As I posted a couple of months ago I have signed up for & started my IAM training, all is going well & I'm getting to grips with the system quite well. We have recently moved on to steering, braking & gear changes. The last two I'm ok with just need to refine my 1st to 2nd & I think I'm there - any tips on this would be great but not the main aim of the post.

I've got the theory of the steering in my head sorted & about 60% of the time I get it right & the other 40% I start to push & my brain goes stop doing that your meant to be pulling, at which point I then correct myself.

The one problem I have is that when waiting to turn right across the road in flowing traffic I end up waiting an age for a space big enough for me to pull out in correctly before I change gear & accelerate away, now yes I could just turn left & go round the round about 2 miles down the road but there must be away to do this with out waiting for some nice person to let you out, as lets face it you could probably walk home in the time it takes at some junctions. If I don't follow the system & pull out steering with one hand & using the other to change gear all is fine, is it something that comes with practice or is it a down side to driving to the system?

Cheers for all advice.

it's all above me!!

it's all above me!!

Do a search or Google for it, basicly builds on your basic driving skills to make you a safer, smoother driver.

Its not for everyone but I'm enjoying it & my driving has improved loads.

IMHO, it's a shortcoming of driving a diesel where you run out of revs before you've built enough speed! The same is also true on biggish roundabouts where you can either drive round on the limiter or change up and continue to accelerate. A Police Driving Instructor told me that changing gear in this situation was perfectly acceptable so long as you're not trying to adjust the steering, ie you are just holding the wheel in a position with one hand.

I'm not sure if this was ever mentioned to you in IAM (I know it wasn't when I did RoSPA) but there are 4 priorities also known as the 4 S's:

Safety -> Smoothness -> System -> Speed (Hope I've got the middle two in the right order )

Everything to the left is a higher priority than everything to the right so it is perfectly ok to sacrifice using the System for Safety. So, you could argue that it was safer to break the System and overlap gears and steering in this instance as the priority is to match the speed of the gap ASAP.

Another alternative, depending on the amount of steering required and how much of a stickler your observer is, would be to consider a fixed-grip hold (rotational steering) which should mean your right hand is in a good position to smoothly unwind the steering should you need to while you change gear.

Chris

Just make a very short change into second. Pull out and as soon as you are moving, before steering, drop it into second. Then accelerate briskly in second, subject to avoiding torque steer, of course.

ive changed gear whilst turning in and out of junctions providing you dont let go of the steering and keep it smooth you should be alright. my mentor so far hasnt told me off for this so it must be ok as he seems to come down hard on other things as mentioned in another thread.

A Police Driving Instructor told me that changing gear in this situation was perfectly acceptable so long as you're not trying to adjust the steering, ie you are just holding the wheel in a position with one hand.

Another alternative, depending on the amount of steering required and how much of a stickler your observer is, would be to consider a fixed-grip hold (rotational steering) which should mean your right hand is in a good position to smoothly unwind the steering should you need to while you change gear.

Hi Chris, yes they have covered the holding the wheel so that you drive in a steady curve so that you can change gear.

With have a go of the second one next time I'm out with him to see what he says.

Just make a very short change into second. Pull out and as soon as you are moving, before steering, drop it into second. Then accelerate briskly in second, subject to avoiding torque steer, of course.

We have talked about this butI haven't tried it yet as I though rushing the gear might not give me smooth change, however picking up on Chris's point of being safe before the system might be the answer to any points raised on this one.

ive changed gear whilst turning in and out of junctions providing you dont let go of the steering and keep it smooth you should be alright. my mentor so far hasnt told me off for this so it must be ok as he seems to come down hard on other things as mentioned in another thread.

Yeah I've seen your other thread & had similar thoughts to what happened to you, however not actually had anything like that happen yet so we will see. Cheers for the advice sure I will get it sorted.

You mentioned at the top you were struggling a little with the 1st to 2nd change. It's the most difficult because the revs fly up in 1st, and when you change, there's a big drop, which makes it hard to be smooth. Making a short change removes some of that sudden drop. Worth a try anyway. Good luck!

Cheers, will have a go at the short changing on the way to work in the morning have a couple of junctions like this.

You mentioned at the top you were struggling a little with the 1st to 2nd change. It's the most difficult because the revs fly up in 1st, and when you change, there's a big drop, which makes it hard to be smooth. Making a short change removes some of that sudden drop. Worth a try anyway. Good luck!

The problem in the fabia is that it's such a drop it's easy to completely drop out of the torque band - leaving you wallowing in turbo lag and going nowhere fast. Not what you want when trying to match a gap! This catches me out lots.

Safety -> Smoothness -> System -> Speed (Hope I've got the middle two in the right order )

I got taught the 5 s's you forgot 'sparkle'

I got taught the 5 s's you forgot 'sparkle'

That sounds like a made up S to me :P Where do they put it in the list?

Chris

Wouldn't you know it since making this post the traffic has been kind to me & let me out at these junstions before I could try some of the surgesstions, don't they know I'm trying to pratice!

It's always the way - like when I was meant to be practising overtaking with my observer and we couldn't find any traffic

Chris

It's always the way - like when I was meant to be practising overtaking with my observer and we couldn't find any traffic

Chris

Yeah had that one the other week or your trying to get a good run down some lanes & you keep finding horses or tracktors with a 2 mile tail back.

I knnow the feeling; I have the same problem when trying to practice off-siding. You only ever see on-coming traffic in the places where you can off-side!

we were meant to be doing overtaking the other weekend and nothing about apart from one lorry.