Follow a good driver along a winding and twisting country road and there is hardly a twinkle of brake lights to maintain a high average speed.
Acceleration sense is closely allied to gearbox sense and a driver without the latter seldom has the former.Acceleration sense should be linked with a sense of speed to give the essential ingredient to safe driving – time to react – not only for yourself, but also for others to have time to react to you.
I find that I often wish to drive down a busy high street slower than the majority of drivers, to avoid braking and give more time for pedestrians to cross – after all it is not unreasonable to expect them to.
Yet in the country, I find I can afford to drive faster than the majority without braking.
Try to pace your driving so that you arrive at situations as they are opening up, not closing down.
Apply acceleration sense on approach to hazards that you can see well in advance, following others and overtaking. Use it with skill to “fit and blend” with traffic joining motorways and roundabouts.
It’s a great advantage to have a powerful car, and I consider it essential on occasion to develop a degree of “snap” – the ability to accelerate fast out of danger or leave behind a dangerous driver who insists on tailgating and follows too closely for his own safety.
Power is a positive means of creating safety and it is obviously not illegal to use firm acceleration when it is clear and safe to do so. You will never become an advanced motorist unless you learn to use the full degree of acceleration safely.
It is a good idea to use firm acceleration from low speeds when you can. You acquire an assessment of your car’s acceleration ability that otherwise takes years to acquire – then the first safe overtaking opportunity is never missed. I find lack of overtaking skill the greatest weakness in the majority of drivers and this is partly to do with poor acceleration sense.
Fierce acceleration in a powerful car can apply almost the same discomfort to passengers as harsh braking. Apply power progressively for smooth fast driving – before and after each gearchange the power should be tapered. Open the throttle slowly and fully to the floor for firm acceleration.
The transition from full acceleration to overrun should be gradual and progressive; otherwise wear and tear to the transmission and driveline is considerable. An analogy is take a short piece of wire and twist it back and forth with a pair of pliers – it will snap with fatigue in a short time.
I am amazed at how many people – even those with high performance quality cars – tolerate a sticky or sharp throttle pedal, potentially lethal if it jams the throttle wide open at a critical moment.
Others never experience the full performance of the engine because the throttle is not adjusted or a mat or carpet restricts the accelerator pedal travel.
I believe some drivers do not like the sound of an engine at high revs. This causes them to negotiate a hazard in too high a gear for flexible control of road speed with nothing in reserve – no power ready for the unexpected. They change up too early just because the engine is making a bit of a noise. So motorcars make a noise – so what? It is normally only expensive cars that are quiet.
For best acceleration when overtaking, the engine should “sing” between the speed of maximum torque and maximum power – say from 3000 to 6000 rpm with the average (petrol) engine. The accelerator should be opened progressively, gradually and fully to the floorboards.
Change up 500 to 1000 rpm below the red sector on the rev counter for mechanical sympathy. At very high revs, inertia and wear and tear to the valve gear is extreme, and there is no point in revving past peak power. When the engine note sounds right, glance at the dial to check what sympathetic ears should be telling you.
Get to know you car and it’s capabilities – and drive within them. Get to know the character of the engine and spread of power and know how to use the engine to get the best from the car. “Peaky” engines with a narrow power band and best torque high in the rev range need a close ratio gearbox and frequent gear-changing to keep the engine on song. With plenty of low-down torque you can use a higher gear and if you develop your acceleration sense to a high degree, you can choose a higher gear for the hazard than the driver who is not so skilled.
The use of power for hills should be planned ahead and the best gear and speed chosen in advance. It is a poor driver who waits until the engine labours up the hill before a gearchange is made.
To descend downhill, use the braking effect of the compression of the engine – select the same gear ratio to go down the hill as you would to get up, and take it at the top of the hill not dangerously halfway down.
You should be capable of missing out intermediate gears and avoid going through the box on the way down or UP. A “1 to 3” or “ 2 to 4” change can be used if firm acceleration is required away from a hazard; the lower gear for a gap behind, then the higher gear for cruising at the speed limit.
Be safe, brake first then change down on the approach to hazards.
Don’t always accelerate through bends, mostly maintain the speed you have judged on the approach to the curve (it gives confidence to your passengers – they may need it)
Read the road surface and if it is shiny or slippery accelerate firmly only in a straight line – graduate the degree of power with an expanding radius exit curve, to full power early with good grip. It is a typical lack of acceleration sense to accelerate firmly out of a bend when it is obvious that there is a slow-moving line of traffic ahead!
Forward planning is weak if you maintain speed too long when overtaking and are forced to brake.
Try to ease off the power early and pass at a steady pace.
Acceleration sense makes overtaking a line of vehicles a well-timed brisk and considerate manoeuvre – achieved without touching the brakes and using the acceleration of a powerful car for an absolute minimum of time. Assuming it is clear in the mirror, make sure there is a big enough gap ahead to go for, then move out before accelerating, and when you have a good look to see how it fits, give a warning if necessary and check for reaction. Accelerate hard for a short time, lift off as you go alongside, then tuck in without braking.
Here is an example of acceleration sense:
Imagine a half-mile straight of clear road leading to a sharp bend.
Many drivers will lightly accelerate over at least two-thirds of the straight, then brake for the bend.
Instead, firmly use full power when the view is best at the beginning of the straight, over, say, one third of the distance. During this time, assess the speed for the bend and gradually ease off the power – so that engine braking brings the speed to exactly that required for the corner.
Fuel consumption is the same for both methods, and acceleration sense assists concentration, alertness and safety.
Acceleration sense is difficult to acquire, takes constant practice all the time you drive and there is always more to learn about it.
All cars are different and the powerful they are the more demanding and satisfying they are to drive.
It takes many years of responsible driving to master acceleration sense in great cars like Aston Martin, Porsche and Ferrari.
It takes patience with yourself to avoid unnecessary braking.
Don’t brake because it gives you more confidence – brake only when you have to.
Develop your forward planning and judgment of speed and distance.
It’s hard work – but well worth it.
