Experienced manual drivers please step in..

[Coconut]

Hill start assist works, if it doesn't you have it disabled. I personally think it's a nice convenience feature and I prefer to have it on. If you practice enough, you'll know exactly where the friction point is on the clutch and your hill starts will be super smooth. The stock clutch is very vague so it's going to be hard to feel for it. I'd recommend the Steeda clutch spring to help with the clutch feel. The 5.0 is one of the easiest cars to learn to drive stick in and drive around on inclines. The engine has enough torque where you can just hold the car on an incline without using any gas.

The safest way to drive on inclines is to use the parking brake. Apply it when stopped on an incline, hold the clutch at the friction point, add a bit a gas and let out the parking brake. This ensures you don't roll back.

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[kz]

Car has hill start assist.

Without hill assist - which is what this whole f****g thread is about... ? Any great ideas ?

 

[TooSoonJunior]

Without hill assist - which is what this whole f****g thread is about... ? Any great ideas ?

Ohhhh I see now, so the thread is "how do I drive a manual trans car on a hill if I don't want to use the excellent, very functional, purposefully designed brake assist system?" Short answer, use brake assist, otherwise go practice on some hills riding the clutch or using the ebrake, which was covered I dunno 12 posts ago?

 

[Burkey]

The parking brake is for parking.

There is no randomness to it. You put a load on the engine before taking your foot off of the service brake. That way you don't need 3-hands and 2-feet...

You sir are off your head
The use of the "handbrake" or "park brake" (as we call it here in Oz) is an absolute fundamental of driving a manual transmission. You WILL NOT get a drivers license for a MT in this country (and plenty of others) if you can't do it proficiently.
I'd even go as far as to say that being unable to do it means that you aren't safe to drive a manual transmission. Put it this way, I don't want to be downhill of someone who can't do it addle:
The procedure is easy and causes the car ZERO harm if done correctly.
The CORRECTLY bit is the part that people need to practice - the thing most people mess up is the bit where you push the button in on the handbrake BEFORE you start looking for the clutch engagement point.
You need one hand on the handbrake, one on the steering wheel, one foot on clutch, one on accelerator. It's NOT difficult. :frusty:

 

[kz]

Ohhhh I see now, so the thread is "how do I drive a manual trans car on a hill if I don't want to use the excellent, very functional, purposefully designed brake assist system?" Short answer, use brake assist, otherwise go practice on some hills riding the clutch or using the ebrake, which was covered I dunno 12 posts ago?

And if you ever end up in a car without hill assist ?

It's a basic driver skill and somebody saying it should never be used is nothing but complete ignorance. Still no reasons why not do it....

And hill assist is far from excellent.

 

[kz]

You sir are off your head
The use of the "handbrake" or "park brake" (as we call it here in Oz) is an absolute fundamental of driving a manual transmission. You WILL NOT get a drivers license for a MT in this country (and plenty of others) if you can't do it proficiently.
I'd even go as far as to say that being unable to do it means that you aren't safe to drive a manual transmission. Put it this way, I don't want to be downhill of someone who can't do it addle:
The procedure is easy and causes the car ZERO harm if done correctly.
The CORRECTLY bit is the part that people need to practice - the thing most people mess up is the bit where you push the button in on the handbrake BEFORE you start looking for the clutch engagement point.
You need one hand on the handbrake, one on the steering wheel, one foot on clutch, one on accelerator. It's NOT difficult. :frusty:

Finally an actual experienced manual transmission driver in this thread. Thank you sir.

 

[Burkey]

I'll actually break it down for you [MENTION=11112]kz[/MENTION]

Try this on flat ground a few times, then move to a slight gradient, increasing gradient as you become more familiar.

We will assume car is in neutral, handbrake ON.

