As an auto driver of over 20 years I endorse everything said by IET, particularly keeping to right foot braking (I habitually tuck my left foot across behind my right leg).
I tried lfb a couple of times and found myself sliding forward and braking much harder than intended as a result.
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Yet to see an explanation for left foot braking. Why is it supposed to be preferable? After all, with a normal gearbox, one brakes with the right foot, so what is the problem with doing the same with an automatic? I can't see how the left foot can be moved from the floor (or footrest) to the brake pedal, quicker than the right foot can be moved from the throttle pedal. In fact, I feel that it would take longer.
As far as manual mode is concerned, if it is a car with a tiptronic change, using it is just the same as using a manual box, except there is no clutch to operate (although these boxes will kick down under hard acceleration, or change down in the event of slowing down, if a lower gear is not selected).
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Gospel according to St HJ. www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/faq.htm?id=15
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Using left foot on brake pedal can be handy for doing hill starts, particularly in American hire cars that have fiddly parking brakes and no proper handbrake.
Have tried braking with left foot in normal driving - trouble was that my left foot kept thinking it was pressing a clutch, with the result that I nearly got rear-ended several times!
I'm sure practice makes perfect but as a matter of personal preference I stick to giving the left foot a rest when driving automatics.
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All the instances of problems and accidents with Autos quoted in HJs gospel appear to have happened to people who cant be trusted to sit the right way on a toilet seat let alone be let loose in a car.
I can see no good reason to change driving feet for an Auto, and nor did I when i was driving them.
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Concur.
In addition, the following is taught as "best practice" -
At Red lights, leave in D - apply handbrake if going to be stationary for longer than a a few seconds.
As to manual holds -
1. Select 3rd (or even 2nd if in 30 limit) prior to steep downhill. Saves descending on firm braking.
2. Select 3rd for series of bends. (note - not single bend). Saves you coping with box changing up as you slow for 2nd and subsequent. And helps to reduce firm braking needed.
3. Overtaking - Many a driver has been heard to complain that the kick-down with an automatic takes too long and is a nuisance. Well, you can eliminate kick down all together and get the same response for the car as you would with a manual transmission. All you have to do is decide what gear the car would select, at your current road speed to accelerate past the vehicle you are going to overtake. Having worked that out, select that same gear manually so that when you do go for the overtake the car will respond at the required rate immediately. And will not change up as you pass the target car and back off.
By choosing the right options there is so much less stress involved in driving, and not only that, there is less stress on the vehicle, which means less running costs and you are in control.
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Absolutely agree with OnW as far as overtaking is concerned. This is partcularly important if you've got a "clever" autobox which thinks it's learned your driving style. A long period of gentle driving, pull out to overtake and need clean pants because the autobox is still in bed. Reverse theory applies if your leadfooted wife has borrowed the car... I also find that on full kickdown my autobox will select too low a gear and quickly run out of revs, when third would have done all along.
Left foot braking? No thanks, unless you're maneuvering in a very tight spot.
On the "what to do at traffic lights" point, I've always wondered about this. Consistent advice (which I follow) seems to be to leave the car in drive and hold your foot on the brake. Somehow though this just goes against mechanical sympathy. Doesn't this wear out any components faster? I'd love to know!
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Depends what you're wearing out. This is pure conjecture, doubtless somebody who knows will be along with some useful information.
Brakes are consumables. Accordingly, wearing them out is not a problem. They are simple, easily fixed & cheap.
There's no clutch that you're riding to wear out - there's some sort of clever fluid clutch inside an auto box.
The gear select lever gives quite a thunk (relatively speaking) when engaged. This feels uncomfortable to me, so I guess is where the wear will happen. Auto boxes are expensive.
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The person behind you might not like your brakelights staying on at the traffic lights, but on the other hand it's better than the small heart attack they have when they suddenly see your reversing lights come on as you cycle through to park. :D
The theory of left foot braking is that in situations where you're expecting to need to brake you can hover over the pedal and so get the left foot there quicker. Personally on the occasions when I've tried to use LFB I've nearly put myself through the windscreen through pressing it too hard.
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I found left foot braking became natural after a very short time and certainly had no trouble switching between auto and SWMBOs manual.
I brake with right foot in normal driving conditions and switch over to left foot for finer control (so at some point I may have both feet on the brake). It certainly gives much better control when manouevring slowly (turning, parking etc) or, eg, when you need to pull swiftly out of a busy junction.
