Soon I will be starting to practice driving a manual while I wait for my MINI. I'll be practicing on my boyfriend's truck (he just doesn't know it yet!) and will be forced to learn how to start on inclines without the help of a handbrake because his truck has the kind of brake that you push down with your left foot! I'm certainly glad to read about everyone's techniques, and I think this will really help me out! Thanks!

 

Not having the handbrake might be the best way to learn. When you learn to sail it's usually a boat without a auxillary engine. That way you HAVE to learn to sail

Once you've got the knack of it you can start on a very very steep hill with no ebrake and without much or any more slip than a stop on the level.

 

practice, practice, practice

 

thats how i do it on these organ pedal cars.

 

the ebrake techniquie will save you in an uphill traffic situation, you know, the events that never happens until youre driving alone...

 

Whoa, that does make it a bit more difficult, doesn't it!!! Practice on a smallish hill w/o traffic around, okay? And when you do get your MINI, don't hesitate to use the e-brake anyway. It's part of your equipment and there's no added points for not using it.

 

I grew up in the mountains of western NC, so I was forced to learn how to drive a stick on hills. It's nerve wracking when some jackhole gets right on your bumper on a steep hill, but you don't really need the e-brake -- it's mostly for sanity's sake, or if you're worried you don't have enough practice at it yet.

My biggest problem is just over-revving it. The closer the guy behind me is on my bumper, the more nervous I get and the higher I over-rev it. :-p

Of course, I've been living in good old flat Maryland for years, so I'd probably be tempted to use the e-brake method if I had another hill encounter with someone on my bumper now.

 

I think knowing that the MINI will have the handbrake will save me from frustration while learning without that luxury. I've got my fingers crossed that I will get enough good practice in during the next month to not have to rely on the handbrake, but at least know that I will have it when needed for those especially steep situations!

This is exactly the situation that frightens me... I know of one light in particular on my way to work that, should it be red, I better be able to get myself up the hill when it turns green!!

Thankfully there are plenty of practice hills near my house without too much traffic. I intend to take full advantage of them and try out some of the techniques mentioned here!

 

I like to roll back a little, scares the crap out of the person behind me and they give me more room at the next light.

I have been driving a car with three pedals for years so I can hill hold, start from stop (with the roll back) and even have used the e brake, usually when there is a NYC taxi behind me. Yes there are hills in Manhattan, try 37th and 2nd ave frm the Queens mid town tunnel in rush hour.

 

Gooooooooood point on turning off a running A/C. That does dog down the engine quite a bit.
E-brake all the way for moi. :-)

 

That is the ticket - in a prior lifetime, I used the parking brake approach (with pressing in the release button so that I could immediately release the parking brake as son as the clutch was sufficiently engaged and on the engine power band to avoid stalling) to parallel park on many a hill in San Francisco. When you get the hang of it, the parking brake process gives you ultimate control over the car.

 

Having driven manuals most of my life, I very rarely used the e-brake method. Just hold the foot brake, let the clutch out until it starts to engage (and holds the vehicle in place at idle speed,) let foot of brake, depress accelerator and let off clutch. I find this doesn't that well with the MINI. It seems the torque, at lower rpms, just isn't enough and the engine rpms are slow to increase. Would have thought the "throttle by wire" made rpm increase faster, not slower. Anyone else had the same experience? Is there a ECU update that addresses this? Should note this is a "S." Does the supercharger have anything to do with it?

No doubt the heal to toe method works well but, I'm a old dog and use the e-brake method on the MINI. BTW, never use the clutch to "hold" yourself on a hill.

 

Agreed. I figured this out *after* having my first manual shift car - a '77 VW Rabbit. The first afternoon I had it, I was working in L.A. at a high-rise office bilding with a subterranean garage. Leaving at 5:00PM, the cars were backed-up to get out of the garage. I was stopped in the hill/driveway, didn't know the parking brake trick, and (DOH!) rolled backwards into the car behind me !

Parking brake method works on steep hills. Alternatively, find a steep driveway and during low-traffic hours practice for few minutes a day, for several days. This'll give you the confidence you need. Also try backing-up the hill. This is handy for parallel parking while the car is facing down-hill.

 

Thanks everyone for all the great insight on my uphill challenge.

Looks like the votes are about 60% for using the e-brake, 20% for the heel-toe method of using two feet to do the work of three 15% for riding the clutch so that first gear stays sort-of engaged, and two votes for red-line RPM and a quick clutch-release to ensure the engine doesn't die. I'll probably work with the e-brake for a while, then work on my foot-skills to see if any of the others are applicable to me.

I still giggle when I think of Kenshan's novel approach of resting against the car behind him to keep from rolling backward (tested by AntiqueCarNut).

Thanks again, --doug

 

From Motoringfile.com "The 2007 MINI: In Detail": The Brake Assistant in the new MINI reliably detects application of the brakes in an emergency and builds up maximum brake pressure at the fastest conceivable rate. Yet another new function is Hill Assist uphill starting-off assistance combined with DSC, which activates the brakes when setting off on a gradient to prevent the car from rolling back.

Now why didn't they come up with this sooner??

 

parking break, unless you want to do some clutch slippage...

orrrrr rev up to 6500 and pop the clutch with the dsc off if you have it ;]

..ps. dont actually do that.

 

This was actually available on cars in the 30's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill-holder

 

Wow, that is pretty interesting. I guess it's really not that big of a problem or there would have been wider use of it through the years. Thanks for that little interesting bit of trivia, Scott!

 

NP ! I love wikipedia.

 

Hill Assist was available with the SMG-equipped E46 M3s as a way for the neophytes to be able to engage the tranny and not roll-back into the car behind while leaving a parking space on a hill. It would seem the the option is being made available to a wider universe within the BMW family. Personally, I just use the e-Brake. There is no harm being done to the drivetrain with the e-Brake method and you have control for as long as you need it. (With Hill Assist, it is disengaged after about 2 seconds.)

 

What about while going uphill? How many RPMS do you leave it at? I constantly find myself shifting too early and then end up without enough power to speed up the hill and have to downshift again. I usually up shift a little over 3k rpm. I'm still in my break-in period so trying to stay below 4k as much as possible.

 

I agree with Doggs. Practice makes kind of perfect!!

 

I am not sure I understand your question? Are you referring to a concern for not over-reving while going uphill, yet needing more power at low rpms? In that situation, I personally would take a chance on slightly exceeding the 4,000 rpm mark as opposed to lugging the engine on the upshift. How far are you into the break-in period?

 

Subaru had the hill holder clutch in the '80's. I imagine that initially, MINI was a car for enthusiasts who just plain knew how to drive a stick. The "enthusiast" pool has dried up and now, in an effort to have broader appeal to the "stickless" (translate: clueless) generation, MINI now embraces the hill holder clutch. (flame on)

 

Gee, thanks for the compliment.

I am one of the "clueless" generation you speak of, but I might add that the automatic revolution was not instigated by me, but rather by those before me, because by the time I learned to drive, no one I knew drove a manual. I always wanted to learn, but for lack of anything to learn on until now, I had to remain clueless. At least I am one of the few clueless ones out there who actually have always wanted to learn...and excuse me for not wanting to ruin my - or anyone else's - clutch whilst I attempt to overcome my clueless designation.

I just thought it was an interesting bit of trivia that many others on this forum who are actually trying to overcome their cluelessness might be interested in. No need to purposely insult those who are trying to actually elevate themselves closer to your level of righteousness, oh holy "enthusiast"

And for those of you nice enough to offer advice to us newbies, I thank you and of course, I will be practicing with the intent of making it perfect!