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[Markjay]

I was happy to see that leaving the gear in D while stopped in traffic is the right thing to do, have been doing it anyway but mainly due to laziness really....  

As for going downhill in low gear this is true for both manual and auto, but the Omega autobox is supposed to have some sort of mechanism that prevents it from speeding-up when coasting downhill (it's in the user's manual).

[Taxi_Driver]

I was surprised that it doesn't advocate slipping it into "N" and applying the handbrake at the lights. This always "feels" like a more "secure" way to wait and I do it whenever I'd slip a manual into neutral. Not blinding the buy behind or warping your brake disks when hot is a good side-effect too.

Only problem is, it takes a second or two for the gearbox to engage when you move into "D".

Kevin

This was a point I raised with a driving examiner a couple of years ago, when I had to show my driving was upto a standard good enough for TD'ing.
Put it in N or P and handbrake applied or leave it in D with foot on brake.
Examiner replied what ever you want to do........

Im pretty sure that when i learnt to drive (in a manual) I was taught......at traffic lights, handbrake applied and 1st gear selected (clutch pressed obviously) while you wait for green.

I also asked about left foot braking.....as its suppose to be faster.......and some driving schools teach this in autos.
Again examiner replied what you feel comfortable with.
I use my right foot for braking.

[Kevin Wood]

Bad
Vauxhall Cavalier
Ford Granada
Others I can't remember

You've obviously never driven a Volvo 340 / DAF 66 auto then - the ones with "elastic band drive" cvt? Otherwise, you'd have another category of bad!  

Test drove one for my Mum once. Pulled out of the garage forecourt, 50 yds up the road and back into the other entrance of the garage and told the bloke it was broken "No, they're supposed to be like that"

Throttle controls engine revs. You can drive at 2,000 RPM or 5,000 RPM or anything in between. It has no effect on the acceleration of the vehicle whatsoever.

Kevin

[Kevin Wood]

I also asked about left foot braking.....

I avoid putting my left foot anywhere near a pedal in an auto. If it just goes to sleep completely, I don't keep going for the clutch! It's not been trained to have enough finesse for braking, either. ABS or bust with the left foot, which is strange because I don't notice the same problem operating the rudders in a glider.

Kevin

[Marks DTM Calib]

Some intersting points, cant say I agree with them all but, it is only advice and not hard and fast rules.

I certainly dont agree with the general 'no engine braking' statement as this can serve to help conserve fuel (higher revs result in fuel cut off) and gives more flexability should something 'un-expected' occur.....but this seems to be the normal teaching methods these days.

[Entwood]

Some intersting points, cant say I agree with them all but, it is only advice and not hard and fast rules.

I certainly dont agree with the general 'no engine braking' statement as this can serve to help conserve fuel (higher revs result in fuel cut off) and gives more flexability should something 'un-expected' occur.....but this seems to be the normal teaching methods these days.

I was told by an Advanced Driving Instructor (police) that the simple reason for using car brakes rather than engine braking is nothing to do with economy, prformance, handling etc etc .. but very simply ... if you use the car brakes you let the person behind you know you are slowing down via your brake lights .. if you just "lift off" and use engine braking they don't know and could run into the back of you ......

Now you can agree or disagree at will ... but that was the info given to me .....  

[Marks DTM Calib]

Some intersting points, cant say I agree with them all but, it is only advice and not hard and fast rules.

I certainly dont agree with the general 'no engine braking' statement as this can serve to help conserve fuel (higher revs result in fuel cut off) and gives more flexability should something 'un-expected' occur.....but this seems to be the normal teaching methods these days.

I was told by an Advanced Driving Instructor (police) that the simple reason for using car brakes rather than engine braking is nothing to do with economy, prformance, handling etc etc .. but very simply ... if you use the car brakes you let the person behind you know you are slowing down via your brake lights .. if you just "lift off" and use engine braking they don't know and could run into the back of you ......

Now you can agree or disagree at will ... but that was the info given to me .....  

If they cant detect low level engine breaking then brake lights will make no difference....speed reduction under engine braking is minimal.

[TheBoy]

Some intersting points, cant say I agree with them all but, it is only advice and not hard and fast rules.

I certainly dont agree with the general 'no engine braking' statement as this can serve to help conserve fuel (higher revs result in fuel cut off) and gives more flexability should something 'un-expected' occur.....but this seems to be the normal teaching methods these days.

I was told by an Advanced Driving Instructor (police) that the simple reason for using car brakes rather than engine braking is nothing to do with economy, prformance, handling etc etc .. but very simply ... if you use the car brakes you let the person behind you know you are slowing down via your brake lights .. if you just "lift off" and use engine braking they don't know and could run into the back of you ......

