It's weird that spirited driving like this is totally legal and people still get really arsey about it. Just because they wanna drive like a Grandma doesn't mean the rest of us do all the time.
@@MickDrivesCars I paid for the horsepower I'm going to use the horsepower. All 82 of them! Actually I also got the car free when my mum got another one.
Used to own an alfa 156; loved that car, took it for drives just for fun, but sold it. I am currently saving up for a used cayman while I drive a fiat panda to work. Love the panda too, but never pushed it rly (except for some dirt roads, it was tons of fun!). Your video made me wanna take it for a "spirited" drive!
If you haven't seen it - go watch my ''slow car fast pov''. That will get you in the mood to send that panda :) Respect on the alfa. I always wanted a Brera since I was like 18 but just never got brave enough to do it. One day I really will. I swear :)
Thanks for the great Video, Mick! I’ve been trying to find a good video about engine breaking while driving down hill but I couldn’t… I wish it could be your next one! I really enjoy your works! Please keep it going :)
4:16: Look at his right wrist being bent inwards as he makes the right hand turn. Top tip (from police advanced drivers): By rotating his right hand and flexing the wrist outward, he would get LOTS more flexibility and control (and it's a lot more comfortable).
Nice tips, I'm a manual gearbox fan too. About the new studio I'd suggest simplicity: ex. your channel logo on the wall behind you could work meanwhile you figure it out. Have a great 2024🎉.
As a happily married 58 year old whose competitive days are long behind him, I must say that I prefer the lazier but still thrilling driving on paddles when cracking on a bit. The reduced engine braking means you can develop a more intimate relationship with your brake pedal, and always having both hands on the wheel is so confidence inspiring and keeps that steering feel constant. All this can only happen in 'manual' mode of course. Manuals gearboxes are more involving for sure, but I drive a manual bus for a living, and I love to relax in my semi auto Golf when driving home after a hard working day.
Yo cool video mick! I was in a weird position , where i loved cars , f1 and wrc, but really didnt enjoy the act of actually driving But now i love both! And your videos played a part in that :)
Mick! I think you should deffinitely put a few different things on the wall ( I'd love to se your dream car up there !) also maybe even take polls periodically to switch things up so the viewing experience stays fresh! Great upload as per usual by the way! More people need to hear about these practices and concepts. Too many amazing drivers cars go to waste because their paddles and rev limiter never even come close to seeing any action!
I really fell in love w your channel this year mate! hope 2024 treats you well. I was thinking a little poster of your favorite car in the background would be nice
Another great video. I bought my first car two months ago. It's a vw 1971 beetle. I learned to drive manual on that :D your tips are so very important especially for a car with very limited power like mine. I have to say driving manual is starting to feel really amazing! Thank you for the effort you put in your videos!
You probably do not want to be changing gear on a wet road with steering lock on at corner entry. Get the gear change done before you turn in so you are not getting dynamic engine braking loads on the tyres while turning.
@@Daniel-hq5mymodern auto gearbox cars will probably sort this out for you, but it is still better not to get into the habit. Having said that there was the rule about not changing gear while overtaking and that does not apply to autos either.
