Driving practice update...

[fireheart]

So I thought I'd update on how my driving practice is going, along with asking for any advice.

Taking off: I do fine on a smooth start, but not a hill start. Anyone have any tips? (in my case, I'm driving a manual)

Steering: MUCH, MUCH better than my first lesson...my turns aren't so wide. I'm gradually getting the hang of doing U-Turns in tighter and tighter spaces. Only problem is doing quick direction changes (i.e. you're required to turn left, then right all of a sudden)

Speed/gear changing: Dad's not letting me go any faster than 40 km/h while we're practicing which is fine by me (the general speed limit for all roads unless otherwise stated is 50 km/h). Gear changing is still an issue on occasion....but we're getting there...gradually

Reverse: We covered this one today and ACK! I wound up hitting the kerb Hopefully we'll get there.

But dad reckons I can start doing practice in light traffic now. (at the moment, we've been doing practice on DEAD streets) We've decided to avoid parking until I start getting paid lessons, which will be required for the way I'm going (it's known as CBT...basically there are 30 competencies and the instructor is required to sign them off as we go)

[JustaCashier]

As far as starting out, without killing it, get a job parking cars and practice on other people's cars! That's what I did!

Seriously, when I was trying to learn how to drive stick, that was my biggest problem. I could shift okay, without grinding gears, or lugging it too much, but would alway kill it from a start, especially, of course, on a hill. Also didn't help that one of my "teachers" early on, was a so called friend that would drive us to a certain point, then say "okay, you're driving, or we aren't going anywhere." Plus, he'd jump all over me if I actually did grind the gears, making me more nervous, and apt to screw up.

Anyway, back in '83, at the ripe young age of 24, I started working at a parking garage, that was Attendant park. This place was basically an old gas station, that later in it's life had a three level parking structure plopped down on it, and we Attendants did the parking of the cars on the first (street) level.

It was level for the most part, although a car might roll a bit on it's own, and there were a few parking spaces that were actually on a significant incline, so that's where I got my practice.

I don't recall how long it took, or any tricks I used, but it was basically practice, practice, practice. It helped that when I started there, it was on the late afternoon shift, so we weren't all that busy with incoming cars, and I didn't get in the way of the other Attendants parking cars too much.

So, just keep up the practicing, and it'll probably be one of those things that you're doing all of a sudden, without even realizing it!

Good Luck!

Mike



(Incentive: keep working on it, let us know when you ace it, and these ------------> will be yours!)

[Mikkel]

Taking off: I do fine on a smooth start, but not a hill start. Anyone have any tips? (in my case, I'm driving a manual)

To avoid rolling back, hold the car with the handbrake. Press the speeder a bit to get power, let out the clutch slowly and when you feel the clutch engage, release the handbrake and let the clutch engage fully(slowly!). If the engine stall you should have pressed the speeder a bit more (eventually you will be able to hear the engine slow down in time to press the speeder a little harder), if you smoke the tires you overdid it .
Practise make perfect.

[dispatch]

practice and patience! Find a nice empty parking lot and work on some things there, I taught my sister and ex girlfriend how to drive a stick in a local parking lot with a hill on one side, it's going to take you a month or so to really get it down, but you'll get it.

Hill starts are always tricky, it's going to be a few stalled engines and roasted tires before you can do it perfectly, but all I can really say at this point is don't get discouraged. And congrats on learning with a manual!

[Greenday]

As for anything related to stick, I can't help you unless you drag. And even then, I've never driven stick so yea...

Driving in reverse, make sure to keep one hand firmly on the wheel. Try to lock your arm if you can. Unless someone is shooting at you, you don't ever really need to drive fast in reverse so just take it nice and easy. I feel by locking my arm that the wheel is much less likely to jerk in one direction or the other.

U-Turns? I rarely do them. The only places I do them are USUALLY at stop lights and you almost always have plenty of space to make one. K-Turns are your best friend. They occur much more frequently.

[JustaCashier]

To avoid rolling back, hold the car with the handbrake.

This.

I actually meant to mention it in my above post, but, guess I got too wrapped up in my trip down memory lane.

I think putting the e-brake lever on the tunnel was one of the smartest things automakers ever did. Makes it handy for using to hill hold, plus it's within easy reach, and I would think would give a driver smoother control of applying the e-brake, in an emergency stop situation, as opposed to trying to put just the right amount of pressure on a foot operated e-brakes. (Although, I suppose it could be argued that in certain situations not having both hands on the wheel, could result in not having proper control of the steering.

I found it a bit ridiculous, that the U.S. carmakers continued using the foot operated e-brake on the mid-size cars well into the '80's or so.


ETA: Oh, and never ever use the clutch to hold the car on a hill.

Not only does it put unnecessary, excessive wear on the clutch disc, but it will also make the car emit nasty, nasty, stinkies.

Mike