Advanced Driving Hub

sussex2 wrote:I do know that if I changed up on the advice of the system (in any car I've driven that had one) then I would not be driving safely. I would have no or little reserve of power and any kind of system of driving would fall apart.

GTR1400MAN wrote:Hmm, driven with a sensitive foot the Toyota IQ wants you in 5th just before 30mph! And this is a 3 cylinder 1.0 litre engine. As you can imagine if you were in that gear it is as responsive as a dead slug.

In both cases, looking ahead and planning enables you to revert from your 'cruising' gear to an appropriately 'flexible' gear before you need to use it.

So you are continually braking? Or changing down to slow?

Gareth wrote:

sussex2 wrote:I do know that if I changed up on the advice of the system (in any car I've driven that had one) then I would not be driving safely. I would have no or little reserve of power and any kind of system of driving would fall apart.

GTR1400MAN wrote:Hmm, driven with a sensitive foot the Toyota IQ wants you in 5th just before 30mph! And this is a 3 cylinder 1.0 litre engine. As you can imagine if you were in that gear it is as responsive as a dead slug.

In both cases, looking ahead and planning enables you to revert from your 'cruising' gear to an appropriately 'flexible' gear before you need to use it.

I agree Gareth.
As it is advice only circumstances may lead to not following what it suggests but generally it can be followed.
More and more new petrol cars feel like diesels with plenty of low down torque encouraging short shifting. My new car has a twin scroll turbo and other new cars have this or twin turbo setups which provide reasonably good response from as little as 1.7k revs (on the flat). But as Gareth says it does require looking further ahead to plan earlier as is the case with cruise control. That is my only slight concern that some drivers may not be up to this. On older cars my experience is that the up change advise can be less useful.

GTR1400MAN wrote:So you are continually braking? Or changing down to slow?

If you don't like changing back from a cruising gear to a flexible gear, then you can be more true to Roadcraft by always staying in a flexible gear.

Gareth wrote:

GTR1400MAN wrote:So you are continually braking? Or changing down to slow?

If you don't like changing back from a cruising gear to a flexible gear, then you can be more true to Roadcraft by always staying in a flexible gear.

That's the point we were making.

To be honest the majority of drivers are not able to drive properly following the gear change lights. The majority of drivers drive around in too high a gear all the time necessitating continual on/off brakes/accelerator. It's like following or being on a rocking horse. The lights and driver training of always rushing up the box in the (false) name of economy all make the situation worse.

I 'un-did' my daughter's driving after she had passed her test. She is amazed at how much easier and smoother it is to drive in a responsive gear.

GTR1400MAN wrote:To be honest the majority of drivers are not able to drive properly following the gear change lights. The majority of drivers drive around in too high a gear all the time necessitating continual on/off brakes/accelerator. It's like following or being on a rocking horse. The lights and driver training of always rushing up the box in the (false) name of economy all make the situation worse.

I 'un-did' my daughter's driving after she had passed her test. She is amazed at how much easier and smoother it is to drive in a responsive gear.

I blame the five and six speed 'box. People seem to think they've paid for all those gears, so they have to use them.

As an aside, been out in a BMW 420i manual. It rev matches. Where's the fun it that?

GTR1400MAN wrote:

Gareth wrote:

GTR1400MAN wrote:So you are continually braking? Or changing down to slow?

If you don't like changing back from a cruising gear to a flexible gear, then you can be more true to Roadcraft by always staying in a flexible gear.

That's the point we were making.

Sorry, I completely misunderstood your point but, even now I do understand it, I think your assumption that using a 'cruising' gear automatically leads to either of the two outcomes you mention is unwarranted.

crr003 wrote:As an aside, been out in a BMW 420i manual. It rev matches. Where's the fun it that?

Was it possible to turn off the rev matching?

I don't understand the point of choosing a manual and then using auto rev matching. But the manufacturers wouldn't all be fitting it if customers didn't like it.

waremark wrote:

crr003 wrote:As an aside, been out in a BMW 420i manual. It rev matches. Where's the fun it that?

Was it possible to turn off the rev matching?

I don't understand the point of choosing a manual and then using auto rev matching. But the manufacturers wouldn't all be fitting it if customers didn't like it.

He says it can't, but I've only been out with him once, so will investigate.

As another aside, in my research, BMW offer an option for Microsoft Office 365 (£150). On a car.

crr003 wrote:

waremark wrote:

crr003 wrote:As an aside, been out in a BMW 420i manual. It rev matches. Where's the fun it that?

Was it possible to turn off the rev matching?

I don't understand the point of choosing a manual and then using auto rev matching. But the manufacturers wouldn't all be fitting it if customers didn't like it.

He says it can't, but I've only been out with him once, so will investigate.

As another aside, in my research, BMW offer an option for Microsoft Office 365 (£150). On a car.

My research pointed at selecting Sport/deselecting DSC would turn off rev matching, but it didn't. Apparently last year's model just has rev matching.
Even if it did, driving around without DSC isn't too clever.