RicH_87 Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 well, I don't think you can tell as such, but braking hard whilst not in gear will more than likley cause you to skid, and if you cause and accident and they see your car's not in gear then it ain't gonna look good. I guess they just expect people to be sensible and drive as safe as they can. It's gonna be your own loss at the end of the day (at least). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkee Posted September 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 Fair point, but automatics go out of gear and coast ALL the time.. whenever your foot is off the accelerator you are coasting.. hence better economy. But meh its the risk i take with my normal gear car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicH_87 Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 fair enough, i also heard that it's illegal to drive with no shoes/bearfeet? i can't see that being true, surley its even safer with no shoes? For examaple i got the heel of my work shoe lodged in a hole in my floor mat whilst pressing in the clutch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkee Posted September 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 The day i f**ked my ankle ( see pic in ma gallery ) i had to drive home using one foot.. Absolute nightmare that is and took both shoes off ( since one wouldnt go back on and couldnt be arsed with the other) it actually does feel really sketchy.You miss the pedals easy and they hurt kinda too. I can see how it is a bit more of a danger, but then again theres always strorys of people getting shoes caught under pedals when trying to stop fast resulting in a nice crash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark W Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 In a driving lesson, my shoe got snagged somewhere on the accelerator, and kinda meant I couldn't brake coming up to a major junction. Three cheers for dual control cars <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 It is illegal to drive no-shoed hehe It's bent though, some shoes are more dangerous... fancy girls ones must be hard to drive in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
011001000110010101110010 Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 Yes, yes they are. I have tried to drive in no shoes and I felt a distinct lack of control so I put my shoes back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkee Posted September 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 Yup as weird as it sounds you can feel more through shoes than you can without.. you end up hitting the brakes too hard etc without them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicH_87 Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 I've seena Ferrari 360 trashed becasue the driver was wearing stilletos. Both of them were killed, the owner and the girl who was just having a go. Pretty random there but thought i'd share the crappy wealth of knowledge i have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 i drive like a fanny all the time and have done since before i even i passed my test. i have 9 points on my licence and speeding risks another 3 which would mean loosing my licence (and also my job my manager has told me) yet i still speed, undertake, overtake dangerously etc........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyroo Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 i drive like a fanny all the time and have done since before i even i passed my test. i have 9 points on my licence and speeding risks another 3 which would mean loosing my licence (and also my job my manager has told me) yet i still speed, undertake, overtake dangerously etc........ ← Its because you drive a van Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OD404 Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 A lot of modern cars employ a feature where the engine management cuts the fuel suppy to the engine when you take your foot off the accelerator (either to coast or to brake). It will only happen if you are actually moving and leave the car in gear (clutch fully engaged) as this keeps the crank rotating through the momentum of the vehicle. As soon as you touch the clutch or accelerator, or the car looses too much speed, the management system begins sending fuel back to the engine to stop it stalling. This is the reason that a lot of you experience better fule economy when coasting. In fact, engines would generally be very uneconomical when running at idle (or without the the accelerator pressed) as the air fuel mixture would more to the rich side of things which uses more fuel than when the throttle wider. Since knowing this I've done my best to keep the car in gear as long as possible coming up to junctions and roundabouts, and to coast down hills (in gear), and I've certainly noticed a rise in my mpg as a result. When it comes to speeding I find I'm with the majority of people here in that I only really exceed the speed limit when out of town. I used to drive like a tit but a minor prang and three points (for speeding) have helped me change my ways to an extent. I do believe that having a minor prang when you are new to driving is a good thing as it puts everything in perspective. I used to think that something like that would never happen to me, no matter how I drove, I was soon proved wrong and I'm a more sensible drive for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 A lot of modern cars employ a feature where the engine management cuts the fuel suppy to the engine when you take