Driving Tips From Gurus To Beginners Like Me


kkn13

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You'd be surprised to find that many National Highways come with speedbreakers! Think about Malegaon to Nashik and some parts to Nashik to Bombay Expressway! Its Criminal but its true thanks to our dear goverments. Anyways here a few tips I use for sudden Speedbreakers-

1. If you find that expressway has speedbreakers, SLOW DOWN your average speeds. Its not the road that can do 150+ safely.
2. If your car as ABS, Do as chervolet suggested, slam the brakes. BUT! Take a short peak in the Rearview mirror if there's something very close to you. Then brake accordingly. This is something that can be improved only by practice and is not easy to do.
3. Press the brakes firmly UNTIL you come close to the speedbreakers. Then release the brakes as you go over them. Believe me, Going over speedbreakers with Foot on brake is much more stressful on the car than going neutral.
4. Get an SUV. They're far more going over than this Mountains than any Sedans, Hatchbacks. Tall tyres and high GC always helps.

A hatchback has far more chances of scraping the speedbreaker, not due to just low GC, but also the fact that cars rebound (Spring effect) after the front tyres are over the breakers. Which means the middle of your car could hit the breaker sharply. SUVs have very less rebound due to stronger suspension and tall wheels.

Hope it helps.
Bangalore-Mumbai too
There are 2 insane speedbreakers rather car breakers [frustration] that cant be seen until last second because it blends in with the road
I blame the local villagers etc more, these are surely illegal and can be fatal too

About GC etc, totally agreed
but keep in mind, certain cars have high suspension travel too or 1-2 parts like differential chamber which are low even if the car itself is high
I dont think sedans are good on our roads anymore

Thank you everyone for your valuable information!
I drive Tata Tiago and it has ABS. Whenever I am in higher gears and slow down for the speed breakers, the car begin to vibrate before I downshift. What causes the vibration and how to avoid it?
maybe you should brake, dip clutch and downshift first and then brake further instead of engine braking in higher gears?

The same result can be achieved by applying full clutch depressed. What is most comfortable gear over a thick and high speed breaker? I think 1st is the best. Only problem is coming from 2nd to 1st takes some more force than usual in my Ritz.
As an ex-Ritz owner , I can vouch this in my case too
its to prevent accidential shifting to 1st in higher gears
Ive noticed it in other cars too
Ritz (diesel) pulled clean in 2nd gear too
So does City Ivtec
After certain speed, 1st gear can be engaged smoothly
PS- Do you also suffer from the infamous 1st and reverse gear not engaging on 1st try sometimes?(fairly rare occurence)


EDIT- Sorry mods, forgot to use multi quote , terribly sorry
 
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Thank you once again @navnit013 and all others for clearing my concern regarding vibrations in car.
I also want to ask that is engine braking in light traffic a good practice or a bad one? Because once I was in second gear and to slow down for the traffic ahead, I shifted to first and slowed down. A biker behind me was about to hit me from behind. He asked me whether my taillight is working or not? Is it the biker's fault or mine?
 
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kkn13

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Thank you once again @navnit013 and all others for clearing my concern regarding vibrations in car.
I also want to ask that is engine braking in light traffic a good practice or a bad one? Because once I was in second gear and to slow down for the traffic ahead, I shifted to first and slowed down. A biker behind me was about to hit me from behind. He asked me whether my taillight is working or not? Is it the biker's fault or mine?
both
dont shift to 1st so early, you can easily engine brake in 2nd or 3rd while dipping clutch before idle rpms
biker should see your speed and judge, i doubt they see tail light etc 90% of the time,most drive like kids at least in Mumbai
(No offense to any bikers here, the ones here are actual level headed people of course)
 
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A biker behind me was about to hit me from behind. He asked me whether my taillight is working or not? Is it the biker's fault or mine?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear-end_collision:
For purposes of insurance and policing, the driver of the car that rear-ends the other car is almost always considered to be at fault due to not leaving enough stopping distance or lack of attention.
 

bhvm

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Well, to avoid the vibrations the method I follow is that, when I apply brakes to slow down at breaker I shift the gear to neutral and once I pass over the breaker, then I slot in the required gear.

