Sitting at junctions/lights with the foot brake on
Discussion
Ron240 said:
Granadier said:
sometimes the car in front of me at the lights would be alternately creeping forward, then rolling back slightly as the driver attempted to balance the clutch on a gradient. I was never sure if this was a deliberate dance of impatience or just incompetence.
It is 100% incompetence.I have seen this many times throughout the years and it just looks so amateurish.
Let's be honest about it holding a vehicle on a gradient by balancing on the clutch is not good practice for obvious reasons, but being able to do it is an acquired skill that a competent driver should be capable of with relative ease.
hedges88 said:
I've even noticed some people doing it with torque converter autos, they are on a steep hill and notice that there is no longer any creep whilst in drive so they just sit there and wait having no idea the heat that's building up in the hydraulic fluid
And the difference between this and normal driving is? Cant Find a Charger when I need one said:
hedges88 said:
I've even noticed some people doing it with torque converter autos, they are on a steep hill and notice that there is no longer any creep whilst in drive so they just sit there and wait having no idea the heat that's building up in the hydraulic fluid
And the difference between this and normal driving is? jamei303 said:
I frequently see stationary cars catch fire at traffic lights due to people leaving them in drive.
Is your tongue getting stiff from pushing too hard in your cheek?By the way, I invariably leave clutchless cars in D while waiting, and now when I drive an automatic car which does not have a brake hold facility I really miss it.
flatsix.ant said:
I have a question semi related to the topic.
Setting off with just the clutch. I can do this smoothly in both my cars and do it regularly in traffic etc.
Is this the optimal method to cause the minimal amount of clutch wear? Or, is a bit of throttle better for the clutch?
Thanks.
I’d have thought a few revs would have been kinder on the whole driveline myself but if you can do that with no ‘shunt’ I don’t see the harm?Setting off with just the clutch. I can do this smoothly in both my cars and do it regularly in traffic etc.
Is this the optimal method to cause the minimal amount of clutch wear? Or, is a bit of throttle better for the clutch?
Thanks.
I’ve personally never worn a clutch despite plenty of miles in older cars out so it’s never been a big concern
flatsix.ant said:
Setting off with just the clutch. I can do this smoothly in both my cars and do it regularly in traffic etc.
Is this the optimal method to cause the minimal amount of clutch wear? Or, is a bit of throttle better for the clutch?
I could do this with all my manual cars, but one needs to be very precise in feathering the clutch pedal to be smooth and prevent the engine from stalling.Is this the optimal method to cause the minimal amount of clutch wear? Or, is a bit of throttle better for the clutch?
The take off speed before getting on the gas is extremely slow, so in anything other than start/stop heavy traffic it would not be something I would ever do.
Also with the vehicle moving at tickover it can sometimes cause a jerk when the power feeds in by pressing the gas pedal.
I would not recommend this as a regular driving practice.
Edited by Ron240 on Thursday 10th March 20:22
Many modern cars have an 'anti-stall' mechanism - if you let the clutch out without touching the throttle the computer applies a little gas to prevent the engine stalling.
Famously, the Carrera GT - from the last generation of hypercars to have a manual gearbox - is virtually impossible to get off the line without stalling UNLESS you move away without touching the throttle.
Modern clutches cope with a lot. I have heard that even driving school cars don't wear out their clutches. I would say it is fine to move off without using the accelerator so long as it gets you the results you want in terms of smoothness and progress off the line.
Famously, the Carrera GT - from the last generation of hypercars to have a manual gearbox - is virtually impossible to get off the line without stalling UNLESS you move away without touching the throttle.
Modern clutches cope with a lot. I have heard that even driving school cars don't wear out their clutches. I would say it is fine to move off without using the accelerator so long as it gets you the results you want in terms of smoothness and progress off the line.
jamei303 said:
I frequently see stationary cars catch fire at traffic lights due to people leaving them in drive.
No sorry not having that. Being stationary with the brakes, on yes the fluid builds heat. If the incline is steep enough autos roll back instead of creeping. The engine will maintain its idle speed, so it's becomes a bit more like when you launch an auto by holding the brake. An auto on an incline holding itself is different than being stationary. If you have to use the accelerator to keep it rolling back then that's 100% more heat and stress than sitting with the brakes on..
hedges88 said:
jamei303 said:
I frequently see stationary cars catch fire at traffic lights due to people leaving them in drive.
No sorry not having that. Being stationary with the brakes, on yes the fluid builds heat. If the incline is steep enough autos roll back instead of creeping. The engine will maintain its idle speed, so it's becomes a bit more like when you launch an auto by holding the brake. An auto on an incline holding itself is different than being stationary. If you have to use the accelerator to keep it rolling back then that's 100% more heat and stress than sitting with the brakes on..
Cant Find a Charger when I need one said:
hedges88 said:
jamei303 said:
I frequently see stationary cars catch fire at traffic lights due to people leaving them in drive.
No sorry not having that. Being stationary with the brakes, on yes the fluid builds heat. If the incline is steep enough autos roll back instead of creeping. The engine will maintain its idle speed, so it's becomes a bit more like when you launch an auto by holding the brake. An auto on an incline holding itself is different than being stationary. If you have to use the accelerator to keep it rolling back then that's 100% more heat and stress than sitting with the brakes on..
LukeBrown66 said:
Spoke to a friend I have known for years recently about this, he said he literally only ever used the handbrake on hill starts, good driver, likes driving, yet this, nothing to do with modern handbrakes or cars just lazy.
It is unlikely to be a matter of being lazy. Different drivers have different models in their head of what constitutes good driving. A driver who doesn't use the parking brake probably doesn't see a reason to use the parking brake.Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff