"Anything goes ..." Please read on then, I need some advice from the learned and experienced!

[saffi420]

I have done 3 driving lessons and can't get a grip on the "starting off" process, I hear the titters already!
I've been watching YouTube and reading articles and crashed (not literally) due to information overload. I can't have any more "Mr Bean" moments on Friday! I've tried to remember the sequence my DI told me. Can someone tell me if I'm right please. I also have a little question at the end. This is a petrol engine car, manual.

Moving off after POM.
1. Clutch in
2. Start Car
3. Select 1st gear
4. Find biting point ( do I also use accelerator here as well at the same time?)
5. Release handbrake
6. Move off by slowly lifting clutch and maintaining/increasing accelerator
7. Then drive on using accelerator only.

That's what I understand but the week before I was shown how to reach bite point and drive on using NO gas and the week after I was to do with the gas depressed and I didn't even know there was two ways.

What I'm really getting at is, in the "real" world, can I reach biting point just with clutch alone? I fear it's too much to take in using the gas at the same time. I've searched everywhere for Automatic car driving lessons, but to no avail.

Just one last ask please? Can anyone recommend any learner apps or sites they are using/have used to help them learn?

Huge thanks

 

[lilszi]

Petrol and Diesel have different biting points, with diesel you can get to the biting point without adding gas.

 

[saffi420]

Petrol and Diesel have different biting points, with diesel you can get to the biting point without adding gas.

Thanks lilszi, I appreciate your comment.. Its all ok watching videos and reading but it's only by asking "real" people that you get to know these points and various little gems of wisdom.

 

[lilszi]

Thanks lilszi, I appreciate your comment.. Its all ok watching videos and reading but it's only by asking "real" people that you get to know these points and various little gems of wisdom.

It's all about practice, don't worry! Videos are way too general, and every car is a little but different. Keep trying!

 

[Jon]

I have done 3 driving lessons and can't get a grip on the "starting off" process, I hear the titters already!
I've been watching YouTube and reading articles and crashed (not literally) due to information overload. I can't have any more "Mr Bean" moments on Friday! I've tried to remember the sequence my DI told me. Can someone tell me if I'm right please. I also have a little question at the end. This is a petrol engine car, manual.

Moving off after POM.
1. Clutch in
2. Start Car
3. Select 1st gear
4. Find biting point ( do I also use accelerator here as well at the same time?)
5. Release handbrake
6. Move off by slowly lifting clutch and maintaining/increasing accelerator
7. Then drive on using accelerator only.

That's what I understand but the week before I was shown how to reach bite point and drive on using NO gas and the week after I was to do with the gas depressed and I didn't even know there was two ways.

What I'm really getting at is, in the "real" world, can I reach biting point just with clutch alone? I fear it's too much to take in using the gas at the same time. I've searched everywhere for Automatic car driving lessons, but to no avail.

Just one last ask please? Can anyone recommend any learner apps or sites they are using/have used to help them learn?

Huge thanks

1) Clutch Down
2) Turn Engine on
3) Select 1st Gear
4) Take off handbreak
5) as you bring your foot UP off the clutch SLOWLY you push down SLOWLY with the accelerator until the car starts moving forward. As it does keep your accelerator where it is and pull your foot fully off the clutch

If you lift the clutch up without accelerating as you've mentioned above you will just stall the car

Don't beat yourself up about this sort of thing (I know it's easy to say that!) Every car has a different biting point and no matter how experienced the driver when they first get into a new car they will over accelerate etc as they learn where the new biting point is.

All it takes is practice and 3 lessons isn't anywhere near enough as like you said every lesson is sort of information overload and it may take until weeks 4-5 until you get what you were taught in weeks 1-2

 

[Karonher]

I've been driving for 30 years and cant think how to explain how you reach biting point when starting off so don't worry about not remembering after three lessons. Its something that will just happen. It probably doesn't help that I start off by reversing most of the time.

 

[saffi420]

1) Clutch Down
2) Turn Engine on
3) Select 1st Gear
4) Take off handbreak
5) as you bring your foot UP off the clutch SLOWLY you push down SLOWLY with the accelerator until the car starts moving forward. As it does keep your accelerator where it is and pull your foot fully off the clutch

If you lift the clutch up without accelerating as you've mentioned above you will just stall the car

Don't beat yourself up about this sort of thing (I know it's easy to say that!) Every car has a different biting point and no matter how experienced the driver when they first get into a new car they will over accelerate etc as they learn where the new biting point is.

All it takes is practice and 3 lessons isn't anywhere near enough as like you said every lesson is sort of information overload and it may take until weeks 4-5 until you get what you were taught in weeks 1-2

Hi Jon
Thanks for that. It does clarify things a lot and it's greatly appreciated. I do wish I had 3 feet though!

 

[saffi420]

I've been driving for 30 years and cant think how to explain how you reach biting point when starting off so don't worry about not remembering after three lessons. Its something that will just happen. It probably doesn't help that I start off by reversing most of the time.

Thanks Karonher. I'm sure sometimes I "over-think things, which doesn't help!

 

[Jon]

Hi Jon
Thanks for that. It does clarify things a lot and it's greatly appreciated. I do wish I had 3 feet though!

honestly. Just don't expect it all to come togeather the first time you do it.

If I teach you how to boil and egg that's quite a simple instruction

if I teach you how to move the car forward which involves gears, a handbrake, an accelerator, checking your mirrors / blindspot, steering wheel action ALL AT ONCE that's far more complicated and it takes the brain quite a while to learn how to do those things through muscle memory WHICH IT WILL DO!

