Why do cars roll backwards before going forwards in traffic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a crappy old car with an automatic transmission. It will roll back on hills because there is so much slip in the torque converter at idle.

My friend has a Civic with a manual transmission. He gets bored at traffic lights and doesn't use the brake when waiting at a red light on hills; he balances the clutch/throttle to hold his position. I think only men do this.

I do this too sometimes. I’m a female.

That's a great way to burn out your clutch prematurely.

As for the OP's question, it can also happen with automatic transmissions if the hill is steep enough. It's a simple physics question of whether the force of gravity acting to push the car backward is greater than the amount of torque passed through the transmission at the engine's idle speed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They have a manual transmission without hill assist and are not using the e-brake.

How do you use the e-brake in this situation? I’ve driven a manual for 20 years and only ever used an e-brake when I park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a crappy old car with an automatic transmission. It will roll back on hills because there is so much slip in the torque converter at idle.

My friend has a Civic with a manual transmission. He gets bored at traffic lights and doesn't use the brake when waiting at a red light on hills; he balances the clutch/throttle to hold his position. I think only men do this.

I do this too sometimes. I’m a female.

That's a great way to burn out your clutch prematurely.

As for the OP's question, it can also happen with automatic transmissions if the hill is steep enough. It's a simple physics question of whether the force of gravity acting to push the car backward is greater than the amount of torque passed through the transmission at the engine's idle speed.

I know. But it’s a little addictive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a crappy old car with an automatic transmission. It will roll back on hills because there is so much slip in the torque converter at idle.

My friend has a Civic with a manual transmission. He gets bored at traffic lights and doesn't use the brake when waiting at a red light on hills; he balances the clutch/throttle to hold his position. I think only men do this.

I do this too sometimes. I’m a female.

Yeah on steep hills you have to balance the brake and clutch or else you'll really burn the clutch trying not to roll into the car behind you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have a manual transmission without hill assist and are not using the e-brake.

How do you use the e-brake in this situation? I’ve driven a manual for 20 years and only ever used an e-brake when I park.

You stop at the light, put in neutral, put on e-brake. Foot on brake.
When the light turns green, shift into first -- when you start to feel the pull of the call, take off the e-brake. Prevents you from rolling back. I always use e-brake on hill stops now when driving a manual. Lesson learned after burning out a clutch by feathering the clutch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have a manual transmission without hill assist and are not using the e-brake.

How do you use the e-brake in this situation? I’ve driven a manual for 20 years and only ever used an e-brake when I park.

You stop at the light, put in neutral, put on e-brake. Foot on brake.
When the light turns green, shift into first -- when you start to feel the pull of the call, take off the e-brake. Prevents you from rolling back. I always use e-brake on hill stops now when driving a manual. Lesson learned after burning out a clutch by feathering the clutch.

I stop, keep foot on brake, put transmission in neutral, release the clutch.

When the light turns green, I push in the clutch, put car in gear, and push gas while easing off the the clutch. I’ve never burned out a clutch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So how far do you leave between cars? I know I leave more than other cars do, but maybe not enough. The cars I saw rolled back quite far which is why I noticed it.

I Drive Smart instructor said you should see the rear wheels of the car in front of you meeting the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So how far do you leave between cars? I know I leave more than other cars do, but maybe not enough. The cars I saw rolled back quite far which is why I noticed it.

I Drive Smart instructor said you should see the rear wheels of the car in front of you meeting the road.

I was told basically the same thing, a million years ago in driver's ed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the way, if a car rolls back and hits you while getting started, it's YOUR fault for being too close.

OP here. So how far do you leave between cars? I know I leave more than other cars do, but maybe not enough. The cars I saw rolled back quite far which is why I noticed it.

A good rule is you should be able to just barely see the bottom of the tires of the car in front of you where they meet the pavement. A few inches closer won't matter though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a crappy old car with an automatic transmission. It will roll back on hills because there is so much slip in the torque converter at idle.

My friend has a Civic with a manual transmission. He gets bored at traffic lights and doesn't use the brake when waiting at a red light on hills; he balances the clutch/throttle to hold his position. I think only men do this.

I do this too sometimes. I’m a female.

+1

I only roll back to f*ck with a-holes behind me.

[Anonymous]

Because American are crappy at driving stick shift?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a crappy old car with an automatic transmission. It will roll back on hills because there is so much slip in the torque converter at idle.

My friend has a Civic with a manual transmission. He gets bored at traffic lights and doesn't use the brake when waiting at a red light on hills; he balances the clutch/throttle to hold his position. I think only men do this.

I do this too sometimes. I’m a female.

+1

I only roll back to f*ck with a-holes behind me.

Another female that does this. Men do this only? WTF?

[Anonymous]

I have a 2010 Mazda 5, automatic, that does this on a slope. Sorry!

[Anonymous]

I've rented a few hybrids, like the prius, with automatic transmission, but they roll back a little too. Anyone know why? At least one had a feature that if you double pumped the breaks, it held your position for a second after you released the breaks. Maybe it was called hill stop? But it took me a while to figure this out. They should really highlight this feature for rentals in San Francisco!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a crappy old car with an automatic transmission. It will roll back on hills because there is so much slip in the torque converter at idle.

My friend has a Civic with a manual transmission. He gets bored at traffic lights and doesn't use the brake when waiting at a red light on hills; he balances the clutch/throttle to hold his position. I think only men do this.

I do this too sometimes. I’m a female.

+1