Just to say - brake lights aren't always a reliable indicator of 'normal' braking. Depending on the aggressiveness of the regenerative brake settings on cars equipped with such, the lights can come on (and effectively the car is braking) just by lifting off the accelerator.
I very rarely need the foot brake on my EV - even coming off a motorway.
That's what I was taught in the 70s - argument being more control over a more stable vehicle IIRC. It was called 'engine braking' but nothing directly to do with improved stopping power - except going down a steep hill. I'd always keep the car in a lower gear rather than ride the brakes.
Nowadays I'll occasionally/lazily coast up to a junction - but most of the time I'll work through the gears and drop the clutch at the last moment.
I have the exact same engine fitted in a Focus, with a fairly ridiculous
6 speed manual box. If I want to get in to 5th gear, let alone 6th, I have to leave town
Hybrid is a bit weird for that with planetary gearbox, provided it has EV charge remaining, it can decide to switch between motor and/or engine as it sees fit (I can only give it a hint in either direction)
Engine revs are unrelated to vehicle speed; or rather, there *is* a relation, but it varies depending on how fast it backdrives one motor to "multiply" the speed of the other motor through the planetry box to the wheels.
Any regen it does counts as engine braking, but that does mean that the "inertia" you feel is all artificial as it blends between regen braking and actual brake-pad braking.
They were a waste of time on my last car, never really used them.
Mine doesn't like that either, old car used to use that for launch control.
My car idles at an indicated 750rpm, judders and inserts fuel if the revs drop below 750rpm whilst braking or on overrun. That is 25mph in 6th.
Stopping completely from 10m/s in 10m at about 0.5g ?
Well that is pretty much standard and always has been. My old rule of thumb was gear n number times 10mph.. i.e.
1st hear at 10mph 2bd gear 20 mph 3rd gear at 30mph. etc. I did have a jag where you could get over 70mph in second gear
Well my turbodiesel these days is limited to 4500. It changes up in auto at around 1500 usually.
3000 is where no2 turbo wakes up and takes an interest
My boy racer days are over so I dont do that.
On manual I am somewhere in the middle
When I stopped for petrol at the bottom of Porlock hill in my old Bedford CA Ccirca 1973 the garage owner said 'Ive got the biggest stock of clutches in the country'...
Well I find one very important use for them:L overtaking. If I floor the accelerator it takes at least a second for the car to shift down, open the throttle and spin up the turbos.
Well exactly. I must play around with the paddles for fast getaways - never thought to do that...
Thank you. Now I see why the assessor mentioned fuel injection. I was puzzled about that at the time.
When I got my EV I used the (selectable) regeneration system for some time. but finally decided it was a PITA. I now have it turned off (or rather never engage it) and lift off (and therefore coast) until I need to apply regeneration via the ’footbrake’, gently modulating it as necessary. Doing that the mechanical brakes only kick in at about 2mph, and I control the deceleration as I see fit.
There are lots of places in England with 20mph limits, and it's only in the built-up areas in Wales.
In 1976 I had little trouble going over Hardknott and Wrynose passes in my 1967 Viva HB. The biggest problem was the hairpin bends where the inside wheel came off the road because of the angle and the diff just caused the outer wheel to lose all power as the inner wheel spun freely. You had to go as fast as possible in 1st as you approached the hairpin to get round the bend far enough so that both wheels contacted the road surface.
<snip>
Here on North Tyneside they have gone for cycle lanes with raised kerbs _or posts or funny triangular things that you don't want to drive over) between them and the cars. Then they are often 20 mph (for cars, but not for bikes) with speed bumps of varying dimensions and positions, so that sometimes cars in both lanes veer towards the white line to centralise the hump. I cannot describe what happens when four such roads merge on a traffic island with pedestrian crossings to add to the confusion.
If you use regenerative braking, do the brake lights illuminate when you take your foot off the accelerator? I can see this causing confusion behind, if not irritation or fury.
I think it was about 1,500 but I cannot remember. 'As long as possible' was to wait until the car was about to start shaking.
TBH I never look at the RPM. I go by the sound and feel of the vehicle. Maybe this should be a 'fail'. I omitted to mention this to the assessor :-)
Actually, I think it was 2,000 rpm.
This I think was exactly the recommended approach but a bit closer than 10 yards.
No, but it started and ended in a 20 mph limit near my house :-)
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required