Now you can agree or disagree at will ... but that was the info given to me .....  

If they cant detect low level engine breaking then brake lights will make no difference....speed reduction under engine braking is minimal.

Trouble is, the kids now are taught to slow down on brakes, rather than gears. Hence they expect all other drivers to. Berseck if you ask me, but ho hum...

[Kevin Wood]

Some intersting points, cant say I agree with them all but, it is only advice and not hard and fast rules.

I certainly dont agree with the general 'no engine braking' statement as this can serve to help conserve fuel (higher revs result in fuel cut off) and gives more flexability should something 'un-expected' occur.....but this seems to be the normal teaching methods these days.

I was told by an Advanced Driving Instructor (police) that the simple reason for using car brakes rather than engine braking is nothing to do with economy, prformance, handling etc etc .. but very simply ... if you use the car brakes you let the person behind you know you are slowing down via your brake lights .. if you just "lift off" and use engine braking they don't know and could run into the back of you ......

Now you can agree or disagree at will ... but that was the info given to me .....  

If they cant detect low level engine breaking then brake lights will make no difference....speed reduction under engine braking is minimal.

Trouble is, the kids now are taught to slow down on brakes, rather than gears. Hence they expect all other drivers to. Berseck if you ask me, but ho hum...

It's more of an issue when you have a 650kg car with absolutely sh!te aerodynamics and an engine with a lot of compression. Take your foot off, even in 5th, and the bloke behind will be on his brakes, if he notices. Can't even give him a flash of the brake lights because they're operated by line pressure and only come on when you're actually braking rather than just touching the pedal.

I tend to just brake later and harder in that car so it's obvious, although that causes problems when the bloke behind assumes he can just sit on your tail and start braking when you do, rather than 50 yds before you do.

Kevin

[Markjay]

I was always told that engine braking when going downhill is aimed at preventing brake fade.

Also, in a previous life I was involved with lorries, the (very) old one had 'exhaust brake', which was basically a choke on the exhaust, the idea being that when going downhill you put the box in low gear and the keep the engine in low rev by choking the exhaust... sounds strange but it worked. Not sure if modern lorries have this though.

[Golfbuddy]

I was always told that engine braking when going downhill is aimed at preventing brake fade.

Also, in a previous life I was involved with lorries, the (very) old one had 'exhaust brake', which was basically a choke on the exhaust, the idea being that when going downhill you put the box in low gear and the keep the engine in low rev by choking the exhaust... sounds strange but it worked. Not sure if modern lorries have this though.

Ours, two years old, do. It gives the drivers great fun to press the button when they are overtaking cyclists.  

[Markjay]

I was always told that engine braking when going downhill is aimed at preventing brake fade.

Also, in a previous life I was involved with lorries, the (very) old one had 'exhaust brake', which was basically a choke on the exhaust, the idea being that when going downhill you put the box in low gear and the keep the engine in low rev by choking the exhaust... sounds strange but it worked. Not sure if modern lorries have this though.

Ours, two years old, do. It gives the drivers great fun to press the button when they are overtaking cyclists.  

Interesting.... the lorries I was talking about were ww2 stuff... so they still have it then.

[Golfbuddy]

I was always told that engine braking when going downhill is aimed at preventing brake fade.

Also, in a previous life I was involved with lorries, the (very) old one had 'exhaust brake', which was basically a choke on the exhaust, the idea being that when going downhill you put the box in low gear and the keep the engine in low rev by choking the exhaust... sounds strange but it worked. Not sure if modern lorries have this though.

Ours, two years old, do. It gives the drivers great fun to press the button when they are overtaking cyclists.  

Interesting.... the lorries I was talking about were ww2 stuff... so they still have it then.

Yep, 'fraid so.  

[Paulus]

Manuals are great on bikes and fun cars but when you hit 40 autos get interesting.

I generally dislike autos because most are crap - the only decent autos I have driven are

Vaushall Senator
Vauxhall Carlton
Vauxhall Omega

Bad
Vauxhall Cavalier
Ford Granada
Others I can't remember

Indifferent (no sports button)
V8 Discovery
Saaaaaaaaab 95

Eeek...I'm only 34.

[Taxi_Driver]

I was happy to see that leaving the gear in D while stopped in traffic is the right thing to do, have been doing it anyway but mainly due to laziness really....  

As for going downhill in low gear this is true for both manual and auto, but the Omega autobox is supposed to have some sort of mechanism that prevents it from speeding-up when coasting downhill (it's in the user's manual).

Mine will still speed up downhill depending on steepness of hill, but does usually drop a gear in the box if im not touching the accelerator.......i assume thats it trying engine braking.....and what the above by MJ means.