[HooghlyBoy]

Now I've bought a Hyundai i10 nios.

I'm finding it damn hard to unlearn and learn. I guess you can imagine the differences. But main issue is figuring out what gear to start, stay in for slow steady drive and when to shift, I mean at what speed.

I am driving a Brand new Hyundai Aura nowadays...which is i10 Nios with a Boot. Some observations:
1. After you slot in 1st gear, you may drive upto 7-8 Kmph speed by just releasing the clutch. For more speed you need to press the Accelerator and take it upto 15Kmph.
2. In 2nd gear, you can drive upto 30kmph. Then you need to shift upwards.
3. In 3rd gear, you can drive upto 40kmph. Then you need to shift upwards.
4. In 4th gear, you can drive upto 50kmph. Then shift gear upwards.
5. 50kmph upwards you need to drive on 5th gear.

In Aura, it shows Gear Upshift/Downshift in MID. Hope i10 Nios has that.
Happy Driving !!!

[ggkg]

Originally Posted by HooghlyBoy

In Aura, it shows Gear Upshift/Downshift in MID. Hope i10 Nios has that.
Happy Driving !!!

I read about this and kept looking for it. Cant find!

Your notes on gear are very useful and confirm my suspicion that you need more shifts in this car for typical city driving. I could manage with just 2 and 3 for Trax because for bumper traffic you start and stay in 2 and move to 3 if there's space and time before next turn, traffic light, speed bump or pothole hits you. Or someone walking across the street with all the gay abandon of someone moving from bedroom to kitchen.

4 is only on highways or very free roads. I don't need 5 given I rarely cross 60+ in Indian roads.

With i10 shifts between 1-2-3 seem absolutely necessary. If not 1-2-3-4.

Of course if you keep shifting gears in Trax like that you might as well grind dosa batter manually in some hotel.

Guess need to get used.

[saisree]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

To make sure you do not break the new car prematurely, I suggest a refresher driving course - it's someone else's car and they have prepared it for teaching. It costs very little for a refresher.

+1. The best advice and the best solution.

Go to a driving school, tell them you have to learn and you have a license. BTW, Choose s driving school which has a Car.

[jkrishnakj]

I guess it’s a question of a few more KM’s and a couple of days. This would be a very natural process there on. I wouldn’t sweat on this, but I’ll take the car on empty grounds or roads and do what I need to do - ie : Drive and Drive and focus with not just my eyes, but my ears wide open as well.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by ggkg

But main issue is figuring out what gear to start, stay in for slow steady drive and when to shift, I mean at what speed.

With Trax that was easy cos it whines loudly and you shift. Of course you learn along the way. Here the engine sound is an unreliable indicator. Further it seems to accept gear change at any speed to any gear unlike Trax that'll stall if you shift too early at lower speeds.

Honest threads like this kindle my interest. I connected well with this because I have been driving Thar for some time now and on a trip drove friend's i20 which was a day and night difference. Before this I drove an automatic for years. Almost every time I shifted gear in i20 it felt like I wasn't doing the right shift.

Just like you I was unsure when to shift since the engine sound was entirely absent in the cabin - something that is in abundance in Thar. I desperately wanted some sound feedback in i20. It is such an exceptionally silent car inside.

Eventually I came around after sensing slight engine vibrations and stretched feel while accelerating and I'm sure you will get a hang of your i10 with some regular driving. All the best!

[pugram]

This is exactly the feeling I had when I started driving a Santro Xing after my Peugeot 309 GLD. Throttle response is very aggressive in Hyundai's so you just need to feather them. Just took a couple of drives to sort it out. That's why I like Marutis because there is some lag in throttle response in comparison to Hyundai's super sensitive throttle.

You are also driving a smaller and lighter car compared to the Trax but with similar or better power specs. There is also the Petrol /Diesel engine difference. Petrol engines spool up faster than diesels normally.

Spend some quality time with the car. I would as a general practice do 3 things in a new car.

1. In Neutral gear and engine on idle - Press the throttle and find how sensitive the throttle is, with the engine noise or RPM meter.

2. Check the Clutch biting point by gently releasing the clutch. Do this a few times to memorize the position. Adjust your seating position for comfortable operation accordingly.

3. Check the brake bite. Hyundai brakes are generally not linear and very grabby at City speeds. My experience is limited to Santro / i20.

Also like said in earlier posts you can also join a driving school to get the confidence or practice on a quiet road before hitting traffic inside city.

Just a matter of time. Let go the fear and enjoy

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by ggkg

But main issue is figuring out what gear to start, stay in for slow steady drive and when to shift, I mean at what speed.

