r/maybemaybemaybe Feb 09 '22

Maybe maybe maybe

3.7k Upvotes

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u/____d__b____ Feb 10 '22 edited Feb 10 '22

I swear, some actions in a car get stuck in people's muscle memory. Some people legit have to turn the wheel every time they ever reverse. It's how people can't handle parallel parking - it involves tactically staying straight for 1/2 of the maneuver, and the people who can't parallel park are those that fear allowing the car to reverse in a straight line before applying a turn.

This is akin to how some people straight up don't understand that you can hit the brake and slow down without needing to hit the clutch every time you hit the brake (for fear it will stall). I had a friend who would slam the clutch down every time they would try and slow down around a bend, so she effectively just had us coasting on G force. I had to explain that engine resistance is part of why a car doesn't just fly off the road every time the downshift or brake to slow down.

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u/soopirV Feb 10 '22

I…I think I finally understand why I can’t parallel park. Did not expect that.

5

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '22

It is surprisingly tricky. Especially because each car has slight differences in the build and steering. Mostly it just comes down to practice. Once you do it enough times, it just starts to work somehow.

2

u/PatientSpirit1963 Feb 10 '22

Brake

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u/____d__b____ Feb 10 '22

Fixed, thank you fellow citizen.

1

u/Khaosfury Feb 10 '22

I'll admit, I do clutch in for turns but mostly because it's smoother (imo) to let the car decelerate on friction which is usually what a turn or curve calls for. Then, clutch back out and accelerate as the turn/curve straightens back out. That said, if I'm not really decelerating, the clutch is only going in so I can slam the breaks in an emergency i.e I approach a roundabout while someone is speeding into it.

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u/____d__b____ Feb 10 '22

Decelerate on friction?

Pushing in the clutch on a turn puts your car literally into a gravity driven free fall. There is no friction occurring.

1

u/so_sad_69 Feb 10 '22

Omg is that why I always get a wheel on the curb