Driving Tips/Techniques For Beginners

[DRTDVL 0]

Righto, made this up as a guide for some friends that wanted to know how to do a few things when driving. If you have a problem with anything that’s in this let me know and I can fix it or explain why it's like that.  

Yes I know it's a bit of a novel... Sorry about the length.

Heath

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Heel Toe:

Now, the principles of heel toeing are basically using part of your foot on the brake, and the other part on the gas, When your coming up to a corner than you need to change down a gear for and also need to brake for, normally you have to brake to a acceptable speed and then change gear while trying to corner, with the heel toe method you brake and downshift at the same time. This has many advantages, one you can maintain better car balance (as most people get a small jerk through the car when the clutch in engaged as there is a mismatch in engine and gearbox speeds - this can unbalance the car causing you to loose control), in rear wheel drive cars it also prevents what’s called compression locking of the rear wheels (very bad when entering a corner hard), on the downside it's hard to master, and takes a lot of coordination. The best way I’ve found is to first get the blipping of the throttle and the gear change timing down first, don't worry about braking to start with.

The basic method is the ball area of your foot on the brake and the heel area of your foot on the gas (this will vary depending on your pedal box setup (meaning how close your brake pedal is to your gas pedal), the width of your foot and the shoes your wearing), then start applying the brake with the ball of your foot, when your slowed enough that when you downshift your not going to blow the engine, you put the clutch in (once you get good at matching the gearbox speeds to the engine speeds (also known as rev matching) you don't need to use the clutch although I do recommend it), tap/blip the throttle and slide the gear into the lower gear, and release the clutch. Eventually you will only be limited by the speed in which you move the gearstick. Below is a basic guide on how to learn this... 

Right to start with don't worry about braking. You need to learn the clutch action, downshifting, and the blipping of the throttle firstly. Right... To start off with put the clutch in, then you'll blip the throttle (it's normally about a 1000 rpm that you need to blip �" this will vary) and slide the gearstick into the lower gear at the same time... you want to time it so that at the end of the blip it's just about to slide into the lower gear. Once you get more comfortable with that action, you shouldn't feel any hesitation for the gear going into place. If you are getting some hesitation at roughly 1000 rpm have a look at your rev gauge when you change down a gear and watch how many rpm’s the engine is increased by, i.e. when travelling at 50kph put it in 4th and downshift to 3rd �" how many rpm’s was the increase? This will be what you roughly need to blip to match engine revs to gearbox speed. Ultimately you want to get it so the only thing limiting your changes is the speed that you can move the stick. 

The next step is then starting to use your foot on the brake and the gas. This is awkward and you will need to play around a bit with the positioning of your feet so your knee's don't bang into the steering column or wheel. To practice your braking put the clutch in when your approaching traffic lights or on quiet/abandoned roads (preferable) and slow down using the ball of your foot and part of your foot on the gas, don't blip just yet, you need to get use to the force you need and the positioning of your foot you want to make sure it will not slip off if you push firmly... Once you have gotten use to that then you can start to blip the throttle and after you’re comfortable with that combine that with the gear shifting... 

Left Foot Braking:

There are 3 basic left foot braking methods:

1. Brake normally but with your left foot... 

2. Trail Braking

3. Traditional Left Foot Braking

Normal Left Foot Braking:

Right to start with, normal left foot braking is just that, braking as you would normally but with your left foot... great for those lazy sods with autos... (No offence)

Trail braking:

Trail braking is my favourite style of braking. The fundamentals of this go completely against the conventional theory of brake before the corner; trail braking is used by rally drivers and motorcyclists mainly. The basic method is braking later and riding the brake through the corner to the apex where you would then apply the throttle again. This is a great method for keeping a car balanced in a corner, as the brakes are already pre-loaded to say there is no initial bite to throw the car off balance. An advantage with this method is that you can control the car in corner, if the car is under steering you apply a little more brake, if it's over steering you ease off a little. Also, as you’re not having to take your foot off the brake and onto the gas you can apply the gas earlier. It's not an easy method to master and therefore isn't taught by most people.

