Cougar - Moderator
What you need there is a thing called a "taxi."
Yeah that's really practical for daily commuting.
And cables on manual handbrakes have never snapped? I'm not a particular fan of electric handbrakes myself but your arguments against aren't very convincing. The only time I use my handbrake in winter is messing about in the empty company car park if there's been fresh snow, actually driving in snowy conditions is very rare for me and I'd imagine most people.
I think that the old woman in your post deserves a Darwin award perhaps?
It was a tragic accident caused by an honest mistake. You really need to take a look at yourself if you think that's something to laugh at.
I would prefer the extra control that a manual handbrakes gives in severe winter conditions or in an emergency
a) that's fine, you will probably always have the choice
b) you should not be using the handbrake whilst driving in winter
b) you should not be using the handbrake whilst driving in winter
WFT! ????? 😆
The electric handbrake thing is a classic example of fixing something that isn't broken.
I've had two cars with it; a Passat, and my current i40. On the Passat, it took to failing to release, much to my embarrassment when I was at the head of the queue leaving a ferry. The auto-hold thing is nice, but really I think I'd forgo that for one I can release reliably.
And that's where the difference lies Molegrips. You would prefer to have the space inside the car for an extra cupholder. I would prefer the extra control that a manual handbrakes gives in severe winter conditions or in an emergency.
I'll have the extra cupholder please. Excuse my non IAM qualified ignorance, but what extra control does a manual handbrake give? I only use mine when I'm already stationary, and it has two states: on or off.
Auto-hold is a separate system to the electronic handbrake actually, on my Passat.
WFT! ?????
You handbrake your way around corners in the snow, on public roads?
You handbrake your way around corners in the snow, on public roads?
It's ok, relax, he's done a course.
I really hope none of you lot are driving to Fort William tomorrow.
The tailbacks will be huge 😀
Auto-hold is a separate system to the electronic handbrake actually, on my Passat.
Oh well if you drive a Passat I can understand why you don't like driving. Possible the dullest car on the planet - the automobile equivalent of porridge. Get yourself a good car - you might start to enjoy it.
Excuse my non IAM qualified ignorance, but what extra control does a manual handbrake give? I only use mine when I'm already stationary, and it has two states: on or off.
It allows you to handbrake turn and drive like a ****ing loonatic. There are other benefits but this is the answer you wanted to hear isn't it?
Must go now, I'm late for a meeting after sinking one too many pints at lunchtime and will now have to speed recklessly and without a care for my own or anyone else's safety to make it in time. Enjoy having fun with your cupholder 😆
There are other benefits
Like?
Rebel12, thought I recognised your 'name'
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/buying-a-car-not-from-the-registered-keeper
Imo, a secondhand RS4 says a lot 🙂
someone was going on about heel toe shifting/braking/driving/whatever a few years back I thought it sounded like daftness solely for driving fast but apparently in snow/ice it can be helpful for hillstarts, I've no idea if there's a good reason for manual handbrakes and winter driving so I'd lay off the derision for now.There are other benefits
Like?
Of course if it turns out rebel is talking bobbins again then by all means let rip 🙂
Oh well if you drive a Passat I can understand why you don't like driving
I do like driving. I also like driving fast. I am just grown up enough to know that it's far too ****ing dangerous to do on public roads.
The more powerful and capable a car is, the faster you have to drive to get any kind of thrill. The faster you drive (as above) the more dangerous it is, even if you are in a fancy car.
I had my choice of fast car when I was car shopping, but I bought a Passat because I wanted to enjoy relaxed comfortable driving, not look for speed and thrills.
I have an MTB for that.
GPS/telemetry box in my car? yep I'm in for 20% by choice but would welcome it being made compulsory (with proper checks and everything, no point making honest people jump thru hoops while the dishonest just bypass the system)
Telemetry should pick up more than speeding too, [b][i]constantly[/i][/b] burying the accelerator followed by hard braking would indicate crap driving so such behaviour would be punished via premiums, not immediate I know so not great, but maybe a warning beep at the time from the box would be a timely reminder to the driver to "cool their jets".
Road train yeah sounds a good idea, we'll be waiting for the technology to mature and proliferate, doubt I'll be using it in my lifetime. What if the lead driver is IAM trained? Tickets for all? 😉
it is nice when people pull over, i do it myself - it's a nice habit i made an effort to adopt when i lived in NZ, where literally EVERYONE does it, it's amazing
Weirdly, this is true. I say weirdly because, in pretty much every other respect, the standards of driving in NZ are pretty poor, and drivers are pretty selfish, and inconsiderate. You would never get let out of a junction in a busy town, for instance. BUT, on the country roads, people in slower vehicles pull off to let drivers of faster vehicles past. And not just farm vehicles or caravans, even Reg and Doris on their slow Sunday afternoon drive, will get out of the way of faster cars.
BTW re. the electric handbrake thing, the manufacturers know that no one likes them, they do it to save weight and hit eco-targets. It's not a solution in search of a problem, it's just a solution to a different problem from the one you might have thought.
they do it to save weight
How much weight does it save? The tiny drum brake in the hub of my Prius can't weigh much.. and the motor assembly for the caliper on the Passat is fairly hefty.
