Driving diesel vs petrol

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Driving diesel vs petrol

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September 4, 2012 at 8:31 pm

#699179
6

General Lighting

@general-lighting

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I’ve had a few lessons now and am probably about “halfway there” (still get nervous in traffic, though now due to two decades worth of extra traffic and not being “19/20 and not giving a shit about myself nor other”). This driving malarky would be OK were it not for all the other buggers on the road 😉

My employer is being really supportive and contributing towards the cost of this and I’m allowed to drive some of the fleet vehicles within reason (obviously I can’t and won’t drive them “otherwise than in accordance with a license”) – any older ones parked up I sometimes use to practice manouveres in (there’s 3 empty units so I’ve got all their parking spaces to use) raaa

eventually if/when I can find someone who is over 21, and has the correct UK license, (its not legal for the foreigners to accompany me even if they are on permit from their country) I am allowed to drive these on L plates.

My current instructors car is a Diesel 1.5 Clio – but these fleet vehicles are all petrol. I’ve already sussed out that the petrol ones are way easier to stall if you dont’ give them more revs, but when I first started learning again I kept giving too much revs on the diesel car :crazy_diz

Is it worth me also doing independent but supervised driving in the petrol motors before my test, or would it just be too confusing? (as my test will be in the diesel car..)
September 4, 2012 at 9:08 pm

#957414
1

MC G-Tek

@mc-g-tek

Member
@General Lighting 493978 wrote:

I’ve had a few lessons now and am probably about “halfway there” (still get nervous in traffic, though now due to two decades worth of extra traffic and not being “19/20 and not giving a shit about myself nor other”). This driving malarky would be OK were it not for all the other buggers on the road 😉

My employer is being really supportive and contributing towards the cost of this and I’m allowed to drive some of the fleet vehicles within reason (obviously I can’t and won’t drive them “otherwise than in accordance with a license”) – any older ones parked up I sometimes use to practice manouveres in (there’s 3 empty units so I’ve got all their parking spaces to use) raaa

eventually if/when I can find someone who is over 21, and has the correct UK license, (its not legal for the foreigners to accompany me even if they are on permit from their country) I am allowed to drive these on L plates.

My current instructors car is a Diesel 1.5 Clio – but these fleet vehicles are all petrol. I’ve already sussed out that the petrol ones are way easier to stall if you dont’ give them more revs, but when I first started learning again I kept giving too much revs on the diesel car :crazy_diz

Is it worth me also doing independent but supervised driving in the petrol motors before my test, or would it just be too confusing? (as my test will be in the diesel car..)

Won’t make too much difference to be honest mate. All different cars, regardless of whether they’re petrol or diesel models, have different biting points on the clutch. Whenever I get a new car, it always takes me a few weeks of getting used to the new clutch/accelerator ratio, which usually involves a few stalls at traffic lights etc.

As for getting nervous in the traffic, I was always far more nervous on a bike, but as long as you’re as vigilant in a car as you no doubt are on the bike, I’m sure you’ll be absolutely fine mate. Best of luck when it comes to finally taking your test dude.
September 4, 2012 at 9:59 pm

#957402
6

General Lighting

@general-lighting

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Staff
Cheers dude – I did drive a old Nissan Micra (petrol) around the work car park today and practice some reverse parking and also driving at lower speeds (can only find one bit big enough to go into second though due to the size of the area and that its more like a dirt track in some parts (this is out in the sticks).

TBH its roundabouts what really cause me problems, I’m getting used to everything else. finding the bit where you can go and not be run into is a mare and also being in the correct lane. Why the fuck do we have so many of them in our country?
September 4, 2012 at 10:31 pm

#957409
1

Tank Girl

@tank-girl

Member
I agree, I doubt it’ll make much of a difference,

I would suggest the main thing to work on is your anxiety, as this is what got me on my test, and I find it really difficult (esp follow instructions)when anxious

Best of luck for when you decide to do it!
September 5, 2012 at 12:22 am

#957420
1

Itsamagicting

@itsamagicting

Member
Don’t let roundabouts worry you!

