On 15 July, 17:35, "Ian" wrote:
"Ste" wrote in message

...

On 15 July, 13:35, "John Whitworth"
wrote:

Second attempt was from a garage that I'd actually started to
trust. They
replaced my clutch as a result of a failed seal, which leaked loads
of
antifreeze into the bellhousing. Not sure how that happened - or if
it was
true.

That's actually more common than you may think!

Is it? *I can understand a faulty seal allowing sump oil into the
bellhousing area, but not antifreeze. *Unless he has a watercooled
clutch, of course........ (or, possibly, a defective intercooler which
is allowing antifreeze into the oil, in which case a failed seal is
the least of his problems).

No, what happens is if you have an antifreeze leak above the
bellhousing (I've come across quite a few Ford Zetec engines, in
particular, with leaky thermostat housings directly above the
bellhousing), that trickles down onto the linkage or release fork, and
the release fork tends to conduct the antifreeze into the bellhousing
and onto the clutch, so moving parts start to rust and the plates
become contaminated. As I say, it's surprisingly common.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember The Natural Philosopher
saying something like:

....who previously wouldn't pay to the the car serviced, and now will
refused to pay the tow charge. And gripe and moan on uk.legal. ;-)

You're kidding?
Unless the tow charge was extortion in action, of course.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Andy Dingley
saying something like:

On 16 July, 00:07, wrote:

and ruptured the (pneumatic) clutch pipe, 15 miles from the test centre.

Esoteric pneumatic accelerator, but bog-standard hydraulic clutch,
wasn't it on Imps?

Yes, pneumatic throttle on the Mk1, but memory plays tricks.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember The Natural Philosopher
saying something like:

Since the tester isn't permitted to dismantle the car at all, the pad
thickness quite simply can't be checked on many cars.

It can be on every car I have come across, if you have a ramp, a mirror
and a lamp..drum brakes are a different matter entirely, however.

It used to be commonplace on cars to remove an inspection bung to see
the shoe thickness. Understandably, as a cost-cutting measure, the
makers have stopped that. It's still common on light trucks and
commercials.

"Ste" wrote in message
...
On 15 July, 17:35, "Ian" wrote:
"Ste" wrote in message

...

On 15 July, 13:35, "John Whitworth"
wrote:

Second attempt was from a garage that I'd actually started to
trust. They
replaced my clutch as a result of a failed seal, which leaked
loads
of
antifreeze into the bellhousing. Not sure how that happened - or
if
it was
true.

That's actually more common than you may think!

Is it? I can understand a faulty seal allowing sump oil into the
bellhousing area, but not antifreeze. Unless he has a watercooled
clutch, of course........ (or, possibly, a defective intercooler
which
is allowing antifreeze into the oil, in which case a failed seal is
the least of his problems).

No, what happens is if you have an antifreeze leak above the
bellhousing (I've come across quite a few Ford Zetec engines, in
particular, with leaky thermostat housings directly above the
bellhousing), that trickles down onto the linkage or release fork, and
the release fork tends to conduct the antifreeze into the bellhousing
and onto the clutch, so moving parts start to rust and the plates
become contaminated. As I say, it's surprisingly common.
.....................................
Ah. Thanks.

The Natural Philosopher gurgled happily, sounding
much like they were saying:

Look a strip check of the brakes is a standard annual service thing.
IF the brakes are much below half worn, the questions has to be asked
of the customer 'how many miles do you so? when did you last have the
brakes relined?' because normally you would not want the pads to be
less that 2-3mm at the *next* service, which leaves a margin.

The annual service on mine is only an oil/filter change. At two years
there is an inspection.

A strip check went out about half a century ago, even on fords and BMC.

If you have rear drums, there is no other way to tell.

My cars both are of that ilk at the moment.

I've got a couple with front drums. Both require some bodywork to be
removed to get to the drums. One of them requires the driveshafts to be
removed to remove the drums. The other requires the master cylinder and
part of the engine cooling system to be removed.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
Albert wrote:
Adrian wrote:
Tekky gurgled happily, sounding much like
they
were saying:

Those would do me a couple of years of driving

Me too. I was taught to drive using my gearbox to slow down,
rather
than depend on the brakes.

