Pulling away when not quite stopped

Pulling away when not quite stopped

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pistonheadforum

Original Poster:

1,142 posts

120 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
Assuming a torquey diesel manual car.

You are approaching a set of lights and braking to roll to a stop just behind other traffic. The lights turn green just as you are easing off the brakes and gracefully rolling to a stop.

You have not quite stopped - still rolling at approx 3mph

To pull away, do you:

1. Put it into second and engage the clutch swiftly - WHEN THE CLUTCH IS IN in you probably need to give a bit more revs to pull away.

2. Put it into first and pull away even though you are not quite stopped.

What is the most mechanically sympathetic to the car (lower bills)?

Many thanks,

angoooose

48 posts

142 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
It depends...

In my wife's Polo GT (1.9, 130bhp) pulling away in 2nd as you describe is easy

In my Scenic (1.6, 130bhp) to try pulling away in second needs extra revs and slipping the clutch.

In your scenario, the turbo's not helping out so the engine won't have much torque

So in either car, I'd prefer to be in 1st to pull away from a crawl

Toltec

7,159 posts

222 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
Depends on the car, some of mine did not like going into first if still moving and would happily pull away in second.

You could also try looking out for the lights on the pedestrian crossing and other traffic poles changing to give you warning that you will be able to move off shortly.

waremark

3,241 posts

212 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
With my current car with a big petrol engine second works well - smooth release of clutch with virtually no gas. I would expect a diesel to be the same, but my only diesel is an auto so I cannot check.

davepoth

29,395 posts

198 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
Rev match down into first and pull away. You might need to double declutch just to make it extra smooth.

Brian Trizers

66 posts

108 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
Second if the car (Volvo D5 in my case) is moving at all. One of the more satisfying things to do in urban traffic, especially when a gap opens up at a mini-roundabout where I was expecting to have to stop.

One minor frustration with the equivalent manoeuvre in my automatic is that the car can't read the traffic and waits in its cruising gear, usually third, for me to move from brake to accelerator before thinking 'Ooh 'eck, he's off, better change down'. It pulls away OK, of course, but it's a little hasty and undignified compared with a rolling start in second in the manual.

Sump

5,484 posts

166 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
davepoth said:
Rev match down into first and pull away. You might need to double declutch just to make it extra smooth.
Lmao at this, what a douche.

( apologies if you were just taking the piss)

Brian Trizers

66 posts

108 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
I sensed irony there. Did anyone else?

Sump

5,484 posts

166 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
Oh yes, hugely ironic.

Sheepshanks

32,529 posts

118 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
davepoth said:
Rev match down into first and pull away. You might need to double declutch just to make it extra smooth.
I did a double de-clutch just for the heck of it on my advanced driving test - the instructor nearly ejaculated and said he'd never seen any candidate do it before. smile

Cliftonite

8,406 posts

137 months

Thursday 16th April 2015
quotequote all
davepoth said:
Rev match down into first and pull away. You might need to double declutch just to make it extra smooth.
The perfect answer.

Smoothest result and least stress on the mechanicals.

There are drivers and then there are drivers .

smile


Yadizzle1

684 posts

124 months

Friday 17th April 2015
quotequote all
davepoth said:
Rev match down into first and pull away. You might need to double declutch just to make it extra smooth.
+1

RobM77

35,349 posts

233 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
I drive a diesel manual and this annoys me to. In most petrol cars you can easily just pop it in 2nd and away you go, but with my diesel the gearing's too long for that, so I'm faced with a choice of 2nd and clutch slip, or a delicate rev match into first and accelerate away. I always choose the rev match into 1st option as it feels like the most mechanically sympathetic to me.

The Mad Monk

10,474 posts

116 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
pistonheadforum said:
Assuming a torquey diesel manual car.

You are approaching a set of lights and braking to roll to a stop just behind other traffic. The lights turn green just as you are easing off the brakes and gracefully rolling to a stop.

You have not quite stopped - still rolling at approx 3mph

To pull away, do you:

1. Put it into second and engage the clutch swiftly - WHEN THE CLUTCH IS IN in you probably need to give a bit more revs to pull away.

2. Put it into first and pull away even though you are not quite stopped.

What is the most mechanically sympathetic to the car (lower bills)?

Many thanks,
Try using both methods and then make a decision based upon which method you feel is kinder to the car.

Or, you could buy an automatic, that would avoid having to make these tricky life changing decisions.


Edited by The Mad Monk on Thursday 23 April 09:13

Rick101

6,959 posts

149 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
2nd every time. I do tend to drive proper cars though.

SK425

1,034 posts

148 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
RobM77 said:
I drive a diesel manual and this annoys me to. In most petrol cars you can easily just pop it in 2nd and away you go, but with my diesel the gearing's too long for that, so I'm faced with a choice of 2nd and clutch slip, or a delicate rev match into first and accelerate away. I always choose the rev match into 1st option as it feels like the most mechanically sympathetic to me.
That's interesting. With the tractor-engine torque at the bottom end of the rev range, I generally find this less of a problem in diesel engined cars than petrol.

RobM77

35,349 posts

233 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
SK425 said:
RobM77 said:
I drive a diesel manual and this annoys me to. In most petrol cars you can easily just pop it in 2nd and away you go, but with my diesel the gearing's too long for that, so I'm faced with a choice of 2nd and clutch slip, or a delicate rev match into first and accelerate away. I always choose the rev match into 1st option as it feels like the most mechanically sympathetic to me.
That's interesting. With the tractor-engine torque at the bottom end of the rev range, I generally find this less of a problem in diesel engined cars than petrol.
It is if you can get over 1000rpm, but the gearing's so long in the BMW that at the sorts of crawling speeds being discussed, you need 1st gear because 2nd would just stall the engine. I assumed this was the reason for the OP's question - for me it was most noticeable thing when I got my car, being my first ever diesel.

fido

16,752 posts

254 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
Yadizzle1 said:
davepoth said:
Rev match down into first and pull away. You might need to double declutch just to make it extra smooth.
+1
+2.

militantmandy

3,829 posts

185 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
I did a double de-clutch just for the heck of it on my advanced driving test - the instructor nearly ejaculated and said he'd never seen any candidate do it before. smile
That gave me a chuckle!

pistonheadforum

Original Poster:

1,142 posts

120 months

Sunday 26th April 2015
quotequote all
Thanks very helpful.

It's a big diesel tourer and it does feel as though dropping to second and pulling away is a lot more mechanically sympathetic to first where you can feel it stand on it's nose if the revs are not matched and first is selected.

Of course the secret is to never let the car completely stop! Keeping the moveing momentum the secret to a reasonable MPG when hypermiling in a large barge!

I was always told (rightly or wrongly) that you should only select first when stopped. A pet gripe other than pulling on the handbrake without pressing the button (shooting offence!) is people who slow down for a junction and have already rammed it into first before coming to a stop - ie getting ready to pull away.