Too Slow for Second Gear but First Gear is Jerky
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- Опубліковано 17 тра 2024
- I often get asked the question about what to do if the car is too slow for second gear but downshifting to first gear will be jerky. Is it OK to put the clutch down and leave it in second gear? Is this coasting and will it be a fail on the UK driving test. In this video I give examples and explain what is safe, not safe and what is acceptable on the UK driving test.
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This video is created by an experienced driving instructor, please subscribe to get my latest videos as I upload them to help you pass the UK Driving Test.
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This video is a guide intended to help people who are learning to drive with a driving instructor in the UK, it is by no means a replacement for driving lessons with an appropriately qualified driving instructor.
Laws and driving rules may be different in your country. The makers of this video cannot be held liable for any consequences caused by any information that is in any way inaccurate, misleading or missing. The makers of this video are not liable for any person's driving other than their own, it is the responsibility of the person driving a vehicle to ensure they drive safely and within the law. The makers of this video are also not liable for any person failing a driving test as a result of the information provided in the video.
00:00 Jerky first gear
00:46 Coasting in second gear
01:40 Was coasting bad?
03:27 Another example
03:56 UK driving test
07:09 Same junction in first gear
07:42 Disadvantage of second gear
08:32 Bad example of coasting
09:33 When I keep the clutch up
10:25 Brief summary
10:51 Outro
NYC drivers have a limited amount of tolerance for learners. Thanks to your videos, I got up to speed much quicker.
I am an American who just got my first manual car, this channel has been invaluable for me as almost no one in the US drives a manual and those who do have no clue how to teach. Thank you for all of your videos, they are extremely easy to understand and literally answer all of my questions!
Enjoy your manual! It's a dieing breed in the world. In the UK we have a separate test for autos and as I understand it more and more people are passing an auto test (meaning they can't drive a manual. It's illegal).
I've never had an automatic car. In 16 years on the road. When I do drive one It feels so strange.
What your used to I guess!
@@AdamMGTF what do you mean dying breed in the world, 80% of cars sold in europe are manual
Did I ask?
EY congrats on joining the manual elitist jerks gang!
They always go; just find the biting point then feel the engine. once you get use to start from complete stop and change gear from 1st to 2nd, just do the same to the other gears.
Richard, you are the goat. An absolute legend. Was up late last night revising all your control videos ingraining them to memory. Stressed out my head took my test today and I passed. Could not have done it without you. Thank you 🙏🏽
That's really great to hear! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
BAAAAAA
Driving for a couple of years but I still visit your channel from time to time, helps to keep tabs on my bad driving habits!
I always felt weird about my habit of going through 90 degree turns with the clutch in because I've never seen anybody else do that. Happy to see I'm not the only one 😁
Thanks for all the tips throughout the videos, I passed today and couldn't do it without all the advice. I completely forgot to check around after the emergency stop but luckily it was a minor.
Welcome to the club brooo
@@jeankabumbu7633 still can't believe it, I got really lucky though
In practice, the most important thing is to remember WHY you should check around you after an emergency stop (or from any car stop). In a real emergency stop, you might experience some shock about what happened and you have to return your cool and look around before proceeding. A car might speed around a sharp turn and force you to stop in the middle of the near lane when turning right. You then might need to reverse to return behind the line to avoid obstruction, but in this spot you need to keep your cool and observe before reversing, looking for pedestrians who take advantage of the gap behind you, or a car that recently queued behind you. Others driving behaviour may anger you, but staying cool will help you avoid mistakes and stay in the present. If it takes a couple of seconds to return your cool, so be it, and stay put.
Great job! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
Great video Richard, I've been an ADI since 2004 and totally agree that my training put a lot of pressure on me to eliminate coasting altogether. Years of experience in the job made me realise that coasting in certain circumstances makes things safer and easier. Like stopping in yellow box junctions people have one thing in their minds regarding coasting; that it's not permitted or tolerable in any circumstances!
I had this exact question for my driving instructor right before my test, i feel way safer putting the clutch down and rolling in second gear when i have no visibility so have been doing that. Used it on my exam last friday as well and passed with flying colors! Thanks for all your videos, they've helped a bunch!
I thought clutch made you go faster?
