Driving Tips From Gurus To Beginners Like Me

[vinesh580]

Hi guys,
I have just started to learn to drive a car (2002santro).I have not yet joined in any driving schools or academy as my uncle has created a track in my farm resembling obstacles and i have be driving in private road laid within my farm so i can feel steering wheel and gain some experience so that i can drive later on roads with out some butterfly's in the stomach.
Gurus and TAI's give some good tips and DO'S & DONT'S for beginners like me in the TAI.

 

[Vishwas]

Re: Driving Tips from Gurus to Beginners Like Me .

don't rev or keep moving too much on the first gear,it consumes lot of fuel.
A common problem with most of the people: Don't hold the steering real tight it creates fear .

If your uncle sits beside you for teaching,tell him to beat you if you do a mistake;you will learn real fast.

Keep your eyes to the road and you should practice with knowing the position of the gear in hands i.e., only your hands should shift the gear not your eyeballs.

Your eyes should focus everywhere especially the LHS,it will help afterwards.

Sit beside the driver's seat always and learn their moves(especially the leg and hand movements).

Think this is enough for first timers.

 

[Serrao]

Re: Driving Tips from Gurus to Beginners Like Me .

A thought - do not practice driving bare foot. Sounds odd, but most of my friends refuse to wear their footwear when driving as they are used to it and complain they dont feel the pedal if they wear one!

All the best with your driving sessions

 

[dodge_v1per]

Re: Driving Tips from Gurus to Beginners Like Me .

If your uncle sits beside you for teaching,tell him to beat you if you do a mistake;you will learn real fast.

beating?? it wont help dude.. ask him to encourage you!!

 

[Surfer]

Kindly check these threads
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/voyage-junction/598-tips-long-highway-drives-india.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...ense/1254-safety-tips-drive-foggy-season.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/road-safety-driving-sense/3996-tips-driving-rain.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...e/3921-safety-tips-women-who-drive-night.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...nse/1348-basic-guide-road-safety-india-2.html
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...961-best-car-driving-schools-experiences.html

 

[kannan]

i was planning to ask a question about driving, since this thread is about tips from gurus, i may as well ask it.

My question is how to change gears, and at what rpm?
I am by nature a preemptive gear changer, i.e i change gear before the car stalls. now i will list my gear shifting habits. gurus please correct them
1. I get the car moving only in the first gear. never used 2 to move the car
2. in 1 i only move @ 10Km then change to 2
3. i change gears like this 1-0km 2 10-15 km, 3-20-30km, 4 35-40km, 5-50km (been using this for the past 10 years)
4. even if moving slow in traffic i change gears as necessary, never over rev in 1 or under rev in 2, sometimes too much gear changes.
5. now in my wagon r it has an rpm meter so in highway i keep the rpm just above 1.5k in 5th on road speed ~50
6. in highways if the road is straight on little slope i keep my foot of the throttle.
7. if the slope is steep then i down-shift to lower gear and keep off the throttle
8. sometimes i ease my foot from the throttle and apply when the rpm falls (not too much)

i try to use all gears even for short distance say 5 to 10km. but recently i have been noticing people, the SA from MASS, my boss (figo), another friend (alto) they never get to even the 4 th gear (in 3rd they are going above 50) on the same road in which i go upto 5 and speed 50.
which is the good practice? sorry if my question is confusing.

 

[shubham]

buddy see i dont know about othere but i consider my self still a beginer , because i learn a something new every day while i am driving , one little piece of advice to you is driving is 10 % technical and 90 % common sense so just uses your senses.

 

[Vishwas]

Re: Driving Tips from Gurus to Beginners Like Me .

beating?? it wont help dude.. ask him to encourage you!!

You never know when its done ,instead you will try to be more conscious next time

 

[Highway Ranger]

@ Kannan, I think You are doing ok if you feel no jerk or knock.

