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Why am I stalling so much?
Stalling. This is the one thing that really is holding my driving back. And I just don't understand it.
When I take a lesson, I stall a few times when in a rush or not concentrating. Fair enough, and every learner does this. However, in recent lessons, I have kept stalling to a minimum of 2-3. But on a recent lesson, I stalled a lot more than this and mostly when coming to a stop. I just can't get the gas going quick enough, and when I do, I'm jerking the car. To make things worse, I am in a small car which causes the steering wheel to rub against my knees and my foot gets caught in the floor mat, as it has a tread on it.
What can I do to stop stalling? I've done maneouvres and because this is all down to clutch control, I don't stall (ok I did once). Even so, I still stalled after.
It's such a shame that I can't master a basic skill of driving a manual car because other than this my driving is very good (ok I make naive mistakes but everything else is fluent). Furthermore, my best driving is on the big roads such as 3 lane dual carriage ways, which I thought would be my biggest fear.
I don't understand why I keep doing this. On this lesson where I stalled excessively, I was tired but I say this because I would like to find some sort of excuse. I wasn't tired on the lessons before, were I didn't stall as much. Is it possible that tiredness, rushing and nerves cause stalling? Perhaps I should change my attitude of looking at lessons as a chore and boring, even if/though it is, because this may be a cause. Lastly, would it help to just put the clutch down and put some gas in on a flat road, to reduce this stalling?
When I take a lesson, I stall a few times when in a rush or not concentrating. Fair enough, and every learner does this. However, in recent lessons, I have kept stalling to a minimum of 2-3. But on a recent lesson, I stalled a lot more than this and mostly when coming to a stop. I just can't get the gas going quick enough, and when I do, I'm jerking the car. To make things worse, I am in a small car which causes the steering wheel to rub against my knees and my foot gets caught in the floor mat, as it has a tread on it.
What can I do to stop stalling? I've done maneouvres and because this is all down to clutch control, I don't stall (ok I did once). Even so, I still stalled after.
It's such a shame that I can't master a basic skill of driving a manual car because other than this my driving is very good (ok I make naive mistakes but everything else is fluent). Furthermore, my best driving is on the big roads such as 3 lane dual carriage ways, which I thought would be my biggest fear.
I don't understand why I keep doing this. On this lesson where I stalled excessively, I was tired but I say this because I would like to find some sort of excuse. I wasn't tired on the lessons before, were I didn't stall as much. Is it possible that tiredness, rushing and nerves cause stalling? Perhaps I should change my attitude of looking at lessons as a chore and boring, even if/though it is, because this may be a cause. Lastly, would it help to just put the clutch down and put some gas in on a flat road, to reduce this stalling?
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Reply 1
When i started learning i stalled loads, i found the only way i didn't was if i over revved, or got my revs up well before i got my clutch to bite point. How long have you been learning for, and do learn in more than one car/drive ur parents car? coz that might have somthing to do with it.
music__lover
When i started learning i stalled loads, i found the only way i didn't was if i over revved, or got my revs up well before i got my clutch to bite point. How long have you been learning for, and do learn in more than one car/drive ur parents car? coz that might have somthing to do with it.
I've had about 40 hours. I took 20 last year and was close to test standard as I drove well and certainly didn't stall as much as now, stopped because of uni, as my first week would have timetable bugs and I'd have a workload. Then I didn't get round to having more lessons, or my parents did book them, rather.
Since September I've had about 10 hours, and driving a physically smaller car which makes driving slightly harder. My previous car was much more spacious.
I don't drive my parents car either. A) It's an automatic, and B) Insurance will be, and was last time my dad got a quote, too much.
Reply 3
ok i hope u find this useful but this is what i found (passed in Feb)
it doesn't matter (apart from the noise) how loud the revs are as long as you release the clutch slow enuff... when i kept stalling it was because i was worried about the loudness of the revs (and always thought that pulling away should be smooth and silent ...) but that really doesn't matter unless u lift ur foot off the clutch too fast resulting in the violent jerking.
If you are the same i would simply suggest adding more revs and just lift the clutch slow. Over time you will get used to controlling the revs and thererfore the pulling away will become easier and quieter.
Also remember the examiners don't consider stalling as a serious offence as long as the driver can calmly restart the car etc...
