So called " Driving aids" on new cars , help or hinderence ?

[Nigel R]

80% of drivers think they are above average. A lot of drivers overestimating themselves out there.

 

I'm all for things that make humans less likely to make mistakes.

[PatMc]

1 hour ago, Dale Bradly said:

VAuto dipping headlights. Second best thing ever. Why?

1. I'm human. I forget. I miss switching correctly from time to time. I'm also lazy. So its one less thing i have to do in life. 

2. Because I'm human, and not 100.00%  reliable at all hours of every day, as opposed to the camera smarts (or whatever it is that my vehicle is using) that doesnt get tired, doesnt have off days, doesnt "just forget", other drivers are not blinded by my faults.

Therefore this has to be a win for the tech, because the other road users are the principal benefactors, not me.

If it avoids another car hitting you head on because your un-dipped headlights blinded them you share the benifit. 

[Ron Gray]

Finding it next to impossible to get into your car because someone has parked far too close, no problem, activate auto '(un)park' and the car drives itself out - brilliant.

Edited July 26 by Ron Gray

[Trevor]

Have you ever used this feature out of necessity Ron? I’ve only tried it out on the drive, just to check I could make it work.

[Ron Gray]

Used it to pull out of a tight spot (as above) and 'played' with the auto parking in a car park, works very well but a bit scary when you're not in the car!

Edited July 26 by Ron Gray

[kc]

On the hired Opel Astra the elecronics recognised every yellow village sign in Austria & Germany ( indicating 50 kph limit ) or speed limit sign and gave a distinctive noise that the speed limit had changed and a different sound when that speed limit was exceeded.   ( of course I never exceed the limit but the speedo was 3 k fast so I heard it work! )   Very handy I thought.

 

I reckon a rear reversing camera is an almost essential item to most modern cars which have restricted view rearwards.

[Geoff S]

7 hours ago, Ron Gray said:

Used it to pull out of a tight spot (as above) and 'played' with the auto parking in a car park, works very well but a bit scary when you're not in the car!

 

To get out of a tight spot you just need a steering lock like Triumph Spitfire - it almost turns the wheels at 90 degrees!  Never had any problems 'unparking' - or parking for that matter when we had one. 🙂

[Ron Gray]

Spitfire was great until it rained and you went fast into a bend and it tucked the inside wheel in due to the rubbish transverse leaf spring suspension. The GT6 was much better as the suspension was ‘proper’. 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

47 minutes ago, Geoff S said:

To get out of a tight spot you just need a steering lock like Triumph Spitfire -

First you have to have enough room to open the drivers' door, try the new mini for one.

[Geoff S]

1 hour ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

First you have to have enough room to open the drivers' door, try the new mini for one.

With a Spitfire you don't need to open the door to get in.

[Ron Gray]

Mine had a hard top which was only taken off in the summer. 

[PatMc]

Not long after I got the Qashqai I was just finished some shopping, bumped into a (non driver) friend from our village also carrying some shopping so offered him a lift home. The car was parked in a fairly tight spot so as I was reversing out I was using the "birds eye" camera as well as the others. My friend went dead quiet & his jaw dropped when he saw what was on the screen. Once we were on the road he was bursting to ask how the birds eye view was done.  

The conversation went -

Didn't you notice the flap on the rear of the car roof ?

No, what does that do ?

It automaticaly opens, a small drone pops up & hovers over the roof feeding the view back into the car. Then it goes back in when I'm finished reversing.

That's fantastic it's almost like magic! Wait till I tell the lads at the club (CIU) on Friday night, they won't believe it. 

At that point I had to come clean but he did see the funny side & bought me a pint that Friday.

 

PS He did tell his mates about the screen view & how wonderful he thought it was but neither of us mentioed the "drone". 

Edited July 26 by PatMc

[Geoff S]

1 hour ago, Ron Gray said:

Mine had a hard top which was only taken off in the summer. 

We aren't all nesh 🙂

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

8 hours ago, Geoff S said:

With a Spitfire you don't need to open the door to get in.

I had 3 MG Midgets, and a hard top on the first, but no way today could I cock my leg up to get into one today.

