After days of driving around my mostly flat town lookin' good, I made quite a spectacle when my garage door didn't open fast enough and I had to stop and then get moving again, uphill, into my garage.

So all of you who are more proficient than me with manual transmissions (95% of you), please share your techniques for smoothly getting into first gear while pointing up hills. Ideally, with a minimum of engine re-starts and a minimum of rolling backwards. Any clever ideas regarding fancy footwork, use of e-brake, etc. would be very useful. Thanks!

 

If I'm on a steep enough hill, I'll pull up the parking brake. I'll start to try and go like I would any other time, and when I feel the car start to want to pull I let off the e-brake. Another thing to try would be to let the clutch out to the point that it feels like it's going to catch, to where the RPM's drop just a little bit, then just gas it up a little more and go. Thats what I do! Hopefully it will help out a little bit!

 

I tried the e-brake trick, but I didn't like it. What I do it let the clutch out right before the engagement point (you'll feel the car "shudder") then press the clutch down a little bit more. Once you release the brake, the clutch should hold you inplace. Then give it a little gas and let the rest of the clutch out. Works everytime for me.

-Cody

 

Parking brake is the best way. Just hold in the button as you are letting it out so you can synch it up with letting out the clutch.

 

Rev it up to about 6k then dump the clutch...works everytime

 

Yeah, I think thats the easiest way to start the car on a hill without risk of stalling.

 

Ahahah, yeah there's that....

I actually think that I need to get my e-brake adjusted, so I haven't been using that on hills - what I wasn't aware of, and just learned about recently, and have since been using to excellent effect, is the normal foot brake. It's the same technique as the e-brake (1. Clutch out, foot on brake, in neutral. 2. Pull e-brake. 3. Clutch in, give it some gas, when it starts to pull, slowly release the e-brake and you're off ) but instead of using the e-brake, I have half my foot on the brake, and half on the gas. I start giving it gas, and easing up on the brake, and I'm off. Sometimes a little too swiftly but I'm getting the hang of it! It's working quite well, and now I'm going to see about getting my e-brake adjusted, because it doesn't work too well unless you yank the thing all the way up - so it's great for parking, but not so great for classy hill starts.

Good luck!

 

Need some tips for uphill driving here as well. I've been practicing a lot with my e-brake. I first learned it the way that evergrnCoopS and a couple others suggested (letting out the clutch to the catch point before taking foot off the brake). but isn't that "riding the clutch" is?? and thats bad ?

 

Well, it IS, but doing a launch on a steep slope isn't usual driving (shy of San Francisco, anyway).

I've used the parking brake technique on some serious slopes and found it much easier on my clutch (and nerves) than trying to use the clutch alone. I find that if you're on a slope that's so steep that you're nervous about screwing up the launch, then having the e-brake up, with the button depressed, is easier, since of you blow the shift, all you need to do is pull up on the handle and you'll stop again. This won't chew through clutch plates, either. I'd certainly practice this away from traffic someplace calm (NOT a stop light, for instance) until you can do it smoothly - should only take you a dozen or two-dozen launches until you can sync your letting out the clutch/giving the car throttle/letting out the ebrake all in one fluid motion...

 

Thats my problem. I get all nervous if I am on a hill and the car starts rolling back ... but only when I'm at a stop sign or red light. I spinned out my wheels on a hill on my first day when I tried to do it without e-brake but the porsche behind me luckilly knew I was new so he cut me some slack. Another question is ... going very very very very sloowww, like in a parking lot backing out or going into the garage. I don't even let the clutch out all the way as I give it gas and then immediately put the clutch back in once the car starts moving and let the momentum carry it until I have to repeat the process. Am I missing something here? And is this bad for the clutch since i'm not fully engaging the clutch?

 

I like the e-brake method too. I live in San Francisco and you learn to love the e-brake real quick. I other methods sound interesting too, but might not work here in SF. There are a few streets that have a steep uphill and once you get through the intersection, there is a steep downhill. Sitting at the stop sign you litterally cannot see anything on the other side of the intersection. It is even more fun at night.....

 

P-brake, rev it up, pop the brake and clutch (maybe chirp/smoke the tires, make the intake whine ) ...and Motor On!

 

heal toe method for me, been doing it for years.

 

READY & SET: Right hand on the hand brake with the little release button depressed (ready to lower the brake), right foot off brake and on the gas pedal ready to depress it, left foot depressing the clutch, in 1st gear.

GO!: Right foot gives gas (a bit more than usual to account for heavier takeoff load due to gravity). Release the clutch and when MINI just starts pulling against the brake, release the handbrake (these two things happen simultaneously, really). Off you go!

This seems the most logical and easiest way to do this since you don't have to transition that right foot off the brake to the gas pedal. It saves a split second of backwards motion (into the SUV sitting on your a$$).

Worst case scenario you may give too much gas and sqeal the tires or worse yet, STALL it... BEST case scenario there is NO rollback and you takeoff as if you're going down a hill, no excessivley high engine revs. I challenge myself to this maneuver everytime on my hills. I like it. :-)

Good luck in your quest to better the clutch/gas/e-brake on a hill thing.

 

I get to teach this from time to time and I think the proper methods have been described here. When I'm instructing it would be as follows:

- with the vehicle stopped on any uphill where it tends to roll back in neutral without brakes applied; fully depress the clutch and hold the vehicle inplace with the brake pedal. Keep first gear engaged.