Regards

Akash
This is a good enough method.
The same result can be achieved by applying full clutch depressed. What is most comfortable gear over a thick and high speed breaker? I think 1st is the best. Only problem is coming from 2nd to 1st takes some more force than usual in my Ritz.
Yes clutch can be used. Most modern cars or large speedbreakers require the use of 1st gear. Infact some ill designed breakers require you to play with the clutch even in 1st gear! There those monstrous mountains taller than mt everest on certain railway crossings in Gujarat. On top of it the road around is just sheer crap around the railways crossings.
Even XUV can scrape on those if not careful.

FOR ALL THE DRIVERS HERE: Never let your car coast in neutral or in clutch. Always in gear. This is the best way to control your car. In neutral you are not in control of it. Also when you ride depressed clutch, you are not in control of the cars speed. Even in emergency braking, the clutch should be the last thing you should operate, just to change the gear to keep engine speed and car speed matched.
navnit013,
This method is good for causal breaking, Eg. when you seen a speedBreaker board from far off, you can go with sequential down-shifting. It helps better control and also saves the wear on brakes somewhat.

However, The same is not useful for Emergency braking at all. I am assuming you are taking about some serious Emergency braking like 120>0 or 150>20 or something. I mean the situations when a village woman suddenly starts crossing the road on 4 lanes without looking. Or when a errant biker juts out of the bylane suddenly on highway with no rear view mirrors.

In such cases It would be lifesaving to depress the clucth+Brake at once, Reasons below-
1.Modern diesels Generate enough torque at idle RPM. Forcing brakes at idle will cause engine to judder and shake violently. This will increase braking distance. Some engines like Fortuner 3.0L MT or Safari 3.0L DICOR can actually drag the vehicle with brakes engaged. (Personal Experience)

2. Modern diesels or petrols have become free revving nature, hence the amount of gear control they offer is anyways very limited.

3. Downshifting too early can cause engine RPM to spike up. Sometimes damaging the engine or Clutch. 2WD vehicles (Which most in India are) can slip or fishtail when Engine abruptly spikes

Failure to depress the Clutch+Brake during emergency can cause life threatening situations as below-

1. You will waste time fumbling with gear shifts or operating the clutch. This will increase your braking distance and also cloud your steering judgment.

2. If you don't shift gear,The smaller engines will often clip off. On average, Sharp Braking from 130>0, The engine usually clips off at 40 or 50 KMPH. This means you will loose power steering, Brake pressure and any other engine Dependant mechanicals. Which means you may be unable to steer and avoid the obstacle, Resulting in an accident.

IMO, it always pays to have a habit of Clutch+Brake if you are a speedy highway driver.

I am sure this is the case with the OP.
Unfortunately not the case with Tiago Petrol unless the speed breaker is reasonably well designed. Most often we have to slot to first gear or ride the clutch in second when speeds drop below 10 kph.
Correct.
 
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I instinctively clutch+brake when I need to stop quickly. On the other hand, in graded slow-downs, I simply down shift and allow the natural braking to take effect and use the brakes lightly.
 
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Re: What is the correct method to be followed to slow down a car suddenly?

Suppose I am driving in 100 kmph in a highway and suddenly out of nowhere I see a speed breaker. What is the correct method to follow to quickly reduce my speed and pass the speed breaker smoothly?
1. Dont do panic braking.

2. Like others said downshifting gears.

3. Brake then release the brake and brake hard again (easier said than done but you can practise this on normal times also)

4. Remember when you said "suddenly" you need to define how suddenly. So please remember depending on the suddenness of the situation you will never be able to come to a complete halt from 100kph as you hit the bumper. So hold on your breath and let her ride over the Bump at whatever reduced speed you might have arrived at. The cars can take a knock, but attempt to bring the car to complete halt may lead to more serious consequences.
 