[Don Fry]

1 hour ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

I had 3 MG Midgets, and a hard top on the first, but no way today could I cock my leg up to get into one today.

Paul, does that statement indicate senile incontinence , or an acceptance that that a slightly misshapen sex god is currently unemployed due to a lack of customers, or just a lack of exercise. Tell more.

[Kim Taylor]

13 hours ago, Ron Gray said:

The GT6 was much better as the suspension was ‘proper’. 

Not until the Mk2.

The Mk1 had the same swing axle as the Spitfire and was criticised soundly in the press.

The Mk2 had a modified rear suspension, although I seem to recall it retained the transverse leaf spring (I may be misremembering).

The Spitfire Mk4 also had a modified rear end, maybe the same as the GT6.

Prior to this, there was a retrofit kit for the swing axle which comprised of basically a single leaf spring which was bolted across the rear end the 'other ' way up to the main spring. This was meant to prevent the extreme tucking of the outside wheel when cornering hard, which I believe it did to some extent. Fitted a couple of them to Mk3 Spits.

Early driving aid, maybe????? (he said,trying desperately to claw his way back on topic) 

Kim 

[Eric Robson]

47 minutes ago, Kim Taylor said:

Not until the Mk2.

The Mk1 had the same swing axle as the Spitfire and was criticised soundly in the press.

The Mk2 had a modified rear suspension, although I seem to recall it retained the transverse leaf spring (I may be misremembering).

The Spitfire Mk4 also had a modified rear end, maybe the same as the GT6.

Prior to this, there was a retrofit kit for the swing axle which comprised of basically a single leaf spring which was bolted across the rear end the 'other ' way up to the main spring. This was meant to prevent the extreme tucking of the outside wheel when cornering hard, which I believe it did to some extent. Fitted a couple of them to Mk3 Spits.

Early driving aid, maybe????? (he said,trying desperately to claw his way back on topic) 

Kim 

And they all including the Herald come with the rapid rust kit that ripped the suspension mount out of the chassis. Triumph made big publicity about extensive testing in the Sahara desert,  when they were put on the market in England the Herald leaked water in all over. The turning circle was only bettered by the Bond minicar.

I like the start stop on my Octavia, and all the other aids although if I go back to a  conventional car I may forget to put the hand brake on as this is automatic too. 

[Engine Doctor]

On 23/07/2024 at 11:22, Dickw said:

If I put a manual handbrake on my wife sometimes cannot release it.
My wife is fairly short and therefore has the seat well forward, so a manual handbrake lever is often slightly behind her and difficult to use.
An electric handbrake solves both problems - brilliant.

 

I have had manual handbrake cables fail in the past, so don't try to tell me they are more reliable.

Dick

A driving aid thats worth having JMO . Saves marriges when car is shared . 😉

Manufacturers like them because they are cheaper to produce / fit . 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

4 hours ago, Eric Robson said:

the Bond minicar.

My first Convertible, real class,,,😅 1 cylinder to 4 now 8,,,

[MattyB]

On 23/07/2024 at 10:14, kc said:

Nobody seems to have explained why they like electronic handbrakes rather than the good old fashioned  handbrake lever!

Surely a handbrake lever that does not need electric power must be a safety feature?    With the extra advantage that the manual handbrake can be applied gently or fully according to circumstances.

Manufacturers like them because it frees up cabin space for storage cubbys  that focus groups have told them customers really like!!! 😂😂

[Nigel Sharp]

It will be down to out source wire loom.

 

Electric switch.

 

And less labour to fit.

[GrumpyGnome]

Drove up to Scotland and back - 800+ miles.... the adaptive cruise control and lane control was absolutely brilliant. If I drove a lot of motorway miles, I would want them both. 

[Engine Doctor]

On 27/07/2024 at 14:51, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

My first Convertible, real class,,,😅 1 cylinder to 4 now 8,,,

My first job on leaving school was as a workshop boy ( do anything the foreman told you to do)at Elite motors at Tooting south west London. We worked on all makes of motorcycles and three wheeler mini cars.The Bond mini car. What an awful thing that was and anyone dreaded getting a job on one of those .The really class bit was having to lift the bonnet and kickstart the Villiers engine on early models,especially in the pouring rain. Later a conversion was sold in newpaper adds and Exchange and Mart , remember that ? . The conversion consisted if a length of steel cable with a grip handle and a clamp to fix it to the kick start lever . This was run through holes drilled in the firewall and the dashboard. Really crude ! Later a Dynostart was made and fitted as standard...luxury !

