Need some help i am a new driver.
Discussion
Ok well i have had 9 lessons and i am a quick learner. My next lesson is on reversing around corners. I have done 3 point turns. My theory is tomorrow.
My instructor said that when i take off from junctions i have no momentum. By that he means that i dont move that quick from coming of a junction. How can i improve this, i don't want to stall it.
My instructor said that when i take off from junctions i have no momentum. By that he means that i dont move that quick from coming of a junction. How can i improve this, i don't want to stall it.
Welsh Ash said:
Ok well i have had 9 lessons and i am a quick learner. My next lesson is on reversing around corners. I have done 3 point turns. My theory is tomorrow.
My instructor said that when i take off from junctions i have no momentum. By that he means that i dont move that quick from coming of a junction. How can i improve this, i don't want to stall it.
Learn to keep the revs up a bit, the relationship between the clutch and the accelerator is vital to make smooth starts.My instructor said that when i take off from junctions i have no momentum. By that he means that i dont move that quick from coming of a junction. How can i improve this, i don't want to stall it.
As you reach the biting point there should be sufficient engine revs to get the car moving as the clutch engages. Otherwise the clutch engages with too few revs and this results in a jerky start or a stall.
Good luck and keep practising, you can't have too many lessons so don't rush.
Clutch down, first gear, throttle to floor, sit on rev limiter "ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bah" until lights change, dump the clutch, feather throttle to reduce wheelspin by as little as possible and get pedal flat on floor as early as possible, slam the gear lever into second momentarily before hitting the rev limiter again, and continue.
That should address any momentum issues.
That should address any momentum issues.
Oh, and before any instructor starts blathering on about 'speed kills' etc, show them this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DzsdSWTMug
Top marks for coming on and asking, btw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DzsdSWTMug
Top marks for coming on and asking, btw.
Welsh Ash said:
Hey guys thanks very much for all the replys. i drive a diesel corsa.
Now that does help a little. It takes about a quarter of a second for a diesel engine to get from idle to producing power at the revs you need for pulling away smartly. Try adjusting your timing with the pedals a little - pressing the accelerator a tiny bit earlier than you are now.
It could be one of two things.
1. Not pressing the gas hard enough as you get the car moving. - Listen to the engine, you need to have around 1500 revs as you bring the clutch to biting point, listen to what that sounds like. As the clutch comes up, the extra load of the car will cause the revs to drop off, you need to prevent that, so press the gas harder to keep the engine sounding the same. If necessary press it to the floor. The diesel Corsa is slow to get going anyway, it's one of the reasons I changed from it as a training car. Keep the clutch moving slowly and progressively all the way up, do not move it suddenly. I get my customers doing racing starts on an empty road, they have to get the car from 0-45/50 mph in about 200m getting up to 3rd gear in the process. Doesn't do my clutch to much good, but it is a useful training drill.
2. It might be that he means you are slow to get the car moving, so are late taking gaps. if this is the case, then it is your anticipation you need to work on. Look for a gap and try to start the car moving as the last car is going past you. Hold the clutch just below biting point, not all the way down, this way you will only have to move it a couple of mm and the car will start moving. As before keep on the gas.
Discuss this with your instructor, if he is not explaining things well enough, change instructors, there are plenty of good ones out there who can explain things very well. NEVER be afraid to sack an under performing instructor, it is you paying the bill!
Good luck
1. Not pressing the gas hard enough as you get the car moving. - Listen to the engine, you need to have around 1500 revs as you bring the clutch to biting point, listen to what that sounds like. As the clutch comes up, the extra load of the car will cause the revs to drop off, you need to prevent that, so press the gas harder to keep the engine sounding the same. If necessary press it to the floor. The diesel Corsa is slow to get going anyway, it's one of the reasons I changed from it as a training car. Keep the clutch moving slowly and progressively all the way up, do not move it suddenly. I get my customers doing racing starts on an empty road, they have to get the car from 0-45/50 mph in about 200m getting up to 3rd gear in the process. Doesn't do my clutch to much good, but it is a useful training drill.
2. It might be that he means you are slow to get the car moving, so are late taking gaps. if this is the case, then it is your anticipation you need to work on. Look for a gap and try to start the car moving as the last car is going past you. Hold the clutch just below biting point, not all the way down, this way you will only have to move it a couple of mm and the car will start moving. As before keep on the gas.
Discuss this with your instructor, if he is not explaining things well enough, change instructors, there are plenty of good ones out there who can explain things very well. NEVER be afraid to sack an under performing instructor, it is you paying the bill!
Good luck
kaf said:
It could be one of two things.
