Changing down when coming to a halt

vector

For the actual driving test...

Lets say you're going along in fourth gear and you see a red light/stop sign, ahead so you begin to slow from 50kmph to 0

Do you just slow down in fourth gear, and stop in fourth gear
OR
Do you change down gears 4>3>2>1 as you are slowing

Squirrel

Brake through the gears, you have more control of engine speed that way

thebutlerdidit

I believe that once you see the light change you should stop accelerating and change down a gear before you ever touch the brake, move down through the gears and gently begin to apply pressure to the brake. Don't forget to check your rearview mirror before you brake (ALWAYS!) It kind of depends on how much time you have, maybe from forth to second sometimes. I used to be in second when i would begin to clutch it ( the car would be not be going at any speed when I would do ths though.) Coasting,(thats having your foot on the clutch will the car) means that you have much less control over the vehicle, so try to avoid, it can become a bad habit, and one that you would fail your test over. Are you just beginning to drive or just curious?

Seth Brundle

1. You never go into 1st unless the car is stopped!
2. you should allow the car to slow down without using the brakes. This will involve gear changes rather than just cruising to a halt. There are two reasons I can see for this:-
firstly, slowing in 4th will mean that sooner or later the engine will not be able to drive the car properly and will bunnyhop. Secondly, for whatever reason, you may suddenly need to take evasive action or move away quickly. If you are doing 20kmph (for example) in 4th then you will not manage to move off as quickly as if you were in the most appropriate gear.

Anyway, to cut my waffle short, you should always be in an appropriate gear for the current conditions.

PhoenixRising

For the test always stop in 2nd or 3rd. Many people think that you have to cycle through the gears all the way to second but that's not the case. Stopping in 3rd is perfectly acceptable. It's difficult to stop in 4th without being done for 'coasting'.

Renegade_Archer

My instructor always said stop in 2nd. Never stop in 1st.



What I was told anyway.




Regards


Ewan

vector

>you should allow the car to slow down without using the brakes

sounds cool, but surely that level of skill is reserved for those who change gear without using the clutch

Seth Brundle

vector wrote:

>you should allow the car to slow down without using the brakes

sounds cool, but surely that level of skill is reserved for those who change gear without using the clutch

I don't see how as it has nothing to do with clutchless gearchanges!
You slow down as much as you can using the engine and gearbox and then stop with your brakes. Don't drive unnecessarily for several hundred feet with your foot on the brakes (like many Irish drivers)

vector

>I don't see how as it has nothing to do with clutchless gearchanges!

I was saying that
Both are impressive, but unnecessary
(well unless the clutch aor brakes stop working)

I'll give it a try though.

hoody

yer all wrong! .. at least from what i was told during a lesson on saturday.
say for a left / right hand junction - the instructor told me you:

1) check mirrors
2) indicate
3) brake gradually, then harder {still in 4th, btw}
4) once the power drops enough, you change from 4th down to 2nd without going to third at all
5) lift off clutch slowly, keeping your foot a little on the brake as you take the turn, then
6) lift off brake, drive on

He told me i've been coasting since i started driving (last Aug) and I'm currently trying to correct is which is v. hard, and its one habit i wish i'd never picked up. Have test in two weeks, and seriously think that coasting will fail it for me

Seth Brundle

Im not sure what you are referring to with 'both'.
All Im saying is to slow down using gearchanges (as much as you can ) to 2nd. Then you should apply the brakes to stop. There shouldn't be any problem or skill involved if you are driving appropriatley and being observant!

