Manual owners-

[Logan]

I go to neutral, foot off clutch, hand brake on if it is more than a few moments. I also subscribe to being able to see the road behind the rear tyres of the car in front thus avoiding having them roll back onto you or having to get the person behind to reverse up so you can reverse back to pull round the car in front which has died.

Advanced driving courses from ROSPA and IAM both go with that this. It avoids:
Being shunted from behind and flying forward as the rear impact will pull your foot off the foot brake.
Dazzleing the person behind with bright brake lights.
And reduced wear on the clutch (thanks Adamski).

My clutch is quite heavy and so it is also more comfortable to not be pressing it for long periods - it has the effect of producing a less than smooth take off when you eventually get underway - those kangeroo moments are never very cool.

 

[markeg]

If you drive a manual, and leave it in first with the clutch pedal pressed, you'll wear out the clutch release bearing. Mrs A does it all the time and is appropriately reprimanded :telloff:

Duly edu-ma-cated, thanks

 

[a11y]

I go to neutral, foot off clutch, hand brake on if it is more than a few moments. I also subscribe to being able to see the road behind the rear tyres of the car in front thus avoiding having them roll back onto you or having to get the person behind to reverse up so you can reverse back to pull round the car in front which has died.

That's one of the things I still remember from my driving instructor years ago, good advice although you can go a bit closer in the Z4 than other cars because of the low seating position and phallic bonnet...

However, the IAM order of things is:
1. come to a stop
2. handbrake on
3. THEN into neutral (NOT into neutral before applying handbrake!)
4. release clutch

But where possible if I know the sequence of the lights I always try to time it appropriately to avoid all that nonsense.

 

[buzyg]

Into nuetral and handbrake on for me, every time.

Pet hate, on dark wet mornings, is the car in front sitting at the lights with the brake light on, blinding me. :thumbsdown:

 

[Logan]

However, the IAM order of things is:
1. come to a stop
2. handbrake on
3. THEN into neutral (NOT into neutral before applying handbrake!)
4. release clutch

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[a11y]

However, the IAM order of things is:
1. come to a stop
2. handbrake on
3. THEN into neutral (NOT into neutral before applying handbrake!)
4. release clutch

Thanks for the reminder.

I still get it wrong though - find myself moving applying the handbrake THEN realising I've already changed it into neutral

 

[Rich-hill]

Into neutral, handbrake on.

Tyres and Tarmac for reasons pointed out below. ROSPA also said keep this distance for 2 other reasons,

1) you can move around car infront of they have a fault.
2) plenty of room to move if blue flashing lights appear behind you

 

[Darkman]

Neutral, foot brake and if its on a slope then handbrake, best putting least amount of wear on driveline components

 

[srhutch]

Foot brake and neutral. Rarely use handbrake at lights

Apart from the safety aspect, I hate sitting behind people like you at night. Don't forget that while your foot is on the brake, your high level rear brake light is all lit up, destroying the night vision of the poor sod in the car behind you.

OK hadn't thought of that, but nobodies perfect. I also subscribe to putting my hazards on if I feel where im stopped in traffic needs highlighting, that along with brakes still illuminated hopefully means the car behind won't hit me, along with the big gap in front.

 

[mrlozzer]

Well I too have learned a lesson today... It would probably be no bad thing to try to unlearn all of the bad habits that I've picked driving automatics for the last few years!

 

[BMWZ4MC]

Foot brake and neutral. Rarely use handbrake at lights

Apart from the safety aspect, I hate sitting behind people like you at night. Don't forget that while your foot is on the brake, your high level rear brake light is all lit up, destroying the night vision of the poor sod in the car behind you.

I hate staring at the guy in front's brake lights too Nearly as much as I hate people using fog lights when visibility is barely reduced so that it looks like a motorway full of brake lights up ahead

I tend to sit at red lights in gear with my left foot on the brake and my right hard on the throttle, just to make sure I have enough heat in the rear tyres and rubber laid down on the road to ensure a maximum attack get away just as soon as the traffic lights turn amber :evil:

 

[shadowdrgn0]

i almost always coast into stop lights in neutral. just habit, saves gas too

 

[bcworkz]

Yes, holding the clutch disengaged wears the release bearing. But it IS a bearing, designed to rotate with very little wear. While I agree it's a better practice to engage the clutch, I question if it's that big of a deal either way. One, the bearing is usually replaced regardless of condition when the clutch disc is replaced. Two, with the clutch engaged, you are spinning the input shaft which has it's own bearings which wear, which are never replaced unless they fail. You will be 'wearing out' one or the other no matter what.

