Driver Awareness Course - bizarre advice?

Driver Awareness Course - bizarre advice?

Author
Discussion

FredClogs

14,041 posts

160 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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I'd go with the 2nd in a 20mph etc... Its not the most efficient from a fueling point of view but you should be driving your car at around the point its making peak torque, it gives you maximum engine breaking and maximum ability to accelerate out of (into) trouble.

Poppiecock

943 posts

57 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Scrump said:
OP mentioned that using sport mode on an auto doesn’t engage a lower gear when on a steady throttle. It does on my Mercedes, unless already at motorway type speeds.
The ZF8 won't even select 8th when in sport mode.

chris116

1,104 posts

167 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Most of it doesn't sound too bad tbh, I'm the same as mentioned above 2nd/20, 3rd/30. Just feels more comfortable that way.

Autos I've always put it in sport but only when braking for roundabouts etc as I preferred the extra engine braking.

I've read about cruise control and aquaplaning before, can't remember exactly but I think it was something to do with hitting standing water and the cruise control trying to maintain speed?


Vaud

50,283 posts

154 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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FredClogs said:
I'd go with the 2nd in a 20mph etc... Its not the most efficient from a fueling point of view but you should be driving your car at around the point its making peak torque, it gives you maximum engine breaking and maximum ability to accelerate out of (into) trouble.
Depends on the gearing (and number of gears), weight of car, etc?

Scrump

21,886 posts

157 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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The community speed watch crew in my village don’t like it when I drive past them at just under 30mph (in a 30mph limit) if I am in 3rd gear in the Porsche. Even though I am under the limit they seem very agitated by the noise and still wave their arms at me.
If I go past in a higher gear they don’t seem as bothered once they see the speed gun reading.

stargazer30

1,582 posts

165 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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You had the same course leader as me then. "Does that sound fair?" biggrin

The concept is simple though, the lower gear makes it harder for the speed to creep up due to the higher engine braking effect of the lower gear. Its a handy trick if you are going down a steep hill, saves you keeping the brakes on, just pop it into a lower gear and the gear will hold the car back assuming you are not on the throttle.

165gt

332 posts

162 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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kambites said:
I think the "cruise control causes aquaplaning" thing, whilst clearly not literally true, probably comes from the fact that if you have have CC engaged and hit standing water, it takes you longer to come off the throttle.
I believe most ESP systems deactivate cruise control when they have to intervene...certainly that was my experience when hitting an obscured large puddle of standing water on a dual carriageway with it engaged; i.e. a hint of aquaplaning triggered the ESP, which deactivated the cruise control.

Taylor James

3,111 posts

60 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Buster73 said:
I’d damn well email them and mention the threat to mark you as absent , don’t know the legal implications but it could pervert the course of justice at a minor level ?
The literature clearly states you can be removed/marked as non-attended if you are judged to be disruptive. They will engage with disagreement to a limited extent but like the Police, they will never back down and admit to a mistake or that they are wrong.


Edited by Taylor James on Tuesday 6th August 20:58

bomb

3,691 posts

283 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Jakg said:
a top tip - don't fill your car with fuel, as you'll be carrying all that fuel around all the time - wasting fuel.

He only puts between £5-£10 in and drives until the light comes on.
What tosh. I have filled up twice today, and at £50 a time was glad I did when the traffic on the motorway ground to a halt. If the car was running on fumes I'd not have made it to my next destination.

Unless you just go to Lidl once a week, and that's the sum total of your motoring, i'd say his advice was stupid.

FredClogs

14,041 posts

160 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Vaud said:
FredClogs said:
I'd go with the 2nd in a 20mph etc... Its not the most efficient from a fueling point of view but you should be driving your car at around the point its making peak torque, it gives you maximum engine breaking and maximum ability to accelerate out of (into) trouble.
Depends on the gearing (and number of gears), weight of car, etc?
Yes, but as a general rule, most cars most people drive are pretty much the same in terms of engine and gearing design.

g3org3y

20,606 posts

190 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Poppiecock said:
He's probably right about the auto box - in heavy motorway traffic, when I had a BMW with the ZF8, I used to stick it in Sport as it gave more engine braking - it will naturally use a lower gear than in Comfort, but also seems to be more aggressive with the torque converter, rather than letting the car coast.
Agreed.

