BTL Basic Theory Lesson 1.01, 1.02
In the morning, I took 2 BTL classes. Though I have already passed my Basic Theory previous, the school still needs me to complete the lesson before I can advance to FTL (Final Theory Lesson). Just treat this as a revision. After all, I will definitely see all the signages when I start driving on the streets in the coming practical lessons.Stage 1 Practical Lesson 1.01. 1.02 Orientation of Vehicle, Pre-drive Procedures
My first practical lesson. I managed to find a cancelled slot yesterday so I decided to go for it. My instructor was a friendly soft spoken guy. In the beginning, he went through the different components of the car and their functionalities. First he described those components inside the car (eg seat belt, steering, all the indicators of the dashboard) then we got outside and he explained the parts of the engine, how to check the engine oil, battery oil and also how to change tyre).
I thought the whole lesson would be on this but after about 20min, he started to drive me out to the circuit explaining about steering maneuver and the clutch changing. Then we exchange seats and I began to drive the car. My first time driving. Very excited. We drove round and round the circuit for the next 1hr. It didn’t bore me at all. It was like a child who just learned to crawl and he was crawling around the house the whole day and the parents were going ‘Doesn’t he get bored keep crawling round and round?’. All along, I was in gear 1. Clutching is a rather confusing concept. The idea is not totally new to me though (I have played Daytona and Gran Turismo when I was young). But now when I was put inside a real car, I realized that the technique is far more complex. The most difficult part I found was clutching when starting off. The 'biting point' concept is quite distant to me. Basically what I understood is that when you start off in gear 1, you need to step the clutch halfway and the clutch will connect the gearbox to the engine. It is quite difficult to gauge exactly where is halfway. Press too much, the clutch will not catch, too little, the car will stall. I stalled many times along the way. Who designed such a complex mechanism?
I was also introduced to the concept of engine brake - meaning to reduce speed without using the foot brake but to use the ‘pull back’ from the engine when the accelerator pedal is released. It is meant to prolong the life of the foot brake (by not using it that often). It is kind of hard for me to appreciate it now (not my car). Maybe I will in the future when I own a car.
I thought the whole lesson would be on this but after about 20min, he started to drive me out to the circuit explaining about steering maneuver and the clutch changing. Then we exchange seats and I began to drive the car. My first time driving. Very excited. We drove round and round the circuit for the next 1hr. It didn’t bore me at all. It was like a child who just learned to crawl and he was crawling around the house the whole day and the parents were going ‘Doesn’t he get bored keep crawling round and round?’. All along, I was in gear 1. Clutching is a rather confusing concept. The idea is not totally new to me though (I have played Daytona and Gran Turismo when I was young). But now when I was put inside a real car, I realized that the technique is far more complex. The most difficult part I found was clutching when starting off. The 'biting point' concept is quite distant to me. Basically what I understood is that when you start off in gear 1, you need to step the clutch halfway and the clutch will connect the gearbox to the engine. It is quite difficult to gauge exactly where is halfway. Press too much, the clutch will not catch, too little, the car will stall. I stalled many times along the way. Who designed such a complex mechanism?
I was also introduced to the concept of engine brake - meaning to reduce speed without using the foot brake but to use the ‘pull back’ from the engine when the accelerator pedal is released. It is meant to prolong the life of the foot brake (by not using it that often). It is kind of hard for me to appreciate it now (not my car). Maybe I will in the future when I own a car.
Things to take note:
- To move off, make sure gear is at 1. Release clutch to ‘biting point’, hold there for 3s.
- Hands should not cross while turning or returning the steering wheel
- Use engine brake to reduce speed
- To come to a complete stop, step on the clutch fully then step on the brake. Otherwise the car will jerk and stall when it reaches a very slow speed.
- While driving straight, adjust the car so that the dashed white line in the middle of the road appears to touch the right lower corner of the windscreen.
Expenditure
BTL 1.01 $17.12BTL 1.02 $17.12
Practical $77.04
Total cost so far: $233.58
0 comments:
Post a Comment