Manual Transmissions – 3 Tips for a Perfect Understanding of Clutch Control

Good clutch control begins, as with most things, with a clear understanding of the actual purpose for which it was designed.  Once this is established an individual can then gauge when particular techniques are working and adapt them where necessary.

The clutch exists for one reason; it has a raison d’etre, that is to provide a means of controlling the transfer of power from the engine to the gearbox and consequentially to the road wheels.  That’s it; if we can understand that simple concept then proper use of the clutch becomes much more attainable.

Driving is such a dynamic activity that there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to dealing with the situations we often encounter.  There are times when immediate transfer of full engine power would be unhelpful and often dangerous, similarly there are situations where careful and steady transfer of engine power is just unnecessary.

The clutch enables us to vary the supply of power in a way that is adaptable for any situation we can ever need to deal with.  A very rough guideline is that the quicker the power needs to be transferred the more power is needed to cope with the transfer, and obviously the flip side of this is that if it is necessary to transfer the power very slow and carefully then not a lot of power will be required.

There are a number of exercises that will clarify this understanding and improve clutch control; here we’re going to look at three of them.

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·         Practise moving off without using any gas.  Of course gas will be used because the engine is running, but in most situations, in most cars the power that is provided when the engine is ticking over is sufficient to get the car moving.  Try it very slowly, listen to the engine and try to pick out when it is beginning to struggle, try to ‘coax’ it along.

·         Once you can move off without extra gas, step it up a little and try it in second gear.  Train yourself to help the engine along, if it needs a little gas then give it a little, but at all times use as little gas as possible.  Then try it in third gear.

·         Finally take your car to a hill and park half way up it.  Be very careful when trying this exercise; in fact don’t even attempt it without having someone with you to watch out for cars coming from behind.  Select first gear and drop the handbrake to allow the car to start to roll down the hill, then use the clutch to transfer engine power to the gearbox and the forward moving first gear.  Add gas where necessary but again only as much as you really need, get the car moving forward then practice holding it rock steady on the slope.  Repeat until you feel confident.

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Once you can do these exercises without too much trouble the clutch shouldn’t be much of an issue anymore, however don’t be afraid of stalling, we all do it from time to time, it’s the driving equivalent of spilling your coffee or stubbing your toe, it just means our concentration slipped a little.

Don’t just take my word for it, do some more research, see what other people say about it then get out and practice, it’s a simple mechanical procedure and is only complicated by lack of understanding.

Manual Transmissions -- Tips on Clutch Control

There are few driving issues that confuse learner and novice drivers more than dealing with the clutch and for a very good reason too.  The problem is that the actual purpose of the clutch is overcomplicated by most educators and instructors; they turn a simple mechanical action into something mystical and almost magical.  What this article will attempt to do is to show the clutch up for what it actually is, that is nothing more than a tool designed for a specific purpose, and a very basic one at that.

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There are four different driving tasks which include using the clutch, being: Moving off, Stopping, Changing Gear and Control at Slow Speed.  Quite a diverse list at first glance, yet the clutch is used for exactly the same purpose throughout all those tasks.

There is one reason and only one reason to use the clutch and that is to control the transfer of power between the engine and the road wheels.  That’s it, in each and every instance of correct clutch use it is applied simply to control how much power is being passed from the engine to the gearbox, and then on to the road wheels.

The clutch can be thought of like a tap (or faucet) in as much as the more the tap is turned the more water comes out.  As we all know different jobs require different control with the tap, so if you are measuring a small amount of water into a jug for a recipe you would turn the tap very carefully letting just a small trickle of water out, on the other hand if you was filling a bucket to mop the floor it’s likely that you would spin the tap full on and let it do it’s stuff.

The analogy works really well, consider moving off from a standstill in a situation where you have very little space in front of you, the margin of error is very small so it makes complete sense to allow only a small amount of power to be transferred to the wheels.  Tight control with the clutch is what is necessary here, too much power will turn the wheels too much too soon and we may have ourselves a little fender bender.

Alternatively consider changing up a gear, the road ahead is obviously clear because you have already built up speed to necessitate the gear change, you must depress the clutch to remove the power of the engine and aid the change but once you have selected the correct gear, just get the clutch back up again, no need to be too concerned about being careful with it.