Hope it helps...
it doesn't matter (apart from the noise) how loud the revs are as long as you release the clutch slow enuff... when i kept stalling it was because i was worried about the loudness of the revs (and always thought that pulling away should be smooth and silent ...) but that really doesn't matter unless u lift ur foot off the clutch too fast resulting in the violent jerking.
If you are the same i would simply suggest adding more revs and just lift the clutch slow. Over time you will get used to controlling the revs and thererfore the pulling away will become easier and quieter.
Also remember the examiners don't consider stalling as a serious offence as long as the driver can calmly restart the car etc...
Hope it helps...
Tiredness etc will make you more likely to stall so chances are that didn't help on your last lesson. I might be wrong, but am wondering if you are stuck in a bit of a rut here, you say you were stalling less when you were driving before, maybe you had become abit complacent when you started up again and started stalling and now expect to stall when you drive - if that makes sense and have got stuck in a circle of stalling and expecting to stall.
If I were you I would talk to your instructor about it, maybe its not as bigger problem as you feel it is. Then maybe its worth having a lesson going back to basics withit, whilst it might feel stupid at the time get them to take you onto quite roads where you can have a play around. Keep moving your seat position to see if that helps at all, some cars can raise/tilt the seat as well as move it backwards and forwards - maybe this would help. They go right back to the basics of it and iron out any problems, I would have thought you would be better paying for one lesson doing this than keep driving round main roads stalling and feeling rubbish about!
As for on your test, stalling isn't a problem provided it you don't roll and that you can restart and move away as you should do after. Hope you get this sorted ok!
If I were you I would talk to your instructor about it, maybe its not as bigger problem as you feel it is. Then maybe its worth having a lesson going back to basics withit, whilst it might feel stupid at the time get them to take you onto quite roads where you can have a play around. Keep moving your seat position to see if that helps at all, some cars can raise/tilt the seat as well as move it backwards and forwards - maybe this would help. They go right back to the basics of it and iron out any problems, I would have thought you would be better paying for one lesson doing this than keep driving round main roads stalling and feeling rubbish about!
As for on your test, stalling isn't a problem provided it you don't roll and that you can restart and move away as you should do after. Hope you get this sorted ok!
Reply 5
yes, even my old 1.2 clio could set off from 0 with no accelerator in second gear just using the tickover revs.
and that was slow as ****
and that was slow as ****
Reply 6
was the previous car you were learning in a diesel? as they are often known to be harder to stall due to having more torque, using a bit more gas and slow on the clutch used to help me whilst i was learning.
Well, my last lesson meant as in last week with my latest instructor in my series of lessons this September. My last 2 lessons were fine as I did not stall as much (no way near, in fact), but I did make some unique errors which would have been minors, during those lessons and I fixed on some of those in this latest lesson. I can't really blame the car I guess as it's the same concepts with all cars with regards to the dreaded stalling situation. Also, if I didn't stall as much last lesson in the same car, it's obviously me.
Even stranger is that my first lesson with my new instructor, I was told to go back to basics as in go round in circles on a few basic, quiet roads, which I drove on the very first time I drove a car with my old instructor. This area is a circuit that many instructors use. Anyway, this was a simple area to drive. I did get straight into the deep end despite my rustiness and drove on busy roads (emerging, etc). I only stalled once in this lesson when emerging left onto a busy road for the first time, but due to lack of technique (rolling the car) and rustiness (lack of experience and a gap in driving time). Surely now that I've had more lessons, the stalling should have gone from 1 to 0. On this first lesson, it was just T junction, traffic lights and box junction work. This was my "back to basics" lesson. Now I do busy roundabouts which aren't traffic light managed and I stall a few times here.
It is a shame because I have kicked some bad habits now, but the stalling has got worse.
Also, I'm allowed 2 stalls and then a third time is a serious offence and fail isn't it?
Even stranger is that my first lesson with my new instructor, I was told to go back to basics as in go round in circles on a few basic, quiet roads, which I drove on the very first time I drove a car with my old instructor. This area is a circuit that many instructors use. Anyway, this was a simple area to drive. I did get straight into the deep end despite my rustiness and drove on busy roads (emerging, etc). I only stalled once in this lesson when emerging left onto a busy road for the first time, but due to lack of technique (rolling the car) and rustiness (lack of experience and a gap in driving time). Surely now that I've had more lessons, the stalling should have gone from 1 to 0. On this first lesson, it was just T junction, traffic lights and box junction work. This was my "back to basics" lesson. Now I do busy roundabouts which aren't traffic light managed and I stall a few times here.