@@Black.Sabbathnot in 2nd gear when you're going as slow as possible where it would stall
Hey, just wanted to say thanks for all your instructions here. I'm from India and started driving only 3 years ago. Even after taking formal driving lessons I couldn't confidently handle driving in city (Bangalore) no matter how much of driving experience I got and found driving really stressful. After following along your videos and testing them out on the roads daily on my manual car (Suzuki Swift), I'm not only better now with the control of my vehicle and responding to hazards but also find driving very joyful.
Not to mention, with the confidence I built up in just 3 months of practise, in Dec 2022 I successfuly went on to have a long driving trip in the Western Ghats mountain range. I owe a big part of that success to the detailed videos you make. Cheers!🙂
Great!! namma bengaluravru.. I just started learning driving.. learning in mysore.. have to drive in blore.. looks like I have found the right channel
Pretty amazing that this man’s videos essentially taught me to drive stick way back when and he’s still teaching me small tips years later, you never stop learning :)
No other channel on youtube addresses these issues…there are tons of “how not to stall “ videos…but it is skills like these which makes your driving smooooooother and your fellow passengers will appreciate you for it..thank you to this channel
Great great advice as always. I've been following you for years at this point and the quality of your videos has been consistent
Great video! I always had this question in mind however it was settled with many of your clutch control videos especially the traffic and hill but this video make it very clear for me. I’m glad I control my car just like your first example using 2nd since my car doesn’t want to go to 1st until almost complete stop. Thank you once again for your time and effort. Great job!!
I just passed my test today, all thanks to these videos! Thank you so much, Richard! For anyone looking to pass their test, or build their confidence with driving before getting behind the wheel, I highly recommend this channel!
That's fantastic news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
Hi Richard. Great video. I agree with the content 100%. I’ve been driving for 35 years and have been an instructor (now an ADI) for the last 10 months. The technique you’ve described and demonstrated is what I call a “controlled coast”. Like you said, if you’re in control, it’s safe, hence my description. It definitely helps to keep things smooth and my students benefit from this.
I just wanted to say how well this video is presented. Having the clips of the rev counter, pedals and you presenting at the top is really helpful. I find they really help make things clear and are really helpful particularly if you are struggling with the pedals (like me) ect. Awesome video man!
Hi Richard! I've developed this exact same habit and always felt bad about it thinking I'd put a lot of unnecessary wear on my clutch ... Happy to see it's not so bad 🙏
Oh mate this is a treat! I've had my license for about a year now and I still run into this issue on a daily basis! This has helped me out tremendously thank you so much
love the video! my instructors car is a turbo diesel, so this was a huge problem when i was starting out and he even recommends coasting in 2nd sometimes, and the shift from 1st to 2nd is so unbelievably jerky and gives a lot of turbo lag. Coasting can solve a whole lot of problems, yet so many instructors seem to have pressure on them to tell their students not to use it.
Your videos are really informative! Been thinking about getting a manual so I’ve been watching a lot of your videos for tips of what to or not to do!
I was always stubborn since my instructor would usually tell me to shift down to first and I never did and would play around with the clutch and gas. Here I think it's usually that instructors don't expect new drivers to be able to do that with a good enough degree of control.
I passed my test a few weeks back, also in part because of this channel! Such a valuable resource to people taking driving lessons or even people like me, who have recently passed and have only really just started our journey of learning :)
That's really great to hear! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
Cheers mate, I love your advice. I really improved my driving since I start watching your videos.
Thank you for making this video, I'm sure it will help many learners! Too many people see coasting to be the biggest taboo in EVERY circumstance, which I've never understood... I mean, changing gear is technically coasting and I don't feel like I'm about to crash every time I do that. Unfortunately over here in Spain if you coast AT ALL it can lead to a mark against you, which really makes no sense. I'm glad to hear its not that way in UK
I'm a big fan of situational intermittent clutch-coasting. I'm glad to see it addressed in a favorable light in this video.