What costs most, pads or a new gearbox?

If your gear changing skills are that poor, have you considered
having driving lessons or buying an automatic?

Of course you can change gear without the clutch - which also costs
a damn site more than pads - but it won't do the synchromesh any
good so you **** both up.

Not if you are good at heel and toe..

I've driven miles without a clutch. Only problem is starting..just
do it in first gear, and you more or less can start the whole car on
the starter. Assumongte clutch is stick engaged of course.

Slipping clutches are bad news. That of course what you get if you
are crap at changing gears and you use engine braking.

I've also driven Buckingham to Cambridge with no brakes on a Friday
night. I was soaked with perspiration when I finished. Because all I
had was the engine and the handbrake (chafed hydraulic line) I
didn't dare go fast.

Couldn't you find another car to tow? )

wrote in message
...
On 15 Jul,
Terry wrote:

Once you have driven a Bedford TK you never forget.

Or an early Landrover with no synchro on 1st and second.

Or a Commer Q4.

No synchro. At all.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/henden/...7614338092346/

--
Ian

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

is a clutch or set of brake pads or a new
gearbox, worth more than your life?

I thought you said you'd driven halfway across the country in a car with
*no* brakes, that hardly sounds like valuing your own life or respecting
anyone else's ...

wrote:
On 15 Jul,
The Natural wrote:

I would say there was lots of wear left on those pads. I can't quite
see, but lots of pads these days have thin metal projecting fingers
that rub on the disk when the pads are worn right down. They make a
screeching noise when they contact the disk. It just an audible
warning.

No that's the backing plates hitting the disks, a sign that you are
ruining the discs.

NO! It's certainly true on Vauxhalls. An audible warning. Saves them fitting
a lamp.

Hondas too

"Alex Heney" wrote in message
...
As you say, it does depend on how she drives (and what car they came
off).

No set of front brake pads would get near to lasting me a year at
present, from new. But I am driving 40,000 miles per year, which seems
unlikely for somebody who (from her other posts) is a pretty new
driver.

My daily commute is over 100 miles but most of that is on motorways so
although I do a lot of miles I never have to brake much. Brake-wise my
commute is probably similar to 20 miles of urban driving.

Andy

"Alex Heney" wrote in message
...


No set of front brake pads would get near to lasting me a year at
present, from new. But I am driving 40,000 miles per year, which seems
unlikely for somebody who (from her other posts) is a pretty new
driver.

How do you manage to wear them so quickly?
I have never managed to wear out a set of pads on a car yet and I do about
80,000 (about 3 years) miles before changing cars.

"geoff" wrote in message
...
In message , Terry writes
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Albert wrote:
Adrian wrote:
Tekky gurgled happily, sounding much like
they
were saying:

Those would do me a couple of years of driving

Me too. I was taught to drive using my gearbox to slow down, rather
than depend on the brakes.

What costs most, pads or a new gearbox?

If your gear changing skills are that poor, have you considered having
driving lessons or buying an automatic?

Of course you can change gear without the clutch - which also costs a
damn site more than pads - but it won't do the synchromesh any good so
you **** both up.
Not if you are good at heel and toe..
I've driven miles without a clutch. Only problem is starting..just do
it in first gear, and you more or less can start the whole car on the
starter. Assumongte clutch is stick engaged of course.

So as well as a ****ed clutch and gear box you can now chuck a ****ed
starter motor into the equation. I wonder if you had the courage to
demonstrate these amazing driving skills on your driving test?

Some people do insist on posting the most stupid crap in here

There are time when you have to do what you have to do to get home

You don't have to drive home with failed brakes though, you call a breakdown
service and a cab.
I have twice had a broken clutch cable and had to drive a small distance to
put the car somewhere safe where the garage can collect it from.

