Uphill starts: parking brake vs riding clutch for a sec

[MrDinkleman]

Option C is, of course, the 'other reason' to learn to heel-and-toe.


I will use the hand brake when I am feeling lazy or some douche is too close to my bumper. But on most non-San Francisco grade hills, I will just do a little fancy footwork.

[sgtcarrot]

[QUOTE=chaoskaze;2480792]You do both & you should always.


Unless it's just a gradual slope.




This.
Be prepared to drive anywhere under any condition with the tools you have. For some reason I keep hearing americans calling it the "Emergency Brake". I also hear "parking brake" a lot, I guess the floor based ones (have never seen one in person) changed the usefulness and nomenclature.

[Sarlacc]

Originally Posted by chaoskaze

You do both & you should always.


Unless it's just a gradual slope.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

^^That is the only correct answer.

Sorry @Tcoat, but you're wrong. You can drive however you like of course, but the correct way to start moving up a hill so steep that it has been necessary to apply the parking brake in the first place, is:
Apply the right amount of gas, then smoothly disengage parking brake and release clutch at the same time.

It requires some practice to get it just right, but when you do you get a nice forward acceleration with no backwards movement at all, and no clutch wear. At any incline.
This is especially important on ice and snow, and especially when driving heavy trucks. You want forward momentum building up as smoothly as possible, and the parking brake is essential for that.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Sarlacc

^^That is the only correct answer.

Sorry @Tcoat, but you're wrong. You can drive however you like of course, but the correct way to start moving from a hill so steep that it has been necessary to apply the parking brake in the first place, is:
Apply the right amount of gas, then smoothly disengage parking brake and release clutch at the same time.

It requires some practice to get it just right, but when you do you get a nice forward acceleration with no backwards movement at all, and no clutch wear. At any incline.
This is especially important on ice and snow, and especially when driving heavy trucks. You want forward momentum building up as smoothly as possible, and the parking brake is essential for that.

Wow Sar we disagree twice in one night! That has to be a record (not sarcasm)


I disagree that there is ever a time you HAVE to use the brake.

[strat61caster]

Drive in SF once every couple of months, using the handbrake doesn't hurt anything at all and I can't keep the car rolling back by slipping the clutch alone, hills that steep will stall the car and the car will roll back and nobody gives an inch. I'll take someone on the internet calling me a pansy over an insurance claim any day, maybe someday I'll be good enough to move my foot that quickly, today is not that day.

I'll be sure to snap a pic next time I'm there, don't care how good you think you are, when all you can see outside your windshield is sky it's pretty unnerving.

Edit: why dismiss a tool available to you? I don't need that ratchet, this box end wrench is all grandpappy needed and its good enough for me too!

[Sarlacc]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Wow Sar we disagree twice in one night! That has to be a record (not sarcasm)


I disagree that there is ever a time you HAVE to use the brake.

You've been wrong twice in one night, that has to be a record for sure

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Shitdisturber............


Back in the day (sorry Humfrz) most cars didn't even have them and if you tried to use the floor parking brake you would probably fail horribly.......

DANG! @Tcoat ........ you got me there.

Even the Model "T" had a hand brake ........ and I don't go back any further than that .......


humfrz

[blue cat]

Originally Posted by Sarlacc

the correct way to start moving up a hill so steep that it has been necessary to apply the parking brake in the first place, is:
Apply the right amount of gas, then smoothly disengage parking brake and release clutch at the same time.

It requires some practice to get it just right, but when you do you get a nice forward acceleration with no backwards movement at all, and no clutch wear. At any incline.
This is especially important on ice and snow, and especially when driving heavy trucks. You want forward momentum building up as smoothly as possible, and the parking brake is essential for that.

You want best habits, this is it. Anything other than a very gentle slope always do it by the book.

[Sarlacc]

Originally Posted by humfrz

DANG! @Tcoat ........ you got me there.

Even the Model "T" had a hand brake ........ and I don't go back any further than that .......


humfrz

In the movies, prairie wagons and stage coaches have handbrakes.

[Toyarzee]

The struggle to drive a standard trans is ever apparent on this forum. You guys have to think way too hard to drive these little cars. I just came back from SF and didn't once even have to worry about it. You get comfortable enough with a manual and you can drive anything anywhere, period. Handbrake is for parking or the drifting and stance crew.

Seriously, the whole when do you downshift into first, how far do I press the clutch down, do I decelerate on neutral or keep in gear?... How many ice hockey players have to discuss how to start or stop on ice skates when going for the puck? None, it all just makes sense and works in practice.

[Guff]

Gonna have to sorta disagree with you, @Tcoat.

I know its a fringe case, but both my old FRS and new BRZ have had 6-puck clutches and they will absolutely embarrass the driver on a hill start. There is no way short of launching the car to get it to get moving easily on a steep-ish hill and as such, I use the e-brake. Now, 95% of the time, I do it the normal way, but I can't say that there is never a time where the e-brake is necessitated.

But as far as OP's question goes, you should be able to handle just moving off with the clutch in most cases. Especially with the very forgiving stock clutch.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Sarlacc

In the movies, prairie wagons and stage coaches have handbrakes.

Yep, even the first car that I ever built had a hand brake.


Actually, it was the ONLY brake ......



humfrz

[Sarlacc]

Originally Posted by Toyarzee

The struggle to drive a standard trans is ever apparent on this forum. You guys have to think way too hard to drive these little cars. I just came back from SF and didn't once even have to worry about it. You get comfortable enough with a manual and you can drive anything anywhere, period. Handbrake is for parking or the drifting and stance crew.

Seriously, the whole when do you downshift into first, how far do I press the clutch down, do I decelerate on neutral or keep in gear?... How many ice hockey players have to discuss how to start or stop on ice skates when going for the puck? None, it all just makes sense and works in practice.

That's anecdotal and straw man arguments. The only valid statement in there is "Handbrake is for parking", which is correct.
It is supposed to be released when you're ready to move. In careful coordination with application of throttle and release of clutch, if the incline is steep.

The fact that there are other ways that work most of the time is irrelevant. Learn to do it right, then chose not to.

[Toyarzee]

Originally Posted by Sarlacc

That's anecdotal and straw man arguments.

Learn to do it right, then chose not to.

lol alright. It is difficult to argue with your logic nonetheless.

I do suppose I'm a bit biased - i drove an unsprung 6-puck clutch for 5 or 6 years. It had a ford 9 swap in the rear and there was no parking brake. I drove the car as a dd without incident until it finally found it's resting place in my garage on stands when I bought the FR-S.

A good read and a few good laughs was worth vising this thread!