I'm off to the states in a couple of weeks on my honeymoon. I'm just about to hire a convertible Mustang (oh. yes.). So far so great, however it's an automatic.

So would someone care to explain how to drive an auto? I'm assuming I stick it in drive and press the faster pedal to make it go, but what about stopping? Does engine breaking work (I assume not). What's the Park mode for (parking!)?

Enlighten me please!

You just stop and hold the brake on – if you let go of the brake it'll usually just creep forward slowly. You won't stall.

It's just stop and go. It's really that simple.

Park locks the driven wheels IIRC (and in many automatic cars actually lets you take the key out of the ignition).

Just keep your left foot on the floor – its that simple. You can only start the car in P, so put it there when you park it. The parking brake might be in an odd place – check. Just use the pedal for braking (as you're not really meant to use the engine anyway).

right pedal go

left pedal stop

keep foot on brake when stopped – they can creep

don't forget it is an auto and gun the engine (like a friend once did – straight into the car in front)

park mode – does what it says on the tin

remeber to release the park brake ….we have a 6litre v8 diesel van and my colleague drove it back to the hotel and complained it was slow – knowing he drove a fiesta back home that is slow something was wrong – we got in and i let off the parking brake (its a hand lever on the left hand side of the wheel usually ) and drove off – very fast … steve says "what did you do with your hand there" … let off the brake ….. OOOOOOOHhhhhh says he …. the div did 20 miles with the brakes on !

its not the gears you have to worry about … you ever driven in the states ? its a dog eat dog world , and frankly im not surprised at the ammount of accidents i saw when there (for 1 week) cars drive close as hell to each other , overtake on both sides , cut over 4 lanes for an off ramp.

I found it best to actually tuck my clutch foot under the seat for the first few miles, it kept trying to get involved.

Also, take some post-its and stick them near your line of sight, write RIGHT and draw an arrow pointing at the side of the road you'll instinctively not want to drive on!

you can get some engine braking by selecting 1 or 2, but it's pretty pathetic compared to a proper gearbox.

And I believe that the rule is in the States – if you are not moving it cannot be your fault so if in doubt, stop.

(I could be wrong mind you)

put your foot on the brake before you try to engage Drive or Reverse – otherwise you won't be able to move the shifter and you will feel like a complete **** when you can't get the thing into drive

Just one other tip from experience:

Don't forget you are driving a auto and go to press the clutch pedal with your foot either.

Otherwise you will stop quicker than you thought you could!

😉

keep your left foot tucked well out of the way at all times- it's an astonishing feeling when you instinctively go to declutch and find you've tried to ram the brake pedal through the firewall!

EDIT- too slow.

You usually need to press the brake to get it into gear (we found this out the hard way once). But yes, leave your left foot up against the seat well out of the way. Otherwise you'll find yourself automatically going to push the clutch tot he floor and hitting the brake, resulting in comedy emergency stop.

Do not try and brake with your left foot, it won't have the required finesse most likely.

There are other options too. D is drive obviously, but something like D3 or D4 means it won't go any higher than that 3rd or 4th, which means that when you are on and off the throttle a lot for say windy mountain roads it doesn't keep going up to 5th and back all the time. Plus they are useful for engine braking down long hills.

There's also usually an L setting which is low gear – for super steep hills or for slow driving on say ice or sand or whatever. Sometimes there's only an L setting and you get to control the maximum gear it'll go into with a switch.

There's sometimes a lag when you press the throttle, which can be scary at junctions.

Sometimes they seem to coast when you lift off the throttle, this can be scary at first..

Then there's all the other issues about driving in the states, which is another kettle of fish 🙂

Since it was mentioned.. driving in the states is different. I woudn't call it dog-eat-dog – people are not really aggressive like here, they just don't give a sh*t and aren't concentrating at all. And the lorries drive the same speed as the cars, so around cities you end up with a raft of vehicles 5 lanes wide barrelling along at 80mph all 3 feet from each other chatting away, talking on phones, eating, undertaking, overtaking and being generally insane. It's bloody scary.

