Im in my early 20's and I'm barley getting my driving permit, I guess i never had time to learn and the conveinece of public transportation was really easy for me, but now I'm finally learning how to drive a damm car, so please any driving tips, tricks, jump start and repair advice needed, Thanks....

Don't let your guard down. There's alot of idiots out there that will plow into you in a heartbeat.

That depends on what car you own.

I was always told to 'drive defensively'.

I was also told that 'the best defense is a good offense'.

So I combined the two.

It must have worked well cause I'm always being told that my driving is very offensive!

Best advice i can give is ''Don't overestimate others driving skills'' which basically means dont think a guy is going to wait until you pass to pull out. People think that you are thinking for the both of you, and you tend to think the same. It is pretty dangerous when you assume the guy is gonna be safe, because he is probably thinking that you will be safe.

i just learned a new way to set my mirrors, that is awesome. but i dont know how to explain it without being near a car...

If you actually drive the speed limit that will make you special, considering the other 99.9% of the drivers on the road don't?

ok, a few things i've learnt in my 3.5 years of driving.
1. Women can't drive for SHIT!(sorry ladies but its true), from my experience, most women havn't learnt the use of indicators yet and have a habit of breaking suddenly so KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.
2. pension day is the day that old people are unleashed upon society, leave 30 mins early, and be prepared to get above 2-nd gear.
3. And combing the two lessons, Woman + old person = dangerous psychopath! stay alert at all times when ya see curly white hear behind the wheel.
thats about it! oh, and its not speeding if you don't get caught! yea....

wow thanks for all the tips, by the way i drive a SUV-1985 jeep cherokee, please more tips are welcome, i also need car repair, tire changing etc.. as of now i dont know crap about cars, thanks agian and keep the advice coming

Pedestrians are 50 points. Kids are 75, because they're harder to hit.

...

I've found that the best way to survive on the road is to expect everyone else to be a jackass - Or at least have the capacity to be. If you have to, just think to yourself, "If I were that guy in front of me, what dumbass thing would I do to piss everyone else on the road off?"

For example, don't expect people to use their turn signals, expect people in SUV's to sit on your rear bumper with their high beams on, and expect people in little swishy cars to weave around in traffic at 95 MPH while yaking away on a cell phone, oblivious to the rest of you.

Ugh. I just remembered why I don't drive...

~Zero the Inestimable

here is a file about driving i found on textfiles.com some time ago. hope this helps in some way.

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Driving: Techniques For Escape and Evasion

Vehicle Improvements

Listed below are modifications which will enchance both the performance and reliability of a vehicle. Also listed are modifications which will serve as deterrents to an attack.

Tires - Get the best radial tires you can afford. Radials offer increased durability, superior handling, and better gas mileage than old-fashioned bias ply tires. Also, to some degree, radials are bullet resistant. Be sure to slightly overinflate them and fill them with run flat foam.

Heavy Duty Shocks and Springs - Other than good tires, nothing will improve your car's handling more than top quality shocks and springs. Shock and springs are items where price is an indication of quality, so get the best you can afford.

Lights - You should replace your old-fashioned sealed beam headlights with quartz-iodine lights. These give off twice the light of the sealed beam units and will enable you to drive much faster at night. There are quartz-iodine lights to fit almost every vehicle. Auxillary lights should be mounted low and angled slightly outward.

Spotlights - Four high intensity spotlights should be mounted high on your wehicle. These will effectively blind an attacker. Three of the spotlights should be directed to the front, one aiming straight ahead and the other two angled slightly outboard. A forth light should be aimed to the rear.

Cut Out Switches - Cut out switches enable you to independently control each light on your vehicle. The addition or elimination of various lights at night will alter the appearance of your vehicle and might allow you to lose a pursuer.

C.B. Radio's - Even though C.B. radio's are a virtual party line, the fact that somebody is always listing in could prove useful in an emergency. Also to be considered is the use of two-way radio's between the car and the home.

Locking Gas Cap - A locking gas cap prevents anyone from using the tank as a receptacle for explosives. It will also prevent Halloween pranksters from putting unwanted items in the tank.

