“Uphill starts are similar to level starts, however you will have to make the engine work a bit harder. You do this by using more gas. Uphill starts require more power to prevent the engine from stalling. When you feel the clutch starting to bite, press the accelerator a bit harder than on a level road and then release the clutch just a fraction more. This will prevent the danger of rolling backwards.
After releasing the handbrake, apply a little more power to move off and release the clutch fully. Because it will take more time to build up speed, you may need a bigger gap in the traffic before starting to move than you’ve been used to before. This is becasue the traffic behind will be more likely to catch up with you and you don’t want to hold them up.
The uphill start method: Clutch down, select first gear, set the gas and find the clutch biting point. Make your observation checks, signal if required, release the handbrake gently. If the car starts to roll back, pull the handbrake back on and bring the clutch up a little more before releasing the handbrake again.
As the car starts to move, more gas. You will probably need to go a little bit faster than on a level road before changing to second gear, in order to compensate for gravity, which will slow the car down during the gear change.
The key points are:
– You will need more power for uphill starts.
– Incrase pressure on the gas pedal as the clutch bites
– You might need a bigger gap in traffic
– You will need to go faster before changing to second gear”