Bless you richard this is exactly what i was looking for.I was puzzled by what to do in turns that are sharp enough to make you anxious of what gear to choose between 1st and 2nd.Driving felt so hard for me as a new driver after getting my license and driving my fathers car because my instructor taught me that in every turn inside the town i should brake while approaching,then gear down to 1st,then clutch up and then steer.When i was doing the lessons i thought nothing of it,it seemed normal and my instructor told me to,so i assumed, him with way more experience than i,must be right.When i finally got my license though and started driving my self i came to realise you never really go that slow to gear down,
it is impractical to gear down to 1st. But because that was the way i learned it has now instilled fear to me and i kind of freeze and hope not to do anything stupid every time i need to take a turn in 2nd gear while keeping in mind that its better not to gear down to 1st and trying not to stall and keeping the clutch down for way too long.It feels so unfamiliar because i didnt learn that way and i am so unaccustomed and afraid and makes driving tiring. Also my father while a great driver himself ,he fails miserably to explain me anything about the topic and says its all about experience.Even though i am aware of that fact i still feel insecure about my driving,when it comes to turns at least.Nevertheless great video once again richard,i will watch it carefully probably a dozens of times and hopefully i will get better and more confident when i am taking turns.Sorry about the long essay to anyone reading this and wasting his time....
Different junctions require a different speed. It's important to use the gear that's appropriate for that speed which will vary from car to car.
I passed april 2021 but I just had a thought about your YT channel and thought I'd come and say thanks. I never used an instructor, I solely practiced in my mums car and did my test in it, and purely relied on your channel for learning how to do the manouvers, the mirror checks to do etc. I passed 1st time with 1 minor in wolverhampton. I don't live there and never practiced there, I just picked it because at the time covid made it impossible to get tests. It at the time was also the lowest pass rate in the UK, so I was very pleased and it just shows if you're a competent driver you can pass anywhere. It also shows if you're committed you don't need an instructor (and if your parents are willing to do lessons with you haha). But again a big thank you! Never had an instructor so you were technically mine :)
That's really great to here, what an achievement!
Damn, that's incredible. 👏
My guy, I have had no idea how to explain this as a question for so long. Thank you.
just had a first manual driving lessons today, your videos helped me a lot! cheers
WHAT A TIMING. I was thiking about being more smoother with first and second gears and here you are with this video. THANK YOU :)
Thanks for clarifying coasting and when it makes sense to do it. Really helpful for a beginner
That is actually something I have struggled with even though I've been driving for a couple of years now. I think I've learned something from this video, so thank you.
My first car was an automatic transmission. I had to downgrade due to financial difficulties this year. Seeing that manual transmissions are a few thousands cheaper than their automatic counterparts, I opted for manual. I thought I would seamlessly adapt but l was wrong. Driving manual proved extremely difficult but with the help of this channel, I was able to master gear shifting and clutch control without stalling and causing obstruction on the road during rush hour. Now I shift through the gears like a pro. I can downshift smoothly without jerking. I have also mastered rev matching.
You Mr Fanders are a gift that keeps on giving!
That's really great to hear! Thank you for watching.
I love that this was filmed in Colchester. I was so surprised when I saw your driving on my exact route home!
Have my license for some time now but this video definitely had some useful tips I'll be sure to take into account, thanks for uploading this
Fantastic subject again Richard loved it.. "cut the drive" is the way I explain 'coasting' at low speeds. Thanks again.
Ahhh I really appreciate you explaining the difference between types of coasting. I built up a habit of coasting at speed, so when I got rid of it I found the whole "jerky first vs too-fast second" hard to deal with.
Awesome video Richard through out my journey to becoming a driver i must say your contribution had been emense
Great advice! Passed my test 8 months ago, and my first car is a 2010 Mazda 3, its super jumpy in 1st, but is forgiving in other gears, so using the clutch when going super slow in 2nd really helps! Took a little while to realise I needed to get out of 1st way quicker than when I was learning!
fellow 2010 mazda 3! I also had the same experience with my car as well, super jumpy in 1st but going slow in 2nd is super helpful
The Mazda's 3 are great like that. 1st gear is used to get rolling and as soon as you go around 10km, its 2nd gear and using the clutch when needed. I drive a 2005 (1st gen) Mazda 3. I had to overhaul all the gear lessons as they didnt work well for the Mazda 😂
@@nathaliebrinkman4607 my 06 miata is the same way lol. 1st gear on the 6 speed is an odd one.
Same here on a 08 Mazda 6.
Same here with Mazda 2014! Took me months to realize, 1st is useless for any driving - either jumpy or revs too high and I need 2nd.
Thanks Richard your videos are very helpful ,practical and informative, passed my uk driving test in 1st attempt 😊😊, your inputs were very important
That's really great to hear! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
Finally passed my driving test! Thanks for the videos, will keep watching for the continued wisdom :D
That's great news! Congratulations on passing!