When I first passed my test I had only learn’t to drive around a smallish town with a few small roundabouts (3-4 exits), but then I started Uni and I used to comute everyday and found myself having to drive round 3 mega roundabouts with about 5-7 exits on my way there which shuck me up a little bit the first few times I drove them, but now I am used to the big roundabouts I can just about handle any roundabout thrown at me :L
September 5, 2012 at 8:41 am

#957421
1

sinner69

@sinner69

Member
A diesel is more forgiving like a tractor…Its easier to drive because of the power curve is high all the way from low rpms(that means that you do not need to change gears during overtakes, the engine have ‘all the power’ in the world already)…. if you can drive a petrol car you will have no probs at all with diesel ones…I had been more worried the other way around…Its smart thing your instructor have done by choosing a diesel, they are so much easier to get a long with as a newbie…

Remember to get the mirror routines learned and made routine as quick as possible…that will make the whole ride experience so much nicer and calmed down because U will now where you are on the road and where you are in distance of any obstacles…
September 5, 2012 at 10:21 am

#957403
6

General Lighting

@general-lighting

Moderator
Staff
most newer UK instructors use diesel vehicles because of what you say and the cost of fuel in Britain..

@!sinner69! 494014 wrote:

Remember to get the mirror routines learned and made routine as quick as possible…that will make the whole ride experience so much nicer and calmed down because U will now where you are on the road and you are in distance of any obstacles…

my instructor is way better than the last ones I had in the 90s and did this right from the start, though I still have difficulty remembering correct sequnce when avoiding parked cars, I think it is check rear mirror first, then the direction you are turning out (in case anything behind you is trying to overtake) then after clearing the obstacle use the mirror on the other side to drivers seat to make sure you have cleared it?

I deliberately did not use right or left here to avoid confusion 😉

TBH I think all the new bits on the test are merely to bring UK in line with Northern Europe as the folk on partyflock were talking about their tests and they are similar if not harder..

not sure if you have ever driven in the UK or even ridden a bicycle but it is a obstacle course and probably the worst road layouts of any developed European nation. In my street currently there are double parked cars everywhere and barricades as the other electric cable failed so UK Power Networks have taken half the road up…
September 5, 2012 at 11:03 am

#957410
1

Pat McDonald

@pat-mcdonald

Participant
Can’t help thinking – don’t think you will stop learning about driving just because you pass your test.

You can learn about petrol sooner or later, but you will learn about it – even if you don’t drive different vehicles, OTHER drivers do. 🙂
September 5, 2012 at 12:17 pm

#957415
1

MC G-Tek

@mc-g-tek

Member
@General Lighting 493981 wrote:

Cheers dude – I did drive a old Nissan Micra (petrol) around the work car park today and practice some reverse parking and also driving at lower speeds (can only find one bit big enough to go into second though due to the size of the area and that its more like a dirt track in some parts (this is out in the sticks).

TBH its roundabouts what really cause me problems, I’m getting used to everything else. finding the bit where you can go and not be run into is a mare and also being in the correct lane. Why the fuck do we have so many of them in our country?

Ha ha, there are definitely too many roundabouts in this country, some parts of it seem built on them, like Milton Keynes! Don’t get stressed with them though mate, take your time & go when you feel you can make it across safely, no point endangering yourself just so the person in the car behind you gets home 30 seconds earlier. As a mate of mine used to say, ‘Arrive alive, not dead on time!’
September 5, 2012 at 12:36 pm

#957411
1

Mezz

@mezz

Member
Only ever had petrol cars, diesel used to be slower accelerating but I dont think it makes any difference these days

Fact is every car handles and feels slightly different, practicing for your test in a different car will be good for your road awareness but will throw you when it comes to bite points, acceleration, judging parking etc

My advice would be to NOT practice in a different car to the one you will take your test in, but if you must then at least try to use one with the controls in the same place…. I recall trying to indicate using the windscreen wipers on my driving lessons as I had a Fiesta at home and took lessons in a Micra ( they had stick controls on opposite sides in the 90s ), my instructor immediately said ‘you’ve been driving your own car again havent you’
September 6, 2012 at 4:36 pm

#957404
6

General Lighting

@general-lighting

Moderator
Staff
I fully expect driving to be no different from learning about computers or electronic stuff, there are different developments and you never stop learning.

