Got a new (to me) car last night, now i’m used to driving (pretty average) diesels with the bite point low down, now I’ve just got a petrol with the bite point high up. I’m driving like an absolute mong, can’t seem to get the gear changes right at all. Now, i’ve only driven it for a total of about 30 minutes but for those 30 minutes it was incredibly frustrating!

Any contructive help? 😆

Practice more – HTH

Any contructive help?

Don’t use the word ‘mong’ would be my advice.

Possibly my least favourite word in the English language.
Not Nice.

said in jest 🙄

Adjust the clutch cable? About to do mine this afternoon actually.

what car is it? Mongdeo?

what to bring the bite point lower down? might help

now i’m used to driving (pretty average) diesels with the bite point low down, now I’ve just got a petrol with the bite point high up

Clutch bite point has nothing to do with the type of fuel.

Drive more different cars more regularly. You soon get used to it.

Move the seat back a notch.

Lern2drive.

Clutch bite point has nothing to do with the type of fuel.

I realise that, but diesels are ‘easier’ to drive in that you can be lazy with the gas pedal.

Guess its just practice as you say

Also,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mong

You took practice to get lazy, now you’ll take more practice to get less lazy.

You took practice to get lazy, now you’ll take more practice to get less lazy

excellent, cheers 🙄

If its a hydraulic clutch you can’t change where the bite point is, but you can adjust the pedal travel to make it feel in a better place for you.

If its a hydraulic clutch you can’t change where the bite point is, but you can adjust the pedal travel to make it feel in a better place for you.

Interesting….. cheers

what car is it? Mongdeo?

I Laugh 😀

This is one of the main reason I think driving licences, much like Pilots Licenses, should be vehicle specific, perhaps with an extended test for an ‘any vehicle’ licence. Seems odd that someone can take their test in a manual Nissan Micra and then legally drive an automatic BMW X5.

My other half drives a Pug 308. The bite point is really high & it takes me a while to acclimatise to it.
Even when I’m used to it, it still feels odd. Most cars I can just jump in & drive.

She initially test drove the diesel, but plumped for the petrol in the end. She reckons the bite point in the diesel was a lot lower & ‘more normal’.
Not sure if this is a petrol/diesel thing or just variation between cars.

This is one of the main reason I think driving licences, much like Pilots Licenses, should be vehicle specific

They are. It’s done by class – this is why you (presumably) can’t drive a lorry. The smaller difference between different car models is taken care of by “not being a spoon.”

I had the same the other way around recently when I test drove a diesel. I felt I was driving it really badly, but that was more down to the completely different delivery of power compared to my present car.

Just relax and you will soon get used to it.

is taken care of by “not being a spoon.”

😆

In seriousness, it really is just experience.

Back when I was learning, the slightest of changes took me days to get used to. After 20+ years of driving, I generally acclimatise to a different car in about a minute.

stop being a girl!!! 😉

excellent response Sos 😉

any time fella!!

You might need to buy a new pair of driving shoes

Nothing to do with clutch biting points (which do take 2, maybe 3, gear changes to get used to with hire cars etc) but I’ve gone from a long line of diesels to a VVT petrol engine. It’s taken me ages to adopt the ‘thrashing the nuts off it’ approach as normal. For ages I was changing up before it really got going and then judging it badly. This despite understanding the theory of VVT etc – I was just instinctively changing up early.

This is one of the main reason I think driving licences, much like Pilots Licenses, should be vehicle specific, perhaps with an extended test for an ‘any vehicle’ licence. Seems odd that someone can take their test in a manual Nissan Micra and then legally drive an automatic BMW X5.

Not really, if you can’t adapt from one to the other in a matter of minutes you’re a simpleton. Jesus it’s not hard guys.

its not like I can’t drive the car, its more the frustration of not getting the sync between clutch and gas quite right. Its not like I get in the car and kangaroo up the road 🙄

its not like I can’t drive the car, its more the frustration of not getting the sync between clutch and gas quite right. Its not like I get in the car and kangaroo up the road

Not really, if you can’t adapt from one to the other in a matter of minutes you’re a simpleton. Jesus it’s not hard guys. 😆

Driving a diesel van does make you lazy, I had mastered the 2nd to 5th change (up the way) and used it regularly. Then engine braked down the way, both not advisable in the 1200cc Micras I now have to drive for work.

P.S I did try 1st to 5th once, and yes it did end in tears.

Driving a diesel van does make you lazy, I had mastered the 2nd to 5th change (up the way) and used it regularly.

I tried that in the diesel I test drove (2nd to 4th in a 180bhp Mazda 6) and it felt like it was almost dying on me – I was very surprised at the lack of punch to be honest.

Often go 1st-3rd-6th, or 2nd-5th etc in my petrol.
Why does that have anything to do with the type of fuel?

p.s. the op needs to mtfu and learn to drive the new car 😉

Why does that have anything to do with the type of fuel?

Low end torques innit? Diesels (generally) have more low-end pulling power.

BTW – I have been known to go 1st – 6th in my petrol 8)

I had mastered the 2nd to 5th change

I woudn’t do that! You could rev it to bits in 2nd but why bother? Just keep it under 1800rpm.

I tried that in the diesel I test drove (2nd to 4th in a 180bhp Mazda 6) and it felt like it was almost dying on me – I was very surprised at the lack of punch to be honest

That’s cos you let the revs go below the turbo spool speed.. probably about 1200rpm.

Just dump the clutch at high revs and floor it in every gear

Yeah no doubt – as I said somewhere up there, power is delivered differently. I am sure I would get used to it but I only had a short drive and that was with a sales rep.

Yeah you get used to it. Or at least, you should 🙂

I still prefer turbos for a practical car. Of course a big V8 is nice but that’s hardly practical 🙂

If I decide to get it, I will just have to turn up the Bose stereo to the max to drown out the agricultural clunking the diesel powerplant will make.

8)

Was it noisy? Shouldn’t be.. modern ones are nice and smooth when driving. I can only hear mine driving slowly and car parks, and that’s a famously noisy one.