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Friends , please tell me if I intend to change from small hatchback to SUV what techniques I have learn for driving. I can drive small cars but have no experience of driving big cars.
 

bhvm

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Friends , please tell me if I intend to change from small hatchback to SUV what techniques I have learn for driving. I can drive small cars but have no experience of driving big cars.
1. maintain more distance compared to earlier experience.

2. install reverse Camera & other sensors to prevent bumping into things.

3. reduce speeds till you're comfortable with the SUV & properly know it's limits.
 
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Friends , please tell me if I intend to change from small hatchback to SUV what techniques I have learn for driving. I can drive small cars but have no experience of driving big cars.
1. First things first. Unlike a small hatch, in most SUVs you should be able to see the bonnet end. So you will know exactly where your nose is.

2. It is very important to understand your SUV's width. When you park, overtake (at slow city speeds), pass vehicles on narrow roads, it is very important to unlearn hatch's width & learn SUV's width. Try to do kerb parking at-least 3-5 times a day in reverse. You will get the hang of it.

3. It is important to understand the length of your SUV. As bhvm said, install a reverse camera.

4. It is important to realize that your SUV sits higher with much more GC. Hence the suspension (may not be as firm as a hatch) might travel a bit more than you are used to. And SUV will have body roll. Don't throw in the SUV at corners. Take it slower than that of the hatch. Braking bite might not be to your liking / might not like a bit of nose diving. It takes longer to stop due to higher momentum. So practice please.

5. Last but not the least, arrive at a comfortable driving position. Take the SUV for a long drive of 300-400kms, and get used to the dynamics.

All in all, you should be very comfortable in a week or so.
 

kkn13

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Friends , please tell me if I intend to change from small hatchback to SUV what techniques I have learn for driving. I can drive small cars but have no experience of driving big cars.
I also shifted from Ritz to SUV, stick to slow speeds, get to know braking etc, keep safe distance, enjoy people moving out of your way to let you go (I face this in my Innova too) [:D] [glasses][lol]
People get scared around SUVs, they tend to let you pass usually at least in Mumbai
 
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Please direct me to relevant thread , if any.
Today I was riding my bike in left most lane in two lanes road. The local bus in front of me came to a sudden halt between two lanes. I too stopped behind the bus until it moved on, but I got dirty stares from the following traffic. What should I have done ?
I didnt want to overtake from left side.
Right side is speed lane. I dont want to come before a speeding car or bike.
Please let me know how should I have handled the situation
 
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Please direct me to relevant thread , if any.
Today I was riding my bike in left most lane in two lanes road. The local bus in front of me came to a sudden halt between two lanes. I too stopped behind the bus until it moved on, but I got dirty stares from the following traffic. What should I have done ?
I didnt want to overtake from left side.
Right side is speed lane. I dont want to come before a speeding car or bike.
Please let me know how should I have handled the situation
According to me, what you did was right. I would have done the same thing. Don't be bothered about stares from others, they're just ignorant and prefer to risk their life than to wait for a few seconds.

98% of our brethren follow a rule "If there is no lane, then create a lane".
 
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Please direct me to relevant thread , if any.
Today I was riding my bike in left most lane in two lanes road. The local bus in front of me came to a sudden halt between two lanes. I too stopped behind the bus until it moved on, but I got dirty stares from the following traffic. What should I have done ?
I didnt want to overtake from left side.
Right side is speed lane. I dont want to come before a speeding car or bike.
Please let me know how should I have handled the situation
You did the right thing, under the given situation. Safety First approach should always be preferred. My thumbs up to you. Just ignore those ignoring rules.

Had you followed the bus at a reasonable distance behind, AND IF YOU WERE SURE OF WHAT WAS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF bus, and if it was safe, you could have overtaken it from left. Otherwise, do what you did.
 
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@ Vijay_968
Yes you're right ! There is not enough distance between bus & me. So couldn't check. In city traffic we can't keep reasonable distance between one another. I am feeling stressed following rules and not enjoying the ride as I used to . Is there any method I can approach.
 

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