Out in the sticks though the lack of aggresion is quite relaxing.

Also, if you are crossing thousands of miles of prarie/desert, just remember that you don't have to concentrate on the road as hard as you do on the M4. It gets a lot easier when you realise you can stare out of the window for ages without having to look at the road (note this only applies in empty wilderness with straight roads, NOT in the urban situation described above!)

As above, remove your left leg from the equation.

As above, remove your left leg from the equation.

What? Completely? That's a bit harsh.

No real concept of fast, middle and slow lanes on freeways, anything goes so can undertake all day long. Oh and Americans have no idea about braking distances so you will end up with cars right up your a*se all the time.

You aren't actually supposed to undertake in most states, but everyone does.

Useful tips! Thanks everyone, although I'm slightly concerned about driving in the states now. That said, if it's anything like Paris, the trick is just to drive confidentially, MTFU, and assume that the other person is competent and if they're driving *that* close they probably won't hit you as long as you keep doing what you're doing and don't make any sudden movements.

PS. Why is engine breaking bad? My instructor told me it was a good thing…

Nah, it's nothing LIKE as bad as Paris. You'll be ok. It's all just multi-lane stuff. All the minor roads are really wide and slow, so you'll be fine on those.

In case you didn't know, you can turn right (ie not crossing traffic, equivalent to left here) on a red light IF nothign is coming and you have to stop – treated as a stop sign.. unless it says you can't on a lil sign. Also, 4-way stops (it says 4-way on it) mean that if lots of people turn up, you get to go in the order in which you arrive. So if you arrive, stop, then someone else arrives and stops from your left say, you go before them. You can go at the same time if you are not crossing each others' paths. But don't get too panicky, natives mess it up all the time too. Sometimes they are 3-way which is the same but a T junction not a crossroads.

Other things to remember are orange flashing lights on junctions mean caution, red flashing lights mean it's a 4-way STOP, so stop. Sometimes it's a single flashign light hanging over the road, and sometimes late at night they switch off normal traffic lights and they become flashing oranges or reds.

I have a feeling that they like to drive on the wrong side of the road too, but don't let that put you off correcting them 😉

Nowt wrong with engine braking – in fact it's often handy.

Auto driving is SO easy – you'll adapt in no time at all. And you can't stall.

Ewan – Member
PS. Why is engine breaking bad? My instructor told me it was a good thing…

Engine "breaking" is not good 😉

In the long run it is much cheaper to replace worn out brake parts than worn out engine parts.

I like the sound of engine braking though. Makes a lovely noise in some cars.

Also in some cities its illegal to turn left at junctions so you end up going right and then doing a u turn to return to the junction and then repeat until you get to the turning you want.
Oh yes dont forget the American love affair with guns if you are bit road rage prone.

There's quite a few rules that vary from state to state

Eg. Some places require you to have your lights on if your windscreen wipers are on

Lots of places in the desert require lights in the daytime (though this is normally signposted at the side of the road)

If someone is on the hard shoulder you should still 'overtake' to pass

Bend your left knee to tuck your left foot out of the way.

I was told this 27 years ago on driving an auto for the first time which I choose to ignore. You don't half stop fast if your left foot tries to dip the 'clutch' 😆

Engine braking is for when you are descending long hills in the big mountains.

Oh yeah it's often a legal requirement to pull into another lane to pass a policeman in the hard shoulder (or other emergency worker/road worker).

And you're supposed to pull over to the side of the road to let emergency vehicles past, even if there's room for them to pass anyway.

They're quite fond of making you turn off roads to stay on them. Don't presume that because you have to go 80 miles along highway 8 you can stop concentrating, because highway 8 will turn into 22 and you have to turn off to stay on 8

They'll sometimes sneak exits in that exit off the middle of the road rather than the side so you can't just sit in the righthand lane. Similarly, the right hand lane often turns into an exit and only reappears the other side of the junction.