ISTR having a similar problem in my youth, made it home without any
serious damage to the car. Not the only time I had to just get home
somehow with the various cars that one has when young with very little
money

There's a different mentality between someone who limps home knowing the
risks and someone who sits and waits for a breakdown truck to come and
take their vehicle to "a man that can"

Yes, one knows when not to drive a car the other is an idiot that puts
others at risk.
We all know which one TNP is.

In article ,
geoff wrote:
I think that, give someone as clueless as the OP, and with the attitude
shown, I think the garage prolly had little choice to have changed the
pads as opposed to prolly getting sued for negligence if they had failed
6 months later

No chance of that. It's like an MOT - that only says the car passed on
that day. Not that everything will be fine for the next year. As they can
have no crystal ball to say how far the car will be driven in the next
year or how it will be driven.

Sadly in general garages are more likely to err on the side that makes
them money than care a damn about safety. It really is about time
something was done about this. Although just what I dunno.

--
*Someday, we'll look back on this, laugh nervously and change the subject

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Clot wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Adrian wrote:
Tekky gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying:


Reverse torque on the old MAXI gearbox was guaranteed to pull the nut
holding the (layshaft) pinion off, gouging a hole in the side of the
gearbox, and losing all the oil..:-)

You learn something every day. I had four Maxis which all suffered
fromthe crankshaft oil seal going and thus ruining clutch plates. Got
to the stage where I could and did replace one in 45 mins. at the
roadside, I became so paranoid about it happening that I always had a
spare seal and plate in the boot together with a drift to centre the
pressure when putting the new seal in)!

The Austin 1800 used to loosen one driveshaft (nearside) which eventually
wrecked the splines. A left hand thread on this would have sorted it.

--
*Welcome to **** Creek - sorry, we're out of paddles*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...


actually there's a trick there with a carbed engine. Never tried it on a
injected..with the engine OFF and push on the accelerator. Its now PUMPING
air and compression DOES do the biz. much better braking!

Another useful trick for when the brakes fail totally.

Another useful way to pollute the air for others as it will be using fuel
but not burning it.

I discovered it by accident when a wire fell of the distributor :-)

So great for gentle retardation on hills, no bloody use for sudden
stopping.

Not even so good there. I had an XJS and I slapped it into second going
down a steep icy hill..and the back end started to overtake me..

it was really a question of crash now or crash later. I acellerated just
enough to get the back back in, and made it round te bend at the bottom
somehow.

With the possible exception of the Triumph swing axle cars, the most tail
happy car I have ever driven...

What makes you think its the car's fault?

In article
,
Andy Dingley wrote:
Since the tester isn't permitted to dismantle the car at all, the pad
thickness quite simply can't be checked on many cars.

It can be on every car I have come across, if you have a ramp, a mirror
and a lamp..drum brakes are a different matter entirely, however.

Single piston sliding caliper. You often can't even see the pads
unless you slide the caliper out.

That's what most BMWs use. And have pad wear indicators. Don't most modern
cars? Even my 25 year old SD1 has.

--
*What boots up must come down *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Jags were like that. Just nicee cars to be IN. surrounded by luxury,
quality stereo, climate control, slip her into cruise control amnd sit
in the slow lane at 62mph with the trucks, and let the beemers blast
past, knowing you could beat the bloody lot of them if you wanted to.

Just what Jag was this? 'Real' Jags - before Ford took them over - were
overweight and although had a high top speed rather sluggish in
acceleration.

--
*60-year-old, one owner - needs parts, make offer

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...

Alternatively, to nip cheekily into a space left by some
dozy Dennis (this is more a bike thing, tbh).

Unlike TNP and geoff if I don't intend or can't overtake (not all the cars I
drive are fast) the vehicle in front I intentionally leave a gap so others
can pass me if they want to. If you learn to drive you will find that proper
instructors teach you these things. Geoff and TNP can insult my driving in
as many posts as they like but the reality is that they are just cr@p
drivers. They are just cr@p drivers, they know it and so does everyone that
has had to avoid them.

