KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 — Please watch this ‘riding shotgun’ video that shows the road, driver movements, the steering wheel, and the gear shift lever.
The driver is ‘highly competent’, and this video does not guarantee that you will become a good driver just by watching it. It merely demonstrates some of the finer points of driving a car, in this case, one with a manual transmission.
You may have to watch it several times, because everything happens very fast – fortunately, the same things may happen more than once, so you may be able to ‘catch’ the pointers at some point.
We highly recommend that you read the article before watching the video, or better still, print it and mark the salient points so that when it happens, you will be able to see it on the video.
1. Using the Push-Pull Hand placement method.
Actually there are two schools of thought regarding the steering wheel, one being the ‘push-pull’ method, which is my preferred style, other one being the ‘hand-over-hand’ method. Both are good to use.
In the ‘push-pull’ method, generally one tries to never have any one hand cross over the top of the steering wheel. The left hand stays on the left hand side of the steering wheel, while the right hand stays on the right hand side. Moving the steering wheel is by using one hand to push, while the other hand pulls, hence the name for the method. The hands alternate between pushing and pulling.
The advantage for this is that even in a corner, your shoulders are ‘square’ to the steering wheel, and you will always have a strong grip on the wheel at all times. Therefore, should you encounter any ruts or uneven parts of road that may ‘kick’ the steering wheel, and thus the car, out of position, you would be able to hold it steady or do an instant counter action.
2. Sitting position and hand placement
It is important to sit in the correct position in order to drive properly. Generally, you should be able to reach all the controls easily. For safety, your knees should be slightly bent when the brake pedal is depressed fully – this is a precaution to prevent your legs from breaking should the brake pedal be pushed towards you in an accident, bearing in mind that when you are about to hit something, the chances are that your right foot is hard on the brakes. Similarly, your hands should be able to grip the top of the steering without stretching, with your shoulders against the seat back. Also, the small of your back (lower spine) should be in full contact with the seat, as this will allow you to ‘feel’ the car, especially during cornering (sometimes referred to as the ‘butt sensor’).
3. Never let go of the steering after a turn
At all times, at least one hand must have a firm grip on the steering wheel. Never let go of the steering after taking a corner, as technically, during those split seconds while the caster of the car makes the steering wheel centre itself, you are not in control.
The steering should be unfurled with your hands so that you have full control over the steering.
4. Ready to counter-steer at all times.
When driving a powerful car, in this case a rear-wheel drive car, the tail can swing out when you apply too much throttle at the exit. Sometimes, there are bumps in the corner that may cause your tail to shift outwards (bump over-steer). When driving fast, you must be ready to correct a skid at all times. In the video you will see (if you are very observant) at least two or three times when the tail came out, once when there was a bump in the road around the corner, and a few times when power was applied midway through the corner, but this was quickly corrected. Having a ‘feel’ for the road conditions helps to prime the mind to actually anticipate the over-steer and take corrective action even as it happens.
5. Shifting down before turns
Note, in the video, that all gear shifts are done before the turns. Shifting down provides some engine braking, but more importantly, it moves you into a more usable power band that you can use.
6. Positive throttle through turns to help traction and grip
Note that the throttle is used many times during the turns, especially where the corner is long, to maintain traction. For high speed driving, positive throttle helps you get more traction, noting, however that too much throttle can cause the tail to go outwards, but this can be put to good use, in the next pointer.
7. Using throttle to help you turn
In a rear-wheel drive vehicle, applying throttle during a corner helps the car to turn better by making the tail slide out. However, this requires some measure of skill, so only the more experienced ones should try it. In the video, the driver does this a couple of times. Also note that the driver also did some quick steering correction to prevent excessive over-steer. (This is one reason why high performance cars are more fun when they are rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive also has its merits, but we will not be discussing that here).
8. If unsure of anything, brake and shift down
When driving fast, reaction time is greatly reduced, therefore, if there is anything you are unsure of, slow down and shift down a gear or two in case you have to stop, and also be in the power band when you need to gun it again. Typical situations are, if there are other cars, either approaching you or in front of you, or when approaching a sharp corner, or it could be a rough stretch, with uneven road surfaces. Also remember that braking is done before shifting down – brakes stop your car faster than gears, although the engine braking helps. Don’t break your gearbox by shifting down before braking.
9. Slowing down if there are signs of danger.
You will note in a part of the video there are a couple of cars parked in a small rest area on the right, followed by a narrow bridge. Here, the driver slows down in case there is an oncoming car, and also in case any car dashes out form the car rest area. When you are going fast, it is very easy for other drivers to underestimate your approach speed. Remember, it is better to be safe than be sorry.
10. How to hold a manual gear shift lever.
The car in the video is a 6-speed manual. That means 1st and 2nd gear positions are to the left, 3rd and 4th are in the middle, while 5th and 6th gears are on the right hand side of the gear knob. There is a detent spring that will pull the gear knob to the centre line in between 3rd and 4th gear when the shift knob is in Neutral position. We use this to our advantage – for shifting to the left hand side (1st gear), place your palm on the gear knob, thumb facing downwards, push left and upwards to engage. To shift from 1st to 2nd, place palm in same position, and pull backwards towards the 2nd gear gate, maintaining pressure on the gear knob to hold it to the left.
To shift from 2nd gear to 3rd gear, place palm behind gear knob with palm facing upwards, tap it forwards, but making sure it is free to move back to its centre position (letting the detent spring do the work for you), then push forward into 3rd gear. To shift to 4th gear, place palm on left of the gear knob with fingers half closed around it and pull down and backwards towards 4th gear gate using only the fingers.
