Driving techniques

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Do you use the foot brake or hand brake at traffic lights on flat?

Poll ended at 20 Jul 2015, 22:37

Foot brake
3
11%
Hand brake
20
74%
Stopping at traffic lights? you'll get shot or worse for doing that around here!
4
15%
 
Total votes: 27

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Re: Driving techniques

Post by CitroJim »

Mike, that's fantastic :-D Thanks ever so for the very detailed information :-D

I was at a bus museum the other week and they had a cut-away AEC preselector 'box which caught my attention and interest for a (very) long time... The construction and design of that was very much as the Wilson. The AEC bus used an extremely tiny 'gearstick' - not much more than a small joystick that made the DS one look enormous...
addo wrote:Alfa's Sillyspeed was very close to the Ctroën system. HP pump, accumulator spheres, hydraulic clutch and hydraulic shifts for the gears; it just used electronics where the Dee had mechanical regulation of clutch bite and carb butterfly.
Ahh, I forgot the Sillyspeed Adam :oops: Sorry...

Was that a true preselector or just a clutchless change 'box?
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Re: Re:

Post by Northern_Mike »

CitroJim wrote:
uhn113x wrote:I really liked the semi-auto; a well-thought out idea that nobody has ever copied (AFAIK).
You can change gear with your little finger and everything is adjustable.
I believe the nearest to it Mike, might be those 'flappy paddle' boxes on some moderns. They can be a semi or a full auto depending on how you want to play with it...
Yes Jim, my dad's Honda Jazz CVT-7 has this arrangement. It has flappy paddles on the back of the steering wheel. There's a button to select either 7 speed box, or full auto.
It's quite good fun for a while on the Greek mountain roads if you want to pretend to be Sebastian Loeb for a while, but ultimately it gets boring, and even I flick the switch back to full auto.
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by DickieG »

On one of my recent European jaunts I drove a couple of Astons that had flappy paddle gearboxes (a V8 Vantage and a V12 Virage) the bloody things were awful in the extreme, no matter what I tried from driving flat out to the red line to gently feathering the throttle prior to changing gear there was absolutely no subtlety or anything resembling a mildly smooth gear change, the selection of each gear was literally bang with the whole car shuddering. The only hope I could ever have of replicating such an uncouth gear change would be to force the gear lever into gear without using the clutch and making absolutely no attempt to match engine revs with the gear being selected.


Re handbrakes at traffic lights etc if stopped for more than a moment I always taught my students to apply the handbrake to prevent roll back not to mention the benefits relating to a vehicle colliding with yours.

For the most ridiculous electric handbrake my award goes to the present Volvo V70, its electric but the switch is located on the underside of the dash on the offside requiring the driver to reach an absurd distance to apply or release it, I could understand the need for such a location when bowden cables were necessary but an electric switch? :?

There are many opinions on the popularity of electric handbrakes and from what I've discovered just as many variations on how they operate, some are down right obstructive whilst others are intuitive. Opinions apart one very useful feature of electric handbrakes is that they make an excellent emergency brake (especially if you are instructing) as from what I've discovered so far they apply maximum braking whilst employing ESP, try doing that with a traditional handbrake and you'll either lose control as the rear wheels lock up and/or take an age to stop.
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by Sam KS »

On Gear box's:- I thought the sillyspeed was just a DSG. is that right? i haven't used one or had the misfortune to work on one as yet. and as for CVT :-& box's. where i used to work all us reps had Nissan Dualis (Qashqui), other than the plastics falling apart just after 100,000km all the CVT packed up before 140,000km. The best i have driven in a Porsche 911 i think from the 70's with a auto clutch. I'm not sure how it operated but the thing went like $hit off a shovel.

and Handbrakes:- the onld Ford LTD i had (and some old Rollers i have driven) have a 3rd pedal to engage and an electric switch on the dash to release. engaging is ok but finding the switch on a hill can be hard. not that it matters, the handbrake is only there for cosmetic reasons.
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by Citroenmad »

Sam KS wrote: and Handbrakes:- the onld Ford LTD i had (and some old Rollers i have driven) have a 3rd pedal to engage and an electric switch on the dash to release. engaging is ok but finding the switch on a hill can be hard. not that it matters, the handbrake is only there for cosmetic reasons.
As does the XM, our XM has the parking brake on a 4th pedal :-D I still laugh out loud when doing a hill start :roll:

The sensodrive/EGS gearbox from the PSA range is not one of my most favourite things. Its not easy to use for parking reasons as there is no creep. Its clutch is either on or off, which either means you roll into something, dont move or move at quite high speed into the thing you were parking near. Not to mention the gearchanges which have significant pauses to them. I have known a few people to buy C4 Pics with that box and sell them shortly after. We had a Peugeot with it and it ruined the car for me, if it was a manual I think we would still have it.