On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:15:50 +0100, geoff wrote:

In message
,
Andy Dingley writes
On 15 July, 17:16, "Spamlet" wrote:

You may have got off lightly too. *Plenty of places seem to insist that you
need new discs as well...

Get a Volvo. Disks are cheaper than pads and quicker to change.


But ...

it's a Volvo

But it will not be a BMW so probably will not be driven by a complete
arsehole

On 16 Jul 2010 07:14:49 GMT, Adrian wrote:

If you have rear drums, there is no other way to tell.

I've got a couple with front drums. Both require some bodywork to be
removed to get to the drums. One of them requires the driveshafts to be
removed to remove the drums. The other requires the master cylinder and
part of the engine cooling system to be removed.

Flippin 'eck that's a bit drastic to just check the pads. The last
car I had with drums had a little rubber bung in the back plate you
could remove to inspect (a) shoe for wear.

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Dave Liquorice" gurgled happily,
sounding much like they were saying:

If you have rear drums, there is no other way to tell.

I've got a couple with front drums. Both require some bodywork to be
removed to get to the drums. One of them requires the driveshafts to be
removed to remove the drums. The other requires the master cylinder and
part of the engine cooling system to be removed.

Flippin 'eck that's a bit drastic to just check the pads.

Shoes, being drums, but...

The last car I had with drums had a little rubber bung in the back
plate you could remove to inspect (a) shoe for wear.

There's a gearbox 1/4" behind the backplates...

On Fri, 16 Jul 2010 03:14:20 +0100, The Natural Philosopher
wrote:

Andy Dingley wrote:
On 16 July, 00:07, wrote:

and ruptured the (pneumatic) clutch pipe, 15 miles from the test centre.

Esoteric pneumatic accelerator, but bog-standard hydraulic clutch,
wasn't it on Imps?

was it? I liked em. Lovely little engine, dead light steering and could
be thrown around well.

Assisted by a sack of cement in the "boot"

shame the engines always blew up.

The water pumps gave out and they took Leprosy.

Apart from that ...

Derek

On 16 Jul,
Andy Dingley wrote:


Esoteric pneumatic accelerator, but bog-standard hydraulic clutch,
wasn't it on Imps?

Yes, the car that slowed down at steady throttle opening.

--
B Thumbs
Change lycos to yahoo to reply

On 15 July, 22:36, Adrian wrote:
Terry gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

A car will also pass its MOT on far less pad than what is shown. It
really is disgusting that so long as a car shows a stoppable on a roller
that the pad could shear off at next pedal push. The tester doesn't need
to look at the pads at all.

Since the tester isn't permitted to dismantle the car at all, the pad
thickness quite simply can't be checked on many cars.

The don't have to check for MOT. However there is a little hole in the
caliper where the pad thickness can be seen. All cars. No problem. On
some cars you don't even have to take the wheel off.

On 15 July, 22:54, martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 22:34, Terry wrote:





martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 20:52, Albert wrote:
Adrian wrote:
Tekky gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

Those would do me a couple of years of driving

Me too. I was taught to drive using my gearbox to slow down, rather
than depend on the brakes.

What costs most, pads or a new gearbox?

If your gear changing skills are that poor, have you considered having
driving lessons or buying an automatic?

Of course you can change gear without the clutch - which also costs a
damn site more than pads - but it won't do the synchromesh any good so
you **** both up.

Well actually, the only time I use a clutch is when I brake to a stop
and move from a standing start, for normal driving it's easy to match
engine speed to road speed and just slip the box in and out of gear

Do you know how a synchro' box works?

Yes. I don't really see the point you're making with that question
though. So long as you're careful to match engine to road speed when you
try to disengage or engage a gear it just slips in or out nicely with no
fuss.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It wears out the syncronising cones in the gearbox. After a while you
end up with a non-syncromesh gearbox. Makes the car hard to sell if
nothing else.

On 15 July, 22:55, martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 22:39, Terry wrote:

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember harry saying
something like:

Slowing down using the gearbox is definitely bad practice and
uneconomic on fuel too.