Driving aids back in pre and post war era were all classsed as extras and heavily taxed . Things like heaters, passenger windscreen wiper blade and you even had to have a licence if a radio was fitted .

 

[Phil Green]

Here's my story, ignore it if you're not intrigued by Bond Minis 😊

Its 1971.
Bear in mind I was only just 16, when you were allowed to start out on a 250cc and ride without a helmet.
My dream bike at the time was a 250 Royal Enfield Continental GT, however...

My Dad had impressed on me that the twelve-year-old, bought-for-£45 BSA C15 constantly needed the valvegear oiling because the oilways were bunged up internally. This I did with absolute dedication for a week. A month later, almost home from a Cadwell Park meeting, the valvegear seized through lack of oil and wrecked the top end. Now my uncle was forever my saviour, he rescued me from all sorts of automotive catastrophies over the years. He was the chief mech at a local scrapyard where they made & sold whats now termed cut & shut cars. They did it properly of course, he was a proper engineer.

Anywho, we told him of the C15 engine's mysterious demise 😉 and he took me to the yard and showed me a Bond Minicar 3-wheeler. These two-seater death traps had a single powered front wheel and two freewheeling rears. They usually had a Villiers 197cc two-stroke motorbike engine, but this one was the sporty version with a Villiers 4T 250cc twin, an ideal donor for the C15! Actually its the same engine used by Royal Enfield in their 250 Turbo Twin (which didnt have a turbo, but was a twin...)
Whilst at the yard I had a rummage and found two Suzuki 250 exhausts, in fact I found a complete Suzuki Super 6 250 which I begged to have - but neither Dad or uncle approved as it was "far too fast for a lad".

There are a three things about the Bond Mini which gave the converted C15 a unique character. The first was that the gearing was for a tiny 10" wheel which when translated to the C15 frame and its much larger wheels meant it was geared for the speed of sound. Almost. Which meant I was the only one in our little group with a 3-speed box plus overdrive.

The second thing was that the engine had a "Siba Dynastart", electric start facility. This was done by magic, it was unheard of in small engines. A bike that started by turning the key. Even the big expensive bikes couldnt do that! Heady stuff!

The last thing that made this bike utterly unique was that in theory, it would easily top 70mph. Backwards!
The Bond version of the 4T had two opposing sets of points, allowing the engine to be stopped and restarted in reverse, to allow you to reverse the car - bike engines of course having only forward gears, no reverse. The electrics to accomplish this were a complete mystery to a 16-year old (and to his Dad) so the whole lot was transplanted. There were no safety interlocks and there was nothing to stop you using all 4 gears with the engine running backwards!

So me & the rejuvenated C15 had many happy years together, me & the lads regularly went to race meetings, camping trips, plus commuting to BT at Maltravers Road , Sheffield. I cannot for the life of me remember what happened to it, probably sold to help pay for an old Hillman Imp California, which is another story altogether (a story which also involves broken engines and great times)

Happy days. Well, no, it was unreliable, slow, heavy, greedy... but it was a 16-year-old's first taste of freedom and I loved it!

Cheers
Phil

 

Edited August 14 by Phil Green

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Looks like we’re the same vintage, Phil. I just crept in to the 16 year old entitlement to ride up to 250cc bikes on a provisional licence and spent 8 months riding bikes legally while those born 4 months later were condemned to mopeds for their first year on the roads. Not every policeman understood the law and we had some interesting conversations…
 

I always fancied the GT Continental but never came across one. After a brief flirtation with a Triumph Terrier (which I still have and use after restoring it 25 years ago), I ended up with a factory built “Frankenstein” - a 1967 Triumph Super Cub which was a Tiger Cub engine mounted in a BSA Bantam D14/4 frame. 
 

Your own hybrid sounds fascinating and it looks you did a pretty good job of the conversion!