To shift to 5th, place palm at the back of the gear knob, tap it forward to get into neutral, then use your fingers to pull it to the right towards you, and use the fleshy part of your palm (the part just below your thumb) to push the gear know forward and upwards, making sure to maintain the pressure to the right hand side so that you can find the 5th gear gate.
To shift to 6th, place your palm with thumb facing up, and pull down into 6th, making sure to maintain pressure to keep the gear knob to the right.
Never grab the gear knob in your hand, as this does not allow the detent spring to work, and you can get into the wrong gear, which can be disastrous, especially if you are trying to shift from 5th to 4th, but get it into 2nd instead. You are very likely to find bits of your engine or transmission flying onto the road.
This explanation is quite long and can sound very complicated, but if you watch the video carefully, you can see the distinct hand positions on the gear stick. Most of the gear shifting is done very fast, so you may have to watch it a few times to get it.
11. Sitting with your body turned slightly to the left
This is a little trick taught to me by the late Bjorn Waldegard (WRC Rally champion). Sit with your body slightly to the right hand side of the seat, with your legs pointed slightly to the left – this will make it easier to do your heel and toe and double de-clutch (if necessary). It also somehow makes it easier for the left foot to reach the clutch. If you are building your own car, or fitting a racing bucket, you can modify your seat mountings to slant the back of the seat slightly to the right.
12. Heel & Toe technique, blipping throttle, changing down under braking
Heel & Toe technique is not just for show. It allows you to ensure smooth downshifts as blipping the throttle just before you release the clutch helps the increase your engine revs to match the higher gearbox input shaft speed. The heel and toe technique is nothing more than a way that allows you to blip the throttle with your heel when your right foot is on the brakes. It will take too long to explain the exact movements, but you can see some foot movements and also hear the blipping of the throttle while shifting down under braking in the video. If you cannot do this, you will never be as fast as the other guy in a similar car who can do it. (Perhaps I can explain this in more detail in a separate article).
13. Braking to induce weight transfer
Braking into a corner or just before a corner helps to stabilize the front suspension and transfer more weight to the front. This helps the tail to kick out if you want it to, and also the front wheels to have more grip through the corner. This is what is meant by the term ‘weight transfer’. When you accelerate after the apex of the corner, it transfers weight to the rear wheels, thus helping with traction. It is not so apparent in the video, but it is certainly being done.
14. Crossing the line only if the oncoming side is visible or safe
Making a straight line through a corner or on the approach to a corner always helps. In the video, you will see the driver doing this several times. However, it should only be done when you can see what is going on in the oncoming lane, or if there is plenty of time to react. Never cross the line in a blind corner, and when you are driving fast, always make sure you are in control around any bends. It is not good if you ‘under-steer’ onto another vehicle’s path around a corner – things can happen, bad things. Maintaining a ‘safe’ speed is crucial to your safety. Broadly, the definition of ‘safe’ speed is a speed at which you are in total control, and a speed at which you can take evasive action or stop in case a danger situation occurs.
15. Using the throttle to control the car.
You can use the throttle to modify the car behaviour, especially so in rear wheel drive cars. For instance, you can ‘punch’ the throttle to kick the tail out during a bend. Giving the throttle a firm and steady ‘squeeze’ helps you to maintain better control when exiting a bend. Positive throttle during a long corner helps to maintain traction.
16. Moving up a gear whenever possible, if only for a second (for more advanced drivers)
If you are aiming to maximise your driving potential, snatching an up-shift, even if it is only for a second or two, whenever possible helps you to be faster. In the video, you will see many occasions when the driver does this. In this particular instance, the road was unfamiliar to the driver, and you will see some occasions where he maintained a lower gear (in prudence), and also some occasions when the up-shift was just held for a split second. This is just a very small point, but it also helps you to conserve a little bit of fuel, keep the engine and transmission temperatures low (relatively speaking), and promotes longer component life. Some people call it ‘mechanical sympathy’.
17. Slow down in populated areas
At the end of the video, the car is approaching a populated area, and slows down, a lot. You can be a fast driver, but you are never a safe driver if you drive through villages and towns at breakneck speeds. Know where to speed and when and where to slow down – these are the hallmarks of a good driver.
18. Keeping your passengers ‘Comfortable’ and Confident
If you observe the demeanour of the driver, you will note that throughout the drive, he is very composed. His body stays put, and only his arms and legs are moving to do the driving. At all times, the car is under full control. This is due to a) proper sitting position, b) proper hand placement, c) braking and accelerating at the right times, d) slowing down appropriately when necessary, e) going at a fast clip, but not overdoing it, f) and generally giving the impression that he knows what he is doing.
If you are very agitated or you have many close calls, for example, nearly going off the road or going into the grass, or braking very late into a corner, or not being in the right gear, or generally being reactive rather than pro-active, your passengers will start to panic.
Disclaimer
There is no guarantee that anyone can be a good driver after watching this video, and there are many other points not covered. Some of the skills shown here take many years to hone, but watching the video would be a good start, especially if you want to improve your driving skills.
Good drivers take into account their surroundings, and are cautious at all times.
Some viewers may think that the driving was dangerous, because it may appear to be beyond their normal capabilities. The point here is, if your skill level is higher, then your limits of control naturally go up. Improving your driving skills will naturally enhance your capabilities.
Fast driving is not just about buying a powerful car and putting pedal to the metal – any idiot can do that.
We hope that you find the video entertaining, and wish you happy and safe motoring.
