Yaris Struggles On Hills

[ItalianStig]

Hey guys my 998cc yaris 2001 struggles to move away at lights etc on hills, earlier i was on a hill about 3-4% gradiant and I stalled like 4 times trying to get her up it, I would just like to know it this mostly due to the power of the car or mainly me?

Note: I have just passed my test last week, so still getting used to it

cheers guys

[alfiejts]

Any new car you get into will take a while to get used to as all clutches behave differently across different cars. Sometimes even different cars of the same model have different feels to their clutches.

I had a courtesy car whilst mine was in for service today and the clutch "bite point" was different to my own car and so it took some getting used to.....

Also, when you're on a hill you have to be more careful with the clutch bite point and leave the clutch at the bite point for just a little longer whilst the car gets moving.

And as you actually get more experience driving, you'll start thinking about the car controls less, as they become more of an "automatic" activity.

You will then find that because you're not having to think about things with your conscious mind, you actually do start stalling more, but it will all come good very quickly.....

The Yaris itself is fine and isn't an issue on hills - you'll soon get used to the sensitivity of the clutch and the need to hold it at the bite point a little longer when moving off on a gradient....

[ItalianStig]

cheers many thanks

[reece]

It's not the car...

[alfiejts]

It's not the car...

And there was me trying to let the poor lad down gently and constructively......

[jm26]

It's not the car...

And there was me trying to let the poor lad down gently and constructively......

Mine really struggled up Sutton Bank. It's really steep but still...

It just couldn't do it in second gear i had to go for like 2 minutes in 1st gear with a jeep right behind me all the way...embarassing!! Next time I did a very fast run up.

But no it deffo shouldn't be struggling on small hills.

[reece]

But no it deffo shouldn't be struggling on small hills.

It’s not struggling on small hills!! Pilot error

earlier i was on a hill about 3-4% gradiant and I stalled like 4 times trying to get her up it,

Note: I have just passed my test last week, so still getting used to it

[alfiejts]

Because the engive is a 16-valve and is VVTi, the power is delivered from 3000 RPM upwards and it doesn't have a lot of "grunt" at low revs. That's the nature of a 16 valve engine rather than anything particular about the Yaris.

What that means is that you need to plan ahead and change down a gear BEFORE the revs drop, because if you wait until the revs drop to change down, your speed will drop off...

Its not a question of "taking a run" at the hill, but if you plan ahead and get down into a lower gear early, to keep the revs above 3000, then you should have no trouble getting up any hill...

We had no trouble with our 1.0 over eight years - driving over Snake Pass and other steep roads - never had to drop down to first gear once.....

[Cyker]

Diieeesseellllll! \o/

[Raeman]

I was driving up a steep(ish) road today, stuck behind a tractor doing approx 15-20mph.... Some Twit was driving so close behind me in a new model Fiesta, that i could barely read his no plate!

Got a gap in the traffic, dropped it in 2nd and floored it...Tractor disapeared in my mirrors and so did the fiesta! :D

And i know he was trying to keep up as the gap between him and the car behind him was increasing

That's in a bog standard 10yr old 1.3. Alfiejts is right, keep it above 3k and it just sings all the way to the redline.

Learn HOW to drive the car before slating it please! ;)

[Cyker]

Heey, nobody's slating it, don't worry :P

Starting on a hill is a bit tricky on a new car, esp. ones with smaller engines, but it is a good test of clutch control :)

Just don't be afraid to rev the engine! With petrol engines especially, rpm=power!

As you gently feed in the clutch, you can feel how willing the car is to move, and can feed more power from the accelerator as needed (It might feel like you're feeding in tons more than you normally would; Don't worry!).

It is a tricky little balancing act at first so take your time, but it will soon become second nature as you get a feel for it.

I'm sure you'll be launching up hills like a rocket* in no time

*That is, a rocket that confirms to the speed limit and other regulations of the highway code :D