RicardoSmith

vector wrote:

>you should allow the car to slow down without using the brakes

sounds cool, but surely that level of skill is reserved for those who change gear without using the clutch

Nope. Its the proper technique. I'm guessing its part of the test. Anyone know? As Squirrel said "you have more control of engine speed" and thus the car. As an aside on descending a long hill it really saves your brakes. Sign of a good driver is someone who doesn't need to use the brakes that much. Letting the car slow down naturally. Drivers with a bad technique tend to accelerate hard, then brake hard constantly.

seamus

hoody wrote:

yer all wrong! .. at least from what i was told during a lesson on saturday.
say for a left / right hand junction - the instructor told me you:

1) check mirrors
2) indicate
3) brake gradually, then harder {still in 4th, btw}
4) once the power drops enough, you change from 4th down to 2nd without going to third at all
5) lift off clutch slowly, keeping your foot a little on the brake as you take the turn, then
6) lift off brake, drive on

He told me i've been coasting since i started driving (last Aug) and I'm currently trying to correct is which is v. hard, and its one habit i wish i'd never picked up. Have test in two weeks, and seriously think that coasting will fail it for me

Completely wrong. For the purposes of the test, the tester might not notice you skipping a gear, but if they do, it's usually marked down as improper use of the controls.

Everything about driving revolves around anticipation. You must anticipate when you will need to stop, and adjust your speed accordingly. "Coasting" is driving along with the clutch fully depressed. It's a common habit of learners who aren't all that confident with clutch braking and rely solely on the footbrake to slow down.

If you're finding that you don't have the time to switch down between the gears when approaching a junction, then you're driving too fast or (more likely) leaving it too late to begin slowing down. Slowing down for a junction should be very like an aircraft approaching a landing - I've never been on a aircraft that speed up to the runway, then at the last minute cuts the throttle and drps the flaps to reduce its speed. No, it's a gradual, comfortable, controlled reduction in speed.

fletch

seamus wrote:

Completely wrong. For the purposes of the test, the tester might not notice you skipping a gear, but if they do, it's usually marked down as improper use of the controls.

I did the Hibernian Ignition course & when I was coming up to a roundabout in 4th gear...as I got quite close to the roundabout, I changed down to 2nd gear (Note: I was going slow enough to warrant 2nd gear, i.e. the engine didn't roar or car didn't jump). The examiner said "Well Done, you used the correct gears for the situation".
I know my mother still goes down the gears when coming to a stop. I think that's only a practice that was once necessary to assist cars with lesser brakes. Modern cars with good brakes with vented disc brakes & the like are more than capable of stopping with their brakes alone. Admittedly changing down the gears will save the wear on your brakes over time.

Balfa

kbannon wrote:

firstly, slowing in 4th will mean that sooner or later the engine will not be able to drive the car properly and will bunnyhop.

No, it won't bunnyhop, it'll just stall as the engine reaches sub-idle speeds.

But yeah, always change down from 4th to 3rd and then to 2nd when stopping. You can stop in 3rd, but if your gearchange process is fluid, there's no reason why you shouldn't get it into 2nd before stopping. I would also use the foot brake to slow down, using only very minor engine braking, espcially for your test.

By the way, fletch's bit about "a practice that was once necessary to assist cars with lesser brakes" is complete noodle. Cover your ears from such nonsense.

And I totally agree with Ricardo about smooth acceleration and limited braking being a sign of good technique. But don't you go worrying about that sort of stuff until after your test

fletch

Balfa wrote:

By the way, fletch's bit about "a practice that was once necessary to assist cars with lesser brakes" is complete noodle. Cover your ears from such nonsense.

Well I suppose I ain't old enough to have driven cars in the 70's/80's, only going on what my Dad told me.

Padraig Mor

seamus wrote:

Completely wrong. For the purposes of the test, the tester might not notice you skipping a gear, but if they do, it's usually marked down as improper use of the controls.

.

Been a while since I had a lesson, but when I got them I specifically asked the instructor about cycling down through the gears to stop. He was adamant that you brake to the appropriate speed and then select gear, i.e. 5th or 4th

---

> 2nd. Perhaps both techniques are 'correct'? It really would help if those idiots in the Dept of Environment would actually 'tell' people the 'correct' way to drive, i.e. what they expect in tests, instead of relying on rumour which may or may not be correct.

seamus

Padraig Mor wrote:

Been a while since I had a lesson, but when I got them I specifically asked the instructor about cycling down through the gears to stop. He was adamant that you brake to the appropriate speed and then select gear, i.e. 5th or 4th

---

> 2nd. Perhaps both techniques are 'correct'? It really would help if those idiots in the Dept of Environment would actually 'tell' people the 'correct' way to drive, i.e. what they expect in tests, instead of relying on rumour which may or may not be correct.