your foot off the accelerator (either to coast or to brake). It will only happen if you are actually moving and leave the car in gear (clutch fully engaged) as this keeps the crank rotating through the momentum of the vehicle. As soon as you touch the clutch or accelerator, or the car looses too much speed, the management system begins sending fuel back to the engine to stop it stalling. This is the reason that a lot of you experience better fule economy when coasting. In fact, engines would generally be very uneconomical when running at idle (or without the the accelerator pressed) as the air fuel mixture would more to the rich side of things which uses more fuel than when the throttle wider. Since knowing this I've done my best to keep the car in gear as long as possible coming up to junctions and roundabouts, and to coast down hills (in gear), and I've certainly noticed a rise in my mpg as a result. When it comes to speeding I find I'm with the majority of people here in that I only really exceed the speed limit when out of town. I used to drive like a tit but a minor prang and three points (for speeding) have helped me change my ways to an extent. I do believe that having a minor prang when you are new to driving is a good thing as it puts everything in perspective. I used to think that something like that would never happen to me, no matter how I drove, I was soon proved wrong and I'm a more sensible drive for it. ← this isgood seeings as there are fel strickes at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 Yup as weird as it sounds you can feel more through shoes than you can without.. you end up hitting the brakes too hard etc without them. ← You get used to it in about five minutes though. It feels really weird at first, but then it just feels normal. I drove most of the way to Cornwall in no shoes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomR Posted September 14, 2005 Report Share Posted September 14, 2005 If its me driving then yeah sometimes, but if im in someone elses car it totally depends on who it is. My dad can go as fast as i like and i trust him, hes a good driver and has a good car. My girlfriends only been driving a couople of weeks howeverand drives a 10 year old clio which doesnt insppire as much confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy P Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 well its true though aint it? ah ha well actually it hits 65 in first in 3.9 seconds. it hits 100 in second gear ← Firstly, I do NOT doubt that your boss has a highly tuned elise, or that he managed 100mph over a roundabout - It is very possible given the characteristics of the car and tires (presumably yoko 48's as you say they are road legal track tires). However, the fact that you state it will do 65 in first and 100 in second leaves me somewhat dubious. The standard gearbox in the elise has a first gear ratio of 3.167 which equates to 5.64mph / 1000rpm with standard sized wheels (I assume he has near standard rolling circumference given that the elise is designed for handling) I also assume that the car is limited to approximately 9000rpm maximum (std 7000rpm). It is easily possible (but not cheap) to modify an engine to rev in excess of 10krpm but as you have already told me that the car is supercharged will be unlikely (higher rpms are usually associated to turbo cars). The engine would have to rev to approximately 11.5k rpm to achieve 65mph in first gear. But you say the car is HIGHLY modified??? May also have had a new gearbox fitted.... Well, the usual route would be to upgrade to a 6 speed gearbox much like the Exgie but that would shorten the gear ratios further, thus reducing the mph/rpm. True, it would be possible to get a really long first gear, a friend of mine has a mini which has done 60 in first with a straight cut gearbox, although this has only 4 gears and no rev limiter... Also for a car that is so light, i assume a safe max speed of around 150 (std 131mph for the 190bhp model). If he's doing 100 mph in 2nd, he has just 50 mph over the remainder 3 (or 4 for 6 speed) gears. A somewhat odd ratio combination wouldn't you agree? A very long first gear would also hinder the acceleration in a car that has little torque making the sub 4sec to 60 unlikely. Anyhow, back to the topic... I have to admit, I do regularly speed - but only where I feel it is safe to do so. For example, motorway cruising during non busy periods I may drive in excess of 90mph where i know that it is safe because there are no junctions where people could pull out. There is also a stretch of road local to me which has a 30 limit. It is very wide with bus lanes on either side and a central reservation, in effect a dual carridgeway where the inside lanes are rarely used. Because the road is so wide, at 30 it feels as though i could open the door and jog faster. I feel that it is perfectly safe to do 40 mph here (it used to be a 40 limit when it was a single carridgeway :D ) On the other hand, most sideroads have a 30 limit with cars parked either side of the road and family houses lining the street. 15-20mph feels fast here, and i wouldn't even consider going faster. What i am trying to say is that I travel at a speed which i feel is safe - to myself, passengers and other road users / pedestrians around me. Ultimately, if i were to get caught speeding or cause an accident, i would take full responsibility. Apologies for the essay, and for the likely-hood of it not making sense. Andy P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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