but you have control in one and no control in the other Dude... seriously... this video really wasn't that bad lol. this is my last comment in this chain btw
Well I don't want to be too picky (again) right at the beginning but, RPM is revolutions per minute, not firing (FPM?) Again...are you steering with your hands or just suggestions? Try and keep at least one hand on the wheel most of the time. You are driving a car with a semi auto/tipotronic gear selection. So choosing to over ride the automatic gear selection, when the car is operating in "eco" mode, is maybe not the most efficient way to drive the car/operate the gears. By over riding the eco selected gear, you will generally be selecting a "lower gear an increasing the engines revolutions, not as "eco" fuel efficient. If you wish to drive more fuel efficiently then look further ahead (red traffic lights!!) and reduce speed, so as to maintain momentum, without having to change gear, coming to a stop,accelerating to regain speed. If you are driving in eco mode and need extra acceleration, then fully depress the accelerator and the car will "kick down" select a lower gear to give more acceleration. The "manual" selection of gears in a semiauto gear selecting gearbox is for "anticipation" driving.. Or if you want to pretend that you are Sir Hamilton?? If you are in a situation where the road conditions ahead....pot holes...elevation..a group of cyclists, horse rider....etc (the car can not see ahead) then select the appropriate gear manually. Your "spirited" driving? Ok, for a start you should not be changing gear mid corner All acceleration/deceleration should be done while the car is travelling in a straight line, not with the steering wheel turned. In a car with semi auto box, if you do not select "sport" mode for the gear selection then you may find that down shifting while in eco mode will cause the car to over ride your gear selection after a number of seconds because in the cars "brain", you are driving in an un-eco gear and it will then select the correct eco gear, as it is programmed for eco driving in eco mode. Maybe if I were interested enough in the channel and the content here I might spent a little time to discover what your qualifications are...I am not But I would humbly suggest that bad advice is worse then no advice. Should I watch your video on 3 things you don't understand about wet driving? Well I have just seen you drive in the wet, so I already know at least 3 things that you do not understand.
i have 150 hp but i have more fun than my friends with 300 just cuz they dont have manual mode. i dont need to be going 130 mph to have fun i just need to start using my paddle shifters, boom +5 fun points just like that
Everywhere near me is road bump hell. So even slow 30 mph driving is marred by having to crawl over them. Good gear use is essential and even helps reduce brake wear and tear :)
Bro thank you this may not mean much too you but bro you helped me with my steering In one of your videos an I watched hundreds of videos but your steering video helped me a lot keep up the work bro I hope people come across your channel
Low RPM for economy is crap in 3 pots. Ford for example uses moving shaft counterbalances and the DMF to make the 3 pot not feel like a bag of diesel dicks, which it does below 2000 rpm where those parts no longer seem to help. Possibly because the turbo is mapped out completely for economy at that rev range. To you and your passengers it seems like the engine is lugging, so buyer beware with 3 cylinders… eco driving is particularly rubbish. That said I return 48-50mpg cruising at 2k as a rule. Every car is very different, increasingly so with technology like a jet engine under the bonnet.
It's more like ''lowest RPM for your car'' - every engine is different and you're 100% right. I've driven one of those 1.0 ecoboost 3-cyl fiestas and it was unhappy below about 1800rpm
Mick, your enthusiasm and passion is lovely to see. The correct gear for driving on an everyday basis is that which allows you to slow and go sufficiently to manage the driving environment, that is not going to be the highest gear possible. A lower RPM will not make for a smooth drive if it leads to rushed responses due to reduced control. Downshifting after turning into a corner is perhaps something you need to think about encouraging others to do, in terms of balance and grip. You might want to balance your gear choice by considering how much of the available RPM you actually use on the way out of each bend and to factor your use of torque and momentum back in.
How many gears does your car have? My 2 series acrive tourer (kids... 🙄) 225i has eight! Makes manual mode in this auto a total mess, far too much choice for most situations. Geared for economy I think, more gears to suit whatever sped you might be doing at any given time. I miss my old blunt intreument, an E46 330i six speed manual. This aint for me at all, may have to get rid of it :-( steering is very very light in the new car too, sport mode makes it heavy but not necessarily any better. Urgh 😒
@MickDrivesCars It accelerates fast enough, 231 hp, 258 lbs/ft and is comfortable etc... Exactly as quick as my old 330i, it just delivers all its performance in such a dull way, engine note & gearbox included. Despite M-Sport, Pilot Sport 5's, adaptive dampers, and all that. Am considering chucking it in for a Puma ST or Golf GTI 🤷🏻
I have a review of a mini clubman that has the exact same engine and transmission I believe. I did not like it 😂 To be honest though, for a practical daily the 225i is great. It's just not fun... But then you can guess that by looking at it 😂
@MickDrivesCars The 225i Active Tourer is gone! Been replaced with a 2019 Seat Leon Fr Sport ST (estate) 2.0 TSI 190, with the newer 7 speed wet clutch DSG box. What a car, very sharp & direct to drive. Might get it remapped, we shall see... It isn't at all slow but I may want more out of it down the line? Anyway, it's a significant upgrade on that piece of shit BMW. Anyway, keep the content coming Mick, you've got a good channel going here. I know it's not a Cupra but if you wanted to do a video on it at any point give me a shout, am based in N.E. London so not a million miles away.
