[HappyWheels]

@Aargee,

You are right when you say that when one releases the clutch the car should move without a need for acceleration. But, do note his remark about the slope, which is what I have touch upon in the earlier post.

Since there is a slope, the effort required will be more on the engine to pull the vehicle, hence the power at idling is not sufficient; it will require some acceleration.

With respect to the driving school Santro, I would be surprised if the idling has been increased by the driving school / instructor so that newbie's do not end up stalling the vehicle. This is all the more required since the students most probably end up taking the same vehicle for the license test, where slow driving for the 8's are required. So, to avoid stalls, these friendly schools do this. Net effect - when the newbie gets a license and takes his car, he ends up stalling.

So, the slope is "slopy" enough to stall the Beat, but not "slopy" enough to stall the Santro which (assumingly) has an increased idling.

[anurag_p80]

@Quadmaniac, the Beat's clutch is a little aggressive, in the sense that it pushes back at you when you are releasing it causing you to go past the point of 'bite' to quickly and stalling the car. Lot of people are saying the same thing- for the Beat, it is common to stall it when moving from standstill when one is not used to the clutch. This one will also start motion like the Santro, just give it a little time till you get used to the different feeling clutch. Cheers...

[aargee]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

But, do note his remark about the slope, which is what I have touch upon in the earlier post.

My bad; I think I missed out that point; I too agree that when starting at up slopes, one MUST pedal the gas, without which a normal idling car will stall.

[ottocycle]

I am learning to drive in an Indica. For moving the car from standstill, I gradually release the clutch and do not touch the accelerator and the car moves without stalling. Is this normal or has the instructor modified something. When we say release the clutch slowing, how many seconds are we talking about?

Thanks...

[aargee]

Originally Posted by ottocycle

I am learning to drive in an Indica. For moving the car from standstill, I gradually release the clutch and do not touch the accelerator and the car moves without stalling. Is this normal or has the instructor modified something. When we say release the clutch slowing, how many seconds are we talking about?

Thanks...

There're no specific seconds or anything here because you can still have a half clutch engaged on small slopes & your car stands still without any brakes; so the point is how much clutch is being engaged/disengaged.

Now to answer your question on car moving without stalling, check the RPM, if your car has one, if not use your best senses to see if the idling is more or less. More idling more noise, less idling is always quieter. Ideal is less noise & gradual clutch disengagement will move the car & should not stall the car on straights & not on slopes.

[Advyth]

Hi Quad,

Actually these driving schools are a little off target when it comes to good driving qualities. Their mission statement consists of getting the customer, a driving license as fast as possible, instead of giving the customer the best driving lessons.

In order to achieve quick results what they do is tune the car at higher idling speeds (the most common mistake that learners make is the regulation of clutch and accelerator from standstill).

So all you need is a bit of practice in your car, (Beat your Beat around ). Unlike power generators that are stationary and need to only provide a specific power supply, cars need different levels and variations of power from the same engine in order for it to be able to be a mobile car. And that is done through two things, the accelerator and clutch. So how much you need to apply the accelerator depends on whether you're on an incline or a downward slope.

Experiment you could do:
(Forget the accelerator) You already know that moving from standstill on an incline needs more accelerator so try the opposite... Switch your car engine off at standstill on a downward slope, make sure your electronics are on (oil pressure indicator etc), engage clutch, shift your gear to second, and keeping the clutch engaged let go of the brake, as soon as the car gains about 15-20kph release the clutch making the engine start. (Same as push starting the car)

On a complete flat road, engage clutch, shift to first gear and without accelerator release the clutch. The release has to be in extreme small degrees in order to compensate for the failing power to weight ratio (The power needed to get the weight of the car to move). Note that doing this excessively will cause more wear on the clutch.

I think its just a matter of days before you get used to how the car responds to you. Nothings wrong with the car. Have fun and enjoy your driving.

Cheers.

[quadmaniac]

Wow, that was a lot of information. Thanks to ALL OF YOU (and THIS is why tbhp rrrrocks!)!

Ok, coming to the point, I've mentioned before, my driving school was horrendous: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...hool-woes.html

I am sure they increased the idling, OR were fiddling with the clutch/accel from the co-drivers seat, lulling me into a false sense of achievement

I will try all your suggestions and update here. My only concern is that I'm messing up with my new car too much . I hope I "get it" real soon!

Thanks for all your wishes!

