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Driving can become a mundane activity – but every now and then you could probably use a few advanced driving tips. A few minutes into an advanced driving course and you’d come away with useful tips – here are just a few that an advanced driver could teach you

Steering wheel control

Holding your steering wheel correctly is so important to having control when driving. Many use a 10 to 2 position but another position to consider is holding your steering wheel at a ‘quarter to three’ position. 

Sitting correctly

Many drivers get their sitting position incorrect – to sit properly, you should not be too high in the seat or too far from the pedals. Your legs should have a slight bend in them as to protect you from serious hip damage should you have an accident.

Look ahead when driving

An important tip is to look as far ahead as possible – instead of only concentrating on the car in front of you. Train your eye to always look at the very last piece of road that you can see. 

Know your brakes

If you have a modern car, then your car is probably fitted with ABS or an Anti-lock Braking System. It’s important that you experiment and get the feel of it – preferably with an advanced driving instructor in a controlled and safe environment.

So, you have probably heard of – and most likely used – cruise control when driving. The ability to maintain a set speed without keeping your foot on the throttle or brakes is a great way to relax your legs and let you focus on other things on the road.

Conventional cruise control adjusts the throttle, maintaining the car’s speed on both flat stretches as well as on hills. The throttle is adjusted by fuel being injected into the combustion chambers to produce more torque – speed is set from switches usually located on the steering wheel. While older systems allow the vehicle to creep about the chosen speed, newer systems come fitted with a speed limiter – ensuring that you are kept within a range of your chosen speed.

Mercedes-Benz made this idea popular almost 20 years ago with its radar-based Distronic system. This system lay the foundation for autonomous motoring and became a useful labour-saving device.

But what about the ability to also maintain a set distance from the car in front?

Distronic and other ACC systems added computer processing power to adjust the set speed up – or down – thereby matching the varying pace of the car ahead. This ability to read traffic and observe speeds is done from input via one or more sensors.  

While distronic systems rely on radar, there are other systems including LiDAR – which is essentially a laser system, bouncing a laser off the back of the car in front of you.

The festive season brings many enjoyable moments – however, it can also set to bring on traffic jams, long road trips and rushed trips to the local shop. With this holiday season in full swing, aren’t you interested in learning how to become a safer driver?
Here are our top tips to becoming a safer driver this holiday season

Be courteous

Being a good driver and being a courteous one go hand in hand – small gestures go a long way in being a better driver but also at keeping yourself and others safe on the road. A few small things that you can try to do include anticipating is someone is attempting to merge in front of you and leaving a gap for them, or slowing down to let a fast vehicle overtake or pass you.

Know the rules of the road

Road rules are necessary in ensuring that everyone using the road is kept safe. You should know all the rules that you are taught when applying for your licence, but it’s really great practice to learn and relearn the road rules from time to time.

Know your car

Take an hour or two and get to properly know your car – read the owner’s manual or do some research into all of the features of your car.

Distractions need to be ignored

Distractions easily happen – from a conversation with a passenger, your phone beeping through to an interesting broadcast on the radio. It’s best however to keep distractions to a minimum and to focus solely on driving.

Have you ever imagined what your driving experience would be like without suspension? What a bumpy ride!

Today we investigate how dampers work – a vital part of any suspension system. More commonly called shock absorbers, these hydraulic suspension components keep your car’s springs from bouncing uncontrollably over bumps.  

But do you know what dampers are or how they work?

Dampers control the bouncing movement of the spring by providing resistance – ensuring that the tyres are kept in contact with the road. However, dampers do not support the weight of the car - the springs, another suspension component – do this job.

Inside the damper’s cylinder are valve passages and hydraulic fluid. As the suspension travels up and down, the piston moves inside the cylinder and the flow of fluid is slowed by the valve passages, which control the speed of the piston’s motion. This process controls the movement of the suspension. This is important as the dampers play a role in the handling of your car – from the vehicle’s stability, cornering and handling through to traction and braking.

 Clearly, dampers are an important part of your car – but these are often overlooked and not properly maintained. Often people fail to tell if their car’s dampers need replacing as they wear out over a long period of time – slowly deteriorating. Swerving when braking is a tell tale sign that it’s time to change out worn out dampers.

Adaptive headlights are increasingly common on all cars from affordable models to German-engineered performance vehicles. But why adaptive headlights?

Adaptive headlights are relatively new and still remain unfamiliar to most drivers. They are an active safety feature which assists in widening your field of vision for night driving. Adaptive headlights use different systems – depending on the manufacturer – but use either sensors or cameras to monitor the car’s position and alter the headlights functionality accordingly. 

