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Ok, so I hit the curb.

Not badly, it scraped slightly under the front bumper, but yes, i definately hit it.

I was parked nose-first down a slope on loose gravel in the rain. I sat there for goodness knows how long with my foot on the brake. (I was waiting for a train and my legs ache, so I tend to do that.) I decided i'd go wait up the top, as it was a crowded mountainside carpark and I didn't relish the idea of trying to back out uphill with 12 other drivers.

So I started the car, put it in reverse, and checked the handbrake. It was vertical, which I have been grumbling about for quite some time as it should not be that way.

I took my foot off the brake and BAM! I lurched forward into the sandstone gutter! The handbrake was still on.

As I said, minimal damage, but still, that shouldn't have happenned.

ANYWAY, after confessing my useless driver sins to the owner of the car (who decided it was a great time to ridicule female drivers, and STILL hasn't fixed the handbrake) I spoke to my BF, who informed me I shouldn't have bothered with the handbrake and just caught the clutch instead...

It probably would have worked out better, but I wasn't game enough to try it on an incline, backwards, in the rain...

so yes, this poll is to find out how you handle hills

And hopefully to relieve my guilt a little
(wouldn't have happened if the hand brake worked!)

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

This reminds me of my first wifes driving lessons.

The area where she had to drive out of and reverse in was very similar the only way was for me to do it then she saw how it was done.

In your case it sounds like no matter what you did if it was a sharp dip (deep gutter etc)and loose gravel you would only have grip on the back wheels anyway.

I can say driving an auto and front wheel drive it would not have been easy eather.

In you case with a manual car (which I drove for 30+years)
this is what I proberly would have done.

First got out and checked it.
Hand break on then start motor.
Let it warm a little less chance of stalling.

Into Reverse hold clutch. Use the foot break with toe of shoe and accelerater with your heel or opposite which ever is the easest for you.
This sounds hard but can be done easly with practice providing the pedals allow you to do this.

Release Hand Break the car should hold slowly accelerate and release the foot break at the same time.

As you can see you were never taught this at any driving school.

It is extremly difficult to explain fully as all cars a different.

Main thig no one was hurt.

This week I scraped a concrete post in an underground carpark $1600 damage

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

I never use the hand break. When I first started driving a manual trans. I spent the better part of a Saturday learning how to stop and start on a steep hill. Now I can start without any roll back (or forward). This really helps in traffic when some "mush for brains" desides to stop 2 inches off my back bumper on a hill. Of course if I'm in my rust bucket of a truck, I just let 'er roll back and watch the look of panic on their faces.

Sorry to hear about your car

Its not VISIBLY damaged Dude, its just that when you borrow someone's car, even a nick on the underside is something to worry about, and well, Dad is rather protective of his cars. Mum is not allowed to drive them LOL

Here is the car post-roll-into-a-gutter, and you can see, no visible damage.

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For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

What Keith said... I cant think of a time that I ever used the hand brake when I was driving...only in park.

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I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

Other

On a big hill, i'll just use the foot brake and if i know i'll be starting soon, just have the clutch in and the car in gear. If i know i'll be sitting for a while, i'll kick it in neutral and hold with the foot brake. To start, i'm used to my car enough that i don't have to do the three pedals with two feet thing keigth does. I've done it before, but the way my pedals are set up and how the steering wheel is in the Z, it's uncomfortable and extremely cramped trying to do it, not to mention unsafe. I know exactly when my clutch will engage, so i'll just jump off the brake and let out the clutch at the same time with no rollback (or forward).

On a small hill that i know i'll be sitting on for a while, car in neutral, e-brake on, fans on low (i installed manual fan switches ) and just chill. I start out pretty normal, so there is little/no rolling.

I use my e brake whenever i park the car, and at atm's and drive thru's and such like that.