Utter ****ing ********.
You should *always* be in the right gear to accelerate away in.

Errr You are confusing slowing down with accelerating.

No he's not, even when slowing down you should be in the correct gear to
accelerate

The correct way is to slow down with the brakes. When you've finished
slowing down, you select the right gear to accelerate away in.
http://www.drivingexpert.co.uk/braking-safely.html
http://www.2pass.co.uk/gears.htm

There are a lot of inexperienced drivers here clearly.
I wonder what else they don't know?

On 15 July, 23:03, geoff wrote:
In message , Alex Heney
writes





On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:49:43 -0700 (PDT), Jo
wrote:

Adrian wrote:
Jo gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:

Thanks, here's another picture of them:

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/5119/brakepads2.jpg

Mmm. That one doesn't look too clever at all. See how the friction
material appears to be starting to separate from the back plate, and some
of the edges?

I know they used a vise, took a hammer and a 0.5m lever of some sort
to it to separate two parts into the four in the photograph. So some
of the wear you see may have been caused by them.

They didn't allow me on the garage work floor as well, so I couldn't
see what they were doing.

I take back my earlier comments. If t'were me, they'd be heading binwards.

Arrrgh! I am sooo angry. Cheating students must call for the lowest sort
of scum.

Did he even know you were a student? Do you think students should be
treated differently to anybody else?

Yes he did know I was a student, because I said "I'm a skint student,
can you please give me a discount?" and he said "If you pay cash with
no receipt we can take the VAT off".

I think fleecing anyone is despicable but fleecing a hard up person is
more so!!

But there is no evidence at all of any fleecing going on.

I would replace those pads, given the condition they are in. And the
damage doesn't look all that likely to have been inflicted by the
process of extracting them,

And the price you were charged was quite reasonable overall for the
replacement of a set of front disc pads.

The second photo tells a very different story from the first

I think that, give someone as clueless as the OP, and with the attitude
shown, I think the garage prolly had little choice to have changed the
pads as opposed to prolly getting sued for negligence if they had failed
6 months later

OP - cars and human bodies are both mechanical machines, I think you
need to learn how both work

--
geoff- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Th MOT is just about testing the car at that moment in time. It could
go wrong in hte next mile.

harry gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

You should *always* be in the right gear to accelerate away in.

Errr You are confusing slowing down with accelerating.

No he's not, even when slowing down you should be in the correct gear
to accelerate

The correct way is to slow down with the brakes. When you've finished
slowing down, you select the right gear to accelerate away in.
http://www.drivingexpert.co.uk/braking-safely.html
http://www.2pass.co.uk/gears.htm

There are a lot of inexperienced drivers here clearly. I wonder what
else they don't know?

It seems that at least one doesn't know that it's only once you've learnt
how to pass the driving test that you start to learn how to drive
properly.

On 16 July, 10:20, AlanG wrote:
On Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:15:50 +0100, geoff wrote:
In message
,
Andy Dingley writes
On 15 July, 17:16, "Spamlet" wrote:

You may have got off lightly too. *Plenty of places seem to insist that you
need new discs as well...

Get a Volvo. Disks are cheaper than pads and quicker to change.

But ...

it's a Volvo

But it will not be a BMW so probably will not be driven by a complete
arsehole

All BMWs are driven by arseholes.

harry wrote:
On 15 July, 22:55, martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 22:39, Terry wrote:

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember harry saying
something like:
Slowing down using the gearbox is definitely bad practice and
uneconomic on fuel too.
Utter ****ing ********.
You should *always* be in the right gear to accelerate away in.
Errr You are confusing slowing down with accelerating.
No he's not, even when slowing down you should be in the correct gear to
accelerate

The correct way is to slow down with the brakes. When you've finished
slowing down, you select the right gear to accelerate away in.
http://www.drivingexpert.co.uk/braking-safely.html
http://www.2pass.co.uk/gears.htm

There are a lot of inexperienced drivers here clearly.
I wonder what else they don't know?