A few features that adaptive headlights have to offer

Auto High beam

Auto high beams have high beams as the default light setting. Forward mounted cameras identify oncoming vehicles and send signals to your headlight which automatically switch to low beam without any help from the driver.

Self-levelling headlights

Another cool feature from adaptive headlight systems are self-levelling systems. These counter upwards movements of the car from travelling over bumps – by self-levelling the headlights, avoiding glare for drivers travelling in the opposite direction.

Swivel headlights

Adaptive headlights use swivelling headlights or static headlights equipped with additional reflectors – which widen the field to either the left or the right, specifically when the car turns to change direction. 

GPS enabled headlights

A further advancement of adaptive headlight technology includes the integration of GPS location data. Such integration will create the possibility of using GPS location data to predict road type and location – setting the light required ahead of time.

Buying your first car can be exciting – but also overwhelming and maybe even scary. From the paperwork to the legalities, there are many pitfalls along the way.

Check out our tips for buying your first car

Choosing the right car for you

With so many options, you are spoilt for choice. Before you start to research any cars, it is best to understand your needs – do you need a city runabout or something more substantial to take you cross country.

Understanding the law

It’s important to always be sure of the law in your state – and what applies directly to you. Be sure to brush up on this and keep up to date with any changes. 

Ongoing costs

From ongoing service costs, insurance implications and fuel economy, there are many long-term costs that you should consider when buying your first car.

Warranty

Most new cars come with a standard warranty on purchase, be sure to find out what is covered with your warranty and for what duration. It’s also a good point to find out costs of replacement and repair costs are for your car – especially if you decide to keep your car after your warranty has expired. If you are buying a second hand car, ask about the warranty cover that has been taken out on the car and if it is transferrable to you as the new owner. There are also extended warranty purchases that you can make – be sure to ask what is best for your needs and budget.

Does your car come fitted with a spacesaver spare? Spacesaver spare tyres have become part of modern automotive life – but have you considered their safety or the rules when using one?

Being properly prepared for a flat tyre is a necessity to any car owner – do you know if you have all of the proper equipment to change your tyre in your car? But have you also considered what type of spare tyre you have and when last you checked the air pressure?

Spacesaver spare tyres are a smaller, more compact option that many manufacturers fit into their cars – these are more temporary use spare tyres compared to the full-sized spare tyres.

There are both pros and cons to spacesaver spares however, and there are some key rules to follow if you fit a spacesaver spare to your car.

Rules to follow when driving with a spacesaver spare:

Spacesaver spare tyres are designed to only get you back home or to the mechanic, they are not designed to be driven as a long-term alternative to a full-sized tyre.

Typically, you are able to drive a few hundred kilometres on a spacesaver tyre.

Spacesaver tyres have a speed rating of 80km/h, driving over this speed is dangerous as these tyres don’t properly grip the road, reducing steering and stopping ability.

Pros of spacesaver spare tyres

Spacesaver spare tyres are more compact and take up less space than full size spare tyres

Spacesaver tyres are lighter than a full-size tyre

Cons of spacesaver spare tyres

Spacesaver tyres have a low range and can be worn out very quickly

They are only rated and safe up to speeds of 80km/h

The full-size flat tyre may not fit into the spacesavers position in your car after changing it out for the spacesaver

The brakes in your car are important – they are one of the most vital systems in your car. But do you ever give them much thought?

Conventional braking systems convert the kinetic energy of your moving car into heat energy through friction – if the heat energy generated exceeds the energy making the car move, your car will slow down. When you press the brake pedal, hydraulic pressure is fed to the brake assemblies at each wheel through brake lines – in turn forcing pressure against the friction surface which turns the wheel.

Accumulated heat, vapour lock and improper maintenance are all problems that increase the likelihood of brake failure.

There are a few different types of brakes – the most common being the disc braking system. A disc provides the friction surface that turns with the wheel, while a calliper squeezes the rotor with the friction liner to generate the friction and slow the wheel.

 Another type of braking system is the drum braking system, these are less commonly used on passenger vehicles. A drum forms the friction surface while a pair of semicircular shoes, housed in the drum, are forced outwards and onto the internal surface by a hydraulic cylinder.

 Newer and higher performance systems also exist – from conventional discs that can be cross-drilled and slotted to carbon-ceramic disc brake systems that use a rotor made from a blend of carbon and ceramic materials.