Clutch with heel planted or whole leg?

[StickIt]

So I know I've read that you should modulate the clutch pedal with your whole leg as opposed to having your foot planted on the floor for various reasons. However, I've had a few different people help me with learning to drive my car and all of them said they use their ankle for controlling the initial release of the clutch until it engages and then use their leg to release the clutch the rest of the way. I've been using my entire leg but I feel like I don't get very fine-grained control of modulating the clutch by using my leg and sometimes I get jerky shifts because my leg moves up too abruptly. It seems like my clutch engages quite low in the pedal travel so that might be part of why it is hard to modulate with my leg. What do you all do?

[jomotopia]

mainly the whole leg, but with a bit of flex in the ankle around the friction point to smooth out the release and get slightly finer control.

[filphil]

I use the whole leg. I have my ankle on the floor for the gas and brake but the clutch requires me to use the whole leg.

[watkins]

Well you would have your heel on the floor, not your ankle....


The best clutch method is to use your whole leg as the main source of power, while using your ankle and foot to fine-tune and correctly apply the brunt of the leg's power

[NonChalant]

haha i'd give you $100 if you could modulate (or even press) my clutch with your ankle.

[watkins]

Id take you up on that if my ankle worked.

[AHTOXA]

I'd have a $100 if I was in NY.

On topic: I use the whole leg as well with my anke for fine-tuning the clutchwork.

[NonChalant]

i think you guys underestimate the length of travel and stiffness of my clutch. sti clutches are like butter compared to mine and with your heel on the floor i seriously doubt you could press my clutch in.

then again you could be brolic as hell or something.

doubt it though

[AHTOXA]

After driving a friend;s camaro with a spec 3 there, i'm sure yours is fine.

[SonyAD]

Lolz! Using the ankle with the clutch. Wonder how that works out for you.

Anybody else here uses their feet to operate the pedals? I do, all the while rest my heels on the floor if that's what using your ankles is supposed to mean.

[mazda_3]

You can only "ankle" the gas, the other pedals are not designed for that.

[Prodigal Son]

Definitely heel off the ground, and from there the control is exercised by the knee and ankle joints working together -- simply because that is what has to happen, anatomically speaking, to extend your leg while pressing a pedal.

Interestingly, I find that when I am running through the gears in my Miata, which tends to happen quite quickly when there are six of them, my left heet rests on the floor immediately in front of the clutch (not touching it) and then pivots forward to contact the pedal and rises off the floor as I depress the pedal. I guess this is a product of the Miata seating position being so low and the foot well so narrow.

[StickIt]

Haha, yeah, verbal diarrhea. As you guys mentioned, what I meant to say was do you guys plant your heel on the floor for the initial part of the release and then lift your heel off the floor?

[watkins]

No. Clutch foot is never on the floor while Im clutching.

[SonyAD]

You can only "ankle" the gas, the other pedals are not designed for that.

You know, you're right. Now that I think about it, I only keep my feet planted with the throttle (nearly always, I think) and when clutching out. I don't heel on the floor for clutching in or braking.