This might confuse a lot of people. Trax Gama is one of those rare automobiles that is started at 2nd gear.

Like GTO, I used to switch between a old school Jeep (CJ340) and Grand Vitara and i10 on a daily basis. After a while you won't even think about it.

Unlike the loud diesel engine, you won't hear the whine above all the other noises. But it is still there. Modern cars are very sensitive and are highly responsive to throttle input or steering inputs. Just give it time, it is a matter of getting used to it.

[kamilharis]

Simple tips:

• Find an empty playground or wait for a Sunday
• Reach there at 6AM
• Start the car
• Roll down the windows (so that you can hear the engine note to make a call for gearchange)
• Drive around for 30mins
• Observe the RPM needle if you still find issues in the gear shifting
• Repeat this for few more days until the gearing/braking issue of yours is sorted out
• Once you gain confidence in both those things, start driving on low traffic roads and gradually move to highways

Wild Card Entry: If everything goes wrong, try to go for an AT car, and half of the tension is gone.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Originally Posted by ggkg

Just an update

<snip>

I find even the type of slippers makes difference. I'm trying bare foot to get better feel of where the clutch bites.
<snip>

.

I`m pretty sure you will be all set in a few hundred km. Please do not continue the practice of barefoot. My father learnt driving in his mid 50s, but when he practiced, he did so barefoot. He was never able to drive the car with his shoes/chappals on until the last day he drove. So, my suggestion is to practice with your chappals or shoes.

[skroychowdhury]

Originally Posted by ggkg

I'm finding it damn hard to unlearn and learn. I guess you can imagine the differences. But main issue is figuring out what gear to start, stay in for slow steady drive and when to shift, I mean at what speed.

With Trax that was easy cos it whines loudly and you shift. Of course you learn along the way. Here the engine sound is an unreliable indicator. Further it seems to accept gear change at any speed to any gear unlike Trax that'll stall if you shift too early at lower speeds.

I started out and learned driving with a Maruti 800 and quickly moved up to Zen Estilo(1st gen) then Celerio Diesel and now to a Hyundai Xcent. And my best advice is to use the RPM gauge to shift.

As a rule of thumb Always start on 1st gear if you are starting from a standstill. And upshift between 1700 to 2000 RPM if you want to drive economically.

Now downshifting is a bit trickier. Stay on 5th Gear if you are above 50KMPH. And shit down a gear with every 10 KMPH speed drop. This should work for most scenarios.

And now if you are climbing a hill, like travelling to a hill station or driving through hill passes then it is best to be on a lower gear with slightly higher engine RPMs(between 2500RPM to 3000RPM) and burn a bit more fuel so your car can always stay in the power band and you can accelerate away quickly without dropping another gear if needs be.

Driving downhill is a bit easier than driving uphill. While driving downhill put your car in 2nd or 3rd gear. Use the lower gear and engine breaking to coast down the hill and remove your foot from the accelerator padel. . Remember to never put your car in neutral if you are planning to coast downhill. That might cause you to lose control of your car with you ending up ina ditch or worse. Modern cars are programmed to shut down the fuel supply if you are coasting downhill without your foot on the accelerator paddle. While coasting downhill and keeping your car in gear drives the alternator and your car AC and everything else.

Hope this is something helps you with many others.

[ggkg]

Just to update, I realised i10 does feature a display that suggests gear shift. At the right speed it pops up and stays until you shift. Had missed that in early days what with all the tension..

The link to RPM is somewhat weird. The rpm gauge goes all the way to 8-9 but shifts are suggested at about 3.

Again in Trax if you are immune to the noise the display goes well over 50-60% mark in the gauge at which point you shift up.

It seems to suggest shift to 2nd at about 16-17 kmph and third at 32-35. So city driving will involve three gears. I didn't drive too much over 40 to see other displays.

[landcruiser123]

It'll be easier moving from an older car to a new one as there is a lot more assistance & drive aids in a new car.

Originally Posted by ggkg

The link to RPM is somewhat weird. The rpm gauge goes all the way to 8-9 but shifts are suggested at about 3.

Your old SUV probably had a poor power-to-weight ratio and needed to be revved up continuously. In the Gi10, the computer will suggest shifting at lower RPMs as it is programmed with fuel economy as the top priority. You can choose to shift at the red line, but your FE will suffer and the engine will be noisy. Not to mention the additional wear and tear on your engine, brakes and other components if you unnecessarily keep revving the engine too much. Except when fully loaded, most modern petrol cars be driven under 2500 RPM on flat roads.

