The Student Room Group
Reply 1
Find the correct balance between gas a clutch when easing out.

Eventually you'll get good enough that you don't need to shift it down to 1st everytime you come to a junction. Unless the junction is blind, there's no need to almost stop.
Reply 2
You can often take corners in 2nd instead of going down to 1st
Reply 3
The point in braking is that the car needs to be going slowly in order to go into 1st gear, otherwise it would make a horrible noise. Then you put the accelerator on and go up the gears once you are completely round the corner.

I don't see why you're going round in 1st gear though, should be 2nd unless it's very very tight or in a car park or something.
Reply 4
So when i change gear (into either 1st or 2nd), would i also be applying pressure on the brake at the same time?
Reply 5
it really doesn't matter when you put your foot on the break and take it off again, it should just come naturally. The only reason you use the break is to slow the car down so that you can go round the corner safely, so once the car is going slow enough you take your foot off the break.
Reply 6
Use the brake alone to slow the car before the turn as this also uses engine braking (and means you're not coasting), then when you have slowed down enough change into 2nd (or 1st if it's a tight/blind corner) and take the corner.

That's kinda what I do anyway.
I usually approach each corner at 50mph and handbrake turn into them...In all seriousness just do what everyone has said on this thread. After a while you won't even have to think about when to brake etc you will just know when to do it and how.
Going around a corner in 1st?
Theres not many corners let me tell you that you need 1st gear for.
Do you mean easing out of a junction????

If its easing out of a junction then your process sounds good, I was taught to keep it in second and then just put it in 1st once you stopped.

A good tip for you mate is don't worry about the process as you will likely mess up, it should be natural and flowing thats what driving is all about!
Reply 9
I basically mean when you have to give way to traffic coming from your right if you are turning left out of road for example
Reply 10
With regard to your new post, assuming you are moving away from a junction after giving way...

WelshBoy

The bit that i don't understand is that when you have your foot on the clutch to put it into 1st gear, do you press down on the brake at the same time or do you change gear then brake?


If you need to stop, yes, you will need to brake and clutch at the same time. If you changed gear then braked, you'd either be going too fast to go into 1st gear comfortably, or when you were stopping you'd need to put your foot back on the clutch anyway.

1. When approaching the junction, begin to brake to slow down, coming down the gears as normal depending on which you started in.
2. As you get to the junction, you should be braking and almost stopped, depending on the visibility of the junction (some are open enough that you can see if they are clear before you get there so can take them in second).
3. As you get to the mouth of the junction, still braking, depress the clutch (too early and you'll get marked down for coasting, too late and you'll stall), and put the car into first. Look twice both ways, stopping if necessary, or keep rolling slightly if that still gives you enough time to see (you'll often stop).
4. When it's clear, release the brake and clutch and you'll be in first ready to move off.

If you aren't clear, ask your instructor to go over the exact procedure with you again. Don't worry, it comes naturally eventually.
Think of it as two parts: Pulling up at a junction, and moving off at a junction. As you get more proficient at both, they will merge together into one smooth process.
Reply 11
Why would you go round a corner in 1st? :|
Reply 12
Ryan
Why would you go round a corner in 1st? :|


if you're turning into my street off the main road - a really tight corner with a fairly steep hill round the bend!

or if your turning into a street with a speed bump the size of mount everest on the corner of it. one of those exists on test routes from my test centre.
While you're learning the way described should be good enough but if you want the way recommended by the advanced driving community, it's a bit different. We try and avoid what's called "brake-gear overlap" or BGOL. The idea of avoiding this is that if you are braking and depressing the clutch at the same time you are in less control of the car and the weight of the engine is free to push the car forwards more, resulting in the brakes having to work harder.
We suggest this method (assuming a corner that be taken at around 20 mph from a 50 mph road):
1. Collect as much information as possible (where other drivers are, how tight the corner is, any hidden dangers)
2. Position the car towards the outside of the bend to allow you to see around the corner earlier but sacrifice road position for safety if needed.
3. While on the straight before the corner, brake down to the right speed for the corner.
4. Foot off brake onto clutch and select the right gear for the corner (probably 2nd). *you should still not have quite reached the bend*
5. Take your foot off the clutch and onto the accelerator. Turn into the bend and while on the bend apply a little bit of acceleration to keep the speed of the car constant.
Note about the last bit, you are maintaining speed, not increasing it. You should (in theory) have got the car at the right speed to go round the corner in a safe and stable manner.
Once you've exited the corner (the road starts to straighten out) speed back up to the safe limit under or at the legal limit.
This takes practice and is not the fastest way of cornering (although it does allow you to carry speed better) but it is the safest, according to the police drivers handbook and all of the advanced driving organisations. It's called "the System of car control" or just "The System" and one of the 4 "s"s - Safety, System, Stability, Speed (making good progress - not speeding) that you learn on advanced training, starting with Pass Plus. For the tech minded that's Information, Position, Speed, Gear, Acceleration.
Like I said at the start, if you're just learning, follow the advice of your instructors, once you've passed your test, then it's time to learn to drive properly.
HtH, MtMtMn