@mick drivers cars i have a question. I have a petrol car with a turbo. Below 2000rpm i have no power what so ever. For car engine is it healthier to drive in the range of 2000-3000 or below 2000?
AFAIK, the principle "lower RPM = more efficiency" applies to turbo cars only up to a specific threshold (I'm uncertain about naturally aspirated ones). This threshold is typically the lowest RPM at which the turbo is fully spooled. Beyond this, there are questions of engine load or high throttle at low RPM, and how does it affects the engine over time. From a personal perspective, I find that driving in a slightly lower gear contributes to a smoother drive. To illustrate, opting for 4th gear at 50 kph (~30 mph) instead of 5th, or choosing 5th at 80 kph (~50 mph) instead of 6th, offers increased flexibility without any noticeable fuel economy penalty. I strongly suspect that this is more influenced by my driving style than being an absolute rule, however.
You're thinking efficiency in terms of power output rather than purely from a fuel savings point of view From a fuel saving point of view it's better not to spin the turbo at all and basically drive the car as if it was N/A
@@MickDrivesCars Well, I was thinking of the thermal efficiency of the engine, which is maximized when the turbo is spooled. In the case of my car (mk7 GTI, manual), this optimal point occurs at approximately 2,000 rpm, and, based on my observations, the fuel consumption in the 1,500-2,000 rpm and 1,200-1,500 rpm ranges seems to be virtually identical during cruising. Also, 1,500-2,000 rpm range (so peak or near-peak torque), enables me to drive smoother and places less stress on the engine. Which, in turn, may counterbalance a slightly higher fuel consumption as in more cycles = more fuel used. It's worth noting that the engine in this car doesn't like to sit under the ~1,500 rpm mark. Consequently, I prefer to stay in the "effortless range“. Nevertheless, I acknowledge that these results might be specific to my driving style, and individuals versed in ECU programming and fuel maps may have more to contribute than observations of one bloke.
In terms of fuel efficiency, being in a pouncing gear all the time (sitting in 2nd at a steady 35) uses more fuel for the same job. You are just burning fuel to cancel out the engine's own braking. I tend to drop it in top until I need to get ready to pass, then it's the lowest gear that doesn't exceed the rev limit 😆
Quite a good video but I have to say that the way you hold the stearing wheel very lightly with the thumb and forefinger of one hand whilst gesticulating with the other hand is not a great example. Wet roads, standing water, pot holes and generally just poor road conditions really do need both hands on the steering wheel whenever possible. That's my view anyway, other than that, good video.
what rpm u should upshift and downshift is car dependent, some cars have less gears, more gears, longer, short gears, final drives etc, driving low rpms all the time is not healthy especially on an incline, you would be bogging your engine which is extremely damaging
Thanks for the feedback! I actually really don't know where I stand on this one. On one hand, it feels like I'm ''hiding'' something when I cover it. On the other hand, it's obviously much safer for me to hide it.
@@MickDrivesCars definitely keep it hidden. As long as it can't be seen its up to speculation. whos to say u didnt downshift again and thats why the engine tone went up etc
For me the engagement of a manual is getting to know that car intimately. To understand what it needs from you in order to be smooth, what the gear ratios are so you can make smart choices based on the road and the speed. That perfect rev matched downshift that brings power to go up that slight hill at the 50mph limit.
No better feeling while driving when you nail that perfect heel toe downshift just before a corner and power out with the shove of the turbo spooling up and feeling the tyres just about scrambling for traction.
