neutral makes any difference during the blip. I'm used to double de-clutching and realise most new cars have synchro box's to negate this, but I'm still unclear what is technically correct for heel/toe and which I should practice? Thanks!

[@philipmanolas2270]

38 people with broken transmissions disliked

[@jangaroo539]

Good ol 5sp

[@Fifou001]

50 now ^^

[@nicholaslopez4170]

Hahahahaha

[@jfbeam]

I don't know how you can drive in those boots, much less precisely heel-toe. I get in a car without my driving shoes and I can't tell what my feet are doing.

[@abnormallynormal8823]

jfbeam well, start with wearing normal shoes, then some thicker ones (maybe add an insole), then wear boots.

[@WilliamLevesqueineX]

Lol, try walking around in flat sole shoes in Quebec ! Had to when I used my Miata in winter, impossible to drive that with boots on lol.

[@EkeDeke]

try driving french cars with steel toe welding boots, have to angle my feet to only hit one pedal

[@avengedfate9471]

"driving shoes" lol

[@dfw_motorrad1329]

I wore different shoes to work today (more rugged hiking shoes instead of my usual boat shoes), and it felt like I was wearing snow shoes. I took my shoes off for the drive home and it was fantastic. I'm going to start driving in just socks more often.

[@claudemountain6035]

YOU DON'T USE YOUR HEEL EITHER. I knew I couldn't be the only one that finds this to be really uncomfortable.

[@RotaryCrossType7]

I imagine anyone with more than a size 10 shoe does heel and toe this way.

[@hauskins9516]

Most professional racer car drivers are like tiny horse jockey and have tiny feet. midgets weigh less.

[@TheNheg66]

I never even tried to do it heel-toe. To me it just seems impossible to keep a constant brake pressure while moving the heel around the pedals. The ankle twist is just so much practical, and i would feel like it's also faster

[@HochstartHarry]

Yess me 2.. I always just step inbetween the pedals and use the shoes edge for gas or brake.. But ive mooved on to clutchless. Its faster because i can rotate the car better and get on the gas faster with leftfootbraking

[@nh1337]

You make both look very easy! Nice driving.

[@ignasanchezl]

My typical downshift is: press the clutch, shift neutral, release the clutch while touching the accelerator, press the clutch, shift in and release the clutch. In other words rev matching and double clutching. I drive a 2.5 L Turbo Diesel Hyundai Galloper 2 door. Some synchronizers (noticeable on 3rd gear) are damaged. Double clutching was a great solution for me. Keep in mind I only double clutch when shifting rapidly, when I do it slowly the sycromesh unit is able to catch up and match the gearbox speed.

[@rixogtr]

I am impressed, that stock Impreza transmission can gear shift without using clutch and breaking at the same moment :D

[@mikeschaner5853]

😆 @ no clutch... I had a 99 sentra with a bad clutch i drove for a week... Just push on 1st and car would slowly accelerate and eventually drop into 1st.. So glad that is over 😆 great show!

[@lucywucyyy]

so why does nobody ever seem to use clutchless shifting? i find it way easier than heal toe but everyone seems to prefer that

[@Kungfujoe1110]

Cool video! Two questions: 1) Prevailing knowledge (for whatever it's worth) seems to claim that clutchless shifting will kill your synchros. Is this a wives' tale (or perhaps attributed to older technology), or is it really something you guys would consider relatively safe over many miles and many shifts? 2) Rev-matching is great for maintaining the stability of the car, no doubt, and if you rev-match, you can shift without the clutch...is there ever a scenario where it makes sense to clutch-shift without matching the revs?

[@mmorzan]

Kungfujoe1110 maybe it's ok for them to do clutchless shifting in rally because those cars are being fixed and serviced after every event, I don't know, someone more knowledgeable will answer 😃

[@Kungfujoe1110]

I get that...like, yeah, you service cars in any racing discipline, but the level of service usually depends on the level of the discipline. Pro guys toss engines/trannys/etc, grassroots guys typically do a lot less than that. Seeing as how these videos often take the tone of more of a grassroots focus...If they said "Yeah, you're gonna have to swap brake pads", sure, that makes sense - swapping synchros is a helluva lot more involved than that. Servicing a transmission is what I would typically consider pretty heavy-duty service.