[Speed Pujari]

^^ do u turn on the AC before moving on? If yes, then turn off the AC before starting the car from zero, after attaininga little momentum turn the AC on.
Every car has an idling RPM which can pull the car without gas provided the car is carrying min weight and AC off.

[kiranpashtakar]

Quad... another quick tip that I could give (not sure if this helps you)
you need to raise your leg only to depress the clutch once the clutch is depressed and you are releasing it, keep your heels firmly planted on the floor this help you control the amount and pace of release. I have noticed most people learning to drive tend to lift the entire leg to depress and release the clutch. If the car does not move after you hit the bite point you need to nudge the accelerator.
Hope this helps

BTW where do you live, I saw a guy stalling a green beat near my house. Hope that was not you...

[samsag12]

Its a simple case of RPM idling. The driving school santro must have had high engine RPM around 1200-1500. The new car (chevy Beat) should be set on 900-1100 RPM. Its a very good car and a slight increase in the rpm will solve your problem quadmaniac

[quadmaniac]

Thanks again, all - for the info.

Originally Posted by kiranpashtakar

Quad... another quick tip that I could give (not sure if this helps you)
you need to raise your leg only to depress the clutch once the clutch is depressed and you are releasing it, keep your heels firmly planted on the floor this help you control the amount and pace of release. I have noticed most people learning to drive tend to lift the entire leg to depress and release the clutch. If the car does not move after you hit the bite point you need to nudge the accelerator.
Hope this helps

BTW where do you live, I saw a guy stalling a green beat near my house. Hope that was not you...

Yes, I try to keep that in mind. But sometimes I do panic and lift my heel off.

And no.. my Beat is blue, as from my avatar .

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by kiranpashtakar

...you need to raise your leg only to depress the clutch once the clutch is depressed and you are releasing it, keep your heels firmly planted on the floor this help you control the amount and pace of release. I have noticed most people learning to drive tend to lift the entire leg to depress and release the clutch. If the car does not move after you hit the bite point you need to nudge the accelerator...

Kiran,

Mmmm.... sorry but think it might be better to keep the foot raised when using the clutch.

Here is my side of the story: I used to drive (self taught) by placing my heel planted and controlling the clutch. Not much circus happened, but end of day I was able to drive without any issue.

Forward to my driving classes in Dubai and the instructor, a great Pakistani chap, told me to start lifting the leg to control the clutch. Have been driving every since like that and have found it to be more comfortable than the heel method.

One of the advantages, when lifting leg to use clutch, is that your legs and clutch pads point of contact remains the same through out the engage/disengage action. If using heel, the clutch pads are going thru a motion of slipping below your heel.

Having said all this, every one has their own method & style of driving. As long as the ends are justified, to hell with the means (only in this scenario )

[devnull]

I think it's just a matter of time before your foot gets tuned to the movement and half-clutch point of your pedal. Even a seasoned driver would sometimes miss the clutch point when he drives a new car coz the clutch might release differently from what his feet are used to. And as one person mentioned in this thread, I too found the Beat's clutch a little too stiff for my liking (I drive a Spark whose clutch is super smooth) and missed the clutch 2-3 times.

For the technique of releasing clutch, I normally first just release the clutch slowly allowing the car to move slowly and as it starts picking up, I gently tapping on the accelerator (unless I need to move real slowly like in a parking lot). In an uphill slope, I tap the accelerator a little earlier. But it all comes naturally. The instincts are that the car should not revv too much and also, the clutch should not vibrate too much. It should all sound and feel smooth.

Getting used to the clutch and its half point is the biggest challenge every new driver faces and everyone gets the feel of it after 4-5 days of regular driving. So no worries.

[clevermax]

Hope you are not starting the engine with gas pedal pressed. This is not required.

When you get used to driving, you shouldn't be (won't be) taking extra effort not to stall the engine under any circumstances while moving from standstill. It is not a difficult thing at all even in car's like Alto where the entire action of the clutch (0-100%) is concentrated within few millimeters of the pedal's travel

[mayukh]

I have an opposite story to tell.

I was taking driving lessons back in Dec '09 in any of my 3 driving school cars - Alto, Santro, Esteem. The clutch in Santro was to some extent OK. However, the clutches in Alto & Esteem were so notorious that the cars used to stall whenever I was not following the ideal steps - releasing clutch & depressing accelerator simultaneously. I was pretty nervous due to this when I started driving my car.

However, the things turned out to be so comfortable in my new car. Just releasing the clutch helps me to move forward.