Is this style of downshifting possible in a fabia Vrs...i have been reading about it but,

A) Does it work in a diesel, as i know its not as free revving as a petrol?

Are the pedals in a decent enough position?

I know Autocar are always complaining about cars which have pedals in the wrong place for heel and toe changes and wasnt sure which bracket the furby fits into. It would be nice to know before i start practising (and end up in a hedge)

:eek:

That was my face when i first attempted left foot braking, damn insensitive left foot!

A lot of VW group engines have the infamous Brake Switch which is designed to cut the throttle when the brakes are applied.

I have a feeling, but a techie will need to confirm it, that the vRS has the same switch meaning it won't necessarily work.

Sorry.

I believe the Fabia "disconnects" the accelerator if you push the brake pedal - so you won't be able to do it...

Rob.

A lot of VW group engines have the infamous Brake Switch which is designed to cut the throttle when the brakes are applied.

I have a feeling' date=' but a techie will need to confirm it, that the vRS has the same switch meaning it won't necessarily work.

Sorry.[/quote']

Yep seems to be a characteristic of all their drive-by-wire cars

Chris

yep. when brake is pressed you have about a seconded before the throttle is cut.

I

:eek:

That was my face when i first attempted left foot braking' date=' damn insensitive left foot![/quote']

hehehe

it takes loads of practice -the left foot of course,is used to pushing a pedal to the floor and not half way so its very hard to overcome the urge to hit the carpet all the time

of limited value on the road though

heel and toe....(I use the sides of my foot anyway!) ) is certainly possible in the Octy vRS but never driven a Furby so not sure there .I used to use it in a golf PDTDI but TBH found less benefit in diesel than in petrol - probably cos of your comment about less free revving.

There was a thread on here about it probably about a year ago

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/showthread.php?t=6521&highlight=heel+toe

oh well - just read it and saw that I cannot do it oh well although TBH it is harder to do in the Octy than on older cars but is still possible with practice

yep. when brake is pressed you have about a seconded before the throttle is cut.

that may be the answer - you have to be quick on the throttle to do it which would come with practice .If you'r only "blipping " the throttle then you would get in before the system cuts it

Interestingggg

Didnt know about the cut out, thanks guys. To be honest i think it seems fairly awkward anyway as the throttle pedal seems to be mounted quite a bit deeper than the brake.

I did try left foot braking a few times, kind of in experiment, but i agree it doesnt really have a use on the road!

Do many people on here blip the throttle slightly while selecting the next gear?

I have heard some people dont like the fly by wire throttle, but it seems ok to me. Certainly better than the electronic throttle in a land rover i drove once which seemed like it only had on and off positions!

Do many people on here blip the throttle slightly while selecting the next gear?

There's generally not a lot of point in a car with a syncromesh...

Rob.

There's generally not a lot of point in a car with a syncromesh...

Rob.

I heel-toe (although it's more like side of foot really) on my fab vrs. I does work, and I haven't had any problems with the throttle being cut as the engine is pretty quick revving really. It is more difficult that in a petrol as the weight of the engine internals will give you more of a jolt than in a petrol if you don't match the revs quite right. The pedals are far from being in an ideal position, and tbh, I don't really use the technique if pressing on as I'm a little concerned that my foot will slip off the brake as a result. However, I find it really useful at less hectic speeds to spin the engine up before a downchange, if only for the smoothness and quicker clutch engagement allowed. It also helps to practice!

I would be interested to hear of some better heel-toe pedals out there, as it would improve matters greatly and give me more confidence at speed.

Best bet would be to keep practicing!!!

I had my Fabia vRS a couple of weeks, got brave and started me old left foot braking, i nearly shat myself when the effing throttle cut out !!! I thought i had broken the sodding thing !!.

Brake Switch.......that explains it.

Stuart

While my feet are certainly big enough to hit both pedals at the same time it's not a skill I've ever mastered. However I'm one of those who will give the throttle a blip before downshifting if there's time to take the foot off the brake - if there isn't time to take the foot of the brake then I'm usually more concerned with using the engine-braking on offer to counteract the brake fade which any Furby driver in Milton Keynes is likely to experience after 2 or 3 roundabouts.... :eek:

I think I sometimes blip the throttle inbetween a gear shift, usually when changing up, as its quite nice to get the revs than 1000rpm higher for when the clutch is depressed in that next gear up, rather than let the engine/clutch make that move for itself... Its all marginal though in reality, and when that change up might only take you to that optimum acceleration RPM of around 2250, (say 35mph in 3rd in a TDI) blipping the throttle doesn't do much at all.

I agree with Cheeky Monkey...i wouldnt feel confident enough to use it driving fast. It is satisfying to blip the throttle slightly on downshifts (when braking isnt necessary) as it makes for a smooth shift that puts less strain on the engine. Its fun too, as it feels good when you do it perfectly

I know this is a quite obvious comment but i also find it makes a big difference what shoes you are wearing Driving a car with aluminium pedals after walking in diesel at the filling station is never good.

Do many people on here blip the throttle slightly while selecting the next gear?

Yes - when changing down - to make the transittion smoother. I can't see why you'd want to changing up as others have noted.