Sometimes we stop for a moment at a quiet junction and notice there is a slight uphill
gradient. We will need to stop the car from rolling back, but it doesn’t seem worth
using the handbrake for such a small incline. It is possible to carefully use the foot pedals
alone to move away, and this technique is usually quicker and easier than the traditional
method with the handbrake. In this video we will show how to do hill starts without using
the handbrake, and talk about when we would use this technique.
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The basic principle for this technique is to use just enough clutch bite to hold the
car on the hill, whilst we move our right foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator
and drive away. This is easier to do in modern cars, and cars with larger engines, as they
usually have more engine power. However, if you find that your car stalls too easily when
you try this technique then it might be better to stick with the traditional handbrake method
after all.
We’ve stopped on this hill to practice our technique 3 times. We’ve set ourselves up
as if we’re at a junction, with the car in 1st gear, the handbrake off, and our feet
on the clutch and brake pedals.
This time we’ll look at what we need to do, step-by-step.
First we lift our left foot up gently until we feel the clutch is biting a little, and
then keep it still. The small amount of ‘forward drive’ from the clutch will stop the car
from rolling back. Next, we lift our right foot off the brake pedal. The car won’t
roll back, but it might not drive forward either yet. Finally, we push the accelerator
pedal to add a little engine power. We keep both feet still as the car starts to move
forward smoothly. Once the car is rolling at about walking pace we lift the clutch pedal
fully and accelerate the car up to speed.
This time we’ll watch in slow motion. We find the biting point, release the brake,
add power and finally engage the clutch.
We’ll stop one more time, and then watch and listen at normal speed.
So that we can decide which is the best hill start technique to use, let’s look at the
benefits and drawbacks of doing hill starts without the handbrake. Since there are less
car controls to coordinate, it is usually easier to quickly stop and start the car on
a hill. This makes it a handy technique on gentle hills, especially when manoeuvring
or at quiet junctions. The disadvantage with this technique is that that since there is
less engine power available initially, we are forced to pull away fairly slowly. This
means that the ‘no handbrake’ technique is less suitable for situations when we need
extra power, such as on steep hills or busy junctions. In these situations we would recommend
using the handbrake, as it allows us to use our right foot to apply as much engine power
as we need before engaging the clutch - so we can confidently pull away quickly. Watch
our other videos for more detail on how to use the handbrake on hill starts.
So, remember to; Find the clutch bite
Release the foot brake Add engine power, and
Engage the clutch fully
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