Down to it... The first thing your going to need to learn is sensitivity in your left foot (not so your girlfriend will like it more), as your left foot is use to pushing a much heavier clutch pedal, you will have no feel for the brake pedal at first. The best way to learn it is to use it, find a quiet road at first and then at 50kph, put the car into neutral, and slowly apply the brakes with your left foot. You will most like be very very jerky at first as its a very odd feeling, as you get more feeling in your foot, you can put the car into neutral and apply the brakes as you come up to traffic lights, street signs, etc... The idea behind this is that when approaching corners you don't need to change down for but need to slow down for you can get on the brakes harder and later and get on the gas earlier and harder... 

Traditional Left Foot Braking:

This is what most people think of when you mention left foot braking. This is a brutal assault on your cars brakes. It's similar in a sense to trail braking although you never lift of the gas pedal. Yup that’s right... You keep the gas pedal pushed hard to the floor board while using your left foot to brake through the corner; this is very very hard to master. I personally wouldn't recommend using it as it's very hard on your car.

I like to use a combination of the two left foot methods; I tend to not completely remove my foot off the gas as I find I can control the car better with applications of the throttle when needed, especially on gravel or slippery surfaces. Trail Braking and Left Foot Braking is that it’s generally a lot harder on the brakes and generates more heat you have to be more aware of the brakes as it's a lot easier to over heat them and then lose your brake... not fun... 

Many modern vehicles use a "Drive by Wire" or Electronic throttle control system instead of the traditional mechanical throttle linkage. These systems have a safety interlock that prevents left foot braking. The car's ECU can detect when both pedals are pressed simultaneously and will immediately cut/reduce the engine power for safety reasons. An example is all modern Volkswagen and Audi Group vehicles. You might want to see if you can get that disabled

Also don't get too caught up in braking stupidly late and unsettling the car stuff, brake a bit earlier and concentrate on getting through the corner 2 - 5kph faster & hooked up each time. The corner speed multiplies down the next straight, and you'll find you're going 10kph faster at the end of that straight than you where previously.

Some other things you might want to work on might be: 

Car Control:

This is the most important thing about driving a car. No matter how much power your car has if you can't control your car the other person could be on a big wheel and drive better and faster than you. Car control consists of more than just being able to turn a corner or go fast in a straight line, you need to be able to control the throttle (how to apply the throttle by this I mean timing, force, and how it effects the car, and how it can be used to effect the car mid corner), the body movement (by this I mean predict what it's going to do under certain conditions and motions), braking (how to apply the brakes by this I mean timing, force, and how it effects the car, and how it can be used to effect the car mid-corner). Just remember ever car has a different setup and balance, what works in one car will not work in another and what works in one car could put you ass end first into a bunch of tress or a ditch. 

The best method that I know of to learn how your car will react is to get it into those situations in the first place... baptism of fire as they say... Now the best method that I know of to do this without doing stupid speeds or doing something stupid is to find a nice wide gravel road, preferably one that’s got lots of freshly laid gravel. This will allow the car to move around a lot at very low speeds (especially if you have directional road tires). The advantages of this are:

1.The loose surface will cause the car to slide very easily, allowing you to learn what it feel like to get into a slide/4wd drift/over and under steer, all at a speed that if you can't control it, you will either spin and stop or just slide to a stop without the risk of damage to the car.

2.Braking is a skill on gravel (even with abs �" actually abs is pure evil on gravel), too much force on the brakes and you will lock up (or the abs will activate - better if you can deactivate this - research about your car first, some cars if you disconnect the abs the car goes into a sort of limp home mode), you will learn how braking will effect the cars entry into the corner.

3.Throttle control is a key factor in driving quickly, too much throttle too soon and you will spin the wheels. Gravel will teach you how to smoothly apply the throttle and how even small amounts of throttle can affect traction, car balance, body movement, etc...

One big disadvantage that you all see is the possible damage to your paint jobs, if you find a freshly gravelled road you won't have to worry the slow speeds that you need to travel to get the car moving around will not cause much damage to the car, it's mainly when your following someone or when your swinging the steering wheel from side to side when you have the car in a slide with decent amounts of throttle applied (near full and breaking traction) flicking stones up onto the sides of the car. If you want to be extra careful, use some plastic sheeting around the area just in front of the rear tyres, that’s the main area that gets damaged first.

If you find yourself on a rougher road and it's very bumpy - speed up a bit, you will allow less time for the wheel to go into the hole/dips and ultimately provide a smoother road... and yes I knew this before they did it on mythbusters. Most people sit about 60 - 70 on gravel roads, if you sit around 80 you will get a smoother ride... 