I always use the gears to slow down, that way you are always in the
correct gear. I don't care what the so called experts say on it. This
technique has served me well since I passed my test and I think it makes
more sense.

Bod

Adrian wrote:
harry gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

You should *always* be in the right gear to accelerate away in.

Errr You are confusing slowing down with accelerating.

No he's not, even when slowing down you should be in the correct gear
to accelerate

The correct way is to slow down with the brakes. When you've finished
slowing down, you select the right gear to accelerate away in.
http://www.drivingexpert.co.uk/braking-safely.html
http://www.2pass.co.uk/gears.htm

There are a lot of inexperienced drivers here clearly. I wonder what
else they don't know?

It seems that at least one doesn't know that it's only once you've learnt
how to pass the driving test that you start to learn how to drive
properly.

And many people go through their driving career and still end up without
a clue on the workings of a car.

In message , bod
writes
harry wrote:
On 15 July, 22:55, martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 22:39, Terry wrote:

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember harry saying
something like:
Slowing down using the gearbox is definitely bad practice and
uneconomic on fuel too.
Utter ****ing ********.
You should *always* be in the right gear to accelerate away in.
Errr You are confusing slowing down with accelerating.
No he's not, even when slowing down you should be in the correct gear to
accelerate
The correct way is to slow down with the brakes. When you've
finished
slowing down, you select the right gear to accelerate away in.
http://www.drivingexpert.co.uk/braking-safely.html
http://www.2pass.co.uk/gears.htm
There are a lot of inexperienced drivers here clearly.
I wonder what else they don't know?



I always use the gears to slow down, that way you are always in the
correct gear. I don't care what the so called experts say on it. This
technique has served me well since I passed my test and I think it
makes more sense.

Depending on road conditions, when stopping, I usually try to slow down
as far as possible without using either the gears OR the brakes.

I'm not saying I never use them - or even that I rarely use them
(obviously you have to use them if you are on a downward slope) - but
if, in top gear, you can let your speed drop to around 20mph, there is
little point in going through the ritual of changing down further to
stop. OK, maybe the occasional token selection of 3rd for the last few
yards - if you need to keep the engine revs up - but, in many cases, you
might as well brake to a standstill.

Of course, if you are not going to stop, and are merely having to slow
down for moment, you should select the gear required for your subsequent
acceleration (as has been said).
--
Ian

Ian Jackson wrote:
In message , bod
writes
harry wrote:
On 15 July, 22:55, martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 22:39, Terry wrote:

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember harry
saying
something like:
Slowing down using the gearbox is definitely bad practice and
uneconomic on fuel too.
Utter ****ing ********.
You should *always* be in the right gear to accelerate away in.
Errr You are confusing slowing down with accelerating.
No he's not, even when slowing down you should be in the correct
gear to
accelerate
The correct way is to slow down with the brakes. When you've finished
slowing down, you select the right gear to accelerate away in.
http://www.drivingexpert.co.uk/braking-safely.html
http://www.2pass.co.uk/gears.htm
There are a lot of inexperienced drivers here clearly.
I wonder what else they don't know?



I always use the gears to slow down, that way you are always in the
correct gear. I don't care what the so called experts say on it. This
technique has served me well since I passed my test and I think it
makes more sense.

Depending on road conditions, when stopping, I usually try to slow down
as far as possible without using either the gears OR the brakes.

I'm not saying I never use them - or even that I rarely use them
(obviously you have to use them if you are on a downward slope) - but
if, in top gear, you can let your speed drop to around 20mph, there is
little point in going through the ritual of changing down further to
stop. OK, maybe the occasional token selection of 3rd for the last few
yards - if you need to keep the engine revs up - but, in many cases, you
might as well brake to a standstill.

Of course, if you are not going to stop, and are merely having to slow
down for moment, you should select the gear required for your subsequent
acceleration (as has been said).



Yes, I occasionally miss 3rd when coming down from 4th, but (as you
say), it depends on the situ.

