Traffic lights in s tronic, park or brake?

aspire2010

aspire2010

Registered User
Joined
Oct 31, 2016
Messages
44
Reaction score
9
Points
8
Location
essex
Hi guys i had a car pull up next to me at some lights and he put it straight into park, it then occured to me is that what is normal? Or how long is too long on the footbrake?

This is first auto car ive owned so not sure if your a lights can you just sit on the footbrake constantly? Is there a time limit you dont want to exceed on the footbrake?

Is it damaging the car in anyway by being on the brakes whilst in gear, i take it the car knows when its brakes are on and doesnt apply forward motion ?
 
aspire2010 said:
Hi guys i had a car pull up next to me at some lights and he put it straight into park, it then occured to me is that what is normal? Or how long is too long on the footbrake?

This is first auto car ive owned so not sure if your a lights can you just sit on the footbrake constantly? Is there a time limit you dont want to exceed on the footbrake?

Is it damaging the car in anyway by being on the brakes whilst in gear, i take it the car knows when its brakes are on and doesn't apply forward motion ?
Click to expand...
I always just use the brake. If I know I'm going to be there long I put it in neutral and handbrake purely to save my foot from pressing on the pedal. I have seen YouTube videos about this sort of stuff and they mainly say that engineers would have put some thought into this and countered somehow for leaving it in Drive for short periods of time. They say the motion of dis-engaging and engaging the gearbox coming in and out of Drive and Park is giving more wear than leaving it in Drive for a few seconds.
 
So if the brake is being pressed lightly (approx 25%) the car will still trying to pull away, does this wear anything, like how in a manual that would burn the clutch out?

Yet braking firmly does that stop power to the wheels or are the brakes just stopping the car from moving?
 
And the poor sod behind getting his retinas burned out? :sadlike:
 
  • Like
Reactions: lincoln_dj
I definitely wouldn't lightly hold it, if your at the lights make sure your firmly pressed. When you think about it the car doesn't stall and the fact when you begin to release the brake the car moves must mean that something going on inside is disengaging automatically. I'm no mechanic so does anyone know exactly how this works?

As in the video if you constantly edge forwards in slow moving traffic, not for releasing the brake, that is bad.
 
I just keep my foot on brake for however long I'm stuck in traffic. I'm too lazy. That's why I brought an auto. lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mark A Greenwood
Shady0808 said:
I always just use the brake. If I know I'm going to be there long I put it in neutral and handbrake purely to save my foot from pressing on the pedal. I have seen YouTube videos about this sort of stuff and they mainly say that engineers would have put some thought into this and countered somehow for leaving it in Drive for short periods of time. They say the motion of dis-engaging and engaging the gearbox coming in and out of Drive and Park is giving more wear than leaving it in Drive for a few seconds.
Click to expand...

I was also worried about first but after a while figured this was best. When stationary the brake is like a lurch and brake in one keeping the clutch disengaged until you lift off


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
hate it when i'm stuck behind someone who leaves their brake lights on at night. I'm sure it even tells you not to do this in the highway code...
 
  • Like
Reactions: fps_cod
Lots of ignorant drivers of any kind of car sit in stationary traffic with umpteen lumens dazzling the drivers behind; but you can't blame them if they don't know what a handbrake does, I suppose. Down to poor instructors nowadays.:sadlike::crying:
 
On a dual clutch box, I keep the brake pedal pressed to stay stationary for a short time like at the lights. The box is designed to deal with this and will not wear out. The only time I go into neutral is if I have been driving enthusiastically and don't want to keep the brakes engaged while stopped, while they are still very hot as that can result in uneven brake material deposits on the disk and cause uneven braking, judder, etc...

 
  • Like
Reactions: Whodafunk and curlo
So if your in drive can't you just brake to a stop and then use the handbrake? Should I then put it in neutral? Beginning to wish I'd got a manual gearbox! Driving used to be so simple
 
dave a c said:
So if your in drive can't you just brake to a stop and then use the handbrake? Should I then put it in neutral? Beginning to wish I'd got a manual gearbox! Driving used to be so simple
Click to expand...

Only use the hand brake in neutral or park, simples


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
dave a c said:
So if your in drive can't you just brake to a stop and then use the handbrake? Should I then put it in neutral? Beginning to wish I'd got a manual gearbox! Driving used to be so simple
Click to expand...

What @mechanic69 said, plus when in Drive, you have to keep pressing the brake as that is what tells the box to disengage the clutches - handbrake, or parking brake will not do that and the car will always try to pull you along and probably, eventually damage the box in the process.
 
