Any tips for doing a hill start?

wayne0308

Hi,

I've been driving for a few weeks now mostly at weekends and taking lessons too. I'm still having problems with hill starts.

I'm finding that if I'm under no pressure I can do it, but not very gracefully and if I'm in traffic I tend to over rev the engine and it takes a bit of effort to get going and I tend to stall the engine from time to time.

I was hoping that someone could lay out step by step how to properly do a hill start and I'd love to hear any tips that ye have.

Cheers.

freyners

generally i keep the revs up to 1000 b4 i start
hillls starts are mostly intuitive anyways, start drivin your car more and get to no it

**Timbuk2**

I think the general idea is this (it's hard to think of it step-by-step since I do it without thinking about it now).

• You're waiting at the lights, and you know your lights are going to go green in a few seconds.

• Put the clutch in, select first gear (assuming you were waiting in neutral with the handbrake on).

• Take the clutch out until you feel the biting point, and press the accelerator in slightly. Try to get further into the biting point than you would normally (if that makes any sense at all ). Generally, the front of your car raising ever so slightly is where you want to be.

• When the lights go green (assuming there are lights), keep the clutch pedal roughly where it is but increase revs (with the accelerator pedal) as you let down the handbrake. I think the most common mistakes with hill starts occur when people let out the clutch too quickly once the handbrake comes down. Ease the clutch out as you begin to move. Remember, when moving off (not just from a hill), the easier you take the clutch out from the biting point, the smoother your start will be.

I hope this helps and is somewhat possible to decipher

wayne0308

Thanks for your replies. Going to get a bit of practise in tomorrow...

kpas

Trust me man hillstarts are one of those things you end up just getting, as the saying go's 'Keep practising'....
Soon you'll laugh at the thought of not being able to do it.
Don't leave the car pull too much (bite like) as you don't wana jerk way too forward, I've seen people panic when that happens....:eek::eek::eek:


Oh and don't worry about being under pressure.. if you've an L plate up any GOOD driver behind you will back off... sadly this aint always the case.

Keep tryin...:cool:

zynaps

One way to practice the mechanics of this is to park in an uphill sloping driveway (you probably know someone who has one ) with the handbrake on, then drive up the slope, clutch and roll back down, stop, handbrake and repeat until you get the hang of it.
Soon you get a feel for the biting point and you'll learn how to react quickly when the car starts to judder by clutching a little more (or tapping the accelerator slightly).

I used to do this outside my house until I could get it up the slope without the accelerator (i.e. by the time I got to the top, I wasn't even completely off the clutch), even starting in second gear. After that, I was still nervous about "real world" hillstarts, especially with a line of traffic behind me, but much less than before.

About the pressure from drivers behind you, there's not much you can do about it, but you'll realise one day (for me, about 3 months after my first few lessons) that you haven't thought about it in ages. And that'll be that

matrim

What I found helped me was to find a quiet hill (preferably with a steep slope) and practice just holding the car in place using only the clutch and accelerator for a short while, then slowly move off. Then go back and try again. For me it really helped me to find the biting point of the car and how to do it well.

**Timbuk2**

matrim wrote: »

What I found helped me was to find a quiet hill (preferably with a steep slope) and practice just holding the car in place using only the clutch and accelerator for a short while, then slowly move off. Then go back and try again. For me it really helped me to find the biting point of the car and how to do it well.

Yes, but it is bad practice to actually hold the car on a hill with the clutch when driving for real - it wears down the clutch. It's more common than you think. Your clutch will last much longer if you stop holding yourself on the hill with the clutch and use the handbrake instead.

kierank01

try practicing on the flat, with the handbrake on, find the bite point of the clutch, so that the car is pushing on the handbrake, then slowly let the handbrake off.

there is not much of a step from this to doing a hill start.

Alanstrainor

kierank01 wrote: »

try practicing on the flat, with the handbrake on, find the bite point of the clutch, so that the car is pushing on the handbrake, then slowly let the handbrake off.

there is not much of a step from this to doing a hill start.