Appreciate all of your videos and tips, I have my test on Thursday
Good luck!
Amazing video Richard, I was waiting for a video about this topic on your channel
Cool video, I often wondered about this when I was just starting out. But now with a bit of experience, it's hardly ever an issue. Whenever you're in that "grey area", you're either fast enough to be able to use just the clutch to accelerate back to 2nd, or slow enough to be able to quickly (but gently) slow down to 1st.
I got this habit when riding motorcycles to use the clutch on 2nd gear and when I got my car, same habits, people tell me it will wear out the clutch faster I keep telling them that wear is marginal since I'm not accelerating hard on 2nd and to say, there is only some slight rev mismatch. This is a great video to address that.
i've already passed my test and been driving for a while now and these still helped me a lot!
Lol, been driving for almost 12 years now. I do most of the things you say in your videos by instinct but the algorithm keeps recommending your videos and I keep watching them. So I finally subscribed. I'm not even from the UK haha.
Hi,this is exactly the case of my car too-The 2010 Opel (Vauxhall) Astra H with 1.7CDTi, 5 speed manual. I had often cases when my engine was stalling or I was going too slow for 2nd but my 1st gear is very jerky to be put into and use when above like 13km/h. What I do is the same as you did in the video-I slip the clutch a little in 2nd while giving a little bit of throttle,then fully release the clutch, its always quite smooth and works and its better than downshifting and using the 1st gear,jerking the soul out of myself and my passengers. I use this when driving on hilly roads and city quite often. I am glad someone explained this. Thanks for the vid! Very useful!
I passed my test many years ago now, and suddenly get a load of driving instructor videos recommended, and you're the only one who actually explains the reality of the general rules, rather than "THIS PERSON FAILED BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T OBEY THIS ONE SIMPLE RULE"
Thank you so much for making these videos, I don't think I could have passed without them!!
That's really great to hear, thank you!
This is one question I've had about driving for ages now!
Really appreciated. Mosted of my life I have driven automatic but now I own a manual. So am improving my skills as driving it more and more. I do try to match my gears to my speed and have had confusing before if the car needs 2nd or 1st when approaching a round about. Plus when leaving my works there is a lot of stop and go slow traffic. So have been using my clutch a lot then to control the car. Thanks so much. Thanks.
You are a LIFE SAVER these are the kind of finnicky questions that I could never put into words! Thank you!
This is my last video to watch tonight, I’ve got my test in 11 hours from now😮 fingers crossed and thank u for all ur videos, specially the emergency stop one and the explaining of the full test one ❤
I hope it went well!
Thank you so much I passed my test yesterday first time with 5 minors your videos are really helpful and informative it’s really help when you are driving thank you so much again
That's fantastic news! Congratulations on passing!
Big fan. Can't lie Richard taught me how to drive my first big body 6 gear. First manual I ever owned.. all the way from overseas!
As a driving instructor in Portugal, I thank you for this video. I too was pressured to advice my students to engage 1st gear at very low speed turnings even when the car doesnt fully stop. And It hurts my soul to engage 1st gear when moving. I got tired of advicing to do something i consider wrong. So I teach them to coast when the speed is to low for 2nd gear, and ONLY in these cases, and if the street they are turning in too is not uphill or steep, or if that steeet is not too narrow for them to control the car when releasing de cluth in 2nd gear. I have never seen a student fail for doing this nor being reprehended. I am constantley telling then not to coast at speeds where coasting is dangerpus..I dont allow costing through junctiones or roundabouts nor as a reaction to about anything that happens in front.of them. I feel it is my duty to prepare them not only for the test, but also and mainly to be safe drivers. And I doubt that anyone, even those instructores who forbid costing at these kind of low speed, actually engage 1st gear themselves. Adaptabiliy must be encourage. A future driver must be able to distinguish a turn left at very low speed going uphill at a narrow and curvy street, from a turn left at very low speeds going into a street downhill with no potencial danger in sight. Thank you for this video
Nice explanation.
Good job buddy.
great video! first I thought this is a video for a racetrack and clicked on it, haha. what a nice surprice, that you are out there giving good advice for other people!