Guns and Crowbar in Trunk - Kidnappers have been known to throw the victim into the trunk of his own car. A gun and a prying bar instrument such as a crowbar could prove useful in an escape.

Pressurized Oil Slick - A pressurized device which sprays oil onto the roadway will eliminate almost any pursuer.

Calthrops - Calthrops are metal spikes constructed so that one point is always up. If thrown in the road behind you, they will flatten the tires of a pursuing vehicle. One company who sells them is Beaver Products, P.O. Box 1580, Anna Maria, FL 33501.

Thick Bolt Through Tailpipe - A thick heavy bolt put through the tailpipe and welded into place will prevent a bomb from being placed in the exhaust system.

Smoke Screen - A cheap but effective smoke screen can be made as follows: First drill a hole into the exhaust manifold of your car, and weld the nozzle of a small plant sprayer over it. A gas line is then run from the nozzle to a pump and container containing castor oil inside the vehicle. Clouds of ssmoke are produced by pumping the castor oil onto the hot exhaust manifold.

Reinforced Ram Bumpers - Bumpers can be reinforced by bolting or welding extra supports from the vehicle frame to the bumper. Further reinforcement can be made by welding a two-inch metal pipe to the vehicle frame, right in back of the bumper. These extra reinforcement could prove useful in a ramming situation.

Surveillance and Antisurveillance

One of the keys to avoding a terriost attack is recognizing when you are under surveillance -- sometimes for as long as several months prior to the attack.

In order to stop an attack before it occurs, you must develop a surveillance awareness. To develop this awareness you must be constantly alert to suspicious people in the vicinity of your home and at work.

In stalking their victims, terrorists have posed as laborers, hookers, derilects, and used numerous other ruses. I do not expect you to become a raving paranoid constantly on red alert against everyone and everything, but it should be in the back of your mind that someone's eyes might be watching you.

Tactics of Professional Surveillance

To my knowledge, there have been no instances of terrists using the sophisticated techniques of surveillance employed by professional investigators. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that sooner or later they will be using these methods. In any case, it is always best to be prepared for anything.

The Single Tail

The easiest type of surveillance to detect is when you are being followed by a single surveillant. The lone surveillant must stay close enough to keep you in sight, yet far enough away to avoid detection -- no easy feat. In residential areas, he can remain a few cars back due to the density of traffic. Also he has the option of following the victim on a parallel street. In rural areas, about all he can do is remain well back and hope for the best.

The single tail may employ certain tricks of the trade to make his job easier. At night, he may break a taillight or place a small luminous sticker on the rear of the victim's vehicle to make it more distinguishable. To decrease the possibility of detection, he may change his seating position or use various types of disguise.

Professional investigators, whether governmental or private, rarely conduct a surveillance using a single unit. The risk of getting burned is just too great.

Parallel Surveillance

This type of surveillance is conducted by two or more vehicles. One vehicle tails the victim at a reasonable distance. His comrades follow on parallel streets ready to take up close survillance should the victim turn. Obviously, this method will not work in area where there are no parallel roads.

Eluding a Tail

The following will give you some general ideas on how to detect and elude a vehicle surveillance.

(1) After running a red light or driving the wrong way on a one-way street, watch to see if anyone follows.
(2) While travelling on a freeway at high speed, suddenly cut across four lanes of traffic and make an exit.
(3) After rounding a blind curve, make a bootlegger's turn and take off in the opposite direction.
(4) After turning a corner, pull over and park. Take note of all vehicles passing by.
(5) Go through alleys, dirt roads, or even cut across people's lawns.
(6) While driving over a long undivided bridge, then make a bootlegger's turn
(7) Have a friend follow you to detect any surveillance.

Cornering

It is commonly held belief that the best way to handle corners is to blast through them as quickly as possible. This is completely wrong. The speed at which you exit a corner itself. Assuming identical cars, the car which exits the corner at a greater speed will be going faster on any straight stretch of road that follows.

Proper Apex - The apex of any turn is that point at which your wheels are closest to the inside edge of the corner. By choosing a relatively late apex, the drive can exit a corner at greater speed than if he had chosen an early one.