Thanks dude! I'm really proud of those! I think most are asking for channel logo + car wall art, but I'm printing those pictures anyway just for myself I recon :)
@@MickDrivesCars For sure get them printed, even if they don't end up on that particular wall! Thinking about it, I might do the same for my cars in future - I'm still on my first car so I'll have to get some nice photos of it to print before moving on to the next
VERY weird question but you're not local are you? I haven't done some car photography in a WHILE. Would love to meet up and do some. Also ping me on instagram - I have some unlisted car photography videos :) Our secret :P
Just subscribed. Im loving your content. I have a French Hot Hatch as well. Really feeling your channel is going to get very big soon!! Warm greetings from Chile!!❤
A question please? What are you thoughts on using more compression, changing gear, on approach to a hazard that is not a bend, shall we say actions by other road users, junctions etc (I identify a hazard as anything that requires or may require you, or another road user to alter course or speed) where extra compression (power) may be needed.
So your question is : Are there times when acceleration is the correct way to negotiate a hazard? Probably. Getting around a cyclist on a NSL road. Same with tractors or other slow traffic. Probably 100 other situations too
Another self proclaiming demi god driver with the ability to see into the future with his ' spidey skills ' Try a track day and get it out your system mate
Go watch my track day video if you'd like mate :) Make sure you stick around to where I save the car while getting very sideways down paddock hill bend at brands hatch.
I'm wondering with superbike riders, for maximum spirited riding on public roads I wonder if they just keep it in first gear, seeing as on some bikes it can get you to 100 mph, which is much faster than suitable for most roads in the UK, apart from vacant motorways, but as there's no up and down the speedo for corners, they may as well shift to top gear.
Second channel idea "MickRidesBikes," (well could do bicycles as well). What bike did you have? I've only ridden a 3 speed dirt bike in a ditch and a Piaggio Zip scooter, and a Scott Voltage MX3 with a Bafang BBS02B motor kit, so hardly superbike territory. My point is for maximum punch you'd never leave 1st gear on most public road twisties, apart from your initial low rpm engine warming phase. The only reason to leave 1st gear is if you didn't need the power, and wanted maximum fuel economy. Or if your bike was so powerful it would wheelie you off like a wild horse if you mashed the throttle and you wanted to tame it a bit.
You’ll live this. I had a mate that sold BMW in the 90’s (main dealer) He said to me that a particular car had a genuine 5 speed box - I asked what he meant by that and he said that in a 4 speed plus overdrive when you changed into 5th the revs would drop, whereas with a genuine 5 speed they didn’t. 😂 What he meant was 5th is 1:1 as opposed to ‘overdrive’ ie 1:0.9 Oh and btw. Rpm means revolutions per minute. It’s got f’all to do with how many times an engine fires. Else you’d have a v8 running faster than a 4 cylinder - at the same speed. Just looking at some of your positioning have you done any advanced training?
It's really funny - I did a whole 3 mins on explaining exactly how RPM works and ended up cutting it because it was just way too much. This little comment was all I could bring myself to leave in as a ''summary'' that your average joe could understand :) I started the IAM course but ended up leaving after a few lessons because I just didn't vibe with the people. Dude was explaining to me that I should be feeding the wheel to keep both hands on it at all times and I was like NOPE and never returned lol.
@@MickDrivesCars Ha, who’s that dude - Police driving instructor - taught the Royal Princesses to drive. He’s got a dvd out about commentary driving. Chris someone…I think. But by a strange twist of fate I ended up having a chat with him on the phone and voiced exactly the same apprehension. He said it didn’t matter all that much. The thing you’ve gotta watch out for with that lot is the dogmatic anoraks. If you get a proper traffic cop like my mate did, he didn’t get any of that. Another thing they’d let him do was straight line traffic islands. Why why not if you’re the only one on them? But how many times do you see someone enter and leave in the left lane and go the long way round? Why? Ffs! Or peeps getting all butt hurt when you overtake them at 40 in an NSL but you’ve crossed through broken hatchings to do it. Gearboxes are very simple: it’s mechanical advantage inversely proportional to velocity ratio. 😂 😂 😂 8 words - simple really..😂 😂 😂
Bro you said ''my car is much like yours'' :D CVT transmissions don't actually have gears - they fake it. Just ignore manual mode and don't worry about it. There's nothing to gain.