This video may interest you from my other channel: ua-cam.com/video/anJyquvshsY/v-deo.html
Explaining coasting technique beautifully for beginners, to become well versioned in driving more successfully.
I tend to struggle with progress matching the gears with the speed of the car and speeding up faster on clear roads it's my driving test tomorrow thank you for all your videos they have made a difference in my journey to drive
I hope it went well!
@@ConquerDriving it was a fail two serious and three minors
@@hinaparmar9055 what were your serious faults
@@adesportgt the serious faults were not looking in the left mirror before leaving the roundabout and turning right while a car was coming the examiner said there is a car coming then I braked.
I’ve been learning for a week and I have this issue in my car I kinda just instinctively clutch in and let the clutch out slow when I have to turn slowly in second, this video showed me that it’s not a bad habit to have picked up early on
Helpful as always! My 2L diesel is forgiving on the gears (I can pull away in second there's so much torque) but I've had cars like you've explained
Don’t pull away in second as a habit because you’ll do the clutch and duel mass flywheel in.
@@Alexander_l322 I don't lol, just when I forget what gear I'm in
Those two coasting/over the line roundabouts made me really nervous. I’ve seen it happen when cars don’t realise there’s a roundabout there, go too fast, and drive over the give way line. Proves your point fairly well about having the engine power to go though.
very easy to understand explanation, and the incident was in my car. thanks for this video
If you look at this video closely, the issue is not about the wrong gear... CLUTCH control is the key to success. 2nd gear is more for advanced drivers as you need to accelerate smootly and keep the biting point for a bit longer than in first gear, whereas in 1st gear is ALMOST as you would start from a standstill, that is my opinion.
I enjoyed every bit of this video, and I hope it will reach more people! I live in South England and I see so many people on their brakes from a top of the hill all the way to the bottom, whereas I put my vehicle in 2nd or 3rd gear and keeps it nicely controlled.
Coasting at 5-10mph isn't really dangerous as brakes can immediately stop you, whereas if you do 30-40mph it can be really dangerous as you have lack of control of the car
I am just looking for this question! nice timing
That's what i was looking forr.
Thank you bro.
Wonderful video, everyone should watch your videos to perfect driving, driving is something people are underestimating nowadays.
Great content as usual! I’ve got a question thought: most stick shifts I’ve driven have a fairly jerky 1st to 2nd shift, like the ratios are too far apart. Is acceptable to use a little bit of clutch slippage to smooth this out? A little bit of extra gas and being slower off the clutch make it seem more seamless, but I feel like this causes clutch wear.
I always allow a bit of clutch slip from 1st to 2nd to smooth things out.
I always thought that because of bad clutch control, i used too jerk in first gear. Thanks for the tip 😊
Great Video! I have a bad habit of going into first gear, i like a few others in the comment feel like when i go into second gear and at a slow speed after coming out of coasting feel like there's not enough power - am i not leaving it on the biting point long enough to catch up?
Yes, it sounds like yoire bogging down the engine. This video may be of interest: ua-cam.com/video/AHna4amcsnE/v-deo.html
Hi, great video!
Have a question though, Can you share with me how do you get your audio So good?
Have a similar channel , but gering good audio in a driving car is hard.
Love to hear from you.
Grts
Thank you. On the contrary I'm not that happy with my audio, I find it quite difficult to get right. I use a lapel microphone and I trial and error play with the camera settings.
@@ConquerDriving Tell me about it. I use a seperate recorder and lav mic, but have not yet found the solution to cancel out the engine sound to the degree that I want. Must say that I do not notice this in your videos. So you must do something right with it ;)
Hoping to get an electric car soon ;)
Hey, thanks a lot for your videos, I've learnt so much from them! May I ask if you could cover how to drive in the dark/at night in a video please? I struggle to see signals, road markings and signs at night especially now in January when it gets dark quickly, I definitely could use some advice on what should I be paying attention to compared to driving while it's bright.
I didn't mind driving in dark when I was a new driver, but the issue I find now is all new vehicles are fitted with ultra bright LED headlights that dazzle you.
He already has a two part video uploaded about a year ago :)
These videos may help: ua-cam.com/video/frVQvFop6Dw/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/LrgZEmm31OQ/v-deo.html
@@ConquerDriving thanks a lot, I had no idea youtube never recommended me these videos.
awesome!)
I intuitively figured that out before! And I am glad to see that this was pretty correct choice!)
