See my post above. Maybe I hadn't explained clearly earlier, but it isn't so much engine braking as deceleration followed by a change into a lower gear. Been driving for 45 years, give or take. No speeding fines ( which is a shame because I could then go on a course and become an expert ), and only two bumps, both as a result of cars pulling out of side roads, into my space and accepting responsibility.
Ah, I get it. Penny has dropped. You're not really using engine braking, you just don't have your foot constantly on and off the brake pedal and you allow the car to naturally slow in the gear. Yep, know where you're coming from now as I do pretty much the same. I suspect we all do something fairly similar. Carry on. I've been driving and biking since 1976, if you wanted to know, so you're a bit older than me.
What TSS said. And as I said earlier, I agree entirely about decelerating to maintain a gap. But that's not the same as engine braking as we were taught way back when, which involved changing to a lower gear, with or without double-declutching depending on how good your synchromesh was, and using the higher torque imposed on the engine to slow the car down. And @shoot_spiderman, when double-declutching you blip the throttle to balance the internal workings of the gearbox (TSS knows more about the technicalities than me!) which clearly uses more fuel than just braking.
Yes, use your brakes when you need to. Not when you don't. And of course, if you drive with a fair bit of distance between you and the next car, you don't have to often, you just take your foot off the accelerator and perhaps shadow the brake pedal. Yes, I do a fair bit of that too. It's not wrong. I think you were just being a bit misunderstood
I've been driving 35 years and I have no idea what some of you are talking about! Why do men make things sound so complicated?
Hoping to watch the 3rd episode tonight so if you've seen don't spoil please! I thought at first it was gonna be ****e but looks very interesting.
I think it's because men have an in-built sensual connection with their cars and women just drive their cars!
I've only watched the first 2, I wait for it to be on TV in the UK on Mondays rather than watch online.
Oh right, the final part of episiode 2 was interesting. No stream on the box yet for number 3 either... will try later in week.
I don't know about sensual connection, but perhaps you're right. I know that if I see people revving the arse off an engine, for example, that clearly is in no condition to accept the amounts of throttle, my mind's eye goes to those wear points in the engine, and it makes me wince slightly, so that's a sensual connection, I suppose. Also, that practice of beating or cutting up older cars that used to occur occasionally on the Clarkson Top Gear was something I totally hated. I don't even like to see crash tests of used vehicles on TV programmes because of the waste. It takes millions of pounds to produce even the smallest parts that go to make a car or a motorcycle, and to see them prematurely go to waste is slightly painful to me. I should say that my attitude is not just confined to cars and bikes. There is an incredible amount of waste in the world, something which is often referred to in the news media, but we live in a throwaway society where 90% of things can still be repaired fairly cheaply. If you repair something you create less pollution and waste.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/facebook-...iled-mcdonalds-chicken-nuggets-100824585.html The Facebook killer was foiled by a McDonald's worker who recognised him when he ordered nuggets and fries and told him he had to wait for fries. Pretty brave as he risked being the next victim.
Just going to give an example of how things are repairable and yet appear not to be. These prices may not be entirely accurate, but they are not miles off. The other week I think I referred to a vehicle I had that I'd spent a few half-days getting ready for its MOT. Here's how much I spent on parts: Lambda sensor [exhaust gas sensor]: £16.91 NGK Spark Plugs set of 4: £7.99 Air Filter: £4.99 Oil Filter: £3.75 Triple QX 5L 10w40 semi synthetic oil: £13.99 Rear wiper motor [excellent used condition]: £17.99 Engine breather hose: £6.75 Total outlay: £72.37 I counted my time as nothing. There was a small bit of other remedial work that didn't require parts. Now here's what a dealer garage would almost certainly have charged: Lambda sensor: £120 NGK Spark Plugs: £20 Air Filter: £16 Oil Filter: £15 10w40 Oil: £30 Rear wiper motor: £180 Engine breather hose: £35 Total outlay for parts only: £416 [this is a conservative estimate] Plus le god knows how much per hour in service time. [Anything between adding £150-200 to the total]. Now seeing that this particular vehicle is probably only worth... what £1800 tops.[?] one begins to think perhaps it needs to move on. Yet it has many economical years left in it. I have perhaps saved it from an earlier ending than it would otherwise get. Insurance companies, for example, scrap cars every day that could very cheaply be repaired. Throwaway society.
Link doesn't work for me as I block anything from Yahoo [sorry Fran]. Here's another link for anyone else who does the same: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/facebook-killer-steve-stephens-mcdonalds-10252511 So the bloke turns out to be an ordinary person who had a major domestic upset and who had far too free access to a weapon which can dramatically change lives. He decided to end the lives of a few innocent others too, while he was in his state of mind. Yes, he could have probably done some of it with a kitchen knife or similar, but doesn't the implications of easy access to firearms even begin to make people think in the USA.?
Incidentally, I had a couple of pints while out last night: please log in to view this image Looked like a pint of stout or porter. Tasted superb. If Guinness tasted a tenth as good as this I'd actually buy one. £2.15 per, for that little beauty.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4423218/The-Second-World-War-colour.html Some rare colour pictures of WWII have been released.