Shifting to Sport mode would typically engage a lower gear in all the autos I've had (BMW E30, E36 and E90).

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

260 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Jakg said:
The same instructor gave a top tip - don't fill your car with fuel, as you'll be carrying all that fuel around all the time - wasting fuel.
He only puts between £5-£10 in and drives until the light comes on.
He does 40k a year so a big saving...
...except it means that every other day you'd need to be stopping for fuel!
When I was doing 40k a year I brimmed the tank when the light came on and still had to refuel every 2nd day.

So at say 150 miles a day £5-10 of fuel means stopping for fuel more than once a day.

Starfighter

4,908 posts

177 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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The sport mode in the auto is just shifting the gear selections along on the speed / throttle mapping and so helps hold down on the gear box. It gets you closer to the “3rd in a 30”.

Darren93

151 posts

104 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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That course sounds mind numbing... Here is how to drive as you are incapable of thinking. If you deviate from the rules you'll end up on the (155mph) limiter and everyone will be dead. Nonsense, I agree it's a smile and nod event.

Cruise control on my old FN2 type r would regularly get knocked off when driving in heavy rain on cruise, even at moderate speeds with good tyres all round.

meatballs

1,140 posts

59 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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g3org3y said:
Agreed.

Shifting to Sport mode would typically engage a lower gear in all the autos I've had (BMW E30, E36 and E90).
Agreed. Knocking the gearbox into sport (DS) on the BMW f30 zf8 will normally drop it down a gear.

The missus was taught 2nd 20 3rd 30 etc so maybe it's useful as a learning aid.

But daft for any experienced driver. People speed because they don't care, or don't pay enough attention.

RE ABS - surely you will get the most braking if you are right on the limit before the tyres slip. If you have gone over the limit ABS kicks in, and you will get slightly less braking as a result. I'd be genuinely interested to know what the explanation is from the earlier test driver poster why this isn't true? Maybe because the ABS can control individual wheels do you brake harder on those and let ABS deal with the one that is braking loose?


spookly

4,009 posts

94 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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I think his advice is based on most drivers seeming to think they're thrashing their car if they get above 2000 rpm. In which case staying in a lower gear might prompt them to keep their speed down.



AlexiusG55

655 posts

155 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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On sport mode in autos, a colleague who used to drive a hearse says that they were told to use sport mode in funeral processions because it delayed the gear changes to higher revs. Otherwise, it would be shifting back and forth between first and second at walking pace.

85Carrera

3,503 posts

236 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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You just have to realise that these courses are a money spinner. They are absolute bullst and were originally brought in to take money off people without having to find them guilty and fine them (they were not initially offered for speeding offences IIRC, but for offences you could challenge). As such, they are not at all about road safety but all about revenue raising so employ whatever talentless s they can find to give a fixed message and save costs/maximise revenue.

I did one in Newmarket. Two chaps ran it. One ex-HGV driver who thought he was a comedian (he wasn’t) and some other random wker. Who wasn’t quite as much of a wker as the ex-HGV tt.

What they “taught” us was utter bks but it saved me 3 points so fine. Although as that would have been my only points next time I’d pay the fine and take the points rather than put up with that utter sanctimonious bullst.

Alex_225

6,233 posts

200 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Must admit the whole gear vs speed thing is ridiculously generic and just won't apply to all cars.

Oddly my mum's car which is an Audi A1 (1.4tfsi) responds almost perfectly to what this chap's advise was. 3rd gear almost seems perfectly suited to pootling around at 25-30mph. 4th simply wouldn't give you any engine braking and if you dip down much below 30 it labours so 3rd is about right.

That's one car though, a diesel probably wouldn't sit at those speeds in those gears. Also other petrol cars I've owned or driven wouldn't necessarily fit into that advice either.

Buster73

5,042 posts

152 months

Tuesday 6th August 2019
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Taylor James said:
The literature clearly states you can be removed/marked as non-attended if you are judged to be disruptive. They will engage with disagreement to a limited extent but like the Police, they will never back down and admit to a mistake or that they are wrong.


Edited by Taylor James on Tuesday 6th August 20:58
I’ve never been on one so wasn’t aware that could be the case , thanks for the information.