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Post by Northern Exploration on Oct 23, 2008 8:20:55 GMT -8
What Hardy is saying about safe driving is very true. I was lucky enough to be given a BMW advanced driving course even though I don't drive one.
Watch people's brake lights as they enter a curve. The vast majority of people do it wrong, not as Hardy says is the correct way. Watch an impatient driver and they enter a curve too fast and have to brake through the whole curve. Slow before, accelerate gently through is the mantra. When you brake through a curve you transfer more weight on the vehicle forward and out, so you are fighting the momentum of the car. The other way you are keeping the car more balanced and stable with the momentum properly transfered where you want to go.
Not to mention the wrong way uses more gas. Hyperdriving as it is called now, where you accelerate more reasonably, drive the speed limit, brake a minimal amount, and coast as much as possible has a profound impact on gas consumption. Good truckers have known this for years.
I had a long discussion about this at my office away from office - Starbucks. A guy had a similar car to mine but in a non-all wheel drive version and we were talking differences in mileage. Turned out he was a prof and had challenged his students to a research and do real life hyperdrive experiments. Was very interesting to hear his comments.
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Post by Hardy on Oct 23, 2008 13:42:55 GMT -8
What Hardy is saying about safe driving is very true. <SNIP> The vast majority of people do it wrong, not as Hardy says is the correct way. Watch an impatient driver and they enter a curve too fast and have to brake through the whole curve. Slow before, accelerate gently through is the mantra. <SNIP> Good truckers have known this for years. Thanks for the validation!  I never took any "FORMAL" driving school or anything. First 'thing' I ever drove was a dual-stick ancient tractor on my uncle's dairy farm (doing field/fence work). Next summer I graduated to an old IH twin-axle dump truck (the kind with a 4-spd transmission and a split rear-end). In those two summers, I got all the "manual" transmission experience I would ever need (although it was several years later that I learned proper downshifting...). Next most influencial thing in my driving was being a "swamper" (assistant) on delivery trucks doing appliances/furniture for several years. Watching the old pros drive, mainly by "listening" to the truck. Being very aware of where in your lane you were with the 8.5' wide 36' long truck as you ran down car and tree lined residential streets. I'd watch the mirrors so I knew the clearance on the sides based on lane position. Then add watching NASCAR since I was like age 8 -- and the commentators. That's where I picked up the momentum and cornering tricks. Lastly, know that I have almost 200,000km of driving truck professionally in the last 8 years, and at age 37, I probably have only between 120-150 HOURS of driving a passenger vehicle. I feel TONS more comfortable driving a truck, big as it is, slow as it accelerates/brakes. I find myself unaccustomed to the acceleration of a passenger car, and tend to be hilarious when I swing "wide" with a Civic out of force of habit I'd invite you all to come along with me for a day sometime, so you can watch me tear (hehe, 30km/h) down a residential street, dodging low hanging tree branches, cyclists and car mirrors, with mere FRACTIONS of inches to spare at times. Or to see me pound down through the gears and brake as some TWIT cuts me off at 60km/h. Backing up a 36' long beast? Tape some sandpaper to my truck's back end and hold a match for me to strike as I slalom into the loading dock... Automatics? Paaaaaah. Clutches on stick shifts are for starting out in first gear or for the down-shifts where you can't feather the throttle quick enough to just match the RPM's! Remember I learned on that old UN-synchronized early 80's IH silage-wagon dump truck with the tempermental electric splitter!! Give me a good 10-speed RoadRanger and I'll use the clutch TWICE up and down the tree total!  |
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 23, 2008 16:48:19 GMT -8
...and at age 37, I probably have only between 120-150 HOURS of driving a passenger vehicle. lol...see me next month; the counter starts now Automatics? Paaaaaah. Clutches on stick shifts are for starting out in first gear or for the down-shifts where you can't feather the throttle quick enough to just match the RPM's! hear, hear...we're the same age and in my life, I've only been without a stick shift twice, once when I was rebuilding the car with the stick, and right now, which is more a concession to my wife so she can drive my car. I love freaking the so-called stick drivers by hammering between gears without the clutch ;D |
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Post by Northern Exploration on Oct 23, 2008 17:12:38 GMT -8
I feel TONS more comfortable driving a truck, big as it is, slow as it accelerates/brakes. I find myself unaccustomed to the acceleration of a passenger car, and tend to be hilarious when I swing "wide" with a Civic out of force of habit Holy smoley Hardy that was you in that Civic who almost sideswiped me as I was on my way downtown my last visit! |
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Post by Hardy on Oct 24, 2008 3:17:59 GMT -8
Nah, but I mighta been the 'ragin truck driver' madly shouting at his windshield after having to avoid the Civic which abruptly stopped from 60 km/h with no warning when the driver saw a shiny metal disk in the middle of the road thinking it was a PENNY!!
Of COURSE the fully loaded truck weighing 12-times as much can stop and avoid crushing and killing you when you lock up the brakes for no earthly reason....
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 24, 2008 9:41:04 GMT -8
Nah, but I mighta been the 'ragin truck driver' madly shouting at his windshield after having to avoid the Civic which abruptly stopped from 60 km/h with no warning when the driver saw a shiny metal disk in the middle of the road thinking it was a PENNY!! Of COURSE the fully loaded truck weighing 12-times as much can stop and avoid crushing and killing you when you lock up the brakes for no earthly reason.... haha...and I'm the guy madly shouting at the windshield "Do you think you're driving a tractor-trailer!?!?!?!?!?" as you swing wide while making your left in said civic... ;D Does it count if they're stopping for a US penny? |
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Post by Hardy on Oct 25, 2008 20:01:32 GMT -8
1.21x worth if it's a Yankee pfennig. Of course though, you MUST remember that my truck stops on a DIME and gives change too ... |
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I never took any "FORMAL" driving school or anything. First 'thing' I ever drove was a dual-stick ancient tractor on my uncle's dairy farm (doing field/fence work). Next summer I graduated to an old IH twin-axle dump truck (the kind with a 4-spd transmission and a split rear-end). In those two summers, I got all the "manual" transmission experience I would ever need (although it was several years later that I learned proper downshifting...).
