How to drive the GTI?

[Craigh1983]

Hi,

Sorry for yet another question... It might be a stupid one but i've never driven a fast car before. My previous was a Vectra 1.6 Saloon lol

Anyway... I was wondering how to get the best out of the car in terms of driving it. So for example lets say I am going to go onto the motorway and I want to pick up speed quickly... how would you go about doing this? do you build up most of your speed in 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear? When building up speed do you literally put your pedal to the floor?

I don't really know how long to stay in each gear for. What I did in my old car was to literally come out of 1st gear almost straight the way... and then when I hit 20mph I would go into 3rd gear... when I hit 30mph i'd change to 4th.... and then anything over 50mph id go into 5th gear.

In the golf I don't want to end up burning out the clutch or summat by staying in say 2nd gear for too long trying to build up speed when I should be changing up to 3rd etc

Sorry for such a weird question and i've prob gone a really long way around explaininig what I mean but any help would be great :)

Ta

[DJM]

Just watch the rev gauge and feel of the car. Make sure you dont hit rev limit though. I dont know what speeds are done in each gear dont really pay attention, just know when to change by what the revs are saying and feel of the car.

[56OctyVRS]

There is no given speed to be in before changing gear as road conditions etc will dictate when that is. I try not to go above 3k when the engine is cold and never give it full beans until after ten minutes driving. I also stop using the power about 1 mile from my destination to allow the engine sufficient time to cool down. Apart from that bit of advice, enjoy your new purchase

[RedRobin]

.
I wouldn't be so absolutely rigid about exactly what mph to shift a gear. Keep an eye on the revs and don't rely on the torque - It's not good for an engine and more importantly it doesn't leave you in readiness for a sudden situation whether that be to use acceleration or slowing down.

I very highly recommend remapping your brain and learning some performance car road craft with a day course with Drivetrain:

http://www.drivetrain.uk.com/

It's a course which is invaluable whatever you drive and the remapped brain stays with you!

[monte]

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[stealthwolf]

You've only just had the car. I didn't realise the full potential of the vehicle until after maybe a year of ownership. You really need to just get used to the vehicle and the controls. I don't mean how to drive  a car, but how to drive your car. This takes time and experience. The more you drive it, the more used to it you'll get and the quicker you can handle it. You'll instinctively know when to shift with or without the engine sounds to help.

[E30Dom]

Get on the track and learn the cars limits in a safe enviroment, shouldn;t be really pushing it on the roads...

[badbwoy27]

just drive it like you stole it simple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Craigh1983]

just drive it like you stole it simple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL I love it!!

Thanks for the tips though everyone. Hopefully gonna get out at the weekend and get used to it and enjoy driving it. I'm sure i'll get the hang of it :)

[RedRobin]

Get on the track and learn the cars limits in a safe enviroment, shouldn;t be really pushing it on the roads...

....Driving track and fast road are not quite the same.

For a start, most roads are two-way traffic and there is much more unpredictable stuff going on to react to and predict. Also, track is faster than fast road.

As stealthwolf says, get the feel of your car over time. And then if you want to learn how to drive fast more SAFELY, remap your driving brain with a professional course.

[alackofspeed]

Having driven a Vectra more than once I'd be more worried about a swap the other way! The Golf is an easy car to drive with safe handling, enough power to be lazy with gear choice, and respectable brakes. The Vectra has a steering wheel connected to the wheels with rotten elastic, terminal understeer, uses its wing mirrors to prop it up when cornering, and an asthmatic engine (that isn't very good on fuel either).

Golf - drive it however the hell you want and it'll cope.

[Homer]

I went from a diesel car which struggled to maintain speed if not in specific gears to the GTI which can handle most speeds in any gear. Found it really strange at first but its something that you easily get use to, the main thing is just enjoy your new car mate!

[the bruce]

It's just a Golf. No less, no more. 

Put the pedal to the floor and if acceleration isn't enough you need to shift later.
When cruising in town 1000 - 1500 rpm isn't any issue. DSG does the same.

[maxload]

If this is your pride and joy , then you will learn to look after it. Letting the engine warm up before any heavy driving is a good point to remember.

[Janner_Sy]

for mechanical sympathy try not to accelerate in high gears at low rpm as it destroys the clutch.

Chage down a gear and accelerate that way instead.  Then you will preserve the life of the clutch