+1, That's how i learned. It's a great way of learning where the biting point is, although it's something to do for a second or two, sitting there for prolonged periods risks waring the clutch unnecessarily. Or another way to improve clutch control is to park the car on a completely flat surface and without the handbrake applied, and without using the accelerator, simply lift the clutch until the car slowly starts to creep forward. Practice, practice, practice!

zynaps

Alanstrainor wrote: »

It's a great way of learning where the biting point is, although it's something to do for a second or two, sitting there for prolonged periods risks waring the clutch unnecessarily.

Yeah, this is one way in which the torque converters used in automatic transmissions are superior to a manual clutch - prolonged friction between the driveshaft and output shaft simply heats up the fluid inside, which you can top up just like brake fluid or engine oil. That's much better than solid plates getting worn down and costing a few hundred to replace! Also, never stalling would be nice. In a way, maybe it'd be better for learners to start on an automatic first so they learn the basics of understanding their speed and position, braking appropriately, steering and observation without the added hassle of the clutch and gears. Once they're comfortable with that, then they could get into a manual (if they'd ever want to - I almost dreaded going back to mine after driving a friend's automatic once, although that might also be due to my car having no power steering :mad: and one loose spark lead) and get over that minor technical hump in a more relaxed way. Remember being flustered whenever you were stopped at traffic lights, looking in your rear view mirror and thinking "I hope he won't beep at me if I stall now"?

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Or another way to improve clutch control is to park the car on a completely flat surface and without the handbrake applied, and without using the accelerator, simply lift the clutch until the car slowly starts to creep forward. Practice, practice, practice!

And once you can do this without having to think about it, not only will you be able to do a hill start, but you'll practically never stall in traffic again. Which makes things sooo much more relaxing when driving!

Alanstrainor

I actually learned to drive for about a month in an automatic before moving to a manual. And i have to say, personally i found it a waste of time. Despite it being very easy, and getting my confidence up, by the time i got my first lesson in a manual, almost everything i had learned in the auto went out the window. I tend to learn better when i'm thrown in the deep end rather than being eased into it i guess;).

zynaps

Ah, maybe you're right. I must admit there was a massive difference in every department over my first two lessons, and I've only driven an automatic twice (I'll definitely be looking for one in a year or so after I've passed the test on my manual banger - going from my old Fiesta to my friend's automatic was like crawling backwards up a mountain in the rain and then skiing down the other side in the sun)

dlofnep

Practice makes perfect. You just need to get a feel for the bite of your clutch. Wait til your car bites before releasing the handbrake and instead of getting nervous powering up the hill, just add a little more power after the bite and it will take you up.

It's all about staying relaxed.

wayne0308

Thanks for all the replies! I wont be driving until this weekend and I will try out some of your suggestions then. Everyone has been a fantastic help!

Your right I think its all about nerves, so far this is the only part of driving that I don't have confidence with. I can do nearly all the maneuvers required in the test safely and without any trouble but I am determined not to let this one beat me

How long did it take ye until you could just do this without thinking about it (or with very little thought at least?

Aye Bosun

wayne0308 wrote: »

Hi,

I've been driving for a few weeks now mostly at weekends and taking lessons too. I'm still having problems with hill starts.

I'm finding that if I'm under no pressure I can do it, but not very gracefully and if I'm in traffic I tend to over rev the engine and it takes a bit of effort to get going and I tend to stall the engine from time to time.

I was hoping that someone could lay out step by step how to properly do a hill start and I'd love to hear any tips that ye have.

Cheers.

Hand brake on and practice this: as you ease off the clutch and ease on the accelerator, you will see the bonnet of the car rise up ever so slightly this is the bite between clutch and accelerator, this is when the car is ready to move and will not stall, ease off the hand brake and accelerate. Works for reversing also! I had a nightmare learning hill starts but once i was told this trick I've never stalled on a hill since. Good luck!