Also, refer the owners manual about the ideal speed to shift gears and the max speed in every gear. A few 100 kms of driving and this'll be second nature to you.

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by ggkg

I'm finding it damn hard to unlearn and learn.

I have been on the opposite end of the spectrum, in my late teens when I got my driver's license. I have been driving a petrol Maruti 800 and a petrol Swift for few years and one day I had to drive a Chevrolet Tavera. I found the gear throws too long, clutch too heavy, engine very noisy and the vehicle too wide and long. Eventually I got the hang of it.

But I am going to give you an analogy from my experience, but not related to driving, but related to your very interesting take on learning. Hope this helps you.

In my early 20s, I moved to the Netherlands for my Masters education (in Automotive systems). The initial few months were very difficult to cope with Dutch education system. In those few months, I learnt quite an interesting thing. The reason I found the education system hard is not because it is hard, but because I did not know I have to unlearn the Indian education system to learn a new way of education. The ways of thinking and studying which has been imbibed all through my life until my early 20s have to be unlearned. This is quite an awakening call, which changed my view towards learning and unlearning. I am in the mid 30s now and I think one is young as long as they learn, unlearn and re-learn new things. Here is how I did it and might be useful for you too. So here is the golden tip.

You cannot simply unlearn. You have to learn to unlearn.

This means you have to agree that you need to unlearn. This takes time. You sound already like someone who is seriuos about doing it the right away, which is the first step. The hardest part is 'Learn to unlearn' ie every single time you sit in the car, start it, press clutch, engage gear just think not only about how was it with the Old vehicle, but what is the difference in this new one. This learning by differentiating is an important part of unlearning.

Continuing this unlearning method in a disciplined way with your day-to-day driving is going to make you a good driver with your new i10 Nios. As soon as you think you are doing good with unlearning, that is already the point you are starting to learn the right way, which you wanted.

Enjoy and safe kms!

Cheers,
Karthik

[varun mohan]

Originally Posted by ggkg

Guys this is a really stupid question but I need to ask. Mods please move or delete!

I've only driven one vehicle in my life - Trax Gama with no PS. After bit of effort I drove it fairly well about 15000km no major issues. That was almost four years ago. I sold it off and since then never drive.

Now I've bought a Hyundai i10 nios.

I'm finding it damn hard to unlearn and learn. I guess you can imagine the differences. But main issue is figuring out what gear to start, stay in for slow steady drive and when to shift, I mean at what speed.

With Trax that was easy cos it whines loudly and you shift. Of course you learn along the way. Here the engine sound is an unreliable indicator. Further it seems to accept gear change at any speed to any gear unlike Trax that'll stall if you shift too early at lower speeds.

Also my seller who was a very nice guy told me it's not necessary to use accelerator at all at lower speeds, just shift gears to speed up. Is this correct or safe? This is also opposite of Trax where you keep foot on accelerator and give gentle prod or it slows down. He suggests keep right feet on brake not accelerator.

The guy also taught me to shift quickly to fourth even as my speed is below 40!.

These issues plus the layout of gears, much softer press needed, much more limited feedback, and much lower play or distance to press etc keep me confused. Guess it'll go away after few km... But I don't want to learn bad habits that'll stay.

Hello,
I totally understand, I learned to drive simultaneously on my grandfather's 1956 Fiat and on a 2001 Hyundai Accent. I did see a lot of difference in them. The clutch release is totally different in both, I had to slightly press the gas peddles while I release the clutch for fiat while changing gears but for a modern car I just had to release the clutch peddle slow and it took off. Also, the engine sound is a good indicator to move to the next gear in a fiat, unlike the silent modern cars. Though I still like to feel the engine sound and change gears even today. One trick that I learned while teaching my sister driving those days was to change gear as you increase every 10km/hr.
1st gear from stationary to 20km/hr
2nd gear at 20km/hr
3rd gear at 30km/hr.
4th gear at 40km/hr and
5th gear when you're at 50km/hr.

The key is to change gear after a minimum 10km/hr speed of increase.
This generally works, please try and let me know.
Cheers,

[ggkg]

Originally Posted by varun mohan

. The key is to change gear after a minimum 10km/hr speed of increase.
This generally works, please try and let me know.
Cheers,

You are right.

That's pretty much what the programmed display suggests. 2nd at 15+, 3rd at 30+ etc. I do find that's too low a step. I am not going to buy another Trax so that is pointless comparison, but just for the sake of it, I could drive all day in city using just two gears. (2 and 3). Here 1,2,3 and possibly 4 are needed for same speeds.

Wondering if there are good modern cars with such feature, I mean long gaps at least for 1,2 gears.