Hello I'm Chris. Should you press the clutch first before the brake when
stopping or brake then clutch? This is a common question for new drivers, so I'm
going to give you some demonstrations to help you understand which pedal to press
first. Now it all depends on the speed you're driving and whether you're going
uphill. Firstly it's important to know why you need to press the clutch down
before stopping. Well without getting too technical as there's lots of other videos
on that, you simply need to press the clutch down before stopping or the car
will stall. You will normally feel the car start to shake before it stalls so
if you feel this... press the clutch down quickly and you should save it from
stalling. But to prevent it from stalling at all you'd normally fully press the
clutch down roughly two car lengths before you stop completely. I'm currently
driving above 25 miles per hour in 3rd gear and I'm going to stop at the
roundabout. The main priority because of the speed I'm driving is to slow down.
So I'll come off gas and brake. Second priority is not to stall. Clutch down
about two car lengths before stopping completely and I can also change here if
needed at this point.
The speed limit is 40 miles per hour, I'm driving over 30 so I'll release
the gas pedal and press the brake to slow down more and now clutch down about
two car lengths before stopping.
Now if you're driving slowly below 10 miles per hour
and want to stop then press the clutch before the brake so that the car
doesn't stall and then brake to slow down if needed or stop.
When you're in slow-moving stop-start traffic, release the gas, press the clutch to prevent it
stalling and then brake to slow down if needed or stop.
But what happens if you're driving slowly below 10 miles per hour and press the brake first then clutch?
Well it either stalls or you get a jerky stop like this.
So don't forget, when you're driving slowly below 10 miles per hour
clutch then brake. Driving faster than 10 miles per hour,
brake then clutch down. But you could also press both the clutch and brake at
the same time when you're driving slowly if needed.
I've been showing you roads that are quite flat but if you're driving uphill
and want to stop, then come off gas and let gravity slow you down. It's acting
almost as a brake. Press the clutch about two car lengths before stopping and then
brake. For more tips on stopping on an uphill have a look at our other video.
But why can't you just press the clutch before the brake every time? Well
then you could be coasting, which is making the car free-wheel and it could
increase speed like this. Which means you'll have to brake more. You lose what
is called engine braking. Have a look at what happens to the speed as soon as I
press the clutch.
So don't press the clutch too early or you'll be casting. For more information
on engine braking have a look at the link in the description below. Bear in mind
that if you want to slow down but not stop completely then you won't need to
press the clutch unless you have to change gear. You have to use clutch
control in first gear when driving very slowly and if you want more information on
clutch control then have a look at our other videos.
Well that's the end of our video. Hopefully it answers which pedal to press
first when slowing down or stopping.
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videos. As always thanks a lot for watching but I really hope it helps. If
you want more driving tips then have a look through our channel. Of course it's all
free. In the meantime keep safe on the road and bye for now.
you