[@jfbeam]

OH! It does. I don't build our transmissions, so I've been ordered to never do that.

[@wuzihuzi]

Daily driving I wouldn't clutchless shift, and I always try to rev match early and engine break more. This causes less wear on breaks, synchros and breaks.

[@jfbeam]

The engine is a lot more expensive than a set of brakes. I'm just sayin'.

[@wrexrally5084]

Do a video on Clutch kicking tutorial on a corner

[@mtsyo8165]

Mostly you use clutch kick when you have made mistake in corner. As example went too wide in corner & you are off the road, you are in 2nd gear and rpm is falling down. Kick it & revs go up

[@Kungfujoe1110]

Here's my Cluch-kick tutorial. 1) Start to enter the corner 2) Kick the clutch 3) Hold on for dear life I kid a bit, but honestly there's nothing to it. Go out to an empty parking lot, drive around in a circle in, say, second gear at, say, 4000 RPM, then clutch-in-clutch-out as fast as you can. The ass will break loose...and that's it. (obv only works with MT and RWD...wait, can you clutch kick an AWD? Lol, I have no idea)

[@wonderbubble3980]

WREX you can clutch kick an awd, but if said awd is an older Subaru 5mt like used in the video, you'll likely grenade your transmission.

[@brockbain8656]

you dont clutch kick fast, you clutch in and hold it in until your revs are more suitable for the situation.

[@valkarez1137]

clutch kicking doesnt need a tutorial all you do is kick the clutch pedal

[@hartsymk1]

Another great video that's taught me a new technique to try

[@Douknowgregg]

ive smoothly downshifted from 5th to 3rd doing 80. i revmatched to 5000 rpms and it shifted flawlessly

[@ahumeniy]

I remember driving around like that for a couple weeks when my car clutch failed

[@jimgoodwin6440]

You have the greatest job in the world.

[@kdiggity1]

How did u mount the camera for the heel and toe shot?

[@crazymetallian]

so while driving i just can skip touching the clutch and just slow shifting??? damn thats nice to know

[@unfriendme8236]

Can clutchless shifting help you win a race or at least go faster? And Can it damage your transmission over the time??

[@Mustardmartin]

thanks wyatt great video keep um comin haha thats weird cause i was just driving around practicing this the other day and i was very curious about it and you answered my food for thought when you said you wouldnt shift up that way because the clutch is quicker but down shifting that way can definetly have its advantages before i knew how to heel and toe shift the whole concept of shifting down without the clutch was bad i really almost couldnt do it but it would actually be better then when i would down shift without the blip because you have to be patient for the gear to fall in place but still better and easier with the little blip of the throttle

[@tarushdei]

I've got 6 years behind the wheel of a manual semi-truck, unsynchronized Eaton Fuller transmissions, and I was always told that synchro manuals couldn't be floated without damaging them. Curious to know how true this is.

[@geovannygerman1939]

Wow, this is really good, do you by chance have a school location in Miami????

[@Teamoneilrally]

The Rally School is up in New Hampshire, but Miami sounds great this time of year!

[@electriclungi3185]

Which one do racers use normally? And which one is fastest?

[@aliasreji664]

Can cluthless shifting cause any mechanical problems to the car

[@jnr1989]

Hey what about downshifting without heel and toe? Before someone tries to trash me for the question please see gilles panizi driving the lan evo on touge or rally driver vs racing driver. Guy never did heel and toe

[@jnr1989]

@UK Racer yes but I believe this guy I mentioned before, gilles panizi, he uses the momentum and slipping from the downshifting itself for the turn-in.

[@snoopycharlie8718]

What about double clutching? So, 4th gear - clutch in - neutral - clutch out - rev - clutch in - 2nd gear - clutch out - go. Waste of time ?