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So the clutch is a tap, sometimes it must be used carefully and other times it can be used with much less concern.  I guess the point is that we must think about these things and act appropriately.

It’s a very simple mechanism and a very simple process that I’ve outlined here, so don’t believe all those overcomplicated books and instructors, with a little more research you’ll find that this simple process and understanding is applicable to every job where the clutch is required.

How to Deal with Junctions -- The Secret of Give Way Lines

Dealing with junctions often causes stress and uncertainty in novice drivers; it seems that there are so many rules to learn and so many possibilities to cope with.  Junctions come in such an abundance of different shapes and sizes that there’s little wonder that they can become overwhelming.

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As with most things however, the problems stem from a lack of understanding.  With a little bit of thought and a true awareness of the main principles of driving you can begin to deal with junctions confidently, and in a short space of time you can banish that horrible tension associated with the thought of dealing with them.

The secret to dealing with junctions is simply to imagine there was no such thing as give way lines.  It sounds bizarre I know, but consider this; you are approaching the end of a road about to turn left but there are vehicles coming from the right.  Regardless of who has priority, would you make the turn until you are sure you can do it safely?

Most collisions on our roads happen because one or more of the drivers involved make assumptions about the actions of other drivers, they continue on their way without much consideration for the actions of others because they assume the other driver will do what they are supposed to do.

So let’s imagine a world without road markings, without pre-defined priorities for us to follow.

Approach a junction at a speed that is appropriate for the amount that you can see, get comfortable with the concept of zones of vision, it’s very straightforward; the less you can see the slower you travel.

Use the doubt factor, the higher the degree of doubt you have about the actions of any other road user the more prepared you should be to hold back.  Be confident you can deal safely with any erratic or unexpected happenings, keep your speed comfortable and cover the footbrake if the level of doubt rises.

Use a certainty of safety as your guide for when to commit to making progress.  Don’t approach junctions as if they require a decision, approach with the mindset that you are not going to go until you are absolutely certain of the safety of your actions, that’s not a decision, that’s acing on a prompt.

Above all be in control of the situation, don’t put your safety in the hands of someone whom you’ve never met and have no idea of their driving skill or attitude.

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Follow these simple and very logical guidelines and dealing with junctions will begin to become a stress free part of your driving life.  Get comfortable with it in your own mind, once you understand the principle of ignoring give way lines you’ll see that driving is made much more complicated than it really needs to be.

The Hazard Perception Test -- Top Tips for a First Time Pass

Prior to taking the UK practical driving test, a learner driver must pass both parts of the theory test.  The test consists of two parts, the first being a multiple choice knowledge based test and the second being the Hazard Perception Test.

The Hazard Perception test has caught many people out, with some taking multiple attempts before passing, but like most things; with a little understanding and good preparation there’s no reason for this test to be a problem.

First of all you must understand how the test works.  You will be required to click the mouse button at the appropriate time in order to score points; there are fourteen clips to assess with thirteen of them containing one scoring hazard and one of them having two scoring hazards.

Be aware that each clip may contain many more hazards but there’s no way of knowing which hazard will be the one that you will be marked on, so treat them all the same.
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When the scoring hazard begins to develop, your scoring opportunity begins.  At this point you can score five points, as the hazard progresses the amount of point you can score reduces until the point where a collision would be imminent and your chance to pick up a point has passed.

Think of it as a scoring window, if you click at the beginning of window you’ll get five points, click in the middle and you’ll get three points, but if you leave it till right at the end you’ll only get one point, or worse!

One of the biggest problems with this test is that you can actually click too soon.  When the test was forced on driving instructors many of them failed because they perceived the hazard too early, clicking before the window opened and scoring nothing.  Some had more than twenty years experience without incident and all of a sudden this silly test was telling them they had poor hazard perception.

So we need to develop a method of safeguarding against being better than the computer, and this is how it’s done:

·         Treat it just like a real drive, scan the road well ahead and to both sides, pay attention not only to other vehicles but also to pedestrians and areas where the view ahead is restricted.

·         Anticipate what may happen and be ready for it, when approaching parked vehicles prepare for doors opening or signs of movement.

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·         Click the mouse at the point of any action in a real drive, if you would need to check the mirrors, cover the footbrake or actually begin to brake, all these things justify a mouse click.  This will ensure you don’t click too early and score zero.