However, sometimes the freeway entrances are before the exit so if you end up on the freeway by mistake you can get straight back off again at the same junction. This system can make things interesting, think coventry ring road.

Sometimes freeway junctions are entry or exit only

In cities freeway entries can be well hidden, signposted by a footsquare number 15 ft in the air and disappearing down an unlikely side street. Keep your eyes open!

Freeway junctions are numbered according to their distance from the start of the road, thus if you are at junction 18 and want to exit at 28 you have 10 miles to go – genius

because highway 8 will turn into 22 and you have to turn off to stay on 8

Yes – you really have to watch out for the tiny signs with numbers on nailed to lampposts and such – if you are on smaller roads.

Oh and another warning.. you may find the lack of road markings on junctions intimidating – I do. I once nearly drove down the wrong side of a central reservation when turning left. Road I was turning onto was a 'divided highway' ie there was a central reservation (although it was more like a kerb) and I naturally steered onto the left hand part of the wrong side of the road, rather than the left hand side of the central reservation.. 😯

Forgot the schoolbus one. You must never pass a stopped schoolbus, even if it is travelling in the opposite direction. They take this one really seriously.

In some states it's illegal to have open bottles of spirits in the car. Don't mean open as in swigging along driving but open as in was open last night and half is left and in the trunk

Don't be too scared, it's all fairly straightforward. I got my American drivers license in about 40 minutes which included the written test, the practical and a trip to the license office to get a photo taken and the license printed off.

One of the best things about driving in the states is the little bar that means you don't have to hold the lever at the petrol pump!

When filling up with petrol, you sometimes have to lift up the cradle that the pump sits in to switch on the pump. Foxed me, that did 🙂

Don't do what I did and try changing gear in the middle of a busy intersection.

Driving's pretty easygoing over there, you're more likely to get into trouble jaywalking.

I'm slightly concerned about driving in the states now. That said, if it's anything like Paris, the trick is just to drive confidentially,

There's really no need to make a secret of it, you know… 😉

Driving in the US is easy compared with anywhere in Europe. All the roads are big and wide (even in towns – that's why they drive everywhere), and people are not nearly so aggressive as in the UK.

I'm just about to hire a convertible Mustang (oh. yes.).

Wonderful decision. Most fun we've had in a car was in a Mustang.

When we got to the rental place at LAX at 1am, the guy started to explain that he had four available. Before he even listed the colours, Mrs North announced "Wel''ll have the red one". And so her dream of Highway 1 in a bright red convertible Mustang came true. So. Much. Fun. 😀

Yes, don't be tempted to use your left foot for the brake, a friend of mine did this and guess what happened next time she drove a manual ?? Rolled the car going down a steep hill, nasty.

The pedals whould be designed to be over to the left anyway, you would have to have some huge clodhoppers to hit the brake pedal with your clutch foot.

found it best to actually tuck my clutch foot under the seat for the first few miles, it kept trying to get involved.

Good advice.
Tends to be when you pull into a garage for the first time that the left foot gets involved and you screech to a halt.

Thinking with autos now is to use the gears.
In olden days used to be put in drive and leave it there.
So into 2nd for town driving etc.

Oops that should say right !

The brake pedal is very large tho and can cover where the clutch would be.

I spent six months in the USA last year and enjoyed driving there. It's very relaxed and drivers are in general courteous. This is mainly because they take the risk of being shot by anyone they annoy. So, tips…

1) Look both ways when turning out of junctions. And again. And then a third time. Sounds stupid but it can catch you out, especially turning left.

2) The key won't come out unless the gearbox is in Park. Useful, this one…

3) The Americans don't really know what to do at 4-way stops either, but the theory is that the first to arrive turns first. Unless one direction has priority. Or you all arrive at the same time. Stupid idea if you ask me.

4) Where roundabouts exist, expect them to get it wrong. This can be encouraged in low traffic areas (and private, I beg to add!) by breezing up to a roundabout and going around it the wrong way, which *really* confuses them.

