VWaddict

It takes practice.

As for not using the handbrake on hills, that's just bad driving to me. More complicated it may be, but it's a legal requirement in Britain (where the driving test is a lot more strict, but people at the beginners driving level are much better drivers). It's also better for the car not to hold the car on the clutch bite on a hill stop, and safer.

As far as rolling backwards into a car that's 'too close' goes, the UK law states that if you roll backwards into a car, it's your fault, end of story. I agree with that comlpetely. If you can't safely control your car, it's your fault. Period. The driving test includes a "hill start without rolling back", so you can do it, or no license. If you then roll back into somebody, that's your fault.

You just get the hang of it with practice. 2500RPM for a move-off is too much. I never go above 1500 in any car I've ever driven. Getting your foot COMPLETELY off the clutch is vital if you don't want to burn it up.

It comes with time, practice and exxperience. You'll have it before you know it.

Keith

MartinT

Having learnt to drive in the UK, I got into the e-brake/handbrake way of doing it. However driving the 944, I find I use the e-brake less, not because of changing from Right Hand Drive to Left Hand Drive, but because of 944 design.
Having the e-brake on your left hand side and the shifter on your right, it's not greatly confidence inspiring to have to take your hand off the steering wheel, or at least switch which one is on the wheel. All this while you're new to driving a manual, and fretting about that.

Enjoy learning, at one point it will just click.

Martin

formerGMguy

What's this e-brake method everyone keeps referring to? I don't think I've ever even considered using the e-brake to stop rearward motion on a hill. I'm assuming you'd use the e-brake so you don't have to try and switch pedals quickly??? Seems like it would be even more of a hassle trying to start in first smoothly on hill while releasing the hand brake at the same time, and what happens if you have to make a turn as well??? This seems nuts to me!

Great advice all around guys.

ApexCars

I think there is some misunderstanding about using the clutch on a hill. People keep saying how bad it is to hold the car on a hill with the clutch. They are right, but we aren't talking about holding the car with the clutch. You hold the car with the brake, you only use the clutch to get going. Come to a stop on the hill with left foot on clutch right on brake. When ready to go, start to let the clutch out till it begins to engage. Move right foot to gas and start applying throttle while continuing to slowly let out the clutch and then your off. Yes, you will screw it up many times before you get comfortable with it, but I've driven lot's of sticks over the years, (Many of them old wore out work trucks and a few sporty cars) and haven't burnt up a clutch yet. Best way to learn quickly is to practice about 3 times and then have someone in an expensive car tailgate you while you try it again. You forget all about babying the car and jsut concentrate on not rolling back. Worked for me.

VWaddict

Try this in San Francisco and then report back.

Seriously, you cannot do it on a sufficiently steep hill without rolling back, and some of the hills in San Fran (just to pick one example) are ridiculous. -As a basic rule of thumb, anywhere which is so steep that it has a posted requirement that you park your vehicle in-gear, with the handbrake set, and the wheels turned in to the kerb so that gravity pushes/pulles the front of the car away from the roadway, with fines posted for non-compliance... I'll betcha that you can't do a hill-start-without-rollback unless you use your handbrake. There's simple not enough strength in an idling engine to hold the car, so unless you grow a third leg, then a handbrake start it is.

In Britain for sure -and most of Europe I suspect- if you take your driving test in an automatic, you are ONLY licensed and authorised to drive an automatic on the road. If you're stopped driving a stick on an automatic license, it's classed as driving while unlicensed. There's a seperate (simpler) automatic test, and the manual test requires the ability to hill-start-without-rollback, during which the examiner is required to fail you for not using the handbrake correctly.

For sure the 944 series of cars has the handbarke in a comparatively inconvenient location, and I don't think I could do a handbrake 'swing' turn at all easily if at all in my 951, but it's not so inconvenient that I can't do a hill-start using it, and I've done so several times without any real complexity.

Keith

Lorax

I think the best thing to remember when you first start driving stick is EASY DOES IT. Just relax, and let the clutch out as slow as you have to when you are learning. The worst thing that can happen is a few people will honk at you. Big deal. Just focus on the feel of the car, and don't lose your nerve if you make a mistake.

Campeck

you use that method even though you now drive well? thats just a practice method. if your familiar with the clutch theres no reason to use that way on a hill. unless its super steep in which case an na will have to revved to like 3k rpm to not lunge and bog.