This is a good place to master your left foot braking, as it's where it was meant to be used.

Car Size:

This is a very common thing; most people don't know how big their car actually is... The best thing I can recommend to learn the size of your car is to get a bunch of friends (you can do this alone - I did, just takes longer) and some road cones or buckets, then place the cones 1.5m's from either side of the car, move 3-4m's down the road and put some more 1.5m's from the sides of the car, and so on until you run out of cones you want to try and get at least 6 sets of cones... Then drive through them at 50kph a few times, if your a bit nervous when you approach the cones, slow down and coast through them slowly, and progressively build up to the legal speed limit of the road your on (mine was a 100kph zone - good old quiet rural roads)... Once you have done 10 - 15 runs through the cones or your comfortable, stop the car between the first set of cones again and move the cones so they are now 1m from either side of the car, and drive through the cones 10 - 15 or till your comfortable again at 50kph or the speed limit of the road your on. Repeat until the base of the cones are basically touching the wheels, this will allow you to gain confidence in the gaps you can fit through resulting in your not hesitating when needing to fit through a gap and helps in placement on the road. Most people tend to think their car is about 1m on either side bigger than what it actually is. 

Frontal Reference Points:

This is to help you in placement of the car on the road. The idea behind this is to aid you in developing a sense of where you car is on the road when your corning. Meaning is the tyre 0.5m away from the shoulder of the road, or is it about to drop off the shoulder of the road into the gravel. It's best to find something that will be similar to a rumple strip on a track; this will give you an instant feel through the steering wheel as to exactly where you are on the road through the corner. The spot is an optical thing, so it move from car to car and seating position to seating position, this will help until you get a refined understanding of the cars placement on the road... You can practice this in Auckland by staying on the white lines on the motorway as they have bump’s built into to awaken sleeping drivers.

To use the reference point get the seating position in your normal driving position, when your driving and you can feel the bumps look see where the white line is a see if you can pick up a point on the car that’s in-line with your seating position and the white line, that’s your reference point, move away from the line and go back to it and see if you reference point works. Now remember it's just a general guide it will move a little as you move in the seat.

[Creaver 55]

Nice little write up

Sticky?

[Mike.Gayner 0]

Good write up, but I don't agree that left foot braking or the heel-toe technique are "beginner's techniques". In fact, they're really completely unnecessary to know on the road. I guess this is more of a guide for track driving beginners.

[kiwi535 538]

Good write up, but I don't agree that left foot braking or the heel-toe technique are "beginner's techniques". In fact, they're really completely unnecessary to know on the road. I guess this is more of a guide for track driving beginners.

I am no expert by any means,just been riding and driving long time.I am gonna try left foot braking with SOME gas at the grass ghymkhana....

[pjay 8]

Grasskhana? Handbrake ftw at those. FWD cars aaalways rip up the RWD's. Mmmm CRX goodness

[DRTDVL 0]

Good write up, but I don't agree that left foot braking or the heel-toe technique are "beginner's techniques". In fact, they're really completely unnecessary to know on the road. I guess this is more of a guide for track driving beginners.

I don't know really... I guess i called it that so it would be called something kinda approprate. 

Left foot braking i agree isn't something that you would use in everyday driving, but i think heel-toe would be or at least the rev matching side of it would be for downshifting for things like passing manuovers, going up hills, etc... It's much nicer mechanically on the car, less wear on syncro's, less shock on engine mounts, less shock on the clutch, etc... 

Comes down to the person and where and how they drive... 

Edited March 2, 2009 by DRTDVL

[kiwi535 538]

Grasskhana? Handbrake ftw at those. FWD cars aaalways rip up the RWD's. Mmmm CRX goodness

your handbrake is obviously better n mine.....FWD???? dont find any at BMW car club ghymkhanas

[DRTDVL 0]

Scandinavian flick enough said

[Mike 1]

your handbrake is obviously better n mine.....FWD???? dont find any at BMW car club ghymkhanas

mini's?

[kiwi535 538]

mini's?

ooh hmmm bugger

[BLACK DORIS 9]

Scandinavian flick enough said

, yea that was pretty cool.

Good thread, I've wondered about these bits n pieces. Keen to save up for the bmw driving/track day (or one like the guys in akl put together toward the end of last year -pukekohe i think) to learn more about driving/handling in general.