I don't drive but felt like voting anyway

Okay I do drive but not a manual...havent since germany...and that was one of the mosterous big mercedes benz vans (brillianly orange too :%)). And I wasn't even really allowed to drive that since they insisted I was too short to reach the gas and since part of the driving test was to get it unparallelparked going up a really steep hill. I tried plenty of times but just couldnt' get it done without stalling it . Rather easy van to drive otherwise ...funny how many looks I got driving that thru the market (pedestrian only) streets to pick up the rest of the group, I blame the piggy tails and that it was an ex-construction van...push starting it wasnt' so much fun.

I always use my handbrake, except in the prius...that's a second footbrake which I also use...always.

Calla what kind of car is that

^_^[font color="#999999][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay" ][hr width='40%']"When you try your best but you don't succeed. When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace. When you love someone but it goes to waste
COULD IT BE WORSE?" ~Coldplay

that, my little babelfish, is a VS Commodore Ute - series III Olympic edition. Leather trim interior, and a few other odds and ends that standard VS utes didn't come with. Not as swish as some in the GM range I know, but its 5 years old and still as responsive as ever.

Only a V6, but with no weight in the back end, it doesn't really matter. I like driving it with a bag or two of horsefeed in the back to keep the back wheels down.
It has what Dad refers to as 'sports suspension' which consists of two inflatable doobies on the rear axle, which make the ride rough-going if you don't have weight back there. Great for heavy loads, lousy when you are empty and running along pot-holed backroads.

Tim tells me it looks like something called an "el camino" and that this is a bad thing...

These utes are really rather popular over here with the city tradies. Stylish enough to rock up to business meetings in, and useful for hauling stuff around.

It WOULD look better with a hard cover or a zip cover on the back, but hey, can't have everything.
If i had the $$ I'd spray it royal to black/blue and get the Maloo style rollbars on it (without Maloo written on it, as its a very stipid-sounding name) and a black drumtight zip tonneau cover on it.
Oh, and of course, two decent sized spotties, a goos set of driving lights, and possibly a custom bullbar... haven't seen one i like so far.

The rollbars (sportsbars technically, but thats confusing)
http://www.blueys.com.au/acc_sportsbars.htm


Oh, and er, yes, Lee Kernaghan's siggie on the tailgate

YES, I want a classy B&S ute!


EDIT: Ordinarily I do what you do Timmy, as in the Rav I know exactly where it grabs. This is probably where the foot-on-brake habit started, handbrakes were too hard
In this, I wasn't 100% sure I could do it without rolling forward as its rather heavy. As it turns out, it didn't really matter I gotta say, driving instructors DO miss out on the important parts of real day-to-day driving.

Last edited by Callatya at 23-Aug-2005 10:59

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

I absolutely never use the hand brake, even on hills. I suppose I should though...

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

it definitely depends on the car. if i know my car can take off on a hill without stalling, then i won't use the hand brake. if my car doesn't have a hand brake, i am definitely not using it

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"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman

always use the hand brake thats what its there for , if you dont you just end up riding the clutch and wearing the cluth plate out. but in automatics its not really an issue is it . one foot on the brake one on the accelerator

OH TOLEEDY!

yeah, brake bits are cheaper to replace.

I got caught again today getting out to open a gate on a dirt driveway, stuck the handbrake on, and went to jump out, only to have the door come back and plant me smack in the seat again. Very comical.

I put the brake on a bit harder and it held.

Not my fault. Car's fault. Thats my story anyway!

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

i thought it was just me that had trouble opening car doors [i have a bad back] all my car doors have footprints on them where i push the doors open so i dont have to lean forward

OH TOLEEDY!

Okay everyone time to check the temperature in [link=hell]http://www.hell2u.com/" style="COLOR: #EB4288[/link] I think I'm about to change my mind about these ute thingies....

Well, they sure are better than the monstrosities people here in the nations capital drive around and never so much let a blade of grass touch the wheel of let alone use for carrying anything.

^_^[hr width='40%']"Has someone taken your faith? It's real, the [link=pain]http://babelfish.qwertydigital.com/" style="COLOR: #EB4288[/link] you feel.
The life, the love, You die to heal.
The hope that starts, The broken hearts...
I’ve got another confession my friend, I’m no fool.
I’m getting tired of starting again, Somewhere new."

All I wanted to say was:

Babelfish attached this image: