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Basic Drivnig techinques

Skurge

Skurge

Diamond Member
So, Im sort of a n00b driver. Only 19 and got my license last August. Been driving a 2002 Mazda Pickup on and off since.

Got a 2hr drive to a Farm tomorrow, first time I'll be driving outside town. 100km on paved road and another 120km on gravel. Anything I need worry about when driving on either? or any tips you guys would like to share? Speed limit here is 120kph, about 75mph I think.

Also I'd like to know what double clutching is and its purpose. Also when and where I should rev match.
 
Do a scandanavian flick into the corner which involves turning the car a bit opposite to the direction you want to turn, then quickly flick it back around the other way to swing the weight of the car around the corner.. thus inducing oversteer. :awe:

Bonus points if your truck is lifted.
 
Kidding obviously... but serious answer:
You should go into a corner slow and controlled, and come out of it as fast as you want.
I wish I had a nice gravel road in Namibia to rally on.

You don't need to double clutch. That's for old cars without synchros in the transmission. If you want to heel-toe downshift rev-match while braking, look up youtube videos for advice. You just blip the throttle a bit with your heel during downshifts while your toes does the braking.
 
http://blog.caranddriver.com/how-to-scandinavian-flick/

how_to_scandinavian_flick_feature_submodel_full.jpg
 
Skurge said:
Also I'd like to know what double clutching is and its purpose. Also when and where I should rev match.
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Your truck should have a fully syncronized transmission so no need to "double clutch" which was used mainly on older big trucks to stop the transmission while shifting... Newer big trucks have transmission brake just behind the throwout bearing which helps when RPM matching gears up or down...


As for a simple tip since your going where you have never been before I would suggest you take your time no big hurry and for sure when you get on the gravel road which is totaly different from a paved surface and can be a bit tricky almost like driving on mud or snow just not as slick but not near as bad as ice... It can get away from you before you know it (think of the above pic and add a few 360`s or just a ditch run to it) 🙂
 
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Get Richard Burns Rally and play through the driving school if you wanna learn all the techniques to take gravel roads like a World Rally Champion 😉
 
astroidea said:
Get Richard Burns Rally and play through the driving school if you wanna learn all the techniques to take gravel roads like a World Rally Champion 😉
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Lol, I might just do that. But right now, I just wanna get there in one piece.
 
Honestly, the fact that you are concerned about driving safely says to me that you'll probably do just fine. Safe driving is mostly about being aware of things that could cause you harm, and you're showing that you're thinking about that sort of thing.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is just to drive at a speed that you feel comfortable and adjust it for conditions. If you're a new driver you may feel that 75 mph is a bit faster than you feel comfortable with, so maybe you drive 60. If you're driving slower though just be aware that people may want to pass you. If there are multiple lanes, stay in the slower moving lane. Otherwise just do your best to make it easy for people to get around you.

On gravel you'll have less traction so be aware that it will take longer to stop and it's easier to skid if you go into a corner too fast. Again, just drive at a speed you're comfortable with. You might start out a little slow initially and then speed up as you get used to it.
 
Namibia? Can't say I even know the country before now.

Pay attention to the road, that means what's in front of you, behind you, and both side of you. Don't just stare at one spot, be sure to look around often.

Leave the music low or off.
 
HarryLui said:
Namibia? Can't say I even know the country before now.

Pay attention to the road, that means what's in front of you, behind you, and both side of you. Don't just stare at one spot, be sure to look around often.

Leave the music low or off.
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Thanks, this is the route. It's not entirely accurate, but it should be close enough.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...18.970642&sspn=1.078944,2.113495&ie=UTF8&z=10

No, problem with the music radio is busted, I don't like loud music anyway.
 
keep it slow if you're unfamiliar with the vehicle and/or surface. The only thing I can really think of is a tailslide. If you want or are truly worried, put some weight in the back, over the rear axle.
 
Gravel roads are annoying. I personally drive 50 Km/h or less because of the shit that gets kicked up. If someone is behind me, I'll speed up. But these are usually side roads that I only have to go less than 10Km total on before hitting pavement again. At 120 Km, just stick to the speed limit.
 
Don't drive too fast on gravel roads if you can't see what's in front very well. Big potholes tend to come out of nowhere, and if you're going too fast you're not going to be able to avoid them.
 
Sukhoi said:
Don't drive too fast on gravel roads if you can't see what's in front very well. Big potholes tend to come out of nowhere, and if you're going too fast you're not going to be able to avoid them.
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Oh ya, forgot about gravel roads and width issues. If it's hilly where you drive, and you can't see WELL ahead of you, stay close to the right edge of the road.

I almost got nailed driving close to the center (country, middle of nowhere, narrow, hill road). If gravel roads are narrow and there are potholes on the edges, people tend to drive closer to the center; the fact that there's no centreline doesn't make things better.
 
Imp said:
Oh ya, forgot about gravel roads and width issues. If it's hilly where you drive, and you can't see WELL ahead of you, stay close to the right edge of the road.

I almost got nailed driving close to the center (country, middle of nowhere, narrow, hill road). If gravel roads are narrow and there are potholes on the edges, people tend to drive closer to the center; the fact that there's no centreline doesn't make things better.
Click to expand...

I think they drive on the left side of the road in Namibia.
 
On gravel, particularly with washboarding, the backend of the truck will want to come around to the front if you drive too fast. Slowing down and not doing anything quickly, sort of like on snow, is helpful. With a truck that light you may want to add weight to the bed to help with traction. Airing down the tires a bit can also help with traction but only if you have a method of puffing them back up when you return to pavement.

Also, wash the windshield (windscreen) before starting out.
 
Oh that gravel road seems to be straight most of the time. You can test the truck POWAAA during that stretch of road 😀.

JK, Take it slow, and you will get there.
 
Ok, thanks for all the help. Just got back. Half the gravel path was full of potholes, I kept to 80kph after I had a hard time avoiding them at 100kph. Still hit a few quite hard. There was a load on the back already on the way there, stabalised the car, on the way back it was more "loose". Seemed ok though.

Got pulled over for speeding on the way back though. about 17kph over the limit, got off with a warning. Now to wash the car 🙁
 
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