1. Not pressing the gas hard enough as you get the car moving. - Listen to the engine, you need to have around 1500 revs as you bring the clutch to biting point, listen to what that sounds like. As the clutch comes up, the extra load of the car will cause the revs to drop off, you need to prevent that, so press the gas harder to keep the engine sounding the same. If necessary press it to the floor. The diesel Corsa is slow to get going anyway, it's one of the reasons I changed from it as a training car. Keep the clutch moving slowly and progressively all the way up, do not move it suddenly. I get my customers doing racing starts on an empty road, they have to get the car from 0-45/50 mph in about 200m getting up to 3rd gear in the process. Doesn't do my clutch to much good, but it is a useful training drill.
2. It might be that he means you are slow to get the car moving, so are late taking gaps. if this is the case, then it is your anticipation you need to work on. Look for a gap and try to start the car moving as the last car is going past you. Hold the clutch just below biting point, not all the way down, this way you will only have to move it a couple of mm and the car will start moving. As before keep on the gas.
Discuss this with your instructor, if he is not explaining things well enough, change instructors, there are plenty of good ones out there who can explain things very well. NEVER be afraid to sack an under performing instructor, it is you paying the bill!
Good luck
This ^^, plus one more option.1. Not pressing the gas hard enough as you get the car moving. - Listen to the engine, you need to have around 1500 revs as you bring the clutch to biting point, listen to what that sounds like. As the clutch comes up, the extra load of the car will cause the revs to drop off, you need to prevent that, so press the gas harder to keep the engine sounding the same. If necessary press it to the floor. The diesel Corsa is slow to get going anyway, it's one of the reasons I changed from it as a training car. Keep the clutch moving slowly and progressively all the way up, do not move it suddenly. I get my customers doing racing starts on an empty road, they have to get the car from 0-45/50 mph in about 200m getting up to 3rd gear in the process. Doesn't do my clutch to much good, but it is a useful training drill.
2. It might be that he means you are slow to get the car moving, so are late taking gaps. if this is the case, then it is your anticipation you need to work on. Look for a gap and try to start the car moving as the last car is going past you. Hold the clutch just below biting point, not all the way down, this way you will only have to move it a couple of mm and the car will start moving. As before keep on the gas.
Discuss this with your instructor, if he is not explaining things well enough, change instructors, there are plenty of good ones out there who can explain things very well. NEVER be afraid to sack an under performing instructor, it is you paying the bill!
Good luck
You may be letting the engine 'bog down' when you set off.
When you're setting off from a standstill, don't let the engine revs drop as you let the clutch out; you will need to increase your pressure on the accelerator a little to do this. As you're driving a diesel Corsa, it's easy to practice at parking speed.
Learn to move off gently in 1st gear without pressing the accelerator at all. As you're doing this you will hear the engine revs drop (and see, if you have a rev counter). You simply need to apply enough pressure on the accelerator to keep the revs constant and is simply a matter of practice.
Fold the back seats down.
No seriously, do you have a friend you can practice with between lessons?
Just go off to a quiet (straight) road and practice 10 fast starts
Then do some steady driving to rest the clutch, then practice again.
Always good if you can do some private practice between lessons, so you're not paying instructor's rates to practice, I think.
No seriously, do you have a friend you can practice with between lessons?
Just go off to a quiet (straight) road and practice 10 fast starts
Then do some steady driving to rest the clutch, then practice again.
Always good if you can do some private practice between lessons, so you're not paying instructor's rates to practice, I think.
Drive well is not all about how hard you can accelerate its all about reading the road and being gentle and smooth with the controls.
Two things I notice in a lot of drivers doing (myself included before I start claiming to be an amazing driver):
1) People never give themselves enough space when driving and are continually having to brake for speed bumps, people in front etc. Reading the road and giving yourself space allows you to anticipate things ahead and maintain momentum. For example, rather than flying up to a T junction, braking hard to a stop and then proceeding, slow down on your approach to the junction, and prepare yourself to continue if the road is clear (provided it is a give way and not a "stop")that way you'll more than likely be in second gear with the acceleration to exit the junction smoothly and quickly.
2) People carry too much speed into corners and consequently end up coming off line going through. I'm sure your driving instructor will have told you, slow in and accelerate out of corners is the best way. When I follow people I often see their brake lights come on mid corner - a sure sign they have entered it too hot.
I'm probably waffling but really, don't worry - you've only had 9 lessons - Me with 13years driving experience still cocks up from time to time - it all comes with practice but do try not to pick up bad habits along the way - good luck on your test!