I tended to select gear 3 around town as my old jalopy would slip in to D (overdrive) almost too readily and felt like it was labouring unduly. But I'd expect any modern car to just sit in D all day (except when you want to go backwards!)
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If the car was left in 'P', before starting the engine check that the hand brake is on, and pressing the foot brake too, move the gear selector in to 'N'. This ensures that the starter motor and powertrain are not started under parking induced load.
In many years experience with my brother's autos, if the car was parked on even the slightest incline, it is amazing how much difference to vibration, proving the load, this makes. On some cars, it also requires a harder pull to move in to neutral if the car was started with the gearbox parking mechanism under load.
The converse applies when parking:
Bring the car to a halt.
In to neutral.
Hand brake on.
Release the footbrake to allow the car to settle.
Reapply the foot brake.
In to park.
Engine off.
Release the Foot brake.
Those who simply throw the car in to park and walk away, hand brake off, not even bothering to do simple things like turn the wheels towards or away from the kerb )depending on whether up or down hill) mildly annoy me!
Left foot braking?
I use it most often when reversing up to couple a trailer.
It is easier to control speed to a fine degree that simply relying on tickover plus throttle. ie:
Fully apply foot brake with left foot.
Apply gentle throttle to raise engine slilghtly above tickover with right foot.
Gently use left foot to control speed.
I effectively do the same on my motorbike to do a U-turn as well!
Set revs and clutch slip required, and control speed with the rear brake (left foot!) This is for a different purpose though, namely to allow speed to be controlled without pitching the suspension, which crucially affects balance points and control on tight lock at low speed.
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>But I'd expect any modern car to just sit in D all day (except when you want to go backwards!)
Agreed. It will. Depends who you think is in charge though - you or the car.
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Not at all - you're always in charge. A car is just a machine that works to a set of rules - you have to add the intelligence.
My point was that my old car was world-weary and would often slip into an inappropriate gear, I'd expect a modern car to make a better job of it.
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Worth stressing the point that you will get little of the engine braking that you are used to when you decelerate in an auto.
Probably a good idea to leave a larger than usual gap in front until you get used to it.
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Indeed. Modern autos are better than, say, 20 years ago.
Better in that they react better.
But there are times when you can anticipate.
Which is why the (sometimes) use of manual hold selection is taught.
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IAM are keen on moving to '2' when in a 30mph limit; its easy to drift over a little on a downward slope due to the lack of engine braking in 'D'. Also makes for brisk acceleration when you move out of the 30mph zone. Foot down a bit and then knock it into D.
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I have just read the HJ guide to left foot braking and would make the following comment.
We have a C5 HDI auto and when I am parking I do so on a dead throttle, with my foot over the brake pedal at all times, so the chance of me mistakenly hitting the throttle pedal is removed. I don't need any more power than the engine will provide on tickover. There is no more danger of mistakenly slamming the throttle pedal than if I was driving a car with a manual gearbox.
Actually, I know of a case where this happened, as I was involved. An elderley woman driver panicked for some reason on leaving a supermarket car park and floored the throttle. She came flying along the car park access road, just as I was looking for a parking space and clipped the back end of my car. This didn't stop her and she carried on out of the car park, across a road and grass verge and straight through a garage wall, which was opposite the car park entrance/exit. She came to rest against the wall of the house, which was owned by the people whose garage wall she had demolished. Now this was a car with a manual box, so the prescence of a clutch made no difference, once she had panicked and floored the throttle.
As for giving more control on hill starts, well this is where the hand brake comes in. Very few cars have hand brakes that differ from the norm, I would have thought. My wife and I have no problem with our C5.
My other point about using the left foot for braking is that you can't cover the brake pedal all of the time with the left foot. It would take longer to hit the brake pedal with the left foot (from the floor or footrest) in the case of an emergency stop, than moving the right foot from the throttle pedal. You can't anticipate emergency stops. Using the right foot also takes it off the throttle pedal. With years and years of driving cars with manual gearboxes it is learned reflex, so why try to change it. As for anticipating braking, just take the foot of the throttle pedal and cover the brake with the right foot. If braking is anticipated, it is surely safer to ease off on the throttle anyway.
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I should have said in the second paragraph, that it is my right foot that I have over the brake pedal.
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