A Car Related Driving Question?

mj4456 said:
Neutral and handbrake for me, also taught to stop far enough back for TnT (able to see tyres and tarmac under the car in front), if at night and blinded with brake lights I just go to main beam in their mirror, childish maybe but it's better than other forms of road rage?
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main beam all the time for me on my motor bike mate day and night, just counters all the auto morons in audis bmws with their fog lights on.
 
Dael_Pix said:
Those are people who don't care for other road users when brake lights can blind the driver behind. Even worse when it's dark. It annoys the hell out of me.

Yes riding the clutch will put more wear on it. Sucks to be those people.
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Seriously? I’m mean really? If you get annoyed by that you need to address those anger issues. You’ll have a stroke else.
 
Re length of time to move away, if in a line of traffic watch the 1st car to start to move and slip into gear and wait for the car immediately in front of you to start moving, no problem with Handbrake as it`s automatic off.
 
On my 6-7 years old VAG automatic, after coming to a stop and engine stops, if I pull the handbrake and shift to N, the engine stupidly restarts while I'm obviously not going anywhere. So I just keep brake pedal pressed.

On my wife's 5-6 years old EV. Changing to N is rather clumsy and foot operated handbrake is clunky. So I just keep brake pedal pressed.
In EV, holding the car with brake and in D doesn't have any powertrain wear. The electroncis will not apply wheel torque when brake is depressed. No parts rubbing, drivetrain is simply not energised.


The only downside to using brake to hold the car is blinding other drivers at night. Does auto hold in newer cars still keep brake lights on?
 
My companies Health and Safety people advocate keeping your foot on the brake pedal when stationary to ensure brake lights are on and thus you are more obvious sooner to traffic approaching from behind
 
JohnX said:
My companies Health and Safety people advocate keeping your foot on the brake pedal when stationary to ensure brake lights are on and thus you are more obvious sooner to traffic approaching from behind
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True, but not required if there's already stationary vehicles behind you.
 
Generally its out of gear and foot on the break, I'm in gear and away as soon as its green, if I dont think i'll be there for that long then I'll just hold it on the clutch.
 
wyx087 said:
Does auto hold in newer cars still keep brake lights on?
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I don't believe so, but I do have the depress the brakes more then I otherwise would to get it to engage. Stupidly engaging the handbrake switches off the daytime running lights
 
I never drive with my foot on the clutch pedal, unless I'm moving through the gears. The RAC reliable informs me that doing so will cause the clutch to wear out prematurely.

Regarding holding in gear at lights, a word of caution. About ten years ago, a guy behind me was struck in the rear by another driver, we were in a traffic light queue, he was holding in gear and as a result, ran into the back of me!
 
ancient_mariner said:
Applying the handbrake will also cause those pads to hold the disc. It doesn't seem so different.
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Handbrakes generally only operate on rear wheels & many have special pads for handbrake use instead of normal rear brake pads
 
Mr Bump said:
main beam all the time for me on my motor bike mate day and night, just counters all the auto morons in audis bmws with their fog lights on.
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Good job many of us have auto dipping rear view mirrors..... BTW the front driving lights on my Mini Cooper S come on automatically when dipped headlights are on, I don't have any say in the matter. They get even brighter when it's foggy :)
 
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Tringa said:
When I was taught to drive, 40+ years ago, putting the handbrake on at lights and putting the car in neutral was drummed into me.
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Me too.
 
Mr Bump said:
main beam all the time for me on my motor bike mate day and night, just counters all the auto morons in audis bmws with their fog lights on.
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:mad:

I'm a big advocate of "see & bee seen" but there is NO need for you to run a bike on main beam, especially at night. Some people are sensitive to bright light at night, you blasting main beam into their faces is going to cause them to come off the gas, possibly brake, and they may have cars behind them. And you call others morons.... I have full bike licence and whilst I may ride with full beam during the day, especially when filtering, it's just selfish to do it at night.
 
Sometimes when I'm sitting in a queue at the traffic lights I keep my foot on the brake but engage reverse and watch the look of horror on the face of the following driver in the mirror! :LOL:
 
One of the racing drivers of the '50s had a push switch on the dashboard to operate his brake light so people couldn't see his true braking point.
 