Two things I notice in a lot of drivers doing (myself included before I start claiming to be an amazing driver):
1) People never give themselves enough space when driving and are continually having to brake for speed bumps, people in front etc. Reading the road and giving yourself space allows you to anticipate things ahead and maintain momentum. For example, rather than flying up to a T junction, braking hard to a stop and then proceeding, slow down on your approach to the junction, and prepare yourself to continue if the road is clear (provided it is a give way and not a "stop")that way you'll more than likely be in second gear with the acceleration to exit the junction smoothly and quickly.
2) People carry too much speed into corners and consequently end up coming off line going through. I'm sure your driving instructor will have told you, slow in and accelerate out of corners is the best way. When I follow people I often see their brake lights come on mid corner - a sure sign they have entered it too hot.
I'm probably waffling but really, don't worry - you've only had 9 lessons - Me with 13years driving experience still cocks up from time to time - it all comes with practice but do try not to pick up bad habits along the way - good luck on your test!
deeen said:
Fold the back seats down.
No seriously, do you have a friend you can practice with between lessons?
Just go off to a quiet (straight) road and practice 10 fast starts
Then do some steady driving to rest the clutch, then practice again.
Always good if you can do some private practice between lessons, so you're not paying instructor's rates to practice, I think.
thats a good idea, you just need to practice clutch control, you can do that in a supermarket carparkNo seriously, do you have a friend you can practice with between lessons?
Just go off to a quiet (straight) road and practice 10 fast starts
Then do some steady driving to rest the clutch, then practice again.
Always good if you can do some private practice between lessons, so you're not paying instructor's rates to practice, I think.
Kaf's advice sounds good, I'd also ask your instructor for more specific advice if you haven't already. Don't be afraid to contact them and ask, that's what teaching is all about.
If the instructor has told you that you're doing something wrong, but not told you how to fix it, try and get more information. Are you not giving more throttle quickly enough? Are you taking too long before getting to the clutch biting point? Are you going through the biting point too quickly and bogging the engine down?
Clutch control can be hard to learn, you need to develop a feel for how it all works together and that's simply practice and experience. As someone else said (it was Kaf I think), the key to clutch control is listening to the engine. You'll start to understand the feel of the clutch under your foot with time... if the pedal offers any feel at all, at least.
My technique, I suppose, can be summed up as: get the engine revs up just enough, but no more, to support forward motion. Rather too much than too little, but will generally be around 1500rpm or less. Let the clutch engage (that is, pull your foot towards you) quickly to the biting point. Right foot steady on throttle, at biting point, hesitate with left foot briefly at that point, revs should dip only a tiny bit and then start climbing. Clutch all the way engaged now (left foot off peddle) and feed throttle on smoothly.
In other words, when the clutch starts biting, hover the clutch pedal at that point briefly before continuing. Should be a very short time, less than a second. To me it feels a bit like "throwing" the engine revs up a little with the right foot, "catching" them with the clutch foot for an instant, and then drive away and the left foot is unemployed until I need 2nd gear.
Some cars, not all, can pull away - slowly - without the need for any throttle at all until after the clutch is fully engaged. VWs seem to be common for allowing this. It's good practice for clutch control if the car allows it. Try to get the car moving, with foot all the way off clutch pedal, without touching the accelerator. You'll get a sensitive clutch foot.
If the instructor has told you that you're doing something wrong, but not told you how to fix it, try and get more information. Are you not giving more throttle quickly enough? Are you taking too long before getting to the clutch biting point? Are you going through the biting point too quickly and bogging the engine down?
Clutch control can be hard to learn, you need to develop a feel for how it all works together and that's simply practice and experience. As someone else said (it was Kaf I think), the key to clutch control is listening to the engine. You'll start to understand the feel of the clutch under your foot with time... if the pedal offers any feel at all, at least.
My technique, I suppose, can be summed up as: get the engine revs up just enough, but no more, to support forward motion. Rather too much than too little, but will generally be around 1500rpm or less. Let the clutch engage (that is, pull your foot towards you) quickly to the biting point. Right foot steady on throttle, at biting point, hesitate with left foot briefly at that point, revs should dip only a tiny bit and then start climbing. Clutch all the way engaged now (left foot off peddle) and feed throttle on smoothly.
In other words, when the clutch starts biting, hover the clutch pedal at that point briefly before continuing. Should be a very short time, less than a second. To me it feels a bit like "throwing" the engine revs up a little with the right foot, "catching" them with the clutch foot for an instant, and then drive away and the left foot is unemployed until I need 2nd gear.
Some cars, not all, can pull away - slowly - without the need for any throttle at all until after the clutch is fully engaged. VWs seem to be common for allowing this. It's good practice for clutch control if the car allows it. Try to get the car moving, with foot all the way off clutch pedal, without touching the accelerator. You'll get a sensitive clutch foot.
Edited by Alfanatic on Monday 30th January 10:43
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