Instruments & controls
We’ll spend some time looking at the main & auxiliary controls of the car and talk about their function.
These are the main foot controls
The clutch pedal – We operate the clutch pedal with our left foot. When we want to select a gear, depressing the clutch pedal separates the gear box (and wheels) from the engine’s constant rotation via the clutch, we can then select a gear.
Raising the clutch pedal re-engages the clutch plate and reconnects the gearbox with the engine and allows the engine power to transfer to the wheels.
When the clutch is just starting to become engaged, this is called the “biting point”. We’ll feel the car just starting to creep forward. When we operate the car with the clutch partially engaged, we call this “clutch control” and use it mainly for very slow speed manoeuvres, for example creeping forward at junctions or parking in a marked bay. When we are not using the clutch, we can rest our foot on the foot rest to the left of the pedal.
The brake pedal – We operate the brake only with our right foot. (We also operate the accelerator pedal with our right foot by pivoting between the two.) If we press the brake lightly, the car will start to slow down, as we increase the pressure it will slow down even more, fully depressing the brake 100% will bring the car to a stop.
The accelerator pedal – Sometimes referred to as the “gas” pedal, this control requires slow, gentle & smooth inputs. The more we press it, the faster the car will move. If we take our foot of the accelerator, the car will start to lose momentum and slow down.
These are the main hand controls.
The steering wheel – It’s important that we are in control of the steering at all times and keep both hands on the wheel when possible. We hold the wheel roughly at a “10minutes to 2o’clock” position. We can use a “push & pull” technique to feed the wheel through our hands as opposed to crossing our hands over one another. When your instructor gives you guidance for making small adjustments to the steering, they may compare the steering wheel to a clock face, for example, steer 5mins to the left. For larger movements they might say " half a turn right" or "steer one full turn to the left". If you are asked to put the wheel on "full lock to the right" you will rotate the wheel to the right until it reaches it's stopping point.
The gear lever – We can select a gear by depressing the clutch pedal. We use the gears to build up speed. A low gear will give us slower speeds and lots of power, perfect for getting the car moving from a stationary position. A higher gear will give us higher speeds but less power, this is what we need for driving on faster roads.
The parking brake – Sometimes referred to as the handbrake. We use this to secure the car when we are stationary or when our foot needs to come off of the foot brake. For example, to hold the car still while we find the biting point to pull away. We must only apply the parking brake when the car is completely stationary, applying the parking brake when in motion can cause the wheels to lock up and the car to skid.
Other controls & instruments include our indicators, windscreen wipers, lights & speedometer. We’ll take a closer look at these auxiliary controls and how they work as we need them.