Aye. I have heard of a lot of people who've had instructors that tell one or the other as the "only way" to do it.
Twould seem to me that skipping gears requires a lot more effort, and would result in much less smooth drive than a controlled shift through each gear.

unkel

Balfa wrote:

By the way, fletch's bit about "a practice that was once necessary to assist cars with lesser brakes" is complete noodle. Cover your ears from such nonsense

No it isn't! It wasn't that long ago that it was vital to let the engine do most of the braking while descending in mountainous areas to avoid overheating of the brakes. It is still a good practice...

Praetorian

Block changing down is perfectly legal and is recommended by good instructors when the situation is right.

RicardoSmith

Its best practise. What else do you need to know?

vector

Padraig Mor wrote:

...It really would help if those idiots in the Dept of Environment would actually 'tell' people the 'correct' way to drive, i.e. what they expect in tests, instead of relying on rumour which may or may not be correct.

Excellent point, the dept of the env should publish a book (like the theory question book) with chapters about driving, of course that would take about 18 months to organise and it would be tendered to a private sector profiteering venture* which would sell the book for just that bit too high like e45

*possibly based in the UK with a smarmy name like "Driveria IRL Ltd"

BrianD3

For the d.test I was always taught to stop in 2nd and not to block change (eg 4th to 2nd) unless an "unexpected" situation occured. Eg if you're going along in 4th and without warning someone zooms out in front of you causing you to brake hard to a speed which is inappropriate for 3rd gear but approriate for 2nd.

But I have heard some instructors advising to stop in 3rd. I suppose it can depend on the car and gearing. Some cars may be perfectly happy to pootle along at 10 mph in 3rd gear.

In normal driving I don't really downchange to slow the car however I do use the gears to regulate my speed eg if you need to slow down for a bend and lift off early and are in the correct gear, the engine braking caused by the wheels having to turn the engine can slow the car enough for the bend and you don't need to change down, clutch or brake, just steer and accelerate away. Driving like this is one reason why I'm probably going to get 90k miles out of my front brake pads.

jayok

Page 24 of the Advanced Driving Instructors Manual.

"Many drivers go down through the gears in sequence during braking for a low-speed hazard such as a junction, roundabout or sharp corner, but this is not the way an advanced driver slows down.

Long ago, when brakes were far less efficient, 'sequential downchanging' provided a useful engine-braking effect, but slowing down in a modern car should be achieved with brakes alone, expect when descending a steep hill, on icy surfaces, or in an emergency caused by brake failure."

It goes on

"Changing gear while braking should be, under normal circumstances avoided."

With regard to coasting if you need to stop the car in fifth, then do so! It gives the specifc example

"... Imagine you are travelling.. in fifth gear.. at 40mph.. and the traffic lights turn red. You slow down your car on the brakes alone, but there comes a point where the engine starts to labour. This is the moment when you de-clutch [put your foot on the clutch], in order to prevent the engine straining the transmission. Normally it is a rule of advanced driving that you should not 'coast'... but in this case you have to break the rule briefly so that you can come to a halt without stalling the engine."

There you have it. In practise you will need to be very familar with the machine you are driving to ensure that the above is as smooth as possible, but you should aim for this.

I should add Advanced driving teaches you about taking information, using the information and passing information to other drivers. But simply slowing down on the gears you are not informing other drivers that you are slowing down. By using the brakes, you activate your brake lights, telling everyone that you are stopping. That's their purpose.

I hope this clears it!

Running Bing

I'm taking lessons at the minute in a ford fiesta and practise in a fiat punto and neither has any problems stopping in 4th. I simply gradually brake it down and when the car stops change into 1st. Thats the way I was thought to do it anyway.

jayok

Babybing wrote:

I'm taking lessons at the minute in a ford fiesta and practise in a fiat punto and neither has any problems stopping in 4th. I simply gradually brake it down and when the car stops change into 1st. Thats the way I was thought to do it anyway.

