Manual to Auto driving tips/car control.
Discussion
I'm considering a RWD Auto for the first time ever in my live, but just wondering how different they are from manuals. I know they creep and some people left foot brake (chances are something I'll pick up), but also how do you control skids in rain/ice?
In a manual I double de-clutch on steep hills, engine brake, block shift and balance a car quite effectively. I've been taught to dip the clutch in in times of trouble, whilst seeking an alternative route. However, a lot of this I imagine you can't do in an auto, bar selecting gear 1 and covering the brake!?!
I had one very hairy moment, going down a long hill on a single track road which turned out to be icy with no salt, and an 8 foot drop on the right - I never touched the accelerator/brake but changed down 3rd > 2nd > 1st, each change causing the car to slide to the right (bad camber?). Took 5 mins to get down, but I did it.
In a manual I double de-clutch on steep hills, engine brake, block shift and balance a car quite effectively. I've been taught to dip the clutch in in times of trouble, whilst seeking an alternative route. However, a lot of this I imagine you can't do in an auto, bar selecting gear 1 and covering the brake!?!
I had one very hairy moment, going down a long hill on a single track road which turned out to be icy with no salt, and an 8 foot drop on the right - I never touched the accelerator/brake but changed down 3rd > 2nd > 1st, each change causing the car to slide to the right (bad camber?). Took 5 mins to get down, but I did it.
Ok, I'm seriously considering an BMW 530i Touring (E39) purely for plodding around the congested streets of London, but do venture out to visit relatives in the country, and Scotland too.
Previous cars have either been FWD or 4x4, and only had one RWD in my car ownership history, but all have been manual too. I have used several manual RWD on track, but that's a totally different ball game.
Previous cars have either been FWD or 4x4, and only had one RWD in my car ownership history, but all have been manual too. I have used several manual RWD on track, but that's a totally different ball game.
Edited by fungus_bogeyman on Wednesday 11th October 14:22
fungus_bogeyman said:
I'm considering a RWD Auto for the first time ever in my live, but just wondering how different they are from manuals. I know they creep and some people left foot brake (chances are something I'll pick up), but also how do you control skids in rain/ice?
In a manual I double de-clutch on steep hills, engine brake, block shift and balance a car quite effectively. I've been taught to dip the clutch in in times of trouble, whilst seeking an alternative route. However, a lot of this I imagine you can't do in an auto, bar selecting gear 1 and covering the brake!?!
I had one very hairy moment, going down a long hill on a single track road which turned out to be icy with no salt, and an 8 foot drop on the right - I never touched the accelerator/brake but changed down 3rd > 2nd > 1st, each change causing the car to slide to the right (bad camber?). Took 5 mins to get down, but I did it.
In a manual I double de-clutch on steep hills, engine brake, block shift and balance a car quite effectively. I've been taught to dip the clutch in in times of trouble, whilst seeking an alternative route. However, a lot of this I imagine you can't do in an auto, bar selecting gear 1 and covering the brake!?!
I had one very hairy moment, going down a long hill on a single track road which turned out to be icy with no salt, and an 8 foot drop on the right - I never touched the accelerator/brake but changed down 3rd > 2nd > 1st, each change causing the car to slide to the right (bad camber?). Took 5 mins to get down, but I did it.
Hi FB, I'm sure you will find the 530 a great car. It will have a nearly manual 'Steptronic' function and a sophisticated traction control system (the common advice for drivers of all automatics is to read the manual and find out about the features of their car, as they differ so greatly).
You have asked about skid control, but I sincerely hope you don't think of this as a commonly used driving skill! More common questions on driving automatics are about how and when to use manual override functions. Many people find it helpful to use manual functions to hold lower gears for engine braking (whether downhill or for flexibility on a twisty road), or to be ready for acceleration in advance of entering a bend or moving out for an overtake. If you don't engage a lower gear before entering a bend, many automatics will change down as you apply acceleration in the bend which may destabilise the car just when you don't want that.
Now back to skid control. The traction control will help greatly. With it, it is important to steer where you want the car to go. If the car is not going the way the steering wheel points, the system brakes wheels individually to try to get the car back on track. Downhill, you can change down gears sequentially to try to apply engine braking. You probably will not be able to get the drive to engage as smoothly in 2nd or 1st as in a manual with revs well matched to road speed, but be aware that whether manual or auto this will only hold back two of the car's four wheels - if engine braking brakes traction on the driven wheels the car will skid. In theory use of the brakes is more likely to be effective, because retardation is applied to all four wheels - but anti-lock systems can do more harm than good on extremely slippery surfaces.