The 90-degree Turn - This is the most common turn, particulary in urban areas. This turn is begun as far outside as possible. Obviously, if there is a lot of traffic on the road, you are going to have to adjust your turn. In that case, drive as far to the outside as you can within the confines of your lane. Approaching the corner, gradually increase braking pressure to heavy breaking. Be careful not to lock the brakes, as all this does is prevent you from steering. If you feel any of the wheels locking up, let off the brakes for an instant, then reapply them. After downshifting (manual transmission only), start trailing off the brakes into the first third of the turn. Then gradually increase the throttle to full acceleration coming out of the turn.

S Turns - Actually, this need not be a turn at all, as you can go straight through it. Remember to set yourself up to take full advantage of and straight that might follow.

Turns

Bootlegger's Turn - This maneuver enables you to change your direction 180 degrees, without stopping, within the width of a two lane road. The bootlegger's turn is eaisiest to do in cars having an automatic transmission and a hand emergency brake. Here's how it's done.

(1) Speed at around 25-30 m.p.h.
(2) Get off the gas and crank the wheel 1/2 to 1/2 of a full turn. At the exact same time, hit the emergency brake hard.
(3) When your vehicle is at approximately 90 degrees, release the emergency brake, step on the gas, and straighten out the steering wheel. If you have a manual transmission, you will have to let out the clutch as you hit the gas.
(4) Get out of the area fast.

This maneuver is easier to do if you make the emergency brake catch inoperative. On hand brakes this can be done by putting strong tape across the release button. On foot type brakes, you can put a piece of stiff garden hose behind the handle of the brake release. Before practicing the bootlegger's turn, be sure to inflate your tires to 40 lbs. p.s.i. Otherwise, the tires might blow.

Moonshiner's Turn (Reverse 180) - Looking like a bootlegger turn in reverse, the moonshiner's turn allows you to change your direction 1800 degrees within the confines of a two lane road, while going backwards.

(1) Accelerate in reverse to 20-30 m.p.h.
(2) Get off the gas and crank the steering wheel all the way to the left as fast as you can.
(3) When the car is 90 degrees, shift into a low gear, hit the gas, and straighten out the steering wheel.
(4) Get out of the are fast.

Ramming

The basic steps involved in ramming a single vehicle stationary roadblock are as follows.

(1) Slow down almost to a complete stop and put the car in low gear. This will give the impression that you are going to stop.
(2) Suddenly hit the gas hard and pick a ramming point.
(3) Hit the target at an angle and keep the accelerator fully depressed through the collision. Your speed at impact should be between 15 and 30 m.p.h.
(4) After breaking through, get out of the area fast. Even if your car is badly damaged, keep going.

* The ramming points are (1) the rear wheel and rear fender area; and (2) the front wheel and front fender.

When ramming two vehicals hit inbetween the two, and follow the above steps.

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- [blackh0le]

[This message has been edited by blackh0le (edited 05-10-2002).]

proper braking is key. you don't have to wait for the last minute to start braking. with time you'll get a feel for it. also pumping the break instead of slamming on it allows for smoother stops and stopsign rolls.

my preference is to accelerate quickly through intersections, the faster you get out, the farther you are from a collision.

traffic permitting it is preferable to accelerate to your desired speed as soon as possible. if you accelerate slowly, you are adding time to a trip you probably want to get over quickly anyway.

the faster you get somewhere, the more time you have to be there. this doesn't mean excessive speed, just getting to your desired speed as quickly as is safe for you and your passengers.

when driving other peeps around, you are taking responsibility for their lives. if you fuck up, they could die. this would be very bad for countless reasons.

these are a couple of tips i suggest. my family didn't even have a car until i was 19, we live in a city too. i learned how to drive a little later than my friends, but now i'm a better driver than all of them. just keep a cool head and you'll do fine.

and for repair advice.....

keep your car running smooth by:

CHANGE THE OIL!!!!! every 3000 miles or you will pay. many places offer this service fairly cheap. you can get the oil change and all your other fluids checked at walmart for like 18 bucks, they even vacuum your car, and lube your undercarriage. now that's value.

get regular tune ups

keep tire air pressure at 32 psi, you can get a tire air guage almost anywhere. this helps prevent blowouts and prolongs the life of your tires. do not over or underinflate them.

wash the damn thing every once in awhile. remove the buildup of road grime that tortures your paint job

Long ago after my first accident where I rearended another vehicle my driving habits changed dramitically ($800.00 damage to my car and a small scatch on the other car)

Things I can't fuckin stand =

1) Tailgaters... I will usually brake check them (slam on that brake pedal hard). Since regardless of the circumstance in the state of florida they would be at fault given they did not allow proper following distance, if they would happen to hit me.