And it is 100% correct - don't let anyone tell you other wise.

BTW I forgot to mention in my previous post. Acceleration and deceleration are diferent things with regard to changes. if while stopping you wish to advance again, you only move the car from the gear it is currently in, to the correct gear to move off in. i.e. if you are in 4th approaching a 90 deg left turn brake to the speed you need to be at to take the turn, change directly from 4th to 2nd, engage the clutch and drive the car around the bend.

Bringing down through the gears, so that you are ready to take-off, is not a correct driving style.

seamus

jayok wrote:

And it is 100% correct - don't let anyone tell you other wise.

BTW I forgot to mention in my previous post. Acceleration and deceleration are diferent things with regard to changes. if while stopping you wish to advance again, you only move the car from the gear it is currently in, to the correct gear to move off in. i.e. if you are in 4th approaching a 90 deg left turn brake to the speed you need to be at to take the turn, change directly from 4th to 2nd, engage the clutch and drive the car around the bend.

Bringing down through the gears, so that you are ready to take-off, is not a correct driving style.

(whoops, I edited your post instead of replying. Lucky I saved it! )

That manouver is advanced. I wouldn't teach it to learners starting out. I'm coming from a motorbike biase, where the above manouver would be better off taught to riders familiar with their machine - but there's no reason why the same rule can't apply to other vehicles. Leave it just that little bit too late to engage the clutch, or to begin braking, and it's all too easy to overshoot the corner or lose traction, particularly in a rear-wheel vehicle.

jayok

(Good thing, I don't think I would have re-typed it )

I appreciate that this manouver is explained for the advanced drivers, but it is based on a solid technique. It does take practice, any quite a bit of it, but once mastered the style looks very competent and controlled. I would think that even beginning drivers could master this quickly if instructed.

For anyone stuggling with this, bear in mind that, if I drive a car that it not my own (e.g. hire one for the weekend) it takes a few go, before I find the labour point, etc. What I am saying is that stick with it and you'll find it.

jozi

Just my 2 cents.....

When i was learning i was told to change down as i slowed the car (using brakes) and not to coast. Also not to stop in first, always second.

I did once ask the instructor could you change from 4 ---> 2 you can as long as you can show your in control of the car but generally you would cycle down trough each gear and stop in 2.

Maybe sending this of topic but is it not in anyway bad for the engine/clutch/gearbox to change down trough/skipping gears? I mean going from 4 -> 2 can give of a roar from the engine if done at to high a speed.

Jozi

BrianD3

It's all very well talking about advanced driving techniques but I believe the OP is asking the correct technique for passing the standard driving test. It's no good being an advanced driver and stopping in 4th or 5th if the DOE driving examiners are looking for drivers to go down through the gears and stop in 2nd. As I said, the way I was taught (by ISM) for my test was to go down through the gears. The problem with stopping in a high gear is that there's a tendancy to coast more (as you must dip the clutch at a higher speed to avoid stalling/labouring) To counteract this you brake harder so that the car stops almost instantly when you dip the clutch, reducing coasting. I can't see the examiners being too impressed with this braking style and they *definitely* won't be impressed if you coast, in fact you'll fail instantly.

declanoneill

When I was taught to drive (which was just a few months ago) I was taught that you didn't need to shift down gears when stopping. I didn't do it in my test and passed. IMO it makes more sence that the examiner would want you to use the brakes (ans thus brake lights) to warn other cars you're slowing down/stopping.

BrianD

seamus wrote:

Completely wrong. For the purposes of the test, the tester might not notice you skipping a gear, but if they do, it's usually marked down as improper use of the controls.

Everything about driving revolves around anticipation. You must anticipate when you will need to stop, and adjust your speed accordingly. "Coasting" is driving along with the clutch fully depressed. It's a common habit of learners who aren't all that confident with clutch braking and rely solely on the footbrake to slow down.