 

[saffi420]

honestly. Just don't expect it all to come togeather the first time you do it.

If I teach you how to boil and egg that's quite a simple instruction

if I teach you how to move the car forward which involves gears, a handbrake, an accelerator, checking your mirrors / blindspot, steering wheel action ALL AT ONCE that's far more complicated and it takes the brain quite a while to learn how to do those things through muscle memory WHICH IT WILL DO!

Thanks for the encouragement, much appreciated.

 

[katykicker]

I think you should give yourself some more time. My husband STILL regularly stalled the car after he passed his test, for a good few weeks! Usually at roundabouts when he was panicking about pulling out. He's been driving for quite a few years now and has no issues.
A friend of ours seems to always stall when I'm in the car (probably because he knows I've got anxiety about travelling in cars) and he's been driving 5+ years.

Not saying this is great but just saying that even people who have driven for a long time can stall sometimes. It WILL come in time.

 

[saffi420]

I think you should give yourself some more time. My husband STILL regularly stalled the car after he passed his test, for a good few weeks! Usually at roundabouts when he was panicking about pulling out. He's been driving for quite a few years now and has no issues.
A friend of ours seems to always stall when I'm in the car (probably because he knows I've got anxiety about travelling in cars) and he's been driving 5+ years.

Not saying this is great but just saying that even people who have driven for a long time can stall sometimes. It WILL come in time.

Thanks Katy for replying, I aappreciate your comments. (I dare not even contemplate roundabouts!).

 

[saffi420]

Hi Jon
Can I pick your brains again please? What you wrote above was brilliantly put down. I have a lesson tomorrow and hopefully I'll do better this time. Could I ask please if you (or anyone) could help me with the "stopping" sequence please? Not the MSM part, just the actual pedal sequence and making sure the care is safe when stopping/stopped.

I understand it to be:-

1. Steer to left
2. Apply very delicate, gradual brake pressure
3 Press clutch down just before coming to complete halt.
4. Keep feet still
5 Apply handbrake
6 Take signal if applied.
6 Relax!

Does this sound about right please?

The problem arises when I watch two videos together that are contadictory.

Thanks loads.

 

[homie]

Hi Jon
Can I pick your brains again please? What you wrote above was brilliantly put down. I have a lesson tomorrow and hopefully I'll do better this time. Could I ask please if you (or anyone) could help me with the "stopping" sequence please? Not the MSM part, just the actual pedal sequence and making sure the care is safe when stopping/stopped.

I understand it to be:-

1. Steer to left
2. Apply very delicate, gradual brake pressure
3 Press clutch down just before coming to complete halt.
4. Keep feet still
5 Apply handbrake
6 Take signal if applied.
6 Relax!

Does this sound about right please?

The problem arises when I watch two videos together that are contadictory.

Thanks loads.

No offense, but if you feel the need to be asking questions like this on an unrelated internet forum then maybe you need to change your driving instructor. You're paying them (presumably) a pretty penny to provide you with in car tuition so they should address the basics and any questions/concerns you have about them at the beginning. If you don't understand something then ask during the lesson and ask to practice that part some more. Maybe on a quiet little cul de sac or something. It is possible also that you are actually doing ok and are worrying about it too much.

 

[saffi420]

No offense, but if you feel the need to be asking questions like this on an unrelated internet forum then maybe you need to change your driving instructor. You're paying them (presumably) a pretty penny to provide you with in car tuition so they should address the basics and any questions/concerns you have about them at the beginning. If you don't understand something then ask during the lesson and ask to practice that part some more. Maybe on a quiet little cul de sac or something. It is possible also that you are actually doing ok and are worrying about it too much.

Thank you for your input. Yes. I have a good instructor that would tell me but sometimes it helps to ask people in the "real" world how they see things. To be honest, I asked these two questions to prevent my instructor thinking I was a "lost cause". Fortunately, there are always people out there that have the gift of adding that one extra iota of information in a different way that enables the "penny to drop", as it did for me in the earlier posts. Also, regarding the comment of me posting my question in an "unrelated internet forum", I have been a member of this forum for a while, albeit not a long time and this particular section I thought was for "off topic" items ... ??? Once again, thank you for spending some of your time to reply.

 

[Jon]

Hi Jon
Can I pick your brains again please? What you wrote above was brilliantly put down. I have a lesson tomorrow and hopefully I'll do better this time. Could I ask please if you (or anyone) could help me with the "stopping" sequence please? Not the MSM part, just the actual pedal sequence and making sure the care is safe when stopping/stopped.

I understand it to be:-

1. Steer to left
2. Apply very delicate, gradual brake pressure
3 Press clutch down just before coming to complete halt.
4. Keep feet still
5 Apply handbrake
6 Take signal if applied.
6 Relax!

Does this sound about right please?

The problem arises when I watch two videos together that are contadictory.

Thanks loads.

If I wanted to stop the car while driving i would

Put my foot down slowly on the break

When the car is about to stop I would then put your clutch foot all the way down

Then out the car into neutral gear

Lift foot off clutch

Then handbreak

Then lift foot off break

 

[saffi420]

If I wanted to stop the car while driving i would

Put my foot down slowly on the break

When the car is about to stop I would then put your clutch foot all the way down

Then out the car into neutral gear

Lift foot off clutch

Then handbreak

Then lift foot off break

Brilliant, many thanks. Nothing more I need to ask.