As for manual gearboxes, by far the worst I have drive is old 80s & 90s Mercs, awful things. Dog leg boxes and some where you lift the whole gearknob up to select reverse, which is next to 2nd :?
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by CitroJim »

Gosh :shock: Remind me never to look at a sensodrive then. No creep? That's not right :evil: What's the world coming to I ask :roll:
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by Northern_Mike »

CitroJim wrote:Gosh :shock: Remind me never to look at a sensodrive then. No creep? That's not right :evil: What's the world coming to I ask :roll:
The V6 doesn't creep much at all in "normal" mode. It does creep quite a lot in sport mode.

I wish there was a firmware upgrade for it...

Anyway, the 7-Speed flappy-paddle 'box in the Jazz is actually a CVT pretending to be a 7 speeder. It just changes to specific "ratios" when you flap the paddles. It's pretty instant, and quite good fun. As it's only 1.2 engine, it's no use to man or beast really!
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by Citroenmad »

Rattiva_Mike wrote:
CitroJim wrote:Gosh :shock: Remind me never to look at a sensodrive then. No creep? That's not right :evil: What's the world coming to I ask :roll:
The V6 doesn't creep much at all in "normal" mode. It does creep quite a lot in sport mode.
I didn't find it that bad? Still, it does creep and you can make it creep slowly or quickly. In the EGS you can either work with the clutch out or in, there is no inbetween and if you try to use the accelerator and the brake it catches on and dips the clutch :twisted:
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by CitroJim »

I'll agree the V6 HP20 doesn't creep as much as the HP18 in the XM, perhaps because it's a bit cleverer but it creeps quite adequately in my experience.

An automatic that doesn't creep I would find uncomfortably odd and unacceptable.
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by red_dwarfers »

I wondered where this rumour of Jim developing a soft spot for the G came from. I had a text from Chris Salter (ren16tx) last night mentioning it after he had been talking to a top secret informant on the FCF, news travels fast, god knows how many people know now!

When I'm waiting around for more than a few seconds I'll stick the parking brake on and drop into neutral. I'm going to miss the XM and it's parking brake/manual gearbox next month when it gets tucked up in the garage for the winter :cry: Still, hopefully by January/February I'll be able to dart about in the GSA :D I'm not quite sure what that says about me really, keeping the XM out of the weather during the Winter but leaving the G out to brave the elements :lol:
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by Citroenmad »

red_dwarfers wrote:I'm not quite sure what that says about me really, keeping the XM out of the weather during the Winter but leaving the G out to brave the elements :lol:
Sounds like you cant wait to drive your GSA to me :lol:
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by CitroJim »

It's just perfectly normal XM love Kev :wink: Wish I could put mine in a nice warm comfy garage for the winter along with my Activa...

I've always had a soft-spot for the G, right from when I was 17. I badly wanted one then but my dad talked me out of it :cry: The love for them has smouldered ever since then and that's getting on 36 years now...

If only I'd defied my dad and got a G rather than the Vauxhall Viva I eventually got. Such a terrible mistake that the scars still remain :evil:

It was so bad I got rid of the wretched thing and replaced it with an R4. Now that was a very good move indeed :-D There began my affair with French cars...
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by DickieG »

CitroJim wrote:the Vauxhall Viva I eventually got.
I don't know what's worse Jim, owning a Viva or admitting to it in public, what version, HA, HB? :lol:
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by CitroJim »

DickieG wrote:
CitroJim wrote:the Vauxhall Viva I eventually got.
I don't know what's worse Jim, owning a Viva or admitting to it in public, what version, HA, HB? :lol:
Well, you know me I'm a very open person...

It was a hideous HC :evil:

Now you know why I have a pathological hatred of all Vauxhalls. That HC left its mark good and proper :roll:

I don't share a full hatred of all GM products. A V6 Holden Commodore I occasionally enjoyed driving down under impressed me greatly 8-)
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Re: Driving techniques

Post by Sam KS »

CitroJim wrote:.... A V6 Holden Commodore I occasionally enjoyed driving down under impressed me greatly 8-)
you wouldn't like the new ones. they have managed to make the motor so gutless that they fell less powerfull than a Toyota Camry and such a harsh ride (trying to make them fell sporty) they they'll rattle your back teeth out.

My company car is a Ford Falcon on gas (only the 6 banger :cry: ) and i have a couple of mates with company Holden Crumbledoors and they can't touch me, and after a long drive I get out feeling fairly fresh and they are knackered. Me and a mate regularly go to Rockhampton (6.5 Hours/ 650km) and when i get there i'll still happily to see a couple of customers and head out for a pint and a bite. He is knackered and heads to his room for a sleep and then a quick meal in.
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