[@T0198]

I use heel and toe technique in everyday use, and I also use the clutch, It all started with an worn transmission with bad syncros... Made my life a lot easier! Now that's how I downshift I every car, to save the syncros in a good transmission.. And it also engages the gears smoother. I find that in some cars, the gas pedal is much lower than the break pedal making this very difficult and almost impossible! Damm manufacturers! It is also possible, by pressing the brake, and then let go and press the gas reving it to match the gear speed. but it's not that practical! Toyota what are you thinking?

[@truppelito]

t04844 exactly my problem!! My car has the gas pedal a good 4cm further than the brake pedal, and there's also just no room to turn the right foot sideways for heel and toe. When braking and downshifting I either let go of the brake, blip the throttle and very quickly get on the brake again (if I'm not braking too hard or that would upset the balance of the car) or I have to push the clutch in (I can't change gears and I can't leave it in gear or the car stalls) and wait until I'm done braking to blip the throttle and downshift. I can have really smooth and fast downshifts that way, but I'm aching for an opportunity to drive cars that allow for proper heel and toe cause I want to practice that correctly

[@deybi1]

I love heel and toe but very nice video very informative

[@little_regret]

The world is a happier place when you rev match

[@Watchandcutgearchannel]

Great video heel toe is what I like but I will experiment 🧪

[@miscu2542]

woo! so can you with actually any car upshift w/out the clutch? i have to try it!

[@beansinacan500]

God that looks so fun

[@Limitlesrunaway]

I've always wanted to try shifting without the clutch but I feel like I will grind 😭

[@chase4fun166]

Almost every rally driver i have seen uses no clutch on the upshift,But always on the down shift..And i watch allot of videos :D.

[@vitoa4504]

Chase 4fun they use a a sequential transmission. Google it

[@RTPJu]

Mate... can I do clutchless shifting in an old non-racer Vauxhall Astra Mk4 without break it? I believe that it could help me driving though slipping days, cause I could focus on left-footing brake all the time, for my own safety. Cheers!

[@Teamoneilrally]

We don't have any Vauxhalls over here on the other side of the pond, but yes if you're nice and easy doing it you should be just fine. We usually recommend learning clutchess shifting in a beater car, a rental, your neighbor's car... Once you get good at it it's easy but there's usually some grinding gears in the early days.

[@territorytimes2]

Dank Video m8!

[@iminapunkband]

Are you related to the fellow who does Soccer Reviews for You?

[@sagakenmin7079]

なるほど

[@GhostOf-gh2yz]

5:52 that sound :')

[@micaaelnunnm82a1]

Truck drivers have been floating gears for years

[@legendarysixsamurai-shien402]

Maybe if they heel toed in the first place they wouldn't need to know how to clutches shift lol

[@Oblio1942]

except sometimes youre left handed and have way more feel in your left foot than in your right foot to brake, and also it can be faster cuz you dont have to move one/ both feet over one pedal a piece and also find the bite point + brake threshhold on a clutchless downshift. Just the brake threshold.

[@jameswillis8524]

Anyone else accidentally shifted cluchless when double clutching?😂

[@borisgolev]

все отлично, но ничего не понятно, переведите пожалуйста

[@RR101001]

i honestly dont like when people call cars "vehicles"

[@effemmelle]

can you explain why?

[@Sneaky5.sl0w.]

shifting without the clutch is stupid and is pointless, it doesn't make you faster. the clutch is what pushes the car into the next gear

[@donovangunther4538]

aMcSpank no the clutch disconnects the engine to the transmission to allow you to take your time rev matching. If you rely on the clutch to shift you aren’t shifting properly and your clutch is gonna pay for that.

[@CommentSubscribe69]

Thanks very usefull

[@megafauna8374]

Dude uses instep on brake, outstep on throttle. I'm a heel on brake, toe on throttle guy. Always use the clutch, it's there for a reason, unless it's your mum's car....

[@chocOneOOne]

dude casually teaching heel toe on a icy snow course is legendary

[@chrishenderling9556]

They have special tyres that allow allot of traction in snow

[@codysykes5568]

In thick hiking boots, no less.