Nod said:
One of the racing drivers of the '50s had a push switch on the dashboard to operate his brake light so people couldn't see his true braking point.
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Who was that? I've heard of people doing this with ordinary cars but I'm sure it breaks various rules.
 
latestarter said:
Do people really still have handbrakes[emoji23]
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It’s funny, the one time I had a hire car with an auto handbrake I found it an awful driving experience and vowed never to buy to a vehicle without a proper handbrake...partly cause I didn’t trust it at traffic lights...
 
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AndrewFlannigan said:
Who was that? I've heard of people doing this with ordinary cars but I'm sure it breaks various rules.
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Can't remember, I'm afraid. It might have been Moss. Come to think of it, it might have been a switch to turn the brake lights OFF rather than on early - would be easier to use in the heat of battle!
 
Mozthecat said:
vowed never to buy to a vehicle without a proper handbrake...partly cause I didn’t trust it at traffic lights...
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I ran a Renault Scenic MkII which had a fairly sensible version. You pulled a switch to put the handbrake on but simply accellerated to take it off. Good for hill starts! (y)
 
My car has a similar handbrake.
 
Sky said:
- the bloody instructors are now teaching them that way. :banghead:
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No, the bloody instructors are not now teaching them that way. Instruction for waiting at traffic lights hasn't changed.
If you know an instructor teaching them that way, they're an idiot...and probably have a very poor pass rate.
 
viv1969 said:
If you know an instructor teaching them that way, they're an idiot...and probably have a very poor pass rate.
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Thank you - I'm pleased to hear that. I shall tell my granddaughter to pass that on to her instructor then. Bloody half-wit.

My late father was a driving instructor and when I was young he insisted I did my Advanced Driving Tests; both bike and car. The training taught me a lot and has kept me driving safely for well over forty years.
 
I did my Advanced Test (both of them) when I was 21, best thing about being a better/safer driver is that you can often drive faster than others while using less fuel and not crashing :)

I prefer the handbrake on a stop, gear disengaged, and that activates the start/stop function too. I did have a Passat for a while with an auto 'handbrake', which was so awful I did rely on footbrake holds then

Drivers have always been lazy & inconsiderate to others, we older types just notice it more now as there are far more drivers, so obviously more morons driving too

Dave
 
Neutral and handbrake on for me.
An ex of mine burnt out the clutch in a Ford Focus in 44000 miles because she used to ride it.
 
definitely neutral and handbrake when stopped - some people seem to keep their foot on the clutch and footbrake but that seems like more effort to me
 
I keep mine in Drive unless it's going to be a long time such as an accident ahead. Never in Park though unless I'm actually leaving the car.

With manuals I put it into Neutral and handbrake. I'm not sure but doesn't the clutch release bearing suffer more wear when sitting in gear at the lights etc? Can't remember though.
 
Leaving an automatic in drive is the same as sitting with it in gear in a manual. For safety you should take it out of drive and apply the handbrake.

However, technically; it actually causes more wear putting it in and out of gear than leaving it in does, so there's an argument for both there. I opt for safety when I drive an auto (and most of my cars have been autos).
 
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Always leave foot lightly on the brake - even if its not in gear - Manual gearbox..

I live in London and people do not look, care, or pay attention, etc. etc. If you do not leave the brake lights on some people will think you are moving....
Once I get a few cars behind me then I take foot off the brake.
Its purely safer.
 
Mr Bump said:
main beam all the time for me on my motor bike mate day and night, just counters all the auto morons in audis bmws with their fog lights on.
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I go through traffic flashing my high beam. This is for the following reasons.

1. Studies have shown that a flashing light is noticed by more people than a static bright light.
2. People give me more room as I filter
3. I can adjust frequency of flash depending on traffic.
 