However I can imagine it'd save drag over the mini drum brake.
I really hope none of you lot are driving to Fort William tomorrow.
sadly I will be, so I shall take care, flashing everyone that overtakes me - just for the craic of course 🙂
The more powerful and capable a car is, the faster you have to drive to get any kind of thrill. The faster you drive (as above) the more dangerous it is, even if you are in a fancy car.
I'd say the opposite is true, for me at least.
When I've had underpowered cars, I've ragged the tits off them in order to get any sort of performance out of them (and by 'performance' I'm talking about climbing sustained inclines, not powersliding across McD's car park). With a bit of grunt under the right foot, that's no longer necessary. I'd hazard I'm a considerably more relaxed, smoother, and probably slower, driver in a bigger car than a smaller one.
That might just be me being weird, though. Could also be an age thing, I've grown up a bit since the days of normally aspirated 1.7D Fiestas (hateful things).
Made the meeting - now early thanks to some seriously excessive speed and dutch courage. Phew!
bearnecessities - MemberRebel12, thought I recognised your 'name'
Imo, a secondhand RS4 says a lot
Come on what does that say Bear - spit it out please?
xiphon - MemberThere are other benefits
Like?
Of course if it turns out rebel is talking bobbins again then by all means let rip
Anyway just to add, a manual handbrake can sometimes be used to regain control of steering and attitude in an inadvertant slide.
ABS can actually lengthen stopping distances in the snow by not allowing a wedge of snow to be built up infront of the wheels. Careful use of a manual handbrake can be used overcome ABS, building some useful wedges of snow ahead of the rear wheels and stopping in a shorter distance.
Any more questions????
sadly I will be, so I shall take care, flashing everyone that overtakes me - just for the craic of course
I'll be in a red Seat Leon with two bikes on the roof, make sure you give me a wave too 🙂
The best fun I had driving recently was a 1.2 3 cylinder Corsa in Ireland.
It handled well but was incredibly underpowered. However it sounded like a racing car heard from a great distance when you thrashed it. So I had great fun on country roads flogging the nuts off it doing about 45mph 🙂
With a bit of grunt under the right foot, that's no longer necessary. I'd hazard I'm a considerably more relaxed, smoother, and probably slower, driver in a bigger car than a smaller one
That's kind of my point. 60mph feels quite fast on country roads in a 1992 1.1 Polo, it feels like a crawl in the Passat. Another thing that stops me going too fast on country roads is the width of the thing.
ABS can actually lengthen stopping distances in the snow by not allowing a wedge of snow to be built up infront of the wheels. Careful use of a manual handbrake can be used overcome ABS, building some useful wedges of snow ahead of the rear wheels and stopping in a shorter distance.
I'm sceptical - I'd have to try that out.
Having said that, even on my winter tyres I'm going that slowly on fresh snow that I never feel any kind of panic, and I certainly never need to hit the handbrake. I've always been able to stop perfectly well and in control on snow, regardless of the car I've been driving.
Anyway just to add, a manual handbrake can sometimes be used to regain control of steering and attitude in an inadvertant slide.
It regains control of your attitude? 😕
It regains control of your attitude?
Aeronautical term, comes from years of glider flying - sorry, should have been clearer.
It kind of means a combination of the direction in which your car is traveling in relation to the ground, and the angle at which the car is actually facing compared to your direction of travel.
It kind of means a combination of the direction in which your car is traveling in relation to the ground, and the angle at which the car is actually facing compared to your direction of travel.
What's the IAM recommended method for controlling roll and yaw?
dazh - MemberIt kind of means a combination of the direction in which your car is traveling in relation to the ground, and the angle at which the car is actually facing compared to your direction of travel.
What's the IAM recommended method for controlling roll and yaw?
Probably similar to the STW method for controlling Trolls.
Anyway have to go into a meeting now. Talk amongst yourselves . . .
The best fun I had driving recently was a 1.2 3 cylinder Corsa in Ireland.It handled well but was incredibly underpowered. However it sounded like a racing car heard from a great distance when you thrashed it. So I had great fun on country roads flogging the nuts off it doing about 45mph
Christ on a stick - just noticed this and had to respond before I go. So it's okay to flog the nuts of a car driving close to it's limits so long as you [b]don't go over the speed limit and it's in Ireland?[/b] Well done Molegrips, that's the most stinking case of total and utter hypocrisy I've ever heard. Hats off to you!
Anyway must dash - Adios Amigo's 🙂
depends what he's talking about doesn't it? I've had to "flog the nuts off" a fully loaded 0.8l matiz to manage 20mph up Winnats Pass, at no point did I think I was close to the edge of the vehicles limits (with the obvious exception of the engine)Well done Molegrips, that's the most stinking case of total and utter hypocrisy I've ever heard
with the obvious exception of the engine
😆
The Corsa, being brand new, actually had surprisingly big and wide tyres and the ride was excellent. As was the build quality, I was most surprised. But the engine was a nightmare. Merging to motorway speeds was really hard, and the economy was rubbish along with it.
Can I join IAM? 😯
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