I kept being annoyed by this. This video basically covered what i wanted to know, so thank you for this. However, one thing I always do without exception is using 1st gear in parking lots and such as the jump between 1st and 2nd is quite large in the car i use
As an American, I kind of learned this intuitively but thank you so much for the clarification! It's good to know I'm not crazy! My first car (an old RWD Toyota AE86) did not make much power so sometimes I had to push the clutch in a bit to keep the revs up around certain maneuvers. You have to cause some slip in the drivetrain to allow the RPM to stay up for power sometimes and on the street, the clutch is there for that reason! Now I also have a 300hp V8 Mustang with aggressive gears so I have to slip the clutch while cruising in idle in traffic to keep the car from accelerating too much off idle, so much more torque now lol. This is such an underrated technique!
Also on the track, interestingly enough, AE86 drivers have to intentionally 4 wheel drift the car to keep RPM up even if it is technically a slower cornering method, so instead of slipping the clutch to maintain power (which would burn it up in racing application) you slip the tires! All comes down to what you gotta do to keep the car in the powerband!
The AE86 is a legendary car.
Passed today with no minors, 1 of 8 in 8500 students, your videos helped a lot, thanks✌🏼
Exact same! Let's gooo
@@dc1564 congrats mate
That's great news! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
the short of it is, if the car is in motion and you feel you need first gear, just keep on second gear. Now, with experience you can do whatever the hell you want, but as a newbie this is generally the rule to follow. You can even downshift into first if you know your car well enough - but I don't recommend this for new drivers who is the intended audience of this video. I live in Canada and did my test with an automatic simply because they ding you points for too much crap driving stick. But after passing I just hopped into my daily which is manual and over time you learn how to perfect driving it. Interestingly, these videos touch base on pretty much all techniques I found work best when I was getting accustomed to my car.
banger vid as usual big bro
Great video Richard., whats your opinion when sitting at red lights, should you have your feet on the clutch and brake in first gear or should you be in neutral with the handbrake on ,ive read so many different opinions about wearing out the clutch ?
My opinion is to do what suits you. I do all, depends on the situation and how my legs are feeling. Generally, I'm in neutral, clutch up but on the foot brake. What matters is you have good control.
Holding the clutch down does make the clutch release bearing work for longer. Also it's uncomfortable.
Many thanks for a useful video again! I recently passed my test, and bought a 2021 polo. What annoys me is, my car's moving off is always jerky. I watch your another video about smooth driving many times and tried to maintain at the bitting point longer, but when the clutch completes its job, it's jerky, even I haven't release the clutch. Could it be a problem of its small 1.0L engine, as you said in this video? BTW, when I moves off quickly, or hill start with more power adding, the problem can be released. Many thanks!
Sound's like you're not giving enough gas and the engine is bogging down. But without seeing it happen I can't be sure.
@@ConquerDriving many thanks for your reply, I will try more!
Thanks for the videos man passed my test today.
Nice job! Thank you for watching and congratulations on passing!
Even if it’s weird seing you driving to the left, I take your advices because since I am still at a learning stade I take whatever advice there is that seem logical to me
The only thing is during traffic because I have the feeling to pushing to much the clutch for doing « stop, putting neutral, putting 1st again and going forward » loop
I had a SEAT Leon just like yours - a 18 plate. It was SO jerky in 1st gear, to the point where if I was in that inbetween spot of 1st/2nd I would completely stop and pull off again.
It’s one of the main reasons I changed it.
I had it checked out at SEAT (and always serviced it) and there was no issue, it was just the way the car was.
I’ve now got an Audi A3, ironically with the same engine, but it’s absolutely fine.
You may have had a different engine. First gear in my Leon is easy and smooth.
We have a 2014 1.2 TSI and I'm finally learning to drive. I don't think 1st has been jerky. But having a motorbike + licence for many years, I found it reluctant to downshift into 1st and would force it a bit.
It's because I'm used to being able to go into 1st early when approaching the end of a T-junction. So it's less complicated pulling away without shifting gears too.
From these videos it's because I was going too fast to select 1st and coast (10-15 mph?). So I dislike how I have to either approach in 2nd in hope of being able to continue OR brake suddenly. Or if it's a blind junction, just stop anyway and go into 1st then.