I was taught by my instructor that when you stop and apply the handbrake you should still apply the foot brake. Hand brakes only apply on the rear wheels, if a car comes crashing into the back of you the rear wheel lift and you can be pushed forward, either into the car in front of you or into the junction. Keeping the foot brake applied keeps the front wheels locked and will help stop you being pushed forward. The more cars behind you already stationary, the less important this is.

I very rarely do this mind. Often I will use the foot brake only if the junctions has a quick sequence, or I have arrived towards the back of the queue and the lights will likely be changing to green shortly.

As for wear. In a manual car there will be no wear to the clutch and insignificant to the braking system.
 
Sky said:
Leaving an automatic in drive is the same as sitting with it in gear in a manual. For safety you should take it out of drive and apply the handbrake.

However, technically; it actually causes more wear putting it in and out of gear than leaving it in does, so there's an argument for both there. I opt for safety when I drive an auto (and most of my cars have been autos).
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This is interesting, I have recently bought my first automatic because of a bit of trouble with my left knee being made worse by operating the clutch, I frequently have to drive in stop start traffic. The service manager of the garage where I bought it advised me to put it into neutral at traffic lights, the reason being that with a twin clutch auto gearbox the drive is still being applied and clutch wear is increased if it is left in drive.
 
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That makes sense to me too, but if you do a search on the net the consensus is the opposite. I'm no mechanic and my knowledge of engines and clutches is minimal, so who am I to argue?
 
Earley Man said:
This is interesting, I have recently bought my first automatic because of a bit of trouble with my left knee being made worse by operating the clutch, I frequently have to drive in stop start traffic. The service manager of the garage where I bought it advised me to put it into neutral at traffic lights, the reason being that with a twin clutch auto gearbox the drive is still being applied and clutch wear is increased if it is left in drive.
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A traditional auto box (such as ZF) using a torque converter is very different from a twin clutch auto box. The torque converter performs the same role as a clutch but it uses hydraulic fluid, a turbine and an impeller to transmit drive so there is no mechanical wear. Some torque converter auto boxes have a lock-up clutch to transmit drive when on the move. A third type of auto transmission (CVT) uses two cones and a belt

This link explains the differences quite well

www.whatcar.com

Automatic gearboxes - everything you need to know

Car makers offer a baffling array of automatic gearboxes these days. Fortunately, we can help you tell your CVT from your DSG
www.whatcar.com www.whatcar.com

I had a Fiat Ducato based motorhome which used a FIAT Comfortmatic auto box which was essentially a conventional gearbox with a computer controlled clutch & no clutch pedal. It would automatically shift out of drive/reverse if you sat stationary but 'in gear' for too long.
 
Earley Man said:
...
The service manager of the garage where I bought it advised me to put it into neutral at traffic lights, the reason being that with a twin clutch auto gearbox the drive is still being applied and clutch wear is increased if it is left in drive.
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Depending on the brand, many cars with dual clutch will disengage creep mode when foot on brake or handbrake on. Performance models excluded: if the revs are ~1000 it’s biting the clutch and wants to creep. If ~800 the clutch is disengaged.
 
JohnM100 said:
Depending on the brand, many cars with dual clutch will disengage creep mode when foot on brake or handbrake on. Performance models excluded: if the revs are ~1000 it’s biting the clutch and wants to creep. If ~800 the clutch is disengaged.
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This is the correct explaination for most clutch based automatic. Try to avoid holding the car at ~1000rpm and not releasing the brake fully (eg when you unintentionally relaxed your brake pressure at traffic light). At 700-800rpm, it's perfectly fine to leave in D.

Goes to show how much "service manager" know about their cars. It highlights problem with d(st)ealerships, end of the day you only get to talk to greasy salesman, who have been on a half-day training course about another car 3 years ago. Their lower level garage mechanic isn't well versed either, if there isn't a service technical guide on your issue, you are stuffed and has to wait weeks for HQ's response.

For real knowledge on the complex machinary, you either ask the question on a community forum (eg. Briskoda for my Skoda) or a good indie garage who specialise in your car or you try to understand the inner workings yourself by reading service manuals, observation and experimentation, working from first principles.
 
Thanks for all the replies, I now have much more understanding of an auto gearbox than I did before.
 
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