Driving an automatic

[Frost]

I needed a hire car for tomorrow and the only one available is an automatic...

So how the hell do you do it?
I should imagine there is no clutch, so is it just like driving a moped? When i come to a stop, does the clutch auto disengage, or do i have to take it out of drive or hold it on the brake or something?

[WetSparks]

You have an accelerator and brake peddle, thats all. When you stop the auto clutch will just hold the car, no need to change gear selection. Off with the brake when your ready and on the gas and off you go. When you stop to park, select park on the gear change lever, oh and also stick the hand brake on.

[Ste]

[Frost]

So what, brake pedal to knock it down a gear, accelorater down to build up some revs then off the brake?

Normally i'd just figure it out / make it up as i went along, but £500 compulsory excess scares me

[MarJay]

[Bendy]

Your left foot will be compelled to do something when you pull up to a halt.

The only thing it can do is stamp the nearest pedal to the floor.

May I suggest wearing a seatbelt and not carrying any open beverages.

[Frost]

Will this result in grand prix style left foot braking?

[Teflon-Mike]

Left foot does NOTHING. Keep it OFf the pedals.
Hold brake with right foot, engage 'D' on the selector.
When you want to move, take foot off brake, (make sure H/B is off!) it'll creep or stay still.... foot on gas, press, car will go forwards.
Want faster press harder on right hand pedal.
Want slower press on left (middle!) pedal
Want stop.... hold left pedal.
Dont worry about the stick unless you want to park or go backwards!
Its REALLY easy!
and you'll pick it up in no time.
Just let the transmission do its thng, and forget the rest.
I have gammy knees and find the things invaluable.
BUT even if I DIDN'T still think they are great. Its just SO easy to drive, you can forget about everything but pointing it where you want to go, and worry instead about all the other idiots beyond the wiond-screen.
Around town, stop start, its SO much les tiring.
On the motorway, you notice no difference.
On a twisty road, you CAN start to miss the loss of direct drive, but you soon get used to it, and for the chances to exploit some spirited driving these days, hardly missed, and MORE than made up for by the ease of progressing through traffic.
Great fun!
Enjoy!
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[UnknownStuntm...]

I had the (dis)pleasure of driving the work's Hummer H2 yesterday, also automatic and hilarious. It weight nearly 4 tons and has a 6 litre V8. So pretty much you know when it's gonna do something, because of the noises!

I didn't have any brake slash clutch pedal issues, but I did notice it doesn't creep forward at lights when you don't have your feet on the brake*. However, when you put it in reverse, the reverse is true, and it wants to go backwards at a fair rate of knots unless you hold your feet on the brake!

*I say 'feet' because the pedal is so wide I think I can get mine and the passengers feet on the pedal at the same time, so that MUST be what they designed it for, yeah?

[Kickstart]

Hi

As above. Likely to creep forward if in gear with the brake off (and of course holding it on the brake means having your brake lights burning their shape into the eyes of the driver behind).

Left foot braking is possible with practice, but get used to driving it first before even thinking about it. Used to be fun when we had a clutchless manual car (normal gear lever but no clutch pedal) watching people try to drive it (like the guy from the local dealer who picked it up for a service). They would get to the point where they were changing into 2nd gear and stop violently as their left foot stamped on the left hand pedal.

You should have other gears to use, which just hold the gearbox in the lower ranges (ie, 3 will hold it in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears, but not let it change up to 4th or more). Used generally when towing or when heading up hill round lots of tight corners where it would otherwise be changing gear all the time a you backed off and accelerated. There will probably be a button on the gear lever, and you need to press this to move between normal gears (drive, 1, 2, 3, etc) and the other positions (neutral, reverse and park).

All the best

Keith
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[stirlinggaz]

sounds awfully complicated & i could see myself doing that...stamping down with my left foot, in a panic,lol
cheers,
GAZ

[Kickstart]

[russeleoin]

Ah fek, you done for mate! Make sure BUPA paid up and leave you bike to me in your will.
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Current ride is a Yamaha YB 100 and I love it! Oooow and now a running GPZ400R!
Next stop, Direct Access hopefully by the end of summer.

[Acemastr]

think you're over complicating the easiest thing ever,


brake = slowdown/stop/stopped
throttle = go

hold brake on at a standstill or it rolls forward.

simples
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[Ichy]

I've driven automatics for about 7 years now and hate it when I drive a manual.

I think some of you are back in the dark ages. DSG gearbox means that I have the option of semi and fully auto with paddles on the steering wheel or a lever with just up & down. Handbrake is electronic and can be manual or fully auto at the press of a button. Launch control gives me a good start off the line if I want it and fuel consumption is the same or better than a manual.

If you want to talk 'odd' I've also got auto parking. Perfect reverse parking all the time but its hard not to stamp on the brake or grab hold of the steering wheel.

[Frost]

[Marmalade]

Also..

Tie your left hand behind your back, just as you stamp on the brake pedal thinking it's the clutch you'll yank gear lever from 1st to second (in your mind) when in reality you've just ripped it into reverse or park or something else equally as disastrous.

Just think, lots, it is easy but when your mind is still thinking manual box it is a disaster waiting to happen

Good luck
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[jay12329]

[ZRX61]

[Finglonga]

It takes a couple of miles to get used to an auto, it's when you get back into the manual and pull up to traffic lights repeatedly without dipping the clutch and stall that will be fun.

[Kickstart]

[UnknownStuntm...]

So I thought it was 3900 kilos? In any case, its not fucking light weight by anyone's estimates... pig iron yes, nuke, no. It's just a waste. Just leave it in the rain for a few weeks. Seriously. Underneath its a piece of crap. And its just failed its first MOT on track rod ends and bushes...

Anyway, its auto, and shit. Which is the point. Manual cars are still number one, despite DSG and the like, they're just too expensive right now.

[Ichy]

Your living in the past. A car is a machine. Machines are supposed to become easier to use as technology improves. Would you be happy with a TV that you had to wait to warm up and then manually tune in the video and audio with separate controls, adjusting as required during the program?

The majority of investment in gearbox technologies is centered around AMT, DCT and IVT, manual exists just to keep a diminishing number of Europeans happy.

Environmental and fuel efficiency legislation will pretty much kill off manual gearboxes in new cars over the next 10 years, look at any of the cars in the premium market.

Price wise, without looking, I guess an auto is £1k - £2k more than a manual in a £20k+ car.

[ZRX61]

[G]