Recommended gear change for petrol Maruti cars are start in 1st, change to 2nd at 10kmph, 3rd at 20kmps, 4th at 30 kmph and 5th at 40 kmph.

 

[tasuray]

Don't drive in a empty road because you can not handle the chaos of Indian roads in real life. Do not ride the clutch, it will lead to pad burn and excess fuel consumption.

 

[tantragna]

First of all I am not a guru, but a self learner.

In my experience and knowledge, the best way to drive is from the feedback we get from the car/bike. ie.,

1. To start from stand still, after engaging the first gear, it is best to release clutch asap without any jerks/wheel-spin in the desired direction and avoiding or using as less possible clutch-on driving, as it wears out clutch as well as consumes more fuel and results in more air pollution.
   • tip, dont load the clutch, ie., dont release the clutch immediately, do it gradually as you feel the engine is taking over the speeds, this doesn't mean that you keep holding the clutch for a longer period of time which is not good for both the vehicle and your fuel expenses.
2. The best rpm/speed to shift to the consecutive gears is at the optimal speeds, depending upon the surface it is driven/ridden on with the incline/decline/flat elevations of the road. The best would be when the engine starts to rev more freely rather than doing it early when the engine is struggling to move the vehicle. But in city traffic conditions, it would be better to move in the struggling or lower engine rpm as it gives more control to make a quick stop in case of bumper to bumper traffic situations. Don't over rev the engine (say beyond 4000rpm in petrol & 3000rpm in diesel engine) in the initial days until you can feel comfortable that you can control it.
   • for example, (with 4 people on-board, ie., almost 75% of payload)
     • in mostly flat terrain , In 1st gear upto 15kmph and shift to 2nd, then shift to 3rd at 25, 4th at 40, and 5th at 50+ speeds,
     • up hill situations, to 2nd at 20, 3rd at 30, 4th at 45, and to fifth at 55+
     • downhill slope, 2nd at 10, 3rd at 20, 4th at 35, and 5th at 50+
     • when driving over gravel, snow or any loose/slippery surfaces it is always better that the vehicle is not loaded to its full and not over revving the engine as there is a chance of skidding/sliding out of control, also with the brakes, do it gently (in case of non-ABS brakes).
3. I would recommend the beginners to start driving with no music system on during the first few months, as it gives a better feeling of what the vehicle and its engine are collaborating to yield in the drive. Also long drives with moderate speeds on the outskirts will be much better, say a trip to a temple or a weekend holiday trip.
4. The most important of all, learn the basics, such as how to change a puncture wheel., ie., remove and re-installing it.
   • Learning advanced basics of how the vehicle works, like ignition system, fuel system, brake system, seat-belts, airbags..etc is never a crime
   • Just to let you guys know, that I service my car/bike on my own, from pin to pin. All self taught! This has helped me to the most, at most of the situations, during trips, rallies, helping other stranded cars away from the human habitat (during trips). It really earns a good wishes from the service recipients under such situations, and also gives a chance to brag oneself
5. And finally please don't overspeed or drive with overconfidence as it will (most of the times) result in an awful experience.
   • My personal experience, I tried to do a very slow corner, which is at the most fit for 40kmph speeds under good weather conditions, I did it at 100kmph and ended up crushing up the front end of the car and spending 50k for the repairs. still it is not the best drive as it used to be.

Until you feel comfortable don't get into situations which you don't feel comfortable with, unless you have a passenger who can drive/ride better than you and take his inputs when in need. He/she can let you know whether you can do it or whether he can recover in-case you fail to do so.

I started to ride near my locality until I felt comfortable, but again that was in early 90's, so the traffic and population density was much thinner those days than now, so take a call accordingly.

I strictly recommend that one practices all the driving/riding in different weather, and surfaces before venturing into the real-world.

Learn quick, drive/ride safe, save fuel and reduce tail pipe emissions as much as you can

 

[raj_5004]

I am very particular when it comes to proper, efficient & correct driving. The normal rules I encourage & practice are -

1) DO NOT ride the clutch. Irrespective of whether your car has foot rest or not, never ever rest your left leg on the clutch. Your left leg should be on the clutch pedal only when you are changing gears & should be off the pedal as soon as you are done with it.

