Motors 51 Fiesta Flight stalls when trying to reverse...

GAS IT.

4,000 rpm should do the trick.

 

My Accord can barely move if I use the clutch only. The car is just too heavy

oh and don't even think about doing the heel-toe technique just yet , haha. You will kill yourself or anyone around you if you do it before entering a curve. i would like to practice it but I just can't move my foot on its side enough. I think my legs are too big

 

First, do a full stop, shift and have your right foot over the gas pedal, not over the brake pedal. Even if you are attempting to reverse against the inclination, easing the clutch and massaging the throttle will get you moving backwards. Always look where you are steering, even while reversing. I recommend you practice the routine of massaging the throttle while reversing in an open lot so that you can focus on lining up the car when you're on the hills.

The movement of the technique shouldn't be as dramatic people make it to be. Pedals are usually large enough or close enough together to throttle blip without gymnastic ankle twisting.

It will help you learn if you make braking using your toes a regular routine first.

 

I learned to drive on a diesel then switched to petrol for a while (until it became too expensive) - it sucks! You get used to being able to just dump the clutch and go, then you get in a petrol car and it stalls because you're looking at it funny I'd really rather learn on a petrol, if I had the choice.

One thing I noticed though, 3 cylinder 1 litre non-turbo diesel R teh suax compared to 4 cylinder 1.6 petrol Zoooom! I kept finding myself at 35 or even 40 in 30 zones, just because I was used to the diesel taking 3 years to get to that speed :S Diesel was better in traffic though, let the clutch out and it would follow along at 2mph.

I found if you just flex your toe a bit it helps, really there's nothing wrong with a few hundred more revs apart from the noise making you seem like an incompetent if you REALLY gas it Revs rise really fast until you load the engine, so if you blip it a little then move the clutch up a little it wont make too much noise.
But yes, switching clutch and fuel type at the same time is hard :| I do often wonder how people like Clarkson can just get in any car and off they go. Admittedly they do tend to "use all the rev range" to get going.

 

I learned how to drive standard on a suzuki samurai. In the begining I stalled the samurai as the engine was a 1.6L carb engine producing all of 60hp when new, after 20years I think it was making less.

Once I got used with the samurai's soft pedals and high gears I thought I was set.

Then I bought my mustang, I stalled 3 times out the stealership. The clutch is like a bear claw, and its very stiff and high. I was extremly pissed at myself for stalling so much.

What I did one night is I took my car to the bigest hills I could find, I stoped in the middle of the steapest incline and tried to get going. Lets just say I was very nervus. After an hour or so of practice, I never stalled the car again.

I can start off on an incline with little to no gas and can start the car in second with no gas in level/mild inclines.

Although after having the engine retuned, its all I can do to keep from chirping into second gear. HP has nothing to do with a cars feel. The same exact model and year car could have different clutch feel. Its about geting used to it. Practice at night or early morning when there is no trafic in the roads and put yourself through the paces.

 

I hear you on that one....

I learned stick on my dad's mini cooper and on a friend's 2001 mustang

 

If your fiesta has had a cheap clutch fitted, or a clutch fitted badly, this could be making things harder for you.

Anyone considering heel and toe - not all cars are set up for it, and if you want to learn it practice at slow speeds on an abandoned airfield or quiet business park at midnight etc. It's very easy to muck things up learning to heal and toe, and the consequence can be failing to brake for a hazzard with obvious results.

As a half way measure get some books on advanced driving, such as the police roadcraft manual, and start seperating your braking and down changes.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0117021687/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

So instead of mirror, signal manouver for any hazzard. It becomes a bit more comprehensive: information, position, speed, gear, acceleration . . . with mirror checks, signal, horn being considered as appropriate.

The relevent bit here, is to get the speed correct (such as slowing to 10mph for a left hand junction) using the brakes and block changing into the correct gear (having finished braking) using a little throttle as required to match engine reves/gear/road speed during the down change. As a lot of drivers stress the clutch by using it as a brake. Theirs more to the police system of car control than this, well worth reading up on.

 

I hear ya. I did the exact same thing when I test drived my 2001 Accord. I stalled 2 or 3 times before I could even get out of the driveway. I was really ashamed as there was like 5 person looking at me

I have had the car for 8 months now and I still find it harder to drive than the 91 Accord I had before. I had to tune my technique a lot to make the ride smoother than on the 91

 

Just go around driving, if you try some of the stuff in this thread and you will end up crashing, hurting yourself (and others). If you have only just passed your test just drive the way you were taught, it was good enough for you to pass right?

 

Thats how I was driving my car to start with (like my instructor had taught me)
that will work fine with a diesel car, but not with a petrol car as mine is.
i've now got the diferences. I was just asking if it was right, the diferences I had to get used to, to drive a petrol car.
ie. gas needed to move in any gear, rather than just clutch to move out slowly.
using the handbrake, wilst on a incline at a junction or roundabout.
all is fine with my driving.
it was just about gettin used to a petrol car, after learning and passing in a diesel.