Finally please remember this is only a brief outline of how to deal with the Hazard Perception Test, it will help but this alone won’t get you through, do more research and practice as much as you can.  More than anything though, think about it and make sure you understand how the Hazard Perception Test works.

Making Driving Easy: Approaching Traffic Lights with Confidence

Making Driving Easy: Approaching Traffic Lights with Confidence: "Whether you are just learning to drive or you have many years experience behind the wheel, it’s likely that you feel a tension when approach..."

The Theory Test -- Top Tips to Pass it First Time

There is a particular reason behind 'the theory test', and until the student understands this concept there is a high possibility of not getting the pass. The fact that people can, and regularly do, pass the test without 'getting it', raises legitimate questions about the method of testing, but let's look at passing it first and leave changing it for another day.

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What DSA are actually trying to do with this test is to influence the way we think about driving, they are trying to generate the right mindset in learner drivers.

The purpose of the theory test is to guide the next generation of drivers towards an attitude of safety first.  This can be seen clearly in the way that the questions are phrased and the slight differences between some of the possible answers.

This awareness of the direction that the test is designed to guide us in, gives us a clear and logical basis to work towards when considering the possible answers for the individual questions.

We must bear in mind that the test is a multiple choice test, we are given a number of answers to choose from, but the catch is that once we say “yes” to one of the answers we are in effect saying “no” to the others.

This concept can really help us, especially when taken in context with an awareness of the purpose of the test in the first place.  It is a simple matter to identify individual words and phrases that would indicate the type of responsible attitude that DSA is looking for, for instance:

In good time

Appropriate

Well before

Safely

Reasonable

All these words and phrases are things that DSA would like to see within the attitude of every driver on the road, and the way that the theory test works is that if you don't choose the answer that says you will choose the appropriate gear, you are in effect saying that you will not choose the appropriate gear.

If you don't say that you will deal with a situation safely, DSA will take it that you will not deal with a situation safely. This is the way that all multiple choice tests work, and if we are switched on to this concept we can really use it to our advantage and make the process of passing the theory test much less stressful.

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This principle will be relevant for about half of the questions you are likely to be asked, so of course there is more work and research to be done, but this concept coupled with the right assistance will make preparing for the theory test much more manageable.

Approaching Traffic Lights with Confidence

Whether you are just learning to drive or you have many years experience behind the wheel, it’s likely that you feel a tension when approaching a junction controlled by traffic lights that may be about to change.  This tension is unnecessary, and with a little bit of thought and practice you can approach these situations confident in the knowledge that you have it under control.

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The general view on traffic lights is that once they change you must decide whether to carry on going or to stop behind the line.  Unfortunately the main consideration for most drivers is whether or not they can ‘get away with it, some drivers look upon it almost as a challenge.

There is however, a simple technique that we can use to ensure we deal with traffic lights safely and confidently. Essentially the idea is to completely remove the need for a decision.  If that sounds stupid ask yourself this question:  Do you trust every other driver on the road enough to believe that they can make a decision about the appropriate course of action, in the time it takes between the lights changing and them crossing the stop line?

No me neither.

It’s pretty obvious then, that minimising the amount of decisions in driving is something that would make our roads much safer.  So how do we take the decision out of an approach to traffic lights?

It’s quite simple really; you must know what you are going to do before the lights change.  What’s more is that you know that already, if I were to say to you “you are approaching traffic lights, the lights are on green, are you planning to go through”?  The obvious answer is that it depends on how far away you are.

So there is clear knowledge that from a certain distance away it is not the right thing to plan to go through the lights.  Conversely though, if the distance from the lights was only a couple of car lengths, most drivers would agree that it would not be safe to stop from any sort of speed over such a short distance.

There is a wonderful logic to that approach and even more importantly it gives us a clear course of action.  Up to a certain point it would be the wrong thing to do to plan to continue after the lights change and after a certain point it would be the wrong thing to do to plan to stop after the lights change.

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The point at which the plan should change from “I’m going to stop” to “ I’m going to carry on going” is dependant on a number of things which will take a little more thought and possibly a little more research, but essentially you should approach traffic lights with the intention of stopping until you get to the point where it would be safer to carry on through the junction.

Keep it simple, it’s not a decision’ it’s a commitment.