I'm thinking of changing to an automatic car but never drove one. Is it easy to swap over.
Just watch your speed. It is easy to go over the limit in an automatic.
I can tell you categorically that “everyone” does not. In fact no one I know does. My wife is Canadian, automatic is ubiquitous there and none of her family left foot break.
wha?
On a slightly different topic, I drive a car with an automatic 6 speed gearbox. I understand that it is a standard 6 speed gearbox, with an automated clutch.
When I am stopped for more than a few seconds, I put the gear in neutral and press the brake (the car doesn't have an electric handbrake).
The reason I feel I should do that is that the car would creep forward if I left it in "D" & I would have to press the brake to stop this. Surely this would cause premature clutch wear?
Friends of mine say that there is no need to put in neutral. But I think it could lead to premature clutch wear.
Who is right?
I've never heard of it wearing out the clutch but as I mentioned earlier, modern automatics have an 'auto hold' feature that negates this.
Left foot braking? in normal driving conditions? Errr, no.
Aren't some of the new EV's one pedal only? Will this catch on I wonder.
I never use N and never understood the purpose of it. Most stops are for few seconds maybe minute or two and I stay in D with foot on break. For longer stops I use P.
I think N is only for when you use an automatic car wash or if being towed or situations like that. I'm driving autos since 2005 and never once used N.
I've spent the last thirty years left foot braking and I'm still here…if you drive both manual and automatic vehicles, by all means stick to the right foot as it's what you're used to.
No. They have regenerative braking so that you can in some cases come to a halt without the brake pedal, but you still get two pedals for use when you need to brake hard.
I am just going to say no to this entire post, you may do it but it is not how automatics were designed to be driven. They want one foot only to be used so you don't make the mistakes you mention above. Most cars even have a rest plate for your left foot. Put it there, leave it there. With all due respect whether you are driving 30 days or 30 years, it does not change the fact that the way you are describing driving an automatic is not correct, it is doable, but it is not correct and I think recommending it to anyone starting out is inappropriate at best.
It is also, in my opinion, easier to switch back to manual doing this, for the same reason, your left foot is for the clutch, your right foot is for the accelerator and brake. In effect, you do the same with both feet in both cars. I drive both on a daily basis, no issues switching back and forth when both are driven correctly.
OK, maybe not everyone, but most people.
LFB FTW! 😃
N is for being towed or dragged on to a tow truck
I’m happy for you. It’s pointless though.
switched to an automatic 6 years ago - much prefer it to manual and I've never once left-foot braked. It seems to be people who've been driving autos for decades who do this.
Recently got a second car which is a manual, no bother switching between the 2 and the manual muscle-memory comes back pretty quickly. Prefer the auto though.
I loved the switch from manual to automatic and wouldn’t go back. Most people love it but there’s a few that don’t take to it for some reason.Also leave your left foot rest, u’ll increase your risk of an accident if you start using it for braking.
If using the left foot on the brake, it's going to apply pressure on the pedal, turning on the brake lights. Drivers behind won't know when you are actually slowing down.
Altogether a bad idea and no driving instructor would teach this method.
The brake lights are meant to come on when the driver applies the brakes, no matter which foot they're doing it with. Unless the driver is in the (equally bad!) habit of resting their left foot on the clutch pedal when driving a manual, this simply isn't an issue.
There would be no clutch wear if, when stopped, you leave it in Drive and keep your foot on the brake. In this scenario the clutch isn't slipping.
There's no need to be putting it into Neutral every time you stop briefly. In an automated manual like yours, I'd only put it into Neutral and apply the handbrake if I was waiting a while and wanted to rest my foot.
Well the handbrake does serve a purpose. You should use it when parked on an incline and turn your wheels towards the sidewalk where there is one. It’s also good form to activate it daily if it’s a cable linkage to avoid it rusting and breaking.
This post is giving me serious symptoms of deja vu and not that long ago either.
Sidewalk = pavement
I've parked on plenty of slopes where the parking pawl isn't sufficient to hold the car. Even in the US!
The control of the accelerator is the "skill" to prevent the need for braking too much.Its a doddle.
The control of the accelerator is the "skill" to prevent the need for braking too much.
Its a doddle.
and when further down the line more EV's come in, and with their 1 pedal driving, it gets even easier!!!
I've driven Dublin - Cork (through both cities) and never touched the brake pedal once!!
Pavement in Ireland and the UK, yes. Sidewalk in North America.
One thing I do like about yankee land is you must park facing the direction of traffic and not any old spot you see.
In 20-30 years there'll be no pedals, or steering wheel. Humans will be deemed too dangerous to be allowed control a vehicle on public roads. It will be auto pilot only. The tech is already there.
The tech is currently driving "full self driving" Teslas in to median barriers for the hell of it.
It isn't reliable and isn't likely to ever be reliable without the entire road network being rebuilt for it - higher visibility signs, markings etc - and if that's the case, human drivers would have to be banned lest a computer kill them.
I changed to automatic this year and I'm sorry I didn't do it years ago. Very easy to transition from manual. Just keep your left foot out of the equation.
In 20 to 30 years there will be no humans.
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