Stopping at a Junction or lights with an Automatic?

[p1esk]

Strangely Brown said:

p1esk said:

John MacK said:

Neutral and apply the handbrake, or keep it in Drive and on the handbrake.

I expect it depends how long you are likely to be stopped.

For a 'stop', leave it in drive and use the parking/hand brake. When a 'stop' becomes a 'wait', shift it to neutral and use the parking/hand brake. In both cases I tend to keep my foot on the brake at least until there is someone behind me.

Yeah, that too. I only have bog standard four speed manual machinery these days, so the niceties of using an automatic have largely faded from my memory.

I suppose if the 'wait' becomes a 'long wait', it'll be best to switch off, especially if you need to nip into the bushes for a leak.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[p1esk]

blank said:

okgo said:

A brake light hardly dazzles.

I find it quite annoying being sat behind someone with their brake lights permanently lit, especially at night.

....especially a wet night. It can be enough to become uncomfortable for some people.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[Strangely Brown]

p1esk said:

I suppose if the 'wait' becomes a 'long wait', it'll be best to switch off, especially if you need to nip into the bushes for a leak.

I do exactly that if I happen to get caught at the local level crossing (minus the jump out for a leak). I dump it in park and switch off because I know that if the barriers have only just gone down I could be waiting for 10 minutes or more.

[cornishgirl]

p1esk said:

blank said:

okgo said:

A brake light hardly dazzles.

I find it quite annoying being sat behind someone with their brake lights permanently lit, especially at night.

....especially a wet night. It can be enough to become uncomfortable for some people.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

I think my first post on here was on this subject. (I think I spend far too much time online)

A bloke in a Lotus complained to me that "my" rangerover's brake lights were blinding him - we were stopped at lights in Penzance on a drizzly evening and I had my foot on the brake pedal. I suppose his eye level must have been dead in line with the brake lights.

[henrycrun]

Modern LED brake lights are just simply painful to wait behind - thank God for the sunvisor

[okgo]

henrycrun said:

Modern LED brake lights are just simply painful to wait behind - thank God for the sunvisor

Next you'll be telling us the sun is too bright, and the air is too fresh.

Get a grip people!

[Vaux]

okgo said:

henrycrun said:

Modern LED brake lights are just simply painful to wait behind - thank God for the sunvisor

Next you'll be telling us the sun is too bright, and the air is too fresh.

Get a grip people!

It's just very poor form to sit with the brake lights on.
It's lazy driving.

[HRG.]

Vaux said:

okgo said:

henrycrun said:

Modern LED brake lights are just simply painful to wait behind - thank God for the sunvisor

Next you'll be telling us the sun is too bright, and the air is too fresh.

Get a grip people!

It's just very poor form to sit with the brake lights on.
It's lazy driving.

Only once you're certain the vehicle(s) behind you are going to provide you with cover. Sitting stationary with no brake lights displayed is foolhardy.

[Vaux]

HRG. said:

Vaux said:

It's just very poor form to sit with the brake lights on.
It's lazy driving.

Only once you're certain the vehicle(s) behind you are going to provide you with cover. Sitting stationary with no brake lights displayed is foolhardy.

Thank you for expanding.
I knew the moment I hit submit, someone would do that.

Edited by Vaux on Wednesday 2nd September 16:56

[okgo]

Vaux said:

okgo said:

henrycrun said:

Modern LED brake lights are just simply painful to wait behind - thank God for the sunvisor

Next you'll be telling us the sun is too bright, and the air is too fresh.

Get a grip people!

It's lazy driving.

Well I didn't buy an auto because I am pro-active

[HRG.]

Vaux said:

HRG. said:

Vaux said:

It's just very poor form to sit with the brake lights on.
It's lazy driving.

Only once you're certain the vehicle(s) behind you are going to provide you with cover. Sitting stationary with no brake lights displayed is foolhardy.

Thank you for expanding.
I knew the momnet I hit submit, someone would do that.

Happy to be of service

[shakotan]

okgo said:

blank said:

okgo said:

What is wrong with just leaving it in drive and putting your foot on the brake?