Bod

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember The Natural Philosopher
saying something like:

....who previously wouldn't pay to the the car serviced, and now will
refused to pay the tow charge. And gripe and moan on uk.legal. ;-)

You're kidding?
Unless the tow charge was extortion in action, of course.

about £100 is typical.

Less if you bypass the AAS etc and find someone local.

Andy Burns wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

is a clutch or set of brake pads or a new
gearbox, worth more than your life?

I thought you said you'd driven halfway across the country in a car with
*no* brakes, that hardly sounds like valuing your own life or respecting
anyone else's ...

Thas because your are two planks short of a toolshed.

Is the average cyclist's brakes better than a cars handbrake?

No.

Are cyclists doing 25mph then more of a danger or less of a danger than
a car equipped only with a handbrake doing 35mph?

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Jags were like that. Just nicee cars to be IN. surrounded by luxury,
quality stereo, climate control, slip her into cruise control amnd sit
in the slow lane at 62mph with the trucks, and let the beemers blast
past, knowing you could beat the bloody lot of them if you wanted to.

Just what Jag was this? 'Real' Jags - before Ford took them over - were
overweight and although had a high top speed rather sluggish in
acceleration.


XK8/XKR.

harry wrote:
On 15 July, 22:54, martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 22:34, Terry wrote:





martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 20:52, Albert wrote:
Adrian wrote:
Tekky gurgled happily, sounding much like they
were saying:
Those would do me a couple of years of driving
Me too. I was taught to drive using my gearbox to slow down, rather
than depend on the brakes.
What costs most, pads or a new gearbox?
If your gear changing skills are that poor, have you considered having
driving lessons or buying an automatic?
Of course you can change gear without the clutch - which also costs a
damn site more than pads - but it won't do the synchromesh any good so
you **** both up.
Well actually, the only time I use a clutch is when I brake to a stop
and move from a standing start, for normal driving it's easy to match
engine speed to road speed and just slip the box in and out of gear
Do you know how a synchro' box works?
Yes. I don't really see the point you're making with that question
though. So long as you're careful to match engine to road speed when you
try to disengage or engage a gear it just slips in or out nicely with no
fuss.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It wears out the syncronising cones in the gearbox. After a while you
end up with a non-syncromesh gearbox. Makes the car hard to sell if
nothing else.

No it doesn't. Not if you match speeds first. There is then no slip on
the cones, or whatever other mechanism is used.

It will wear out the dogs on the dog clutches if you don't match tho.

harry wrote:
On 15 July, 22:55, martin wrote:
On 15/07/2010 22:39, Terry wrote:

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember harry saying
something like:
Slowing down using the gearbox is definitely bad practice and
uneconomic on fuel too.
Utter ****ing ********.
You should *always* be in the right gear to accelerate away in.
Errr You are confusing slowing down with accelerating.
No he's not, even when slowing down you should be in the correct gear to
accelerate

The correct way is to slow down with the brakes.

There is no correct way to slow down.

There are ways to slow down, including ramming a wall head on.

They all have good and bad points.

Ramming a wall is a very QUICK way to slow down.

The inexperienced person here,. is you.

Terry wrote:
Adrian wrote:
harry gurgled happily, sounding much like they were
saying:

You should *always* be in the right gear to accelerate away in.

Errr You are confusing slowing down with accelerating.

No he's not, even when slowing down you should be in the correct gear
to accelerate

The correct way is to slow down with the brakes. When you've finished
slowing down, you select the right gear to accelerate away in.
http://www.drivingexpert.co.uk/braking-safely.html
http://www.2pass.co.uk/gears.htm

There are a lot of inexperienced drivers here clearly. I wonder what
else they don't know?

It seems that at least one doesn't know that it's only once you've
learnt how to pass the driving test that you start to learn how to
drive properly.

And many people go through their driving career and still end up without
a clue on the workings of a car.

Most people.

Most people have no idea what the car they drive will actually do,
performance wise. They bimble along at some rate assuming they are
nowhere near the limit. But since they have no idea where the limit is,
they don't actually know, till something happens.

Ignorance is bliss.