It's somewhat like the engine braking vs. wheel braking arguments, because of complicating factors, there's no easy answer. One thing I am sure of is my leg will wear out before any significant wear on the bearing occurs.

I rarely use the handbrake unless I'm going to be there for a while and want to keep the heat or A/C running, otherwise I turn the engine off. If you do use the hand brake regularly, that is fine, but you should be aware the Zed's ratchet quality is rather poor, and you may want to hold the release button in while engaging the brake to avoid excessive wear.

 

[Boogle]

Wow you learn something every day!

One thing I did learn, I think it was from an AA book - if you're going to be stationary for more than 45 seconds turn off the engine. That's the time where the fuel saved is more than the fuel used to re-start the engine.

To add to bcworkz - Always hold the button when engaging the handbrake. My instructor said that it damages the cable and that's when things clicked into place. My parents never pressed the button and were constantly repairing their handbrake cables (being Citroens didn't help...).

 

[Boogle]

i almost always coast into stop lights in neutral. just habit, saves gas too

FYI - only with autos. In a manual you get engine breaking which reduces wear on the brakes - but also a modern fuel injection engine will stop injecting fuel until it's needed to keep the engine @ idle revs. If you dip the clutch then fuel must go in to keep the engine turning. It's also illegal in the UK to coast for more than a few metres

 

[shadowdrgn0]

i almost always coast into stop lights in neutral. just habit, saves gas too

FYI - only with autos. In a manual you get engine breaking which reduces wear on the brakes - but also a modern fuel injection engine will stop injecting fuel until it's needed to keep the engine @ idle revs. If you dip the clutch then fuel must go in to keep the engine turning. It's also illegal in the UK to coast for more than a few metres

what a strange law. not the weirdest i've heard but unusual

 

[oli445]

Foot brake and neutral. Rarely use handbrake at lights

Apart from the safety aspect, I hate sitting behind people like you at night. Don't forget that while your foot is on the brake, your high level rear brake light is all lit up, destroying the night vision of the poor sod in the car behind you.

I hate staring at the guy in front's brake lights too

I agree, especially when they have LED lights - brake lights are an indication just like reversing lights. If your not reversing take it out of reverse and if your not braking get off the brakes

Also, on a previous car it was ill advised to stay on the brakes when stationary as it can warp your front discs due to them being hot and having a lot of pressure in one part.

 

[Bing]

I'll stay on the brakes at the back of a stationary or very slow moving queue of traffic on a motorway or fast road for safety, plus hazards if it is really slowing down hard. Take the point about in normal traffic though, at night. I will reform my ways

 

[oli445]

I'll stay on the brakes at the back of a stationary or very slow moving queue of traffic on a motorway or fast road for safety, plus hazards if it is really slowing down hard. Take the point about in normal traffic though, at night. I will reform my ways

Totally agree about being at the back of stationary traffic, you are indicating that you have stopped to the next car coming along. Once you are not at the back of the pack though, no need to continue.

I think it's all about being aware that when the brakes are pressed, it sends a signal to others and using them accordingly. When sat at a red light with a car stationary behind you they no longer need bright red lights to tell them you have stopped.

We all see muppets constantly using the brake pedel on the motorway because of their lack of ability/intelligence that make it harder for the drivers scanning ahead to recognise any real causes for concern.

I appreciate that there's not many people that give a toss if they dazzle anybody else and that there is a severe lack of knowledge by 99% of drivers so I try not to let it bother me - but it still does

 

[bluestreak56]

Even though my zed is an auto, if I know im stopped for more than 30 seconds I shift to Neutral,

The same in any manual car (ie my compact).

That said, I live in London where no set of lights lasts less than 30 seconds so...