im a paranoid driver help!!

[synergy]

dear all

here is the situation, i have only received my manual license 2 moths ago, and recently my uncle left me his new clio sport 172 (phase 2) with only 200km on the clock as his job took him overseas. (yes...i know im very very lucky). the thing is, it has taken me some time to get used to the clutch on the car, i feel that it is very vague, the contact point is way to far up (doesnt help with starting on hills, always over rev, makes me look stupid) and all pedals are amazingly light compared to other cars that i have driven. anyway, i have stalled quite a few times, find it hard to smoothly roll the car from a standstill (since revs drop to stalling point very quickly well engaged if not enough revs are given), and have done stupid things like trying to get started in 3rd gear (confusing it with 1st gear).

as you can see, i am sorta inexperienced, although i am getting better and am driving the car a lot smoother and confidently then before (havent stalled the car for nearly 3 weeks now)...i am just way way paranoid about the car, i am scared that it may not last as long due to the continuous engine and clutch strain i put it throgh, but most of all worried that power has been gradually lost. i have never thrashed the car, but go up to around 5-6000 revs in order to test the performance whenever i fall paranoid....argh!!, and yes it does feel like power has been gradually lost.

i love this car to death, and want it to remain in as new condition for as long as possible...so my question is...will this sort of driving severely hurt the car in the long term? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

thanks heaps!

 

[synergy]

oh, and also, everyone i have asked including my dad has told me that it should be ok....blah blah, and that i am worrying too much. but i cant help it, is this really the case? someone please put me out of my misery...lol

 

[GR7]

Synergy

Will your uncle be coming back or is the car yours for keeps?

 

[synergy]

well, i have talked to him...and he is over there for the long term...at least a good 5 years or so. when he comes back, hed probably want something new

 

[RobFenn]

Look, dont worry, i agree the biting point is quite on the new clios. Thing is in about a month or so youll have no problems with it and over a long period of time it wont effect the gearbox/engine. The worst thing to do is side step the clutch, which is when you just drop the clutch, too much of this will cause a lot of strain, but your stalling it, which is probably just lack of revs and slight mis timing so i wouldnt worry.

Good practice is going to a car park and experimenting with the clutch, dont use any throttle, just use the clutch and try to get it rolling at a constant pace, this will acclerate your learning of getting used to the clutch.

Be careful, a powerful car and new drivers dont tend to mix!

Good luck.

-Rob

 

[KDF]

I doubt you are loosing power, just getting used to it.

Yes I agree the clutch on the clio is quite light but I thought that was a bonus. A clutch engageing at the very top of its travel indicates that it is a new clutch, worn clutches tend to engage as soon as you lift the clutch pedal.

Take your time to get used to the car properly before you start driving fast. You are very lucky to have a car like this as soon as you passed your test, most people have a small engined car once they pass their test and then build up to a bigger car.

The accelerator can be hard to work cause it is DBW (drive by wire) and I feel you loose some of the "feel" in the peddle, but you get used to it.

Just keep going out on drives and you will get used to the car quick enough.

 

[KDF]

bloody hell, when I started typing no one else had replied .. lol

 

[SoLow]

Dont worry. I think most of the people on here do far worse "driving properly" (or so we say!). Lets face it a clutch aint all that expensive, so burn it out, replace it and get better. Enjoy playing and be careful at first. Remember that the reason most of us modify our cars is cos they feel too slow, we all get used to the power we have.

 

[Ben H]

I think youll pick it up soon. I think the worst thing about going from an auto to a manual is that autos creep forward when you engage the box - so you get lazy on uphill junctions and tend to forget about neutral/handbrake at the traffic lights.

Itll take a while to get used to, and any hard-core hot hatch like the 172 isnt exactly the beginners car of choice! The controls are all sensitive and any input you give is instantly translated into some sort of movement - unlike a granny car Micra.

 

[adiclio16v]

how old are you if you dont mind me askin and did you not have difficulty getting insurance

im sure u will get used to it soon (like u have of the power) evry1s cars feel slower after a while im quite fortunate that i have a van to drive daily and getting in the clio always feels rapid at first

adi

 

[synergy]

hey everyone

thanks for replying to my post, and i agree that i twill just take some time and lots of practice before i fully master it. the wierd thing is, the 172 takes the longest to get used to compared to any other car i have driven. anyway, i am driving a lot better, its just the odd mistakes here and there that really irritate me, i get so worried that i am going to damage it/cause power loss/reduce life etc...i just need to be reassured that not much damage has been done.

oh, and to answer your questions, i am 18 years old and the car is registered under my uncles company, so i avoid the heavy costs of insurance etc...if it wasnt for my uncle literally giving me this car, id be driving an old holden commodore ( the gears are a lot easier to handle in this car! i can tell you that much...) lol

thanks heaps guys....

 

[matty b]

18 with a 172, very nice!

 

[Cord-172]

Gonna sound really stupid here but what is side stepping the clutch? I can shgift through the old gears pretty quick - if I am gonna cause damage though its prob not a good idea. Do you mean literally not using the clutch or just giving it hell?