Up a slippery hill, a BMW with front engine and RWD will not have nearly as much traction as a car with the engine over the driven wheels. Winter tyres can overcome this problem, but be aware that in a certain narrow range of conditions a 530 will get stuck where a FWD hatchback would go sailing up.
fungus_bogeyman said:
I had one very hairy moment, going down a long hill on a single track road which turned out to be icy with no salt, and an 8 foot drop on the right - I never touched the accelerator/brake but changed down 3rd > 2nd > 1st, each change causing the car to slide to the right (bad camber?).
It sounds as though you did not use the accelerator to match engine revs to road speed. The effect of letting the clutch out in second and first would be just like braking two wheels only - it would brake traction on the driven wheels and in a FWD car give you no steering until traction recovered. As mentioned before, in theory braking - as smoothly as possible - should work better.
Thankyou Waremark for your well explained tips - I only go on the rural roads for about 20% of my driving times now (although grew up on them), but in past experince, these roads are far more unpredicatable than urban ones. I'm upgrading to a 5dr purely due to the addition to the family, although my well do an AIM course, as everything I learnt seems to have changed a little with the advances with cars (eg, I was told never to brake on ice, but to dip the clutch and ride it out!?!)
The hill in question (which leads up to my parent's house) claims 2-3 vehicles a year due to it's tree covered layout (and therefore cooler and damp), and the fact the road seems to be sloping to the right more and more where there's a good 8 foot drop! My example was on a cool winter's morning at 5:30am on the way to work ages ago, but left a memorable scenerio! There was very little room for for error - 6 inches and the whole hill was covered in ice, but I do agree, and now understand, the unbalancing actions I was doing.
Going to go ahead and look at auto's for the first time in my life!
The hill in question (which leads up to my parent's house) claims 2-3 vehicles a year due to it's tree covered layout (and therefore cooler and damp), and the fact the road seems to be sloping to the right more and more where there's a good 8 foot drop! My example was on a cool winter's morning at 5:30am on the way to work ages ago, but left a memorable scenerio! There was very little room for for error - 6 inches and the whole hill was covered in ice, but I do agree, and now understand, the unbalancing actions I was doing.
Going to go ahead and look at auto's for the first time in my life!
I bought a 330 CI auto, still have it but find when I drive my wifes manual Audi TT the car just puts fun back into driving.
Auto's are all right, but they will never be a drivers car. The BMW 330 has power but lazy delivery, the gearbox allegedly senses when you want to drive aggressively within 6 seconds of driving that way. It then holds onto gears for longer to keep the revs up until you settle down, then reverts back to lazee mode.
Can't say much about skid control yet, but the traction control really works well to prevent wheel spin.
A few years ago I had a Mercedes auto and took great delight in passing a convoy of Land Rover thingies, plodding through snow covered dual carriageway, traction control worked a treat on the Merc.
Auto's are all right, but they will never be a drivers car. The BMW 330 has power but lazy delivery, the gearbox allegedly senses when you want to drive aggressively within 6 seconds of driving that way. It then holds onto gears for longer to keep the revs up until you settle down, then reverts back to lazee mode.
Can't say much about skid control yet, but the traction control really works well to prevent wheel spin.
A few years ago I had a Mercedes auto and took great delight in passing a convoy of Land Rover thingies, plodding through snow covered dual carriageway, traction control worked a treat on the Merc.
Oddly, on my car I've found the traction control to be mostly unhelpful when the grip isn't there. With it on, the car lurches and staggers about like a drunk on a cakewalk, whereas without it the rear end will usually hook up quite quickly - especially since without the car fighting you it's easy enough to back off the throttle if you've been a bit optimistic for the conditions.
It's quite good at demonstration party pieces - given a suitable place, "boot the throttle on the ice and glide away with only a light on the dashboard to show anything's amiss" is quite a good one, but in actual driving it doesn't seem to do all that much. I've had the back end go under power and been halfway through correcting it before the light even flickers before now.
Then again, it is quite an early generation system - and with only 170bhp to get down I'm hardly calling upon its (somewhat dubious) services for much.
It's quite good at demonstration party pieces - given a suitable place, "boot the throttle on the ice and glide away with only a light on the dashboard to show anything's amiss" is quite a good one, but in actual driving it doesn't seem to do all that much. I've had the back end go under power and been halfway through correcting it before the light even flickers before now.
Then again, it is quite an early generation system - and with only 170bhp to get down I'm hardly calling upon its (somewhat dubious) services for much.
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