If you're finding that you don't have the time to switch down between the gears when approaching a junction, then you're driving too fast or (more likely) leaving it too late to begin slowing down. Slowing down for a junction should be very like an aircraft approaching a landing - I've never been on a aircraft that speed up to the runway, then at the last minute cuts the throttle and drps the flaps to reduce its speed. No, it's a gradual, comfortable, controlled reduction in speed.

I would disagree. Hoody has the technique on the button. Also braking is not the sign of a bad driver as some one else suggested - they only other way to decrease your speed to allow a smooth gear change is by allowing the car slow by taking your foot of the accelerator. By doing this you are giving no warning of slowing to drivers behind you.

I do agree with your comment about anticipation and being ready to stop at a junction. Every junction is different but in urban situations I would gear down and be ready in the event, say, the lights change. I usually go from 4th to 2nd if I'm stopping, apply the handbrake and then put it into neutral. Well most of the time anyway!

BrianD3

Also braking is not the sign of a bad driver as some one else suggested - they only other way to decrease your speed to allow a smooth gear change is by allowing the car slow by taking your foot of the accelerator. By doing this you are giving no warning of slowing to drivers behind you.

Well it's almost impossible to stop a car using downchanging alone so you're always going to have some brake lights coming on. Also, you'll slow down quite gradually with engine braking unless you do something crazy like go from 5th to 2nd at 60 mph. If you blip the throttle between downchanges you'll get little or no engine braking as you'll be speeding up the engine for the lower gear with the throttle instead of the wheels.

Secondly, is it really the job of the driver ahead to warn the eejit behind that he's slowing down, by coasting up to a traffic lights with his brake lights on continuously for 500 yards (an exaggeration, but you get the idea )

jayok

It's all very well talking about advanced driving techniques but I believe the OP is asking the correct technique for passing the standard driving test. It's no good being an advanced driver and stopping in 4th or 5th if the DOE driving examiners are looking for drivers to go down through the gears and stop in 2nd. As I said, the way I was taught (by ISM) for my test was to go down through the gears. The problem with stopping in a high gear is that there's a tendancy to coast more (as you must dip the clutch at a higher speed to avoid stalling/labouring) To counteract this you brake harder so that the car stops almost instantly when you dip the clutch, reducing coasting. I can't see the examiners being too impressed with this braking style and they *definitely* won't be impressed if you coast, in fact you'll fail instantly

This is no excuse for incorrect technique. The reason I quoted the Advanced Driving manual is simply because it explains so clearly how to brake correctly. There is far more to being an advanced driver that just driving like a "standard" driver and brake as described. Advanced driving builds on the standard driving technique as such the above braking technique would be considered standard - not advanced.

Also, are you proposing than an advanced driver who sits the driving test will fail because they were executing the above braking technique? I think not - well I certainly hope not.

The problem with stopping in a high gear is that there's a tendancy to coast more

It's all a matter of having the correct technique. When executed properly this is not the case.

Secondly, is it really the job of the driver ahead to warn the eejit behind that he's slowing down

Nope, specifically, the law states you are responsible for what's in front, not behind (when going forward). However, if somebody rear-ends you, while it's not your fault, it will be a huge inconvienence to you.

Welcome to the world of Defensive Driving. Protecting yourself from said eejits. By braking and activating your brake lights, you are providing information to drivers that you are stopping or stopped. You have done the best you can to protect youself from being rear-ended. Actually even when stopped, car in neutral, hand-brake on, it is recommended keep the brake lights on until a car has actually stopped behind you. Improve visibility - i.e. don't hit me.

BrianD3

jayok wrote:

Also, are you proposing than an advanced driver who sits the driving test will fail because they were executing the above braking technique?

According to my instructor, yes

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't some (not all) "advanced" driving courses tell you that it's OK to cross your hands on the wheel. A technique which will cause you to fail your standard test.

It's all a matter of having the correct technique. When executed properly this is not the case.