Dazzles the people behind you.

Can lead to "warped" disks if they are warm.

If someone drives into the back of you you'll shoot off forwards.



Probably some other reasons too...

A brake light hardly dazzles.

Sounds all a bit pedantic to me..

Try sitting behind someone with LED tailights, or a bright third eye brake light.

It's fking annoying and inconsiderate, and if for a period of time of more that 30 seconds, makes me want to get out of the car and smash their lights with a wheelbrace

[BertBert]

shakotan said:

It's fking annoying and inconsiderate, and if for a period of time of more that 30 seconds, makes me want to get out of the car and smash their lights with a wheelbrace

There speaks a true advanced driver

In my 964 with the "not quite as good as modern auto boxes" tip box, you really have to put it in neutral to use the handbrake. It really wants to go. Nothing like modern autos.

Bert

[crisisjez]

BertBert said:

shakotan said:

It's fking annoying and inconsiderate, and if for a period of time of more that 30 seconds, makes me want to get out of the car and smash their lights with a wheelbrace

There speaks a true advanced driver

In my 964 with the "not quite as good as modern auto boxes" tip box, you really have to put it in neutral to use the handbrake. It really wants to go. Nothing like modern autos.

Bert

The only way to really stop creep on the handbrake in mine is to select either M2 or 3 if its just a short stop. So its just as easy to select N.

[technogogo]

blank said:

okgo said:

A brake light hardly dazzles.

I find it quite annoying being sat behind someone with their brake lights permanently lit, especially at night.

I agree. Especially at night and especially when its wet, many modern brake lights are definitely bright enough to ruin night vision. By night vision, I mean the ability of the eye to adapt to the dark and see more detail.

If I am in stationary traffic in those conditions, I avoid looking directly at brake lights in front.

[52classic]

I always reckon to use N or even P when stopped at lights because I understood that the transmission drag whilst in D with the brakes on will use energy and therefore waste fuel. Also there's the point about brake lights dazzling the people behind.

Another bit of info - which may just be an urban myth - is that the idea of not using handbrake after a fast driving or track session goes back long before disc rear brakes. The problem is even worse on a car with drum rears apparently because the hot drum has a larger internal diameter when hot so expanding the shoes with the handbrake will cause the drum to oval and even make it impossible to release the brake again!

[BertBert]

Of course in the US, not a soul is bothered about using their footbrake whilst stopped. Doesn't make it right though!

Bert

[F i F]

BertBert said:

Of course in the US, not a soul is bothered about using their footbrake whilst stopped. Doesn't make it right though!

Bert

Tbh though Bert I've never found this an issue in the US whereas dazzle from this source can be a problem in Uk, though not always.

I suspect it's something to do with brake light lens design. LEDs and clear crystal lenses are particularly bright yet lenses with lots of small prisms in the design are OK. Last time I looked USA vehicles tended to have the latter style which seems to give a more diffuse light.

[RobM77]

technogogo said:

blank said:

okgo said:

A brake light hardly dazzles.

I find it quite annoying being sat behind someone with their brake lights permanently lit, especially at night.

I agree. Especially at night and especially when its wet, many modern brake lights are definitely bright enough to ruin night vision. By night vision, I mean the ability of the eye to adapt to the dark and see more detail.

If I am in stationary traffic in those conditions, I avoid looking directly at brake lights in front.

I find some modern LED brake lights very dazzling indeed. It's one of my pet hates, being sat at a busy junction for minutes on end with bright red light shining in my face because the guy in front is too selfish to realise he should use his handbrake!

[Nollub]

I've just bought a smart MHD (micro-hybrid drive), which switches the engine off when stopped in traffic if the footbrake is on.

What's best with this, keep the footbrake on with the resulting brake lights blazing away but using zero petrol with the engine off or switch the MHD facility off, release the footbrake and burn fuel whilst waiting for the traffic to move again? Both ways have disadvantages!

(I know I could switch the engine off but after 60 seconds the immobilizer kicks in and restarting takes longer if I have to unlock the car to turn off the immobilizer before restarting to move on again.)