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Hello I'm Chris. In this video we're going to have a look at hill starts and
clutch control in slow moving stop-start traffic uphill. If you're learning how to
drive a manual car and nervous about stalling or rolling back on a hill then
hopefully this video will help. To be successful at this, you'll need to be
good at hill starts and clutch control. Let's first have a look at hill starts.
Before driving anywhere busy, especially uphill in traffic, you need to be
confident where the biting point is as it's slightly different in every car.
This is a good place for me to demonstrate the biting point to you but it
will be best for you to practice somewhere quiet with no one around as it
will definitely be less stressful. I've got the parking brake on as this will
allow me to get my feet ready to move off. Firstly, I need to prepare the car to
go, so I'll press the clutch down, select first gear, then slightly press the gas
pedal. I'm moving off uphill so the car will need a bit more power to get it
moving than if I was on a flat road. Getting the revs roughly up to about two
helps the car not stall. It doesn't have to be precise and be careful not to
stare the rev counter or you'll miss what's going on around you. With a bit of
practice you'll get used to the sound of the engine when you set the gas, which is
better than looking at the rev counter. I'll now raise the clutch gently until I
find the biting point. You know when you've got it as the back of the car
will dip down slightly and the engine sound changes. The car now wants to move
and the only thing holding it back is the parking brake. If I didn't have the
biting point and released the parking brake then the car would roll backwards
which is something I definitely don't want. You can tell that the driver in
front also gets the biting point as the back of their car dips down slightly.
Once you feel that you've got the biting point keep the clutch still. If you raise
it much more then the car will either move off really quickly or you'll
stall. I've now got to keep the gas and clutch pedal still. Release the parking
brake but don't move the clutch until you're driving at about a walking pace and
then apply a little more gas as you slowly raise the clutch all the way.
Accelerate if it's safe, build-up momentum before you change up gear.
Now you know how to do a hill start, the next skill you'll need in slow moving traffic
is clutch control. I'm going to keep this explanation of clutch control as simple
as possible but if you're looking for a more technical explanation then have a
look at the link in the description below. I'm in first gear and if I come
off the gas pedal, the car continues to go at about five miles an hour without me
pressing anything. If I want to drive slower,
I could try braking, but then the car judders...
and eventually stalls. To prevent it stalling and to drive really slow in
traffic, I need to press a clutch down and lightly press the foot brake. To
creep forward, I'll apply a little gas and raise the clutch to the biting point.
To slow down slightly, off gas and lower the clutch down the thickness of a pound
coin. To speed up, a little gas and raise the clutch a little. Slowly raise the
clutch all the way, lightly pressing the gas when you want to drive faster than a
walking pace but bear in mind that holding the biting point too long can wear
out the clutch over time.
If you release the clutch too quickly, then you can expect to move off at speed
or stall. Now you know how to move off uphill and how to use clutch control,
let's combine the two to drive in stop, start traffic on a hill.
Traffic ahead, easing off gas a little and the car slows down quickly because of the
hill. Clutch down into first gear, little bit of gas as the clutch slowly comes up
to the biting point which then allows me to creep at about three miles an hour.
They're slowing down ahead, off gas clutch down, creep forward, gas, clutch
back to the biting point, they're stopping, off gas, clutch down. Now I'll
hold the biting point with a little gas to keep the car still. Raising the clutch
about the thickness of a pound coin to speed up and dip it down to slow down.
Raise the clutch gently with a little gas when you want to drive faster than a
walking speed. If the car stalls in this kind of situation then it could be that
you're not giving it enough gas or you're possibly releasing the clutch too soon.
I'm turning right at the traffic lights ahead, I've made sure it's safe and moved
over. Now off the gas pedal and the car slows down quickly because of the hill.
I'm driving at about five miles an hour so clutch down first then footbrake to
stop. I'll secure the car with the parking brake and select neutral as I've got a bit
of a wait. I can now come off the pedals. When you see the vehicle in front
start to move, it's very easy to panic rush and then stall. If you often panic,
then try planning further ahead, when you see the vehicles up the road starting to
move, prepare to go. I've selected first gear, set the gas,
raise the clutch to the biting point, release the parking brake, feet still and
then slowly bring up the clutch. A little more gas. They're all stopping up ahead
so off gas, clutch down. I need to creep forward, little gas and biting point.