[@Cynsham]

I guarantee he's driven real rally courses in worse weather than this

[@xnopyt13]

1:54 "We are only doing 55" yeah on a snowy hill sounds easy eh?

[@Jach95]

HAHAAHAH

[@tekkaboy80]

witch craft...

[@Alex68Bucs]

that wicked witchcraft...

[@ratedm90]

Matthew Clarke Love chants

[@DjVolumeUp200]

Whisper in my ear

[@Fraza]

put me in a trance RIP Lil Peep

[@86rattlehead]

More like Witch Clutch!

[@SocksInAHat]

I had no idea about no clutch shifting. Thats insane! I wanna try it but dont want to mess my transmission up

[@teziinch]

I learned the no clutch shift with my VW thing that liked to break clutch cables. A useful skill if you like older cars with mechanical quirks.

[@PeterM0911]

When I mentioned downshifting with no clutch before in a comment under an other video, I got killed by others, because I don't know anything. :D

[@MegaJani]

I feel for you bud I had the near-same experience :D

[@JesseltonGaming]

@@MegaJani me tooo lmaop

[@leohughes6921]

I raced two weeks ago at Tour De Forest. On the second day of the rally I started to feel more comfortable and decided to try incorporating left foot braking into my driving style and it seemed to help a lot. Its not as bad clutchless shifting as I thought it was going to be. I had never thought of using it in a racing situation until I saw this video and the Rally Driving Explained video. Thank you so much for putting out great content time after time again!

[@Majima_Nowhere]

"You don't need to go through every gear..." Thank you. For as long as I've driven standards, I've been going up first, up second, skipping third and going straight into fourth on my way to work. I wasn't sure if that was bad for any reason.

[@cuter.]

Well, I think that was only for fourth to second and not vice versa...

[@pavelkryl457]

Dude, that is a comment from a year ago. Also there is nothing wrong with gear skipping either way.

[@cuter.]

@@pavelkryl457 First, I can comment whenever I want. Proof: I did it. Second, three people in a day think it like I do (on a reply) versus 17 in a year on a main comment... If I were You, I would start "asking myself some questions"... 🤔

[@pavelkryl457]

You can easily skip even from first to fifth and vice versa, it does not make a difference in a manual transmission. Manual transmission just swaps cogs around so as long as you rev match you can select whatever gear you want (except reverse from any other gear, obviously). Only thing you have to be aware of is that you can overrev your engine if you are downshifting "too much" or lug your engine (even stop it really) if you upshift too much without sufficient engine revs.

[@luminescentlion]

you can also ruin your transmition and clutch but those aren't important

[@timwintersoncntr]

You show an important difference from the dumb-guy rev matching with the clutch in which smoothes the downshift but neglects the input shaft speedup needed to care for the synchros which your clutchless technique accomplishes. This old-time heel-and-toe guy will be practicing this along with your left-foot braking techniques. Thanks.

[@matheuswohl]

well, you can also double clutch while rev matching to get all the shafts' speeds correct, but it's quite a lot of footwork

[@timwintersoncntr]

Matheus Wohl Heel-and-toe implies double clutching on a down shift...to me, anyway. The common ground with clutchless down shifting and double clutching down shifting (while braking or not) is that the clutch is engaged so the blip speeds the input shaft during rev matching. I learned to drive double clutching on all gear changes, up and down.

[@matheuswohl]

Heel-and-toe per se should be pretty much just a fancy name for rev matching while braking, but well, when it comes to shifting if you already know how to double clutch while downshifting there shouldn't be much left to learn because all the other techniques are simplifications of that(as far as my knowledge goes, at least). Anyway, just trying to help.

[@MCatwar]

@@timwintersoncntr in my bmw i don’t really need to match the input shaft especially when i’m driving hard because things are so light and there’s hardly any inertia. however, i have noticed that technique is rather hard in my f250 so i should definitely just start double clutching and see if i can smooth things out.

[@91Wildcat700]

This is how NASCAR drivers downshift when they run their two road courses on the schedule. They showed a foot cam last year at Watkins Glen.

