Car shuddering while cornering

Funkmasterflex

I have been driving a 2 litre diesel car for the last 6 months and am reasonably confident about my upcoming test, bar a few queries I have.

On 90% of corners everything goes smoothly and I am happy with them but I am having difficulty taking sharp corners down a hill

On the approach to these corners I slow down in second gear to where the car is almost crawling along but often I feel the car is shuddering and about to cut out. If I brake less and don't let the car shudder I feel I'm going too fast! What is the correct approach? Would I be wrong to take these corners in first gear?

For the very steep hills on a tight corners (appox 120 degrees) I'm applying the clutch whilst braking and turning in second gear. Am I wrong in doing this?

I appreciate any advice!

ec18

are you almost stopped while turning?

Funkmasterflex

ec18 wrote: »

are you almost stopped while turning?

Yeah but I feel the car being pushed along by itself and if I brake the car starts to labour.

Witcher

You have to keep the revs up; either speed up or drop a gear.

Don't be using the clutch while turning a corner.

_Brian

When driving you should only clutch while changing gear, anything else will probably fail the test.

Sounds like your in the wrong gear for the speed. Go down another gear ad you'll need to brake less.

Funkmasterflex

So I should be taking the corner in first gear?

loobylou

Funkmasterflex wrote: »

So I should be taking the corner in first gear?

If necessary, yes.

seamus

loobylou wrote: »

If necessary, yes.

It's very difficult to drive most vehicles in 1st gear unless you're doing less than 5km/h. If you can, then work away, but it's usually not necessary unless you're moving off from a complete stop.

In this case it can sometimes be a good idea to almost come to a complete stop before you turn. In that scenario it's perfectly reasonable to depress the clutch to avoid cutting out.
A good setup is to aim to be neither braking nor clutching when you turn the wheel - as you should do for all corners. So slow down as you approach, press the clutch when you're almost stopped (i.e. before it starts juddering), and then at the same time as you turn the wheel to move, lift the clutch and give it a tiny bit of acceleration. If the turn is on a downhill, you may not even need to touch the accelerator.
Don't be afraid to hug the left verge of the road to give yourself more room to turn.

cantdecide

Lots of diesel cars need to be 1st where other cars want to be in second. To get them from 2nd into 1st on the move does take a bit more knowledge and effort. Just experiment with it. It takes waiting until just the right speed and then giving a short sharp push of the shifter will get you into 1st.

I feel like there's a chance you're being over-cautious though; for example, if you're ambling around a car park or narrow blind bends on tight streets, there are lots of occasions when a diesel will want to be in 1st where a petrol wants to be in 2nd but if you're talking about real world. Anywhere with more room, I think you might be better off keeping the momentum up. Obviously, there are no right answers sometimes but that's where gaining experience counts.

MascotDec85

It sounds as though you're turning into Navan test centre!

I use a diesel and get my pupils to take a turn, similar to the one you describe, in 1st. No issues, never marked against them.

Be in a gear that's appropriate for your speed.

challengemaster

seamus wrote: »

It's very difficult to drive most vehicles in 1st gear unless you're doing less than 5km/h. If you can, then work away, but it's usually not necessary unless you're moving off from a complete stop.

5km/h is a bit of an exaggeration. A 120 degree bend on a downwards slope, I don't think you'd want to be going fast anyway.

I'd be curious to see this on google maps.

jimgoose

A 2l diesel has tall gearing and it sounds like you're on the point of stalling it by being in the wrong gear for the speed. I have that with my own car too - on certain very tight, slow stuff it wants first where smaller cars with lower gearing are alright in second. You shouldn't be clutching or half-clutching while negotiating a bend.