A friend of mine stuck a couple GLOCK and HK stickers on his bumper and said it has helped reduce dumbass tailgaters.

2) Speeding to that red light or stop sign! I don't fuckin understand this but it seems everyone except me likes to speed up to the red traffic signal and come to a quick stop and the last possible moment.

I like to lightly apply my brakes and come to a slow gradual (PIMP) stop. Plus I think it's better on the brakes anyway.

With the influx of senior citizen drivers in florida I only ride my motorcycle in the evenings or late night/early morning hours eh. That way I only have to watch out for the fuckin drunks.


[This message has been edited by I Love Poop (edited 05-10-2002).]

when you use a floor jack to raise a vehicle there is a little round set screw that you turn to enable the jacking up motion it has a flathead type indentation and you just turn it and then start jacking up. Now the important part: once you have finished whatever you are doing, you DO NOT have to jack it down. Once you turn the screww back the other way, the jack will lower itself.

When your vehicle is running really lousy and you are guessing at whats the matter with it, replaceing the spark plug wires and the distributor cap and rotor can really help.

learn to use a slim jim on your car before you need to use one

make a good enough living to have a professional mechanic work on your car, don't practice or let others, on your stuff.

thanks everyone, i finally feel like theres a real community here to really help me, so is it better to go to a shop and have a mechanic do everything?, even a simple oil change or stuff like that?, i myslef have don nothing to my car yet, When is a good time to change the antiFreeze?, and im going to get new tires soon and will get it done at a shop, heres my question when they put on new tires, will they put it on and align it? or will i have to pay for the alignment too?, i thank everyone for all the help

It is usually better to have a mechanic perform the work. If you can develope a friendship or trust with one, the more power to you! Otherwise I picked up one of those Chilton Auto Repair Manuals (specific for your car) which does a pretty good job explaining and diagraming repairs. But still sometimes lack of tools, knowledge and equipment leaves me with no other choice but to have the work done by a mechanic.

When purchasing new tires they will always install and balance them. Allignment is sometimes extra but at almost any automotive repair center deal you can haggle with the mechanic or his boss and get a better price. Keep one of your old fullsize tires. It makes a better spare than using a mini emegency donut spare tire.

shouldn't this be in gearheads?

out of the 2 years ive been coming to this site i never knew there was a Gear head section, plus im not trying to fix up my car to make it look nice im just learning how to drive and repair it, please more tips needed...thanks everyone

One cool thing that you might want to pick up that could save your ass one day..

Available at any walmart. One of those portable jump starters. $30.00-80.00 (depending on model, i.e,. cranking amps)

You charge them up from your home by plugging into a standard wall outlet.

And you now have the power to jump your car atleast 20-30 times (depending on model you get).

These units have a standard three prong outlet so you could even power your labtop computer on them for 2-3 hours (depending on model).

Mounted on most of the units is a built in flashlight/miniflood light.

Beats having to find someone else, even if you have cables, so you can jump your car.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/productnoitem.jhtml?CATID=53692&BQ=jcw2

300 cranking amps in this one ^^^

thanks i subscribed to a jcwhitney catalog and i will get a jump starter and TODAY I GOT MY DRIVING PERMIT!!!, the questions on the written test were nothing like the sample questions on the dmv site, once i get my license im driving to vegas, litteraly, but i dont know if anyone in here actually cares if i get my license

Damn dude, i just got my lisence and i'm 18, before that, i drove unlisenced since i was 14, but i lived in a secluded area, so it didn't really matter.

hey alterKation, what did they do on the driving test?