Busy road hill start

ssmith6287

Ok this is a weird one, just wondering if anyone else has had the same difficulties. My instructor takes me to a secluded hill to practice hill starts. Id say 1 time out of evry 5 times i loose the bighting point. Whereas if he brings me through the town and Im stuck in traffic, with people crossing infront of me, I have no problem taking off and even balancing on the clutch. I think its because I know when I'm in the secluded area with no people, cars etc that rolling backwards or stalling are the only things i can really do wrong. Wheras when im under a bit of preassure i do it perfectly. Anyone else like this or is it just me. BTW bought my own car yesterday, driving it home tonight, 1st time driving legally without dual control car.. shud be fun

sunnyside

I think it might be because you have to focus more when it's busy and there are loads of other cars around. Rolling backwards and stalling out in the middle of nowhere isn't going to be particularly dangerous but in busy places it is dangerous so that forces the concentration

Posy

If it's a dual control car you are learning in, are you sure the instructor isn't clutching a bit for you in traffic to prevent an accident? Sometimes they'll break or clutch a little for you and it's hard to realise what you're doing yourself. Or else you are more careful in traffic because you don't want to bump into another vehicle. Or maybe you just perform better under pressure, lucky pup!

ssmith6287 wrote: »

BTW bought my own car yesterday, driving it home tonight, 1st time driving legally without dual control car.. shud be fun

Congrats on the purchase of your new car, I got one a while back and it's still waiting to be driven as I look at it fearfully. Good on you driving without the.... wait, they make cars with NO DUAL CONTROL? *feeling faint*

ssmith6287

Yep love driving with a bit of freedom, driving unacompanied though so its a bit dodgy, but hey its improving my awareness on the road, keeping a lookout for illuminous yellow :D but yeah figured it out today, about 6 cars from the yield sign on a very steep hill and took off perfectly whereas was on a hill with less of an incline and stopped to answer th phone, no traffic insight, cut out taking off. But must say im loving the 1.4 engine, it feels like it has a clutch, unlike the swift that i learned in (1 l) jesus try balancing on a hill, you have to sink the acelerator

charlesD

One way to overcome hills is to set the parking brake, put the gear in car, and slowly ease forward.

As soon as you are no longer in danger of rolling backwards, release the parking brake. I am sure in time you will be shifting like a pro, but getting going on a hill can be stressful, especially when you have cars behind you.

The parking brake trick is good to know and has saved me a couple of times when I was in the mountains and someone parked right behind me.

Posy

What's a parking brake?

Alanstrainor

Caderyn wrote: »

What's a parking brake?

Parking break = Hand break. And I believe Charlesd means that you come to a stop, apply the handbreak, and enter first gear, when you are ready to move off, ie checking mirrors and blind spot, indicate and with the handbrake engaged lift the clutch and apply some accelerator until you see the bonnet raise slightly, and then release the handbrake for a smooth hill start.

Enda89

just take off as you usually would on a hill except give it more gas.

Only release the handbrake when you 'feel' the car trying to move - do it last. Hard to explain, but you just get to know when you hit the sweet spot.

I'd say when you're starting off, just keep an eye on the bonnet. When it dips, release the handbrake and make sure to keep giving it plenty of gas. It will need more than usual to overcome gravity trying to pull you back.

Wishbone Ash

Caderyn wrote: »

What's a parking brake?

Parking Brake is the correct name for what most people refer to as a 'handbrake'. On some vehicles it foot-operated so the term 'handbrake' is unsuitable.

Posy

Ah ha!

matrim

What I used to find when I was first learning was that when I was just practising hill starts on their on on a quiet street, I used to consentrate too much and put myself off, i.e. I would be trying to be too perfect and make a mistake.
When I was driving and just did it without consentrating on it, it always worked correctly.