I always go to neutral if stopped at lights. At a junction I just hold it on the brake!

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk
 
You can normally tell if it's going to be a while when you just miss the green or if just turning, it's pretty easy to get used to. Last thing you want is letting off the brake and hitting the guy in front


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I site there with launch control engaged ready for the lights to go green.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mark A Greenwood, curlo, HHS3 and 2 others
Modern cars keep the brake lights on when using their auto hand brake function - so on a new A3 for example with auto hold, you come to the lights, engine switches off and hand brake is on with rear brake lights on.

On other cars without auto hand brake like a current BMW M3 - you come to a stop and it will cut the engine while the brake is pressed - as soon as you release then engine restarts. So brake lights on when stopped is going to become more and more common.

Rick
 
  • Like
Reactions: sliced
That's because designers haven't got the brains they were born with and that's why there are such ugly cars out there with rear lights that look like cobwebs!!!:sadlike:
 
can't think of any reason to have the brake lights stay on once stationary for a few seconds, regardless of whether the brake is applied or not.

I'd love to see cars turn the brake lights off after a few seconds once speed has dropped to zero - especially on autos (guessing the effort of applying hand brake then putting into park isn't deemed worth it)
 
lincoln_dj said:
can't think of any reason to have the brake lights stay on once stationary for a few seconds, regardless of whether the brake is applied or not.
Click to expand...

Erm....maybe to let cars behind know you are stationary....??? If you are at the very back of a queue of traffic with no cars behind you, sat there for a while, then after a minute or so a car comes from behind it gives them a clear indication that traffic in-front of them is at a standstill. This applies even more so if you are stopped round a blind bend because the queue to the traffic lights has tailed back that far. There is one road around here I use daily that is exactly like that. When you come round a blind bend it's better to have brake lights on giving you fair warning than taking a few seconds extra to process the cars are not moving. Sure, it is only a couple of seconds to process that the cars are stood still, but that's all it takes to rear end someone, even when travelling the speed limit. This applies even more so if you are stopped round a blind bend on a single carriage way where the speed limit is 60 MPH because someone 5 cars infront wants to turn right and is waiting for a gap in the cars coming the opposite direction.

End of the day, it will be classed as a "safety feature" and will never be disabled just because it "hurts your eyes" that one night in winter and makes no difference 99% of the time.

In my own personal opinion....I really couldn't care, but I decided to play devils advocate so-to-speak and give a different perspective.
 
Benten69 said:
Erm....maybe to let cars behind know you are stationary....??? If you are at the very back of a queue of traffic with no cars behind you, sat there for a while, then after a minute or so a car comes from behind it gives them a clear indication that traffic in-front of them is at a standstill.
Click to expand...

So how do such drivers avoid driving into the back of stationary cars on a daily basis? either cars that are parked up, or cars that have correctly decided to apply the hand brake and sit in neutral? If you're driving into the back of stationary cars the issue isn't the brake lights of the guy in front....
 
lincoln_dj said:
So how do such drivers avoid driving into the back of stationary cars on a daily basis? either cars that are parked up, or cars that have correctly decided to apply the hand brake and sit in neutral? If you're driving into the back of stationary cars the issue isn't the brake lights of the guy in front....
Click to expand...

End of the day it will be classed as a safety feature! Never in a million years will VOSA allow manufacturers to disable a safety feature after is has been held on for a set amount of time because it "hurt my eyes that one winter night".

Also, you conveniently ignored the rest of my post where I mentioned it gives immediate warning if you have had to stop on a blind bend in a country lane because someone 5 cars in-front wants to turn right. End of the day, it lets cars behind IMMEDIATELY know you are stopped.

In the "normal" slow moving traffic situation that you quoted, generally there is fair warning in that the driver approaching from the rear can see cars moving slowly up ahead, that will not be the case when coming round a blind bend and the legal limit of 60 MPH, so the less time needed to process what you see the better. We all immediately know that red brake lights means STOP. A stationary car in the middle of a blind bend with no lights on will take a second or so to process. That's all it takes to rear end someone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

chrisb72
Dead Battery S-Tronic stuck in Park
Replies
6
Views
7K
L1ARR
L1ARR
Phil-1
S-Tronic or manual.?
Replies
21
Views
2K
AK47UK
AK47UK
Diamond
S Tronic or Manual?
Replies
5
Views
5K
Diamond
Diamond
daz5182
DSG or S-Tronic Warranty
Replies
9
Views
6K
MrLapou
MrLapou
JD007F
s-tronic or manual help!!
Replies
14
Views
4K
h5djr
h5djr
Top
Back