Even though cars are much the same as 20 years ago (although more powerful) there is two decades more traffic and all manner of new road signs and multiple speed limits in towns (my instructor actually agrees with the local eco-groups that we should have just two limits, 20mph (32km/h) in the built up areas and 40mph (70 km/h) outside just before you get to the rural areas, where it becomes 70mph (100km/h). the current Ipswich layout is just silly as you have 3 limits within a few hundred yards of each other and it is yet another thing to be aware of. I don’t think its safe in busy areas to go more than 20-25mph, but find myself sometimes accidentally breaking speed limit on my lessons (doing this less often now).

what did concern me is how much I covered up for fear/nerves with arrogance/extra risk taking in my youth, I definitely think if I had got a license back then (especially with my other “lifestyle choices”) I wouldn’t be alive today to post here (learning to drive is another reason I stay more sober, I wont’ even drink the first part of the week now until after I’ve had my driving lesson).

@Mezz 494045 wrote:

Only ever had petrol cars, diesel used to be slower accelerating but I dont think it makes any difference these days

Fact is every car handles and feels slightly different, practicing for your test in a different car will be good for your road awareness but will throw you when it comes to bite points, acceleration, judging parking etc

My advice would be to NOT practice in a different car to the one you will take your test in, but if you must then at least try to use one with the controls in the same place…. I recall trying to indicate using the windscreen wipers on my driving lessons as I had a Fiesta at home and took lessons in a Micra ( they had stick controls on opposite sides in the 90s ), my instructor immediately said ‘you’ve been driving your own car again havent you’

this is what I noticed with the Micra, though the differences are more subtle than major and all the controls are in the same place – I remember this oddity with different cars in the 90s too – maybe all newer ones are made to some EU standard. But why do they make the stick controls way shorter these days?
September 6, 2012 at 5:46 pm

#957412
1

Mezz

@mezz

Member
@General Lighting 494234 wrote:

But why do they make the stick controls way shorter these days?

I think it’s because pretty much all cars have power steering these days so actually have smaller steering wheels too, you dont need a big wheel to ratio down and give more leverage with power steering.

On other odd thing that happened when I was taking driving lessons, my instructor told me off for leaning side to side when cornering, I had been riding a Honda H100S motorbike for a year before driving and he kept telling ‘stop that, banking doesnt work in a car’ lol
September 6, 2012 at 7:19 pm

#957416
1

MC G-Tek

@mc-g-tek

Member
@General Lighting 494234 wrote:

this is what I noticed with the Micra, though the differences are more subtle than major and all the controls are in the same place – I remember this oddity with different cars in the 90s too – maybe all newer ones are made to some EU standard. But why do they make the stick controls way shorter these days?

The ‘oddity’ of how some cars had the indicator stalk on the left & wipers on the right and others had it vice versa is down to where they were made. Basically, all the cars that had the indicator stalk on the right back in the day were Japanese cars (Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Daihatsu etc). Pretty much everyone else had them the other way around if memory serves me correctly.
September 6, 2012 at 9:06 pm

#957405
6

General Lighting

@general-lighting

Moderator
Staff
yep when I first learned in the 90s the change happened, my first instructor had a JP car of some sort then the next changed to a Ford which didn’t help matters either. Also the cars I was being taught in changed from not having power steering to having it – more confusion!

I can see why lads become gary boys (TBH I might have been in danger of becoming one at one point in my life) as driving can be fun when there aren’t idiots on the road, but I’ve lost the desire to deliberately go too fast… even after just normal driving I feel like I’ve actually taken amfetamine or similar substances..
September 6, 2012 at 9:52 pm

#957417
1

MC G-Tek

@mc-g-tek

Member
@General Lighting 494288 wrote:

but I’ve lost the desire to deliberately go too fast… even after just normal driving I feel like I’ve actually taken amfetamine or similar substances..

Same mate, I get so much shit from my mates for driving like a pensioner, but I can’t be arsed risking getting points on my licence & bumping my insurance up. Know what you mean about the feeling after driving too – think it’s because you’re having to keep alert, so you’re mentally stimulated & you still feel wired afterwards. After long journeys though, once it wears off, I’m proper done in!
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