Please explain how it is possible to come to a stop from a high gear without
a)coasting
or
b)sharp braking

jayok

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't some (not all) "advanced" driving courses tell you that it's OK to cross your hands on the wheel. A technique which will cause you to fail your standard test.

Specifically there are two ways to handle the steeting wheel, the cross-over technique and the push-pull technique. For high-speed driving where the turning ratio of the steering wheel to the angle of the front wheels is small (i.e. Formula 1, rally type) the cross-over technique is better. However, in regular road cars the push-pull technique offers smoother control and better handling. This is the only method taught by the advance driving course. So, no, it is not ok to cross your hands during the advanced driving or standard exam.

To stop the car in a high-gear, say 5th, follow the procedure above. From what I see most pople are afraid that they will stall the car when braking, while possible, if timed correctly this will not occur. Coasting does occur in 5th (or 6th) to the greatest degree, but from 3rd it should be no different than first. As stated above stopping in 5th a small bit of coasting is tolerated - it has to be. If we are being really pedantic about it you must coast as some stage even when is second - the car is never at a fully stop before you disengage the clutch.

With regard to sharp braking, all modern cars have a hydraulic cushion to prevent the need to hammer the brakes and smothen out the application of the brakes. The disengaging of the engine from the wheels while braking should not cause a sharp increase in deceleration.

Ernie Ball

jayok wrote:

This is the only method taught by the advance driving course.

What advanced driving course?

jayok

What advanced driving course?

Institute of Advanced Motorists (www.iam.org)

Ernie Ball

jayok wrote:

Institute of Advanced Motorists (www.iam.org)

They have an Irish branch: http://www.irishadvancedmotorists.ie/

jayok

They have an Irish branch: http://www.irishadvancedmotorists.ie/

Yep, and it's the same test as the one that they do in the UK. If you are serious about driving, I would strongly recommended you become a member. The techniques you learn really do make you a better driver.

BTW I mean "you" in the plural sense not just for Ernie Ball

vector

reading your replies it seems that changing down is the best way, for so many reasons but I tried is last night on an empty road, driving up to 50kmph and pretending to stop for a traffic light, I can't get it.. nice idea and I'd save a fortune on brake pads but I'll put it off for the future.

So for the actual test I'll just depress the clutch almost* fully and go thouth the motions fo changing down 4>3>2 (and when at 0 into first) but actually be using the brakes to stop.


*almost, not completely so that the engine will sound like its somewhat driving the wheels and not just idling

jayok

vector wrote:

reading your replies it seems that changing down is the best way, for so many reasons but I tried is last night on an empty road, driving up to 50kmph and pretending to stop for a traffic light, I can't get it.. nice idea and I'd save a fortune on brake pads but I'll put it off for the future.

Working the gears is still not correct. And as for saving brake pads? It's cheaper to replace brake pads than the transmission system (clutch, etc).

So for the actual test I'll just depress the clutch almost* fully and go thouth the motions fo changing down 4>3>2 (and when at 0 into first) but actually be using the brakes to stop

Then you will definately get done for coasting! Surely your driving instructor can take you through stopping from 50km/hr to a dead stop?

Squirrel

@jayok

From reading your earlier post from Page 24 of the Advanced Driving Instructors Manual I can see where your coming from, but that says that braking and changing gears should be avoided, and so is coasting, therefore would it not be more sensible to change down gears down to 2nd or so before you start braking, that way you don't brake and change gear at the same time, or coast

Philbert

Eh..Ok!

If I know I am going to have to stop, whether it be coming up to a junction or traffic lights or whatever it may be, I simply put the car into neutral and the only thing i have to worry about is stopping the car.

If I need to move again between the point at which I realise I will have to stop and the stopping point (ie the lights go green), I put the car from neutral into whatever gear is appropriate to the speed of the car at the time.

This is somthing I have always done. Is this wrong? Why?

vector

don't actually go into neutral when your'e moving, I mean its one thing to drive like me and press the clutch and coast, but to actually select neutral on purpose when you're moving... no

jayok

Squirrel wrote:

that says that braking and changing gears should be avoided, and so is coasting, therefore would it not be more sensible to change down gears down to 2nd or so before you start braking, that way you don't brake and change gear at the same time, or coast

The problem here is say you are in 4th doing 60kph. Dropping the car to 2nd first will cause excessive revving of the engine and won't result in a smooth ride.

