Driving in congestions

Flash · Post by **Flash** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 pm

Hey, so I was wondering, how do you guys drive a manual in congestions?
And I mean those where you move less than 1 m/s, for let's say, half to an hour.

Gish · Post by **Gish** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:53 pm

The first time I ever drove on the highway was in my car and, just my luck, we hit a patch of stop and go. I was in first, and doing a combination of launching then neutral and coasting along. It worked ok.

Flash · Post by **Flash** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:08 pm

I forgot to add how do you also try to get good fuel efficiency while moving in the turtle state through the traffic.

Prodigal Son · Post by **Prodigal Son** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:16 pm

* No gas starts.

* Don't accelerate at the same speed as the car in front of you. He's just going to stop again in a moment. Just creep along in first with no gas until the gap closes up. With luck, he'll have stopped and started again while you're still floating along.

* Don't try to cut off the lane hoppers. Let them hop. They'll hop out of your lane again as soon as they think the other lane is moving faster. Usually each lane hop costs them four or five spots anyway since they always move out of a lane that's about to start into a lane that's about to stop.

* Choose another route or make the journey at another time of day!

* Walk or ride a bike.

hockeystyx16 · Post by **hockeystyx16** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:31 pm

let the car ahead of you get about 5-8 lenghts ahead of you (the slush behind you will honk at you, but screw him, hes the lucky one in the long run, then casually start moving and autocreep in 1st. when he stops, you will still be a good distance back. then he will start up again and you jsut keep autocreeping.

if im not in a real hurry, i dont mind stop and go. while all the slushies are bored the fvck out of their mind flooring the gas and flooring the brake every 5 seconds, you can enjoy watching their frustration. and take some time to look at the scenery around the highway. if you started moving too soon and had to stop again, start later next time and see if you get the timing right this time.

i got stuck in a 3-4 mile long bumper to bumper stop n go on a highway a while ago. it was fun autocreeping in 1st while everybody around me kept stopping and going. then after a few minutes, a semi one lane over picked up on what i was doing, next thing you know, theres me and a semi autocreeping side by side. and he was blocking the 7PM sun out of my face too.

Prodigal Son · Post by **Prodigal Son** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:37 pm

Flash wrote:I forgot to add how do you also try to get good fuel efficiency while moving in the turtle state through the traffic.

By avoiding unnecessary acceleration and braking. Pretty much the same techniques you use to drive economically in any situation.

Flash · Post by **Flash** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:49 pm

Can you please explain the no gas starts and autocreeping

Sorry, new to english auto forum

Prodigal Son · Post by **Prodigal Son** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:01 am

Flash wrote:Can you please explain the no gas starts and autocreeping
Sorry, new to english auto forum

A no gas start is one in which you launch the car without using the gas pedal. In other words, you launch using idle revs.

I think 'styx is misusing the term "autocreep". What we are really talking about here is simply creeping -- moving very slowly. In heavy traffic, most drivers advance in spurts -- dash forward, stop, dash forward, stop. Instead, you simply creep forward trying to maintain the average speed at which the traffic is moving so that you don't have to start and stop.

(Auto creep is what automatics do when you let off the brake. Creep is what standards do when you do a no-gas launch and then just let the car roll forward without giving it any gas.)

Flash · Post by **Flash** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:19 am

Ok, so no gas start means that move your clutch at the point where the clutch starts engaging right? But I tried that once, and immidiately when I reach or I am near reaching that point there are some micro vibration starting up. Isn't this actualy wears the clutch or parts of the clutch/transmission?

Also it says that cruising in the gear that keeps your RPM just above idling is the best for fuel consumption. My RPM idle is around 800, yet if I am below 1500 I can start feeling micro vibrations.

What can I do about this?

Also for my general knowledge, is auto cars implement the same principle, no gas starting when they are moving by themselfs when you let the brake go? Or they actualy allways have a small acceleration which is allways present and that is why you are required to keep the brakes. I never understood the principle how auto's move by themselfs.

Prodigal Son · Post by **Prodigal Son** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:43 am

Flash wrote:Ok, so no gas start means that move your clutch at the point where the clutch starts engaging right? But I tried that once, and immidiately when I reach or I am near reaching that point there are some micro vibration starting up. Isn't this actualy wears the clutch or parts of the clutch/transmission?

In a no-gas start you fully release the clutch without ever touching the gas. Obviously you have to do this slowly. You will feel vibrations when you do this, but they are not damaging. Your car is always vibrating. You are simply more likely to feel the lower frequency vibrations that occur at lower RPM levels.

This launch causes the least wear since it transfers the least torque through the clutch.

Flash wrote:Also it says that cruising in the gear that keeps your RPM just above idling is the best for fuel consumption. My RPM idle is around 800, yet if I am below 1500 I can start feeling micro vibrations.

Again, the difference is not that the car is vibrating -- it is always vibrating. The difference is that at that speed you can feel the vibrations. Its a frequency thing. Like sounds, some vibrations are at too high or too low a frequency to be felt.

Flash wrote:What can I do about this?

Nothing. You don't need to do anything about it since it is not a problem.

Flash wrote:Also for my general knowledge, is auto cars implement the same principle, no gas starting when they are moving by themselfs when you let the brake go? Or they actualy allways have a small acceleration which is allways present and that is why you are required to keep the brakes. I never understood the principle how auto's move by themselfs.

Yes, autos creep because they do a no-gas start as soon as you let off the brake. They do this because they have a torque converter rather than a clutch. A torque converter is a fluid coupling, so the wheels can stop and the fluid in the torque converter just swirls around.

jaydubb · Post by **jaydubb** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 10:53 am

Oh yes... The creep.

Do a no-gas pull off, and stay far emough behind people that you dont have to stop every time the traffic stops.

Sometimes, I left my Maxima drag against the brakes (its got enough torque to do that). When I have passengers, they wonder why the engine is chugging along. They think Im doing something wrong when in fact, Im not.

Just my .02 . HTH's

Post by **jomotopia** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:02 pm

leaving a decent sized gap to the car in front is the best solution. time it right and you can cruise along without ever stopping while the person in front of you stops and starts 100 times. ignore the angry, impatient slushy driver behind you.

jaydubb · Post by **jaydubb** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 1:30 pm

paul34 wrote:Get the 50 cal out of the trunk, mount it to the roof, open up the moonroof, and proceed to clear a path

Move B*TCH!
Get Out The Way!
Get Out The Way B*tch!
Get Out The Way!

Im doing a hundred on the highway!
So if you do the speed limit, get the f*ck outta my way!

Heh, my favorite song!

Famous lyrics by Ludacris...