2) ALWAYS give turn indicators even if you just changing a lane. Let the other road uses be aware of your intentions.

3) Be slow when you are not sure. Dont hesitate to stop, look around & then proceed.

4) DO NOT break traffic rules. Dont jump signals if a cop is not there, dont halt your car over a zebra crossing, etc.

5) Try to stick to a lane, while driving & even while standing at a signal.

6) Respect pedestrians. Give them the right of way. Remember, you are sitting cocooned inside your AC car but they are bearing the heat. So dont honk madly at them. If a family is crossing with a baby, stop your car & let them go. Dont care a damn about other cars honking at you.

7) Use all the rear view mirrors liberally.

8) Dont add to the noise pollution. Use the horn only when very very essential.

9) Do not use high beam at night, dont be selfish.

10) Finally, while driving, think that everyone on the road except you is an IDIOT & drive accordingly. Trust me, it works! Also remember that the road is not just our property, we are sharing it with many others. Be considerate.

 

[sramanandi]

Learning the first gear

Last night I took the first 10KM ride on my swift, and honestly that was some what scary :(

Though I have learned to drive a city at a training school, but driving alone was difficult, specially in first gear, The car stopped three times, and one time between the road on a crossing, that scared me of it stopping again in traffic and it made driving more difficult.


I need special advice on learning the first gear, I just cant get on it yet, car takes two three jerks, and stops occasionally.

 

[ramesh.ms85]

Re: Which Used Car for Around Rs.3.5 Lakhs

Last night I took the first 10KM ride on my swift, and honestly that was some what scary :(
Though I have learned to drive a city at a training school, but driving alone was difficult, specially in first gear, The car stopped three times, and one time between the road on a crossing, that scared me of it stopping again in traffic and it made driving more difficult.

At driving school, the city was running on CNG and my swift is pure petrol, that really makes a drastic difference in performance, I can feel the power, but that makes it more difficult too. Driving the CNG city was quite easy for me.

How can I avoid my fear, and what should I do to avoid stopping when driving in first gear. Also do you think that learning to drive in simulator can help me cope with the fear !!

Hi friend this will happen for everyone and its not thing that you alone face it.. I faced the same difficulty initially, believe it or not I had only 5 classes at the driving school and learnt nothing.

I believed in myself and though that if others are able to make it then why can't me. Like you even I drove CNG in driving school and I got a new vehicle (RITZ VXI ABS) which would be more scray compared to used vehicle. I would advice you to be confident enough to get used to clutch level.

If you feel really scary, then first do some drive on an roads where you have less traffic and once you feel you can make on traffic roads go for it.

Things to make sure before you start your car,

Seating position - Before you start your vehicle apply clutch fully and adjust the seating position accordingly. so that you know level of clutch while driving.

Atleast till you are very sure and comfortable in driving, don't wear slippers or shoes which will help you a lot and you can judge gear shift accordingly.

For your additional comfort use steering grip, you will better and confident enough.

This is what comes to my mind as of now since I had the same difficulty. My best wishes and sure you will rock the road soon. Happy and safe motoring..

 

[mukeshus]

Re: Learning the first gear

Hi Sramanandi, Welcome to TAI.

Regarding learning of car, try learning at area's where vehicles are less initially, and if possible, make sure someone on the left seat is there for navigation, esp turns.
And do put a big L board on your car.

Regarding the car stalling, you should learn a few things.
Make yourself comfortable while driving, don't be nervous.
While releasing clutch make sure your back of left leg is on the ground, and you are controlling the clutch with upper toes.
The leg should be in an inclined position, with back of leg on floor of car.
So you will master the half clutch, where in a car on a gradient will neither move forward nor to back at this time you need to accelerate slightly.