I had to learn when I started racing in order to maximize my speed around the track. Now I am hooked and really enjoy the satisfaction of a well timed "Blip" during some spirited street driving. My previous Vantage with paddle shifters was a spoiler because the SS gets it right every time.

 

How long did it take you to get the hang of it? Think I'll be watching heel/toe videos on YouTube this weekend. After I master the heel/toe, it's on to perfect drifting. haha

 

It didn't take too long in the track setting because you get multiple opportunities to practice every few seconds and you have a big motivation to rev match so you don't lock up the rear tires or un-settle the car. Now it is just second nature and I do it by habit. Although in normal street driving it doesn't seem as natural unless I am in "spirited" mode.

 

Received my pedal a while ago and finally got around to installing it this weekend. It really does work great. It's amazing that just an extra 1/2 inch in the width of the pedal can make such a difference.

While Seattle used cardboard to fill in the depression in the pedal arm (the rubber substrate for the cylindrical nubs seats in that depression), I wanted to use a resilient element similar to the original. I wasn't sure where to get rubber sheeting, so I just went to Home Depot to see what I could find. What I found is vinyl garage door weatherstripping that is about the same thickness as the OE substrate. It cost about $7. All I did was cut out a shape similar to the OE substrate. Worked perfectly. Pics below.

 

Excellent tip and great pics. Have been mulling over getting this modification for the same reason as all who've done it, the gap bw the brake and gas makes heel-toeing a bit awkward. Have wondered whether also 'advancing' the gas pedal might help as well (i.e. if you put a couple strips of rubber material instead of just one, would it also improve the ability to heel-toe by placing the pedal closer to your foot?).

 

If you want to move the pedal closer, it'd probably be better to use the one rubber insert to fill in the depression and then a rigid spacer, possibly an aluminum one. Otherwise, the pedal would likely pivot side to side due to the flexibility of the vinyl. Also, you'd need longer screws. Not sure if it's possible, but it might be better still to adjust the pedal arm. BTW, one interesting thing I learned is that the pedal arm is plastic, not metal.

 

Hmmm, I guess the whole 'bend the pedal arm' strategy is a no go then ... Good point on the rigid spacer or thicker pedal idea. Do you find that the simple widening of the pedal is adequate for smoother throttle blips? At the moment I feel like I've really accomplished something if I happen to make a 5th/4th to 2nd heel-toe shift smoothly with the stock pedal set up :-s

 

I haven't tried it out on the road yet, I only gave it a try while the car was parked in my garage. That said, it was really easy to press the gas with the side of my foot while covering the brake, whereas I'd completely miss the gas with the OE pedal.

 

I bought one of the Ultimate Pedals after the recommendation of several here on the forum. I used the 1/2 inch extension, but I feel that the pedal is still too far away for proper heel and toe. Maybe I should've gone for a 3/4 or 1 inch extension. My Esprit's pedals are very close together which makes it much easier, but you can't use wide shoes or you'll press the brake every time you push down on the throttle.

Also, ISTR that Mike Bamford mentioned the Vantage uses one potentiometer on each side of the pedal for its throttle by wire. It compares the values from each pot and , if they exceed a certain threshold, it will put the car in limp-home mode. His concern was that putting a larger pedal extension on one side would cause the pedal to rotate slightly as it travels down because you aren't applying pressure squarely on it. If this happens, the limp-home mode could be triggered. Just FYI.

 

Interesting, didn't catch that one from Mike. Well, several folks have done this mod without issue, so I'm willing to give it a shot. Also, keep in mind that although there would be a moment applied to the pedal when only hitting the extended edge, the extension is only 1/2" so not that much of a moment arm and it's likely that you'll still hit a part of the center of the pedal anyway. Also, note that there should be little or no moment created when the pedal is used as normal and the whole pedal is depressed.

 

Thought I'd post an update. Haven't had any problems with the pedal, but also haven't found it easy to heel toe in actual driving. While I can reach the pedal with the side of my foot, it's still a bit difficult and I find myself missing the pedal with lower part of my foot by the heel. I actually find it easier to heel/toe with my M5, which has a gas pedal that is mounted to the floor. Considering ordering another pedal that is maybe an inch or 1.5 inches longer as the existing pedal is a bit short. Will let you guys know if I try this.

 

sorry to revive an old thread. was wondering if anyone tried 3/4" or 1" extension and thoughts?

 

I was just thinking about this today on my drive into work (when I wasn't able to drop into second prior to making a tight turn). I was thinking I might order another pedal with the same width as the one I have now, but with some added length, maybe a 1/2 inch or an inch. I'm thinking that, between the extra width and length, I may be able to catch the gas pedal a bit better with my right foot.

I don't know if I'd go any wider. With the shoes I wear to work, which have relatively wide soles, it's possible to catch the edge of the gas pedal when you go to brake normally. It hasn't been dangerous or a problem, but I needed to be a bit careful at first until I got used to the extra width.

I guess one problem with this mod is that what works best for heel-toe at the track and/or when wearing the right shoes, may not work great in other situations, as when you're wearing dress shoes. So, the solution will always be a compromise.

 

I've been playing around with heel-toe in my V12V and I thought I'd post a quick update on my findings. I've decided that, at least for me, the difficulty with heel-toeing in the Aston is not really the gas pedal shape or its placement relative to the brake pedal. For me, the problem is the transmission tunnel. Specifically, the transmission tunnel progressively widens as it approaches the floor to the extent that it encroaches on the space in which I would like to place my heel. In my M5 and other cars I've played with it's relatively easy to reach the gas pedal by simply pivoting your foot counterclockwise about the ball of your foot, which is pressing the brake. When you do this, you can simply push forward with your heel to blip the gas. In the Aston, however, my heel runs into the transmission tunnel and it blocks my foot from fully depressing the gas.

Because of this, the only way for me to heel-toe in the manner described above is to move the ball of my foot higher on the brake so that when I pivot my heel out it won't be blocked by the widening transmission tunnel. Another method that seems to work, although not with great consistency, is to place the ball of my foot on the right edge of the brake pedal and roll my foot to the right (about its longitudinal axis) so that its extreme right edge hits the gas. The difficulty with this method, however, is that you really need to roll your foot pretty far to depress the gas pedal and it's harder to control the force that you apply to the brake when rolling your foot to the side.

In view of this, the solutions appear to be (i) move the pedals higher off the floor or farther to the left, (ii) somehow narrow the transmission tunnel near the floor, or (iii) get a smaller right foot. Unfortunately, none of these seem to be very good ideas.

 

^^^^ I have noticed the same thing about the transmission tunnel being the culprit. On the Esprit, I heel & toe similar to what you describe: I press the brake with the ball of my right foot and then blip the throttle by rolling my foot over so that it is actually the top of my foot that touches the pedal. The pedal spacing and height of the gas relative to the brake pedal on the Aston, however, prevents me from doing the same maneuver on the Vantage.