I just reserved a new Ford Bronco

[falafel]

Dang it, I messed this up. I use the left foot on the clutch and the right foot has the heel on the brake as it comes up while the toe begins to press the gas pedal.

I haven't had a manual for two years now and I am forgetting my technique.

Whew. Glad I read this revision before I went out and tried. This makes much more sense.

[creekster]

If you often find people overly "touchy", it might be time for a little honest self-reflection.

I don't find 'people' touchy, just you and sometimes one or two others. The fact is I didn't say anything because I didn't want to have an argument but I really couldn't imagine how you were doing that with your left foot. Mentioning I held back due to my perception (perhaps incorrect, I concede) of your touchiness undermined that goal so I apologize and withdraw. Hopefully this is enough. But if not, you are invited to take the last word. If you think it would be useful, feel free to remind me of my own shortcomings, which are manifest.

To be clear, I am sorry I mentioned it.

[old_gregg]

That's part of the fun!

It's all about using your left foot on both the clutch and the brake and finessing that clutch just right. My kids hated this when I was training them to use a manual.

BTW, my porsche macan has a feature where it detects when you are stopped on an incline and it automatically holds the brake so you don't roll backward whether your foot is on the brake or not. Really convenient. It would be nice to have this feature combined with a stick. Dang it, I wish they offered the Macan with a stick.

your previous stick shift hatchback had this feature, didn’t it? mine does

[old_gregg]

The first cars I drove after getting a license were all stick shift - a 1978 Toyota sedan, 1978 Honda Civic, 1981 Honda Accord. Another of the stick-shift vehicles I drove often within the first few years of being licensed was an old Eddy's Bread truck (1971 Ford, I think) that my dad bought as a cargo truck for his business. I've also owned a few stick shift vehicles (1988 Accord, 1992 Ford Ranger, 1994 Civic). Thankfully, I've never rolled into anyone behind me in spite of never using Lebowski's dual-pedal trick.

I was taught that the right foot is used for the accelerator and brake pedals and that the left foot is used for the clutch. However, I learned on Top Gear that race car drivers use their left foot for the braking, too, allowing them to accelerate out of the corners better.

not really an acceleration out of corner thing—when you go fast you should always be on either the accelerator or the brake and limit the time you’re not doing one or the other.

[Jeff Lebowski]

your previous stick shift hatchback had this feature, didn’t it? mine does

Nope.

[old_gregg]

Nope.

huh. my 2014 st3 does.

[Jeff Lebowski]

huh. my 2014 st3 does.

Well, if it did, I don't ever recall noticing it kick in. Certainly not like my Macan does - it comes on all the time.

Did a little googling and it looks like the feature is called "Hill Start Assist". I wonder if it just an option that my Focus didn't happen to have? I also did not have a backup camera.

[Pelado]

not really an acceleration out of corner thing—when you go fast you should always be on either the accelerator or the brake and limit the time you’re not doing one or the other.

I will gladly defer to your expertise. Perhaps Top Gear didn't explain it that way or, more likely, I misremembered what they said about it.

[Scott R Nelson]

my 2014 st3 does.

What is an ST3?

To me, it means one of these: ST3.jpg

[Lost Student]

not really an acceleration out of corner thing—when you go fast you should always be on either the accelerator or the brake and limit the time you’re not doing one or the other.

I think he's referring to the tactic of keeping the turbo spooled by not letting up on the accelerator while braking

[old_gregg]

I think he's referring to the tactic of keeping the turbo spooled by not letting up on the accelerator while braking

big turbo problems

[Scott R Nelson]

For those of you who were wondering why someone like me wouldn't want adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, and automatic emergency braking, you might want to read this article. The AAA has a test track where they can check the safety of these systems and all of them fail the stopped car test in one way or another. They put a cardboard or blow up Prius partially blocking the lane and the systems are not able to consistently avoid running into it.

The point is that you can't trust them completely, so you still have to pay attention. But it's harder to pay attention when you have less to do to control the car. I'll let my car keep the speed where I want it, but I'm in charge for everything else.

The article explains why it's so hard to get the cars to identify this particular hazard.

[Jeff Lebowski]

For those of you who were wondering why someone like me wouldn't want adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, and automatic emergency braking, you might want to read this article. The AAA has a test track where they can check the safety of these systems and all of them fail the stopped car test in one way or another. They put a cardboard or blow up Prius partially blocking the lane and the systems are not able to consistently avoid running into it.

The point is that you can't trust them completely, so you still have to pay attention. But it's harder to pay attention when you have less to do to control the car. I'll let my car keep the speed where I want it, but I'm in charge for everything else.

The article explains why it's so hard to get the cars to identify this particular hazard.

Literally nobody here has claimed that once you have these systems you no longer need to pay attention to your driving.

[Moliere]

For those of you who were wondering why someone like me wouldn't want adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, and automatic emergency braking, you might want to read this article. The AAA has a test track where they can check the safety of these systems and all of them fail the stopped car test in one way or another. They put a cardboard or blow up Prius partially blocking the lane and the systems are not able to consistently avoid running into it.

The point is that you can't trust them completely, so you still have to pay attention. But it's harder to pay attention when you have less to do to control the car. I'll let my car keep the speed where I want it, but I'm in charge for everything else.

The article explains why it's so hard to get the cars to identify this particular hazard.

Interesting juxtaposed sentences. This is almost like the guy that won't wear a mask because it doesn't protect him from COVID when what he really means is that it's not fool proof...which is true but it's pretty darn good to do since it adds another layer of protection.

[old_gregg]

i don't wear a seatbelt or turn on my lights when it's raining. goddamn millenials trying to live in their safety bubbles.