5) Navigation is a doddle, since in most cities a road will run the length of the city in a grid pattern. Boring, but effective.

6) Do not trust articulated lorries. Unlike Europe, they're not limited and you'll find them breezing past you at 80mph.

7) In a school zone, you CANNOT pass another car on roads with two or more lanes (so all of them, pretty much). Even if that car is doing 2mph, you CANNOT pass it. The police were really hot on this when I was there.

8) Residential and business zones are signposted, limit is 25mph. Again, enforced.

9) They don't breathalyse. If the policeman judges that you're drunk, you're drunk.

10) The speed limit is signposted on freeways – go at the same speed as everyone else even if this is considerably higher. Ref points (6) and (9) and note re: guns.

11) For places like underground car parks that have an "In" and "Out", it's surprisingly easy to turn in to the "Out". This problem is accentuated when you get back to the UK…

12) Have money or a credit card handy for toll roads.

13) Fuel stations insist you pay for fuel in advance. Don't ask me why. Easier to find a pump that takes credit cards.

14) CARRY YOUR PASSPORT. We found that hire cars were regularly stopped on long journeys and the police got really antsy if someone didn't have their passport on them. If you have a Welsh passport, they'll get *really* annoyed because they can't read it.

15) Best of all, you can turn right on a red light. However, a caveat – if you hit anyone, it's your fault and anyone crossing the road has priority over you. Also, you're supposed to come to stop first, and then go. In practice Americans treat them like give-ways so be careful not to stop suddenly or you might get rear-ended. Don't do it by mistake in the UK when you get back, everyone behind gets upset.

16) Remember the traffic lights are OVERHEAD. Once (and believe me, you only do it once) I nearly missed a red at a busy junction and only just stopped with most of the car dangling into the crossing. Scared the bejesus out of me.

17) Arizona drivers could manage a coffee, Big Mac, and a phone. It's normal over there.

If I can think of anything else I'll post it here, but I remember starting a similar thread last year which should still be around if you search.

On the topic of "gas"… not just lifting up the thingy to enable the pump… you may find that with cash and non-US credit card that you have to go inside and pre-pay for so many $ worth (and then have to guess how many US Gallons will fit, and round up/down to a sensible $ price)

Yes – on ONE pay at pump that I used it asked you to type in your zipcode. Oh and not all gas stations require you to pre-pay. Oh and in Oregon you aren't allowed to fill your own car, the assistant has to do it for you by law.

. In practice Americans treat them like give-ways

Not in my experience. Where I've been everyone stops.

Also be aware that when you are turning right at junctions on red (or perhaps on green too not sure) the pedestrians might have a green man (it's actually white) so expect them to be crossing the road. You could easily hit one this way.

All the stuff about keeping your clutch foot back against the seat…it really is good advice. Make sure everyone is wearing seatbelts, because you will at some point, usually after you are starting to get the hang of driving an auto, slow down to park and push the brake pedal to the carpet. If your passengers aren't belted up, they will probably hit the windscreen/back of the front seats! If you want to overtake in an auto, don't mess around, put your foot right down (often there is a noticeable notch the pedal will click over) and the gearbox will drop a gear or two to give you more power. Don't mess around with the D1/D2/D3 etc too much, they are really for towing or holding the car in a low gear whilst descending long hills. I tried D1 in my Dads Octavia whilst approaching a very steep and sharp hairpin, I expected the computer/box to ignore me and not allow it, but it shifted. It wasn't smooth, and its the first time I've heard an auto grind its gears 🙂 My dad was extremely unimpressed…

I've been to gas stations where you have to manually wind the pump back to zero before lifting the cradle – all good fun!

The paying before you fill up isn't a universal rule. More likely if you drive a car from Michigan that has no front numberplates and in some areas.

The little dish of pennies by the cash register is for you to use if you put twenty dollars in the car but go a penny or two over

If you have to prepay your gas they will give you the change if you pay for more than fits in the car so it's not really a big deal