There is actually a clear split between acceletating and decelerating when it comes to the gears. If you are driving along and and approach a red-light you begin braking with the car in 4th. Say while braking the car's speed drops to 15 kph and the lights turn green. You now want to accelerate again. At this point you release the brakes (letting drivers behind you know you're not stopping), disengage the clutch, put the car into 2nd, re-engage the clutch and accelerate normally. You do not go through 3rd.

This is somthing I have always done. Is this wrong? Why

This is coasting and is technically wrong. But I hear you ask why? I am simply just taking pressure off the brakes by disengaging the engine? Yes, but it's also to do with ensuring that the engine keeps turning over when the car is moving. So much depends on a running engine in a car (assisted brakes, power steering, etc) that you will want to ensure that if there is anything mechanically wrong with the engine that these system are running while you are moving. I don't know if you've ever driven a car with power steering that has cut-out mid turn on you, (if coasting) but the steering goes very heavy. This is just and example, you no longer have consistent control of the car and the reason you should not coast.

Philbert

vector wrote:

don't actually go into neutral when your'e moving, I mean its one thing to drive like me and press the clutch and coast, but to actually select neutral on purpose when you're moving... no

I gathered that from the thread!!

But im confused, why is this such a bad thing? I mean it allows me to not have to worry about gears and just concentrate on stopping the car. In the event that I have to move off, I just select the best gear for the speed im doing.

Im getting a bit worried now cause this is something ive been automatically doing for years!

fletch

Philbert wrote:

I gathered that from the thread!!

But im confused, why is this such a bad thing? I mean it allows me to not have to worry about gears and just concentrate on stopping the car. In the event that I have to move off, I just select the best gear for the speed im doing.

But if you need to make an evasive manouvre that requires power going to the wheels, the few seconds it takes you to put the car in gear and lift off the clutch could be crucial. You are not fully in control of the car when you are in neutral

bbability

From an Advanced Driver's point of view (moi), there is driving the car and there passing the Driving Test. This might help you if your having trouble remembering what gears to be in....

Start in 1st
Turn in 2nd
Stop in 3rd
Drive in 4th

No matter what anyone says "this is the way" or "that's the way you should..." , most of the recognised driving schools in the country will say that its good practice to show the use of your mirrors, changing up and down through the gears etc etc. There nothing wrong in stopping your car in 2nd but for the record you should not go straight from 4th to 2nd for test purposes as another user has pointed out. Its good practice to gradually slow your car down using the gears and brakes. Lets take approaching a Stop Junction as an example. Your around 150m from the juction and the tester tells you your turning right at the junction. Check you mirror, signal and change down into 3rd. You should not need to change down into 2nd as this will show your approaching the junction too slow (lack of progression). Allow the car to slow itself down and gradually as you reach the junction apply the brake. You will bring the car to a stop. Apply the handbrake and put the car into 1st gear. As soon as your clear, proceed with your turn and low and behold you've succesfully and correctfully stopped the car and turned at the juction.

Philbert

jayok wrote:

This is coasting and is technically wrong. But I hear you ask why? I am simply just taking pressure off the brakes by disengaging the engine? Yes, but it's also to do with ensuring that the engine keeps turning over when the car is moving. So much depends on a running engine in a car (assisted brakes, power steering, etc) that you will want to ensure that if there is anything mechanically wrong with the engine that these system are running while you are moving. I don't know if you've ever driven a car with power steering that has cut-out mid turn on you, (if coasting) but the steering goes very heavy. This is just and example, you no longer have consistent control of the car and the reason you should not coast.

Understood. I had no idea certain elements of the car relied on the engine been engaged. I will try to break this habit as of tomorrow.

unknownguest

Just saw this thread now. Don't fancy reading the whole thing. If facts have been established please let me know:)