Embarrassing.. But need advice please - How to drive up hill

bb69

Hello

I have been driving for a few years, and am confident in driving, however I really feel anxious when driving up steep hills (rare in London).

I never seem to be in the right gear and then lose speed half way which panics me as the car (1.2 litre) feels like its going to just give up in the midst of it all.

Its likely I will need to go uphill more often due to work (e.g Bath)

And really would like to overcome this. Friends have said its easy but some have bigger engines with fancy techy bits inbuilt so the car doesnt roll.

Any advice?

I was thinking about having some practice lessons with an instructor to give me more confidence in it.

Thanks

wealdroam

bb69 wrote: »

I was thinking about having some practice lessons with an instructor to give me more confidence in it.

That sounds like the best idea.
One hour should be ample.

Or maybe a friend could help.

Any driving skill is difficult to describe in writing.
Far better to be doing.

rxbren

if you feel the engine struggling/speed slowing down just change down a gear or two depneding on speed and gradient of hill
your better off in a lower gear at higher revs

mikey72

Change down early.
Don't worry about going up slowly, I've a van that manages some hills in first. The queue behind is quite long at times.
Hill starts are interesting too.

Red29

Hi I'm not the world's greatest driver but I don't have a problem with hills no matter how steep.

If I'm in fourth I would go into third just before I start to climb the hill as my thinking is (right or wrong) going up hill I'm going to lose speed just like if you go downhill you gather speed.

Also I will also press harder on the accelerator to make up for the hill automatically dropping my speed.

This approach works for me.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

some driving lessons in wales should help you out every other street is built on a hill some more than 15% grade inclines.

my adivce would save some cash on a instructor find a hill and just go up and down it allot untill you sus the gears and prep work.

mqandy

Might not be that helpful next time you get in the car, but try really hard and not think about it!

You've been driving fine for a few years, so inside you know how (I bet you cope fine at traffic lights where there is a slight incline??), just panic when you're really aware of the hill and over-think it.

Enjoy the new job!

HurdyGurdy

I feel your pain!! I had to use my husband's (manual) car recently to go to Somerset, as my car (an automatic) was in the garage. I accidentally ended up in a little village (may have been Porlock) at the bottom of a terrifyingly steep hill.

Being unaccustomed to driving a manual, I ended up ruining the clutch of my husband's car on the drive back out of the village .

If I was likely to be in a position in the future, like the one you are in, I think I would take a few lessons with an instructor. Definitely cheaper than the £250 I paid for my husband's clutch!

Paul_the_Painter

Have you got a rev counter on the car? If you do, when you get to a hill change down to a gear that gives you around 3000 rpm. Don't let your revs drop below 2000, if it does change down again. Don't be afraid of giving it a bit of power, steep hills may well require full throttle!
If you don't have a rev counter, use your speedo, and hold onto the gears longer. For medium hills a rough guide would babe to hold onto 2nd until 30. Hold onto 3rd until 40mph etc.

If you are used to steady flat conservative driving you may well think the revs are too high, but most cars built in the last 20 -30 years have a rev limiter fitted, so rest assured you won't kill the car! Most cars will do 25-30mph in 1st, 40ish in 2nd, and 60 in 3rd. In fact go out tomorrow and prove it to yourself, pull away normally, change into 2nd, them accelerate to 40 in 2nd, you'll probably be surprised at how "nippy" your car is.

What is your car? Including year/reg year and model, it's pretty straightforward to find out what speed it will do in each gear.

As my driving instructor said to me, "the full performance off the car is there to be used, when necessary"

jaydeeuk1

As said, don't be afraid of giving it the beans, if its a very steep hill very few low powered cars will manage them in 3rd, I usually drop to 2nd in my little 1.3 as its good to 65mph. And if its petrol, don't worry about the engine spinning at around 4-5000 for a good length of time.
MIL has a habit of never going over 2000rpm, its painful watching her trying to drive up hills in 4th, and coming to a near stop!

Hill starts are simple, one technique - put handbrake on, and then go to pull out as normal, keep revs around 2000, release clutch and as you feel car try and move forward, take off hand brake and the car will start to pull away.

Someone mentioned Porlock - now thats a hill!

Tobster86

65mph in 2nd in a 1.3? That's a tall old gearbox!