It is a shame because I have kicked some bad habits now, but the stalling has got worse.
Also, I'm allowed 2 stalls and then a third time is a serious offence and fail isn't it?
leeb12345
was the previous car you were learning in a diesel? as they are often known to be harder to stall due to having more torque, using a bit more gas and slow on the clutch used to help me whilst i was learning.
Funnily enough, my previous car was a petrol and now I'm driving a diesel. The steering wheel rubs against my knees and my feet get caught up in the dual control mechanism behind each pedal and even with the floor mat, due to its tread. This IS an annoying problem.
Reply 9
-Blade-
Also, I'm allowed 2 stalls and then a third time is a serious offence and fail isn't it?
Also, I'm allowed 2 stalls and then a third time is a serious offence and fail isn't it?
i was told that most examiners don't worry about how many time u stall just as long as you do the right things when u do....still means a minor each time though
Reply 10
no it dont.
dont mean anything. can stall a million times theoretically, as lon as you follow correct prodecdure.
i stalled 4 times on my test. lol
dont mean anything. can stall a million times theoretically, as lon as you follow correct prodecdure.
i stalled 4 times on my test. lol
fez
no it dont.
dont mean anything. can stall a million times theoretically, as lon as you follow correct prodecdure.
i stalled 4 times on my test. lol
dont mean anything. can stall a million times theoretically, as lon as you follow correct prodecdure.
i stalled 4 times on my test. lol
That kinda reassures me because given the amount of times I stalled over 2 hrs, if it was a 40 minute lesson/or the real test, I would have stalled 3 or 4 times. Lol.
Then again, I don't want to keep stalling because it will eat up my leeway for the number of minors I have.
Reply 12
stalling isnt a minor, unless you dont folloow correct prodecdure, handbrake, out of gear, engine off, engine on egear handbrake, mirrors....
Reply 14
pah, grammar, im an engineer, gimme a break.
Reply 15
After a few hours of lessons, I didn't really stall my learner car that much (diesel), but after i passed and started driving my car at home (petrol), i kept stalling all of the time. Then my nan said to me to 'floor it a bit more love' and ever since then ive had minimal problems. Just go for the gas a bit more, if you rev a bit when you start moving, who cares?!
Reply 16
It sounds like you might be sat too far forward? Steering wheel on your knees? foot caught in the tread of the mat?
If you're sat that far forward it's going to be difficult to get the smooth accurate movement required to smoothly 'take-off' the car.
Try sitting a bit further back. I could be wrong though, as surely your instructor would pick up on this. Unless he's like my first instructor who just wanted to get as much money out of me as possible.
"About 80 lessons is what's needed"
No joke. Be wary of instructors like this.
If you're sat that far forward it's going to be difficult to get the smooth accurate movement required to smoothly 'take-off' the car.
Try sitting a bit further back. I could be wrong though, as surely your instructor would pick up on this. Unless he's like my first instructor who just wanted to get as much money out of me as possible.
"About 80 lessons is what's needed"
No joke. Be wary of instructors like this.
Reply 17
Your leg shouldnt rub against the wheel. Either get the wheel raised and/or move your seat back. I would always move the wheel up on my instructors car.
My brother ALWAYS borrows my car and changes the seating position and mirrors. The seating is easily fixed by reaching your foot out and pressing the clutch down fully, so that you can do it comfortably with your leg only slightly bent. Once you have this position, click your seat into place.
My brother ALWAYS borrows my car and changes the seating position and mirrors. The seating is easily fixed by reaching your foot out and pressing the clutch down fully, so that you can do it comfortably with your leg only slightly bent. Once you have this position, click your seat into place.
Let's say that you perform a hill start almost every time you pull away, as I found myself doing that as a new driver - it's the cleanest, safest way. Now you can
find the bite
set the gas
release the handbrake
or you can
set the gas
find the bite
release the handbrake
which makes it much harder to stall, because the revs are up before you do anything with the clutch
find the bite
set the gas
release the handbrake
or you can
set the gas
find the bite
release the handbrake
which makes it much harder to stall, because the revs are up before you do anything with the clutch
Reply 19
Also try driving with more confidence. I'm not a normally confident person, but on the road you don't have much of a choice sorry.
Happy safe driving!
Happy safe driving!
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