1. Foot on clutch, first gear selected.
2. Grab handbrake, push button in and hold the lever position.
3. Slowly release the clutch until you feel the car "move" (this will be the rear squatting, front lifting, engine rpm starts to fall slightly, you know the signs)
4. Release handbrake SLOWLY as you perform your normal "launch"

Not hard to do, just requires practice to get the feel for how many rpm/how quickly to release the clutch/how quick to release the handbrake off.

If in doubt, you're better off to carry too much handbrake as you leave. The car will pull through that. What you don't want to do is stall (stalling in traffic as a noob will likely cause panic and THAT is when it turns to shit)
Whilst learning, revs and clutch take precedence over the brake. You won't hurt the brakes.

That may all come across as condescending, but I felt that too much info is better than not enough. :cheers:

 

[Josh_TypeX]

Anyone advocating using the handbrake for hill starts needs to learn to drive properly... The handbrake has only one purpose; initiating a drift. Fact.

 

[Burkey]

Anyone advocating using the handbrake for hill starts needs to learn to drive properly... The handbrake has only one purpose; initiating a drift. Fact.

You idiot :lol:

 

[TexasRebel]

I'll actually break it down for you [MENTION=11112]kz[/MENTION]

Try this on flat ground a few times, then move to a slight gradient, increasing gradient as you become more familiar.

We will assume car is in neutral, handbrake ON.

1. Foot on clutch, first gear selected.
2. Grab handbrake, push button in and hold the lever position.
3. Slowly release the clutch until you feel the car "move" (this will be the rear squatting, front lifting, engine rpm starts to fall slightly, you know the signs)
4. Release handbrake SLOWLY as you perform your normal "launch"

Not hard to do, just requires practice to get the feel for how many rpm/how quickly to release the clutch/how quick to release the handbrake off.

If in doubt, you're better off to carry too much handbrake as you leave. The car will pull through that. What you don't want to do is stall (stalling in traffic as a noob will likely cause panic and THAT is when it turns to shit)
Whilst learning, revs and clutch take precedence over the brake. You won't hurt the brakes.

That may all come across as condescending, but I felt that too much info is better than not enough. :cheers:

Or if you want to do it properly:

right foot on the service brake,
left foot on the clutch
Hands at 10 & 2.

1) let out on the clutch until the engine begins to load (the rear will begin to squat)
2) move right foot from service brake to accelerator.
3) go.


In other words... just another normal launch.

 

[kz]

In other words... just another normal launch.

You don't get it. Most unexperienced drivers in this case will have the car move back if the hill is steep enough. You yourself wouldn't be able to do it during at least first few months of driving manual regardless of what you're going to claim here.

In other words, your method isn't helpful.

 

[TexasRebel]

You don't get it. Most unexperienced drivers in this case will have the car move back if the hill is steep enough. You yourself wouldn't be able to do it during at least first few months of driving manual regardless of what you're going to claim here.

In other words, your method isn't helpful.

The first manual I drove didn't have a hand actuated parking brake. In fact, this S550 is the first vehicle I've ever owned with one. You learn quickly how to not roll backwards. I figured it out on my own. Would have been helpful (if the internet existed way back in the day) if someone had explained it like I have.

 

[Bartly]

... The handbrake has only one purpose; initiating a drift. Fact.

What about brake checking tailgaters? Is that still PC?

 

[HoosierDaddy]

In some countries, is required during driving test.

What do they do if the manual trans car doesn't have a variable parking brake? My Cadillac has a tiny lever where the hand brake would normally be. Pull up to engage and push down to disengage. But its just an electrical switch. Full on or full off. I hate it.

But it does automatically release if you let out the clutch in gear, so I guess it could serve as a hill assist, if someone needed it.

 

[Burkey]

Or if you want to do it properly:

right foot on the service brake,
left foot on the clutch
Hands at 10 & 2.

1) let out on the clutch until the engine begins to load (the rear will begin to squat)
2) move right foot from service brake to accelerator.
3) go.


In other words... just another normal launch.

Whatever works for you, but you wouldn't pass the driving test over here with your method. Not joking.

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