- to pullaway; depress the handbrake release and hold it in continuously, engage the handbrake to hold the vehicle in place, release the brake pedal, release the clutch to point of engagement (vehicle rpm drops slightly and you feel vehicle attempt to pull forward) add throttle while continuing to release the clutch and handbrake together until the clutch is fully engaged and the handbrake is fully released.

* As noted by some of the others the same result can be achieved by substituting the heel of the right foot on the brake pedal and the toes of the right foot on the throttle pedal and not using the handbrake. ( some find this requires more practice to get smooth and may not work for very large or very small feet. Also it requires a well adjusted seating position for proper control)

*** NOTE holding the vehicle with the clutch only is in fact slipping the clutch as it is not rotating at as fast as the engine flywheel - hence heat buid up and glazing or flywheel warping can occurr if this is done often enough or long enough.

I hope that is of some help...

 

I am patently incapable of mustering the coordination required for use of the Ebrake in uphill starts, thus I recommend the time-honored method of practice, practice, practice.

Since you have a hilly driveway, practice there. Pretty soon you'll get a good feel for the clutch and you'll just be able to do it. No auxilliary stopping equipment required.

 

all these excellent suggestions!
I just let my car roll backwards, rest my car on the car behind me and
then engage my clutch.

nono, i start off with a heel and toe when starting on an incline.
i use e-brake when im going reverse on an incline just to be on
the safe side that i don't accidentally roll forward while looking
backwards and both sides and waiting for pedestrians to cross, etc.

 

this requires fast feet and confidence but it is the way I do it......

also:

if you don't have a 15% pulley get one to increase torque

turn off the AC if it is on

get the engine reving...and keep it reving.... all Minis have a hesitation due to drive by wire etc so make sure you have some power before you engage the clutch....

go to a steep slope with no traffic and practice.....

is there a local Mini club with an experienced driver to show you some good technique? if not I like Kenchan's "rest on the car behind you" unless it's a scooter

 

It took me a few tries, but I quickly learned how to get started on a hill without the e-brake or heel/towing. I just have a good feel for my clutch pedal.

As I let my foot off the brake, I start letting up on the clutch to the point where it is just beginning to grab, then stop. Then I quickly transfer over to the gas and continue letting up the clutch. When done correctly I will only roll back a few inches.

There is a point on the clutch where it will hold the car. But you have to get to the gas quickly or the engine will die. It is all about timing. And make sure to have DSC/ASC off since the wheels will sometimes chirp a little bit. If the ASC kicks in and cuts the throttle it can get you in trouble.

 

Practice, practice, practice! The only way to learn.

What I would recommend -

1. Find somewhere with a steep incline - a driveway or empty parking garage
2. Practice using the gas and clutch to hold the car in position
3. Once you can hold the car in place without using the brake, work on your foot movement to minimize rollback. Basically, go from holding with the brake to holding with a combination of clutch/throttle.

I learned this the hard way - rockcrawling in a 5-spd Land Rover Defender. You think rolling back in traffic is scary? Try rolling back on hills like THIS!

 

I like your style. I was reading all of this and my guy suggests the same ebrake method but I've never used it. I just "feel" the car and go... the Z3 is/was hard to catch in 1st gear until I got used to it but now its a breeze (3yrs later). However, I've driven manuals since my first car back in the 70's so experience helps.

I just taught my son to drive a manual (he has a little ford ranger now) and he was having troubles on even the slightest incline. I believe its important to feel the car and know where you're at. That way you're ready to drive in any situation without need of brake. What I had him do was go to an empty lot that had an incline and we "rocked" and "held" over and over with just the clutch and gas until he understood what he was feeling. Practice is key!

And yes, I have been to SF in the Z many times, no ebrake needed... just "feel" the engaging. I'm sure I'll be fine with that method in the MINI

 

ah exactly what I was trying to explain!

 

While not SF, we've got some decent hills in Seattle to contend with. When I first got my MCS, I used the e-brake method a few times on steep hills, but didn't do very well; ended up over-revving the engine and had a bit of a jerky launch.

But now I've gotten to the point where as long as I've got a little space behind me, I'm quick enough at going from brake to gas that I roll back very little -- as eenieMini said, you have to feel the car. I'm not even sure of my exact technique; I think I start to let up on the clutch, then quickly transfer from brake to gas, give it some gas and finish letting the clutch out. It takes me maybe only a second or two to do this, so unless it's really steep hill, I can avoid rolling back more than about a foot, and very few cars park that close behind you.

 

I cover both the gas and brake with my right foot. I press the brake with the left side of my right foot and sorta roll my ankle to give her some gas. Then as I release the clutch I roll the right foot off the brake to gas only.

For some reason I find this easier than the classic heal and toe of left foot on clutch and brake. Maybe I'm just 'right footed'.

And of course as others have said practice is it. As it would happen I was just teaching a MINI owner with CVT how to drive stick Saturday. She did really well and we finished the day off with standing starts on a steep hill.

Seems like the 1/2 the trick is being able to engage the clutch quickly but smoothly. And likewise being able to move from the brake to the gas very quickly, but without over revving. The tendancy when learning is to hit the gas and rev pretty high. To move to the gas pedal very quickly and take it to say 2000 rpm but not over is a learned skill just like learning where the clutch engages.

 

Using the e-brake is really the best way, honestly. No roll back at all(especially important to the car behind you) and easy on the clutch. It does take practice though.