How To Drive A Motorcar
A Key To The Subtleties Of Motoring

HOW TO DRIVE A MOTORCAR the slipping wheel suddenly strikes a piece of ground where the coefficient of friction is such as instanta- neously to stop its slipping, the slight jerk felt by the driver at this moment has had to pass up through the portions of the mechanism referred to before get- ting to him or her; consequently, endeavour to start gently and with what may be termed an even accelera- tion. Do not “ dab ” the throttle right down so soon as the gear is engaged, but depress it gently and feel that the acceleration of the car is synchronizing with the acceleration of the engine. Another point, though quite a small one, still worth consideration, is that of slipping the clutch when start- ing a car. To use a Ilibernicism, the clutch should not be slipped when slipping the clutch. To translate this verbal paradox into plain English, it means that one must utilize the happy combination of the two. Clutches are not designed for an excessive amount of slip drive, but they are designed to permit of a little slipping, and it is only this little slipping which should take place. . First of all, then, let the clutch in gently, with the engine turning with only just sufficient power to pre- vent it being stopped when taking up the drive. Now this is an important point. As the clutch is finally let home, partially release the accelerator pedal— quite momentarily—at the, same time, so that it would be a difficult matter to tell whether the engine was driving the ear or the car the engine. Ihen commence again, from this point, gradually to accelerate. It sounds rather a lot in so many bald words, but it is only a matter of a fraction of time in actual use, and, like the other points advocated, when one has made a point of learning it the movement becomes intuitive and automatic. Now, of course, one passes on into thø third speed, taking care to accelerate gently, and for the fraction of a second allowing the engine speed and that of the car to be the same, just as the clutch is finally let home, then gradually accelerating on again from that point: and so on, “ repeating the dose,” into the direct drive. The actual question of gear-changing is dealt with in a separate chapter, go 34