Why get biting point on level ground?

SimonTemplar

I'm a learner and I've a question please.

When setting off on a hill, I understand the need to get the clutch to the biting point before disengaging the handbrake otherwise the car will roll.

However, when getting off from a level surface, why is there a need to get to the biting point first. Is it not possible / good practice to:

• Clutch down fully
• Get accelerator to roughly 1500 revs
• Release handbrake
• Clutch up slowly.

Am I missing something obvious why this shouldn't be done?

cantdecide

It's simply a method of ensuring the car is under your control at all times as well as being more smooth and precise to take up the freeplay in the clutch so you can feed the power into the transmission with greater control. On a hill, it's simply more important to do this as any lag in waiting for the clutch to bite means you end up falling backwards. The flat is the same principle with less risk of losing control but remember that most flat surfaces are rarely perfectly flat too.

Dravokivich

There's no reason to sit with your foot pressed on the clutch, while using the throttle to build up revs. There's no benefit to it and it's also considered coasting, which is generally strongly discouraged. Find an industrial estate on a weekend morning and try it out. You'll change your mind about it sharpish.

Lifting the clutch without any throttle will give you enough revs to proceed.

change your process to:

Clutch down fully
Clutch up slowly
Release handbrake
Apply throttle as required
proceed

Alanstrainor

SimonTemplar wrote: »

I'm a learner and I've a question please.

When setting off on a hill, I understand the need to get the clutch to the biting point before disengaging the handbrake otherwise the car will roll.

However, when getting off from a level surface, why is there a need to get to the biting point first. Is it not possible / good practice to:

• Clutch down fully
• Get accelerator to roughly 1500 revs
• Release handbrake
• Clutch up slowly.

Am I missing something obvious why this shouldn't be done?

Your method is what I would expect someone to be taught as an absolute beginner, to allow them to understand and to not stall too often. This should be condensed when you progress a bit.

Really it should be a case of doing all these things simultaneously. Release clutch, while accelerating and release handbrake if it is on. Don't even focus on the revs of the engine. With practise all of this should be second nature. Releasing the clutch and accelerating should be done in one smooth movement.

Dravokivich wrote: »

There's no reason to sit with your foot pressed on the clutch, while using the throttle to build up revs. There's no benefit to it and it's also considered coasting, which is generally strongly discouraged. Find an industrial estate on a weekend morning and try it out. You'll change your mind about it sharpish.

Lifting the clutch without any throttle will give you enough revs to proceed.

change your process to:

Clutch down fully
Clutch up slowly
Release handbrake
Apply throttle as required
proceed

Just to note, there is absolutely no issue with being stopped with your foot on the clutch. Coasting only applies when you are moving, and you 'coast' with your foot on the clutch while moving.

Del2005

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Just to note, there is absolutely no issue with being stopped with your foot on the clutch. Coasting only applies when you are moving, and you 'coast' with your foot on the clutch while moving.

Is it not that you need to be in control at all times? If the clutch is down and no brakes engaged then you aren't in control, coasting is not being in control while moving.

Alanstrainor

Del2005 wrote: »

Is it not that you need to be in control at all times? If the clutch is down and no brakes engaged then you aren't in control, coasting is not being in control while moving.

There is no problem sitting with your foot on the clutch and the handbrake on, or your other foot on the foot brake. Coasting is specifically moving with the clutch depressed unnecessarily.

Dravokivich

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Just to note, there is absolutely no issue with being stopped with your foot on the clutch. Coasting only applies when you are moving, and you 'coast' with your foot on the clutch while moving.

Fair enough, but OP is discussing about having the handbrake released while pressing the clutch and the throttle. With no resistance from a standing start, movement may be minimal, but with a tester, coasting is coasting.

Gravelly

I thought coasting wasn't considered a bad thing anymore? When I was thought to drive many moons ago, costing was a no-no (supposedly due to less effective brakes that dissipated heat poorly back then), but when my kids went for lessons and did their tests, coasting wasn't frowned upon. Is this true, or have my kids just found a clever way to make me stop giving them grief about coasting?

Dravokivich

Gravelly wrote: »

I thought coasting wasn't considered a bad thing anymore? When I was thought to drive many moons ago, costing was a no-no (supposedly due to less effective brakes that dissipated heat poorly back then), but when my kids went for lessons and did their tests, coasting wasn't frowned upon. Is this true, or have my kids just found a clever way to make me stop giving them grief about coasting?

Lifting your foot from the throttle is not coasting. it does get incorrectly called coasting.

Alanstrainor

Dravokivich wrote: »

Fair enough, but OP is discussing about having the handbrake released while pressing the clutch and the throttle. With no resistance from a standing start, movement may be minimal, but with a tester, coasting is coasting.

The OP specifically mentions releasing the handbrake. Your idea of coasting is incorrect.

Gravelly wrote: »

I thought coasting wasn't considered a bad thing anymore? When I was thought to drive many moons ago, costing was a no-no (supposedly due to less effective brakes that dissipated heat poorly back then), but when my kids went for lessons and did their tests, coasting wasn't frowned upon. Is this true, or have my kids just found a clever way to make me stop giving them grief about coasting?

You are confusing the terms coasting and engine braking. Coasting is still considered a fault under clutch control. What has changed is that it is no longer a requirement for you to come down through the gears when coming to a stop. So instead of going 4th, 3rd, 2nd and stop. It is okay to simply slow in 4th and before stopping to clutch in. Coasting in this case would be driving in 4th at 50km/h and approaching a STOP sign. Clutching in immediately and then slowing with the brake to a stop. But usually people get marked for coasting when cornering at slower speeds.

Tenigate

I wouldn't release the handbrake before biting point.. car could roll. Even on a flat surface it's bad practice.

Personally, my focus would be on the left foot rather than needlessly keeping your revs at a certain level before the car is even moving.
But that's overthinking it.

masculinist

I remember being given out to for 'coasting' during lessons but none of the instructors could explain why it was a bad thing. I vaguely remember it as something about going into neutral too early when coming to a stop.

whats this concept of 'riding the clutch' thats apparently really bad for a car and how does it relate to going into neutral too early when coming to a stop ?

Alanstrainor

masculinist wrote: »

I remember being given out to for 'coasting' during lessons but none of the instructors could explain why it was a bad thing. I vaguely remember it as something about going into neutral too early when coming to a stop.

whats this concept of 'riding the clutch' thats apparently really bad for a car and how does it relate to going into neutral too early when coming to a stop ?

It would be considered that when coasting you are not in control of the vehicle. There are two ways to do it, either by depressing the clutch unnecessarily or simply driving with the gear stick in the neutral position(or rolling as the case may be). It doesn't allow you to immediately react to a sudden event where you would need to accelerate.

Riding the clutch is a term that is used when you half depress the clutch pedal. Resulting in wear of the clutch and flywheel. Typically this happens when people rest their foot on the clutch when not changing gear and in motion.

my3cents

In the UK I was told that coasting was defined for the test as the car moving more than its own length without being in gear or the clutch depressed. Coasting = points towards a fail. Never heard anything similar here.

Del2005

Alanstrainor wrote: »

There is no problem sitting with your foot on the clutch and the handbrake on, or your other foot on the foot brake. Coasting is specifically moving with the clutch depressed unnecessarily.

The OP is only on the clutch though, so no brakes are applied, which is a problem.