Now off gas, clutch down, footbrake gently, parking brake on, select neutral. It's a
good idea to be able to see a little road and the vehicle in front tyres
when you stop. Bear in mind that the driver ahead might not be very good at
moving off on a hill or maybe they haven't fully applied the parking brake and
could roll back a little.
The bus wants to move into this lane.The traffic lights are changing and I'm
going to give-way to the bus. Clutch down, select first gear, little gas, biting
point, release the parking brake, clutch down slightly to slow down or raise it
gently to speed up, now off gas, clutch down and footbrake gently to stop.
Something to remember when you're stopping uphill is that the brakes slow
the car down quicker then when you're on a flat road. It's very easy to stop a bit
too suddenly and have jerky stops.
With practice, the time it takes to set the gas and find the biting point will get quicker.
I've gone round and back down the hill and then driven back up it again to find
some more situations. Planning ahead, I'll keep this road clear in case anyone
wants to turn in or come out. Braking gently, clutch is down, I'll select first
gear, gas, raising the clutch to the biting point. Check my mirrors to overtake
the bus. Up to 2nd, mirrors to move back in, braking gently, clutch down.
Parking brake, select neutral and I can rest my feet.
It's been red a while so I'll prepare to go. Clutch down, select first gear, gas, biting point,
parking brake down, clutch slowly coming up with a little more gas.
This time I'm deliberately stopping a bit too early. It can easily be done when driving uphill
but if this happens to you then make sure you're in first gear press the gas
slightly, raise the clutch back to the biting point, then off gas, clutch down
and brake softly. Using the parking brake really makes hill starts easier as you
can get your feet ready to move off again but make sure that the parking
brake is on properly or you'll roll backwards.
As always, keep a look out for any cyclists or motorcyclists in your mirrors who could be overtaking.
Pedestrians can also step out in front of you to cross the road
When moving off, you might find that resting the heel of your left foot on
the floor as you raise the clutch can give you better control and prevent it from
springing up too quickly, causing the car to stall.
I'm turning right again at the top of the hill at traffic lights. Lightly pressing the gas. Now I'm easing
off the gas, clutch down, braking gently to stop. Now parking brake on select
neutral, as I've got a bit of a wait.
When you're driving slowly and you want to stop, I was driving at about 6 miles an hour, press the clutch down first, so
you don't stall and then lightly press the footbrake to stop. If I was driving
faster, I'd press the footbrake first to slow down and about two car lengths
before stopping press the clutch to prevent the car from stalling.
I can see the vehicles up the road starting to move, so clutch is down, I'm
in first gear, now I need to set the gas, that's very important.
Find the biting point, parking brake down, feet still for a couple of seconds and then clutch up gently.
Two common reasons for stalling on a hill, not enough gas or
raising the clutch a bit too quickly. I'm stopping, so off gas, clutch down and
braking gently to stop. Parking brake on, select neutral and I can come off the pedals.
Your choice of footwear when driving is important. To help you feel
the pedals, choose a type of shoe that has enough grip and doesn't have a thick sole.
Let's do one more hill start. Don't forget to set the gas first then find
the biting point with the clutch. If you hear the revs drop down as you move off
then press the gas slightly a little more. If you let the revs drop down too
low, especially in an older car with a small petrol engine then there's a good
chance it will stall. But don't overdo the amount of gas or you could move off
too quickly or even wheelspin. It's also really important when moving off on an
uphill to actually get the biting point, don't just think you've got it but make
sure you feel the back of the car drop down slightly and the engine sound will
change. If when you release the parking brake the car doesn't move or moves very
slowly then raise the clutch slightly again about the thickness of a pound
coin, but if you move off uphill without the biting point then it will
definitely roll back, so be careful.
As with all aspects of driving, you'll get better at hill starts in traffic with practice and experience.
As usual, it's highly recommended that you practice this with a qualified instructor.
Thanks very much for watching our video. Really hope it helps. Please subscribe to
our channel as it helps us make more. Stay safe on the road and bye for now.