Interestingly I'm the opposite to you in my opinions with regard to diesel cars & full EV's
As in "No way!" to either of them?
Interestingly I'm the opposite to you in my opinions with regard to diesel cars & full EV's
Pretty much.As in "No way!" to either of them?
I've been driving automatics for 50 years and I was taught to put the stick into neutral if I needed to stop for more than a few seconds (lights, slow queues etc.). so as not to dazzle the driver behind with the brake lights.
I seem to remember an old saying from when I were a lad...because it was a manual, you needed a proper handbrake to do a hill start
As the big market for Marx's is/was the USA most had Parking brakes, either foot or hand operated yes as such the parking brake was either on or off with little manual control.Talking of handbrakes, brother used to have a smallish late 90s Merc, about the size or slightly larger than a 190. Can't remember exact model. Anyway it had the handbrake on lower dash - a flap type handle. Was hopeless because lots of steep hills in Bristol, and because it was a manual, you needed a proper handbrake to do a hill start - not the either on or off thing the Merc had. You couldn't syncronise the clutch and handbrake like a proper lever type, because as soon as you released the handbrake, bang it was off. No subtle control feeding clutch in as you gradually released the handbrake as with traditional setups. Made for some very tricky hill starts. Rant over!
I use the parking brake at traffic lights and jams.I've been driving automatics for 50 years and I was taught to put the stick into neutral if I needed to stop for more than a few seconds (lights, slow queues etc.). so as not to dazzle the driver behind with the brake lights. (One video on YT says that you should use neutral at night but not necessarily during the day.) I did a test drive recently in a hybrid, so of course it's automatic. The salesman said that I just need to keep the footbrake pressed and not to touch the gearstick in the circumstances I mention above. There are lots of videos and articles about this issue, and very varied opinions. So can I ask:
What do the automatic drivers on this forum do?
Is there a different rule for hybrids?
What you refer to as 'hill start' has been a function of automatics for decades, my own experience of it goes back to the 'sixties with Rover P5's & Humber S/Snipes.Both my automatics have electric handbrakes. They both have a hill start function to avoid roll back.
I am very conscious of brake light dazzle.
On hill starts I'd have expected to control the setting off with 'toe & heel' control on accelerator and brake pedals with right foot and left foot on the clutch.
I seem to remember an old saying from when I were a lad...
"Mercedes manuals are as bad as their automatics are good"
Probably not the case any more
On the flip side of this, it makes you more visible and more obviously stopped/not moving off. You'd hope that this makes a rear-ending less likely (because psychologically people are primed to understand that a vehicle showing brake lights in front is more likely something they will collide with if they aren't braking themselves) and gives you further ammo against someone who does run into the back of youso as not to dazzle the driver behind with the brake lights
On the flip side of this, it makes you more visible and more obviously stopped/not moving off. You'd hope that this makes a rear-ending less likely (because psychologically people are primed to understand that a vehicle showing brake lights in front is more likely something they will collide with if they aren't braking themselves) and gives you further ammo against someone who does run into the back of you
Personally I don't like to hold brake pads against discs heated by braking so I arrange things such that I can release the brake regardless of the kind of transmission
Also, I don't consider brake lights as something that *should* reasonably dazzle another road user; be a bit pointless if brake lights were so bright they dazzle the people behind and increase the risk of a shunt into you because they were shielding/closing their eyes..
Yes, been driving nearly 50 years , never had a problem with brake lights.I don't get blinded, I just avoid staring at them, like 99% of all drivers.
Then there's always the idiot...
Of course, there is also the fact that the rear lights on many (all?) modern cars are ridiculously large and consequently even more ridiculously bright.