Ok, my bad. I heard these transmissions are bad. Wondering if i should service it but i cant find parts in stock on rock auto. I'm just learning about my car, I don't know that much.@@MickDrivesCars
First of all, I highly value and appreciate the time and effort you put into explaining your thoughts. I have learned a lot of things from you and I consider those crucial information for all drivers. I have a question for you. I drive a modified Renault twingo 3 0.9l tCE. dual clutch automatic, do I do any harm driving the car with manual override in gears? driving harsh and shifting up close to redline?
"just shift up at 2000RPM" My poor B series Honda just cried at that statement and it's going to take five minutes straight to get those revs back because of how much it bogged down Even just putting around town on a sunday drive you don't dare short shift that much
I mean - 2035 is still 11 years away. We'll have some good stuff I'm sure. And you can always buy used even after that. I don't think enthusiast cars are going away in my lifetime. Can wait for the day in 2062 when everyone is driving their stupid self driving fridges and I fire up the V8
@@MickDrivesCars it wouldn’t be as easy as it might seem, they’d probably get rid of the gas stations at 2040 or sometime, and i live in iran the gas is like 0.08€ per liter and the new cars are not getting imported except shit Chinese cars so we will use the old 2020s cars in 2035 probably 😂
When you try to accelerate in higher gear, while cruising at 1000rpm, the efficiency is actually low. It, better to downshift before putting the power down.
Hey Mick great content for many young and veteran drivers. Can you also do a video on how to drive a DCT vehicle, to understand how to drive in traffic, hill driving and going down hills in a DCT.
Some advice for the studio: try not to clutter the background too much - I think a few cool photos on either side of your head would be perfect. And for lighting, try not to wash out your skin tone too much with RGB lights. Have a nice neutral key light to make your skin look natural and pop, and maybe leave the RGB lights for a hair-light on the dark side of your head and for the background. We appreciate you levelling up the quality of these videos. Keep it up, mate.
Love the advice! Thank you! I think it's rather obvious it's my first time with any type of lighting 😂 but I'm looking to improve so I'll 100% try all your suggestions 👊 Also I think once the wall is black (spoilers), the RGB stuff will reflect around a lot less... I hope
@@MickDrivesCars Yeah, good luck and enjoy experimenting. Your stuff already looks way more professional than the first time I ever tried to light a scene 😂
Ah you're too kind! After doing the takes I looked back at the footage and saw all the blue light on my face and I was like -facepalm- :D I've got some smaller speakers on the way, once I do that I can get the key light a lot closer... that + lower the brightness on the RBG lights... black wall... couple bits of car art... I think I'll be in a good place.
Can I push gas and brake pedal mid turn at the same time?right foot - gas, left foot - brake, keep holding the gas about 50% down and the brakes just enough to make it through the turn then let it of ? - just a theory of mine, maybe it works ?
Should you have your foot on the accelerator pedal when downshifting or upshifting? In general, or any particular situations where you should, how about when going around those corners when you are downshifting?
Hi Mick, My car can only change gear through the gearbox instead of having paddle shifts. For spirited driving, should I change gears in corners? Having only one hand on the steering wheel while turning feels a bit weird.
ok thanks man thats great to know that your able to do that with 9-3 because i was not able to really do that when i turned to far right or left using 9-3 it felt like my arms could not reach so i think i need to move my seat more forwards @@MickDrivesCars
@@fn9six I don't mind "kissing" the limiter (usually 6-7k rpm) if the engine's warm and nothing wrong with it, though if I was there for more than a few seconds at a time I'd give it a break. Especially at low speeds where the car can't cool as well.
@@TimpBizkitI would too if it was a performance car but it's not. It's got a turbo and it's light so I'll push it but the engines have been known to have issues making me a bit paranoid 😂
@@fn9six I am thinking it probably wears out the head gasket quicker. I have the Cooper S Clubman with the Peugeot engine from 2008 that's having a head gasket job done on it. Similar to a 2007 C2 I had for 4 years with a 1.1 Peugeot engine but no turbo, so perhaps lower pressure. With the Citroen I ended up getting the mini instead of fixing it because the Citroen was an £800 car and there were other expensive parts like steering rack showing signs of wear.