Sadly the car is still auto at the mo but i'll start practising on getting my left foot sensitivety better in the meantime...

[Andrew 30]

Gymkhana secret is to tape up the ratchet on the handbrake. FTW

[DRTDVL 0]

Gymkhana secret is to tape up the ratchet on the handbrake. FTW

I know people that drill a hole in these handbrake, and have a little bar or counter sunk bolt that goes into it to stop the ratchet... 

[DRTDVL 0]

, yea that was pretty cool.

Good thread, I've wondered about these bits n pieces. Keen to save up for the bmw driving/track day (or one like the guys in akl put together toward the end of last year -pukekohe i think) to learn more about driving/handling in general.

Sadly the car is still auto at the mo but i'll start practising on getting my left foot sensitivety better in the meantime...

You can still use all those left foot braking methods... in fact it's easier for you as you don't need to really worry about changing gears with the auto... 

[greenday-rulz21 4]

Good write up. Trying to master the heel and toe atm. The BMW pedals make it hard.

Rev match down shifts are so much better on the car. Less wear on clutch etc. and its seriously easy to learn. You can use that every day no matter how you drive.

Whats your opinion on double clutch down shifts? Is it worth learning well?

[DRTDVL 0]

double clutching was originally used for non-syncromesh gearboxes, and the idea behind it (from what i know) is basically the same as rev matching that you do when your heel-toeing...

The only reason you woud use it would be in a crashbox (proper motorsport gearbox with no syncromesh), or a big truck that doesn't have a syncromesh gearbox. I can't really see the point of it in a modern syncromesh gearbox, as it's slower and your not gaining anything...

It's not all that hard to learn in a syncromesh box as you can't really tell if you have screwed it up...

[bravo 34]

Need to double de-clutch the crash box in my dad's jeep.

Heel-toeing in bmws is easy - the brake and gas are so close together. Use the ball of your foot on the brake, and the right side of your foot on the gas. Don't use your heel.

3.Throttle control is a key factor in driving quickly

Which is why I back off the spring on the throttle body as BMW throttles are too stiff too be precise. Too little resistance and you may have erratic throttle on bumpy roads, too much like your normal BMW throttle and small adjustments are immensely difficult.

Finally. More info for "beginners". Very much a basic guide, much like yours, but well written with good examples.

Edited March 3, 2009 by bravo

[1rotty 40]

Good post-nicely done.

[JiB 0]

My getrag used to be very stubborn 3rd -> 2nd and double clutch heel toe (not as impressive as it sounds) really helped @ taupo. So i think double clutching still has use with synchro boxes?

Also I find left foot braking with bmw's really hard b/c of the offset pedals. My clutch pedal is where a brake pedal usually is! Maybe it's my stubby legs?

ps can we have a thread dedicated to braking plz?

[my_e36 43]

Good write up, but I don't agree that left foot braking or the heel-toe technique are "beginner's techniques". In fact, they're really completely unnecessary to know on the road. I guess this is more of a guide for track driving beginners.

I agree that they are not "beginner's technique", but they are still useful on the road. They are not "essential" skill but will help reduce wear-and-tear on the car's components, not to mention more control of the car. I use heel-toe a lot on day-to-day basis, but I can't use left-foot brake on my car being a VW, on board computer will kill the throttle after 1 second of left foot braking. Same for Audi too.

[Jono51 58]

we must'nt confuse heel toe and double clutching, as double clutching can be done with out the heel toe,

the idea behind double clutch is,to match the speed of the gears within the transmission.

using this as a rough example, when changing down from 3rd to second

clutch in, flick the lever from 3rd into neutral, let clutch pedal out (whilst in neutral), rev the engine, to speed up the gears for gear speed matching, then clutch in and change down to second and maybe another little blip for engine speed matching.

by doing this you are in fact spining up the transmision gears to syncronize there speed

it is also useful in a syncromesh box...

when the conical brass bores are worn, and no longer grip the matching steel cone attached to the next gear, which hinders the gear to be selected to be speed up or slowed down for smooth meshing

A good indication of the condition of the Gearbox, is whilst doing a gear oil change, look for a shiny brass tinge floating in the oil. pretty good indication of a worn syncromesh.

BTW good topic

Edited March 6, 2009 by Jono51