[@mika012300]

That's a race car though and the gearbox in that is nothing like a road car look up "dog box transmission" on google and you'll find multiple pages explaining the differences.

[@91Wildcat700]

Mika_012397 I know it's a racing box but the technique is still the same using the left foot to brake and match the revs with the transmission in neutral.

[@wuzihuzi]

I googled dog box and couldn't find much only speculations on forums. A link to a reputable source would be appreciated.

[@jfbeam]

And NASCAR drivers don't give shit about how much damage they're doing to the car (as long as it lasts the whole race) because they know it's getting completely rebuilt for the next race.

[@91Wildcat700]

jfbeam that's how the transmission's are designed you don't have to use the clutch once you're moving a lot of taking series that still use manuals are like that.

[@troycheron]

Great video, entertaining and informative. idea for another video could be about explaining how to weight transfer properly on loose surfaces for different types of corners

[@CGoody564]

that heavily depends on where the engine is located and the weight distribution to begin with

[@pgtmr2713]

It's crazy how you can hear the grip as it comes to a halt at the end.

[@LotusBoi1989]

If you don't wait for the gate to open up with clutchless shifting, and just hold the stick against it, it puts a lot more wear on the synchros. You won't notice it right away, but a part that should last years might only last a season or two.

[@jameswoodsupersport]

bullshitless videos are becoming more and more rare on youtube, Thanks!

[@ArrtusMusic]

I never knew you could shift without the clutch.. I don't really want to practice it though because I'll probably end up destroying my gears by grinding them.

[@delta-tuning]

Wouldn't clutchless shifting be really bad for your synchros if you weren't perfect at it?

[@doctorlove8481]

One of the first things I had learned when I started driving was clutchless shifting. "One day, you'll need to know this." I disregarded that, but when you burn your clutch out on a gravel road and need to get home to put a new one in? Yeah, you'll need it.

[@Dreihme]

I've always liked using clutchless shifting; just be prepared for your synchros to wear out earlier than they would otherwise.

[@NerdyCatCoffeeee]

no synchros = no problem

[@Strate2]

but does that also work with usual street cars' transmissions or only with racing cars' transmissions?

[@bmos02]

they are basically driving a stickered-up street car. just know that clutchless shifting can break things if you do it too wrong.

[@nipshardaf]

Just make sure you dont force it in the gear then you should be ok. The stick should drop into the gear with very little guidance, if you're pushing it in. STOP immediately.

[@arni291]

thats how you drive a semi truck. you use clutch just for start and then everything is clutchless. on cdl exam tho, they require you to double clutch - 2nd gear, clutch, neutral, clutch with 3rd gear

[@GlennnD]

Think the only difference between those gearboxes are how the tooth are shaped of the gears. The clutchless shifting I think has to do with the synchromesh rings have to be the same speed and will be able to change gear.

[@RotaryCrossType7]

Who here has broken their clutch lever off in the morning, and still went riding all day.

[@junlee7763]

I believe ideas of clutchless shifting is promoted by transmission repair stores..

[@andrewv5104]

Why does this have to be a VS? I use both for different situations and they are both useful. Heck when i get lazy and can't be bothered to move my foot to the clutch i use them both together.

[@Teamoneilrally]

The world needs more people like you Andrew! The internet thrives on conflict, so the VS videos get a lot more traffic than if we did "Use common sense and a handful of different techniques as appropriate for the situation" but that's exactly the right answer.

[@DickWaggles]

all this time and I had no idea you could float with a standard transmission. I've been floating my semi for years, this is fantastic to know

[@nickamarit]

Practice double clutching to be good at clutchless shifting.

[@fatman1288]

wow i had no idea you could float the gears in a car i do it all the time in my rig lol

[@enoughofyourkoicarp]

Question from a novice driver here: When you shift without the clutch are you using the rev counter or listening to the engine or both to find the window to slot into gear? Also how would you recommend someone practice finding the window in their own car?

[@milogibbins4412]

I personally listen to the engine mainly but just do whatever is most natural I guess. And as long as you don’t try to just jam it into gear in you won’t cause any damage to the transmission.