I often find it hard to accelerate as fast as I would like from a junction, as releasing the wet clutch quickly on my MC increases speed. On the Leon I need to stay on the clutch longer and have kangarooed a couple of times otherwise.
I know on my SV650 they became jerkier because of emission restrictions. There's a guide on how to simply reposition the TPS slightly (Throttle Position Sensor) so it adds fuel at 1450 rpm instead of at 3000.
Im American, but ive never owed a manual transmission before (most cars here are automatic) and I just have to thank you for all of the helpful info
It's more work, but it's more fun when you want to zoom around
finally someone understands me :) I was feeling insecure about the "coasting" I have the jerky first gear and I didn't understand what is expected, how to solve this issue. thank you :)
Thank you so much! I wondered why I kept stalling my Seat Ibiza every now and again. Need to keep the biting point till I get at least 4mph. Thanks
Could have done with this video when I started learning, there doesn't seem to be any videos out there explaining this like you have.
that was really helpfull. i got my driver's licence 2 months ago but the car i drive always felt jerky in 1st gear i have to try out your tips
If possible kindly do a video on a muddy road and on a rough road... because those are the nature of most roads in rural areas
Seems like something Low Range in Dual Range transmissions might help with. Subaru had such in some of their older models. It reduces 2nd gears top speed to same as 1st gear so technicly it should be able to be smooth at lower speeds, and not be as jerky as first still. Operation of these dual range levers is the same as shifter itself, clutch in and switch between Hi or Lo settings and release.
Hi Richard. Thank you a lot for this video. I have a question though what if I'm approaching a red light on a hill so I press the clutch down and let the hill slow me down without the brake pedal. I get down to 8-10mph but then the light changes to green. If I change to 1st then the car will harshly engine brake to 6mph but if I stay in 2nd and try to continue will the car stall as I am on a hill or will giving a lot of gas allow me to continue in 2nd?
I would use 2nd gear if the car can handle it or 1st and be very careful with the clutch and gas if it can't handle 2nd gear. Depends on the car and how steep the hill is.
should work by just giving it enough gas honestly but I know what you mean, I've had similar thing happen but just on regular lights around a roundabout. swapped to 1st around 10mph then quickly went back to 2nd before I got as far as lifting the clutch through the bite into 1st
There are a few speed bumps in my city that are too slow for 2nd and First is jerky and what I do is:
1. Press the clutch, go to neutral and lift the clutch.
2. At the same time slow down to the appropriate speed for the speed bump.
3. When my front tires pass it I put the clutch down, go to 2nd, add a little bit of gas and slowly lift the clutch up.
Hey man, thanks for the video. I got one question, how should this be handled on a speed bumps, shoud we use coasting on it?
This video may be of interest: ua-cam.com/video/C9UcWDfXt6U/v-deo.html
Great and helpful video!
I suck at driving but I really thought this was a 'me' problem, I'm relieved
I've a 88 vw beetle, i live in an area with a lot of hills and i need to reduce speed a lot, but not make a total stop
The problem is that my car can't handle 2nd with that much of steep slope, so i try to reduce to first, but i need to stop completely so it would engage the gear correctly
Any advice?
Hey rich i think a good video idea would be for example , the different shaped roundabouts like oblong ones because they are so confusing for me , and also the roundabouts known as "the square" with the middle that cuts through . Would be a big help 🙏
Thank you for the suggestion. I may consider such a video in the future.
Interesting. I was taught to coast with the clutch in when coming to a stop, which naturally leads you to waiting longer to shift into first; though, to be fair, I live in North America, where manuals aren't even part of driver's ed because nobody has them. Many drivers don't even know there can be three pedals. (or roundabouts.) Fortunately, that muscle memory sticks with you once you have it.
It's interesting to note that some cars basically won't let you into first if you're moving, though that's probably more common in close ratio transmissions, where second gear is still quite slow.
i sometimes do this in my car. old Ka and it doesn't like first gear so il gingerly change to back to second gear without committing to first after pressing the clutch. actually using the term fake-out in my head a few times lol I think what's important as you said yourself is to make sure your in second and off your pedals before hand as what i was doing became a habit and i had found myself breaking for a junction and going straight for gas and bite in 2nd leaving less time to make a judgement and after my first test i had to seriously work on my technique to unlearn this. now fake firsts are even more effective too when i need to do em which is rare!