[@CFGRacing]

Clutchless shifting going at track speeds kzbin.info/www/bejne/noqpp6ShqZuXY5o

[@jmr1920]

not for all cars, this will screw your transmission, dont believe me, just listen to the grind lol

[@daStig177]

If the car has syncros, it can be done. Not that it's easy or doesn't take practice, of course, since every car is different.

[@yosyp5905]

Jong Regudo If the car doesn't have a sync, the only way to shift is to match the driveshaft RPM to the engine one. So...

[@shortroundChris]

What's more impressive is he using BOOTS!!! Them boots weren't made for walking, made for Heel Toe!!!

[@bootneylee9802]

Umm yeah. I don't trust shifting without the clutch....AND YOU CAN NEVER MAKE ME!!!

[@haydenbenninghofen]

All done with boots

[@TimePass-hp4oq]

Please do not do this clutchless shifting because it is wrong it worn synchro at accelerated rate damage synchros. if you want to float synchromesh you need to find the shift points and float in this case no pressure need to stick if that timing is correct throw stick to position go into next hole without any resistance

[@JaOzrenRadovanovic]

Lot of Imprezas behind!

[@ethanhuntBravoEcho11]

rally drivers are just built diff

[@DaddyIppsTV]

Yeah, my transmission had broken 3rd and 4th gear so I shift from 2nd to 5th and then 5th to second.

[@Savorychicken41]

Why does the cage look fake, like it’s a video game?

[@kennynyc1555]

manual is a pain

[@LowFyeArt]

i used to suck at heel & toe and couldn't understand how people were able to do it so smoothly but after lots of practice it is not buttery smooth... now im practicing left foot braking, trail braking & just overall braking for faster lines

[@SLIPPERYNOODLE1]

Anyone else learn heel toe from intital D?

[@PossibleTango]

I watched this entire video and I didn't understand a single thing.

[@RizzyTizzyLando]

I’m here for dirt rally 2.0

[@AM-bo5go]

What boots are you wearing

[@WhispersOfWind]

*KHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH* ... *KHHHHHHHHHHH KHHHHT*

[@NeillWylie]

Driving like a boss in those big clunky shoes! Well in!

[@thinkoflovelight]

Would people agree that clutchless shifting is more harsh to your synchros? I find my old e30 needs that babied clutch.

[@haniarreturning8227]

Just shift without clutch and save it for the kicks.. xd

[@surethebest]

Who the hell could ever give this a thumbs down??? May be some guys from horseback riding, couldn’t find the clutch or something.

[@HochstartHarry]

I discovered clutchless shifting while leftfoot braking i to a turn so hard that i couldbt moove over to the clutch anymore 😂 result was a stunned myself and an intakt transmisson. Now i only use the cluch for starting a stage.. Then its all 2 foot work

[@noisetechnician2711]

With the way the gears are cut in most production style transmissions this will tear them up over time. The gears are cut at an angle. However, there are transmissions where this is perfectly fine and the gears are cut straight ie semi truck transmissions and racing transmissions.

[@Sweetheartxx195]

I learned clutchless shifting in a 1992 s10 ive learned its easier for me to left foot brake and right foot on the throttle. I can go up and down all 5 gears no problems. I learned cause I told my boss (ex truck driver) that I had bad synchros he told me to not use the clutch and ever since that day it hasn't grinded gears but it does take longer to shift

[@pedrocorreia8153]

first of all... you do great videos with very useful info;that can be by a every day driver. on that clutchless technique, I already and it works, but on other hand on those transmissions that have hydraulic operated clutch, it isn't easy to apply that clutchless technique. só what I'm doing wrong?

[@mexifinn7830]

Cool video! On shifting without the clutch - you said this vehicle has a fragile transmission - is it still stock to the vehicle? Or do you only recommend this with vehicles with better than stock clutches?

[@RexinOridle]

What kind of transmission is this?

[@reini381]

Isn't shifting without using the clutch bad for the synchronisation

[@lucywucyyy]

i cant figure out how to heal toe, idk if its cos i have small feet or what but im practicing clutchless shifting as an alternative and its p good