General Hill hold question

[andy armitage]

Hi all we have just got the 500 with ESP and I was told to press the brake down firmly on any hill even slight and it will come on, well i tried it tonight it was a very slight hill in fact hardly a hill at all but the car does roll back on it slightly, when i firmly pressed the brake and let go no sign of it holding it just started to roll back, am i doing something wrong? any help appreciated. It's the second time i have driven it and i just love driving it you don't want to go fast you just want to savour the moments in it, and that cockpit is just the best place to be with the dash lit up at night wow. I still can't believe how solid and well built it feels and the stereo really is a good sound

 

[jnoiles]

Mine only works when I've got the clutch depressed. I assumed thats how its supposed to work

 

[andy armitage]

I had the clutch in but as i say it was hardly a hill maybe it needs a steeper hill!

 

[MisssportyGT]

were you in gear? you have to press hard.

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[auto_blanco]

If its the same as a GPS the hill has to be over a certain gradient, on a very slight one it wont come on, also, how hard you press the brake has no influence, if the brake lights are on, it will work.

 

[nebrog23]

As answered the other day on your other thread 'drove for first time' it has to be 5% gradient

 

[andy armitage]

nebrog, I have just looked in the handbook and found the relevant bit which says the gradient needs to be 2% which is why I asked the question again.

 

[nebrog23]

No sacasim intended , it was just a quick reply. 2% is a big improvement over the GPS 5% which is actually quite steep in my opinion. Personally i find it never seems to kick in when you expect but does when your not. Quite useful for parallel parking on steep hills though as it still functions when in reverse.

 

[andy armitage]

Nebrog my apologies to you I just misread you sorry Thanks for taking time to reply I only asked again as Lindas smart car that we just got rid of had this feature and came on on any hill, mind you i have only driven the 500 twice and haven't been on anything you could even call a hill, apart from the one near home which is only slight but the smarts hill hold would have worked on it i guess all cars are different.

 

[auto_blanco]

I think the difference between them though is the Fiats clutch is looked after by a skilled foot and the only smart cars ive driven (roadsters) really struggled on hills because of its silly auto clutch, so they really need a device to stop rolling backwards!

 

[andyBBB]

i seem to able to out think the system having driven the car few times ( her indoors drives it mon - fri).

Have felt in danger of a stall few times, while it drags it's ass out of hill hold

Now need to teach myself not to put it into a hill hold situation, so it doesn't get a chance to pause for thought when I want to pull away

 

[The Sultan]

don't see the point in hill holder i can take my foot of the brake and get it on the throttle wile brining the clutch up an getting the 2 balanced without excessive revs all in the time it takes the car to roll maybe an inch or so even on the steepest of hills

i suppose that's what comes from living in bowness there are allot of very steep hills around

i believe you need to come to a stop with clutch depressed change into first or reverse and then release the brake and it should work i don't think you even need to select a gear just hold the clutch down i would guess the clutch switch is triggered right at the top of the pedals travel so it's not like you have to jam the clutch into the floor or anything so i'm not sure why some peoples are not working properly

as soon as the engines power reaches the point were it will turn the front wheels the abs ecu sees this movement and releases the brakes so i supose the harder you press the brakes to begin with the more power it needs to get them to slip for it to trigger them to release

so maybe people that are experiencing dragging need to learn to press the brake only hard enough to hold the car on the hill no more

 

[D4nny8oy]

Stop on the hill with your foot on the brake and the clutch. When the brake pedal is released, the ABS holds pressure in the lines for approx 1 second (enough time to move your right foot to the throttle to increase the revs and bring the clutch to the biting point). After the 1 sec delay the brakes are released.

An ideal way to test/get used to it is to find a quite area with a slope and press both brake and clutch, then release the brake.You should notice the car hold still, then release and start rolling back.

Personally I don't see what's wrong with using the handbrake, although Hill Holder can be useful for those drivers with disabilities I suppose.

 

[The Sultan]

Stop on the hill with your foot on the brake and the clutch. When the brake pedal is released, the ABS holds pressure in the lines for approx 1 second (enough time to move your right foot to the throttle to increase the revs and bring the clutch to the biting point). After the 1 sec delay the brakes are released.

An ideal way to test/get used to it is to find a quite area with a slope and press both brake and clutch, then release the brake.You should notice the car hold still, then release and start rolling back.

Personally I don't see what's wrong with using the handbrake, although Hill Holder can be useful for those drivers with disabilities I suppose.

i thought it was a little longer than one second and also let go as soon as you set off o well

 

[Gordini]

Personally I don't see what's wrong with using the handbrake, although Hill Holder can be useful for those drivers with disabilities I suppose.

Exactamundo

I've been holding my tongue reading this thread, but come on, seriously, that's what the handbrake is for.

If you genuinely have handbrakeophobia, just use heel&toe.

And afterwards, don't forget to check that your girlie parking still works, and you've topped up your fragrance dispenser. :devil:

 

[John R Smith]

Actually, folks, I think you will find the Hill-Holder is a bit cleverer than this. If you read the manual, and then experiment a bit, you will find -

The Hill Holder applies the brakes on an uphill slope when your foot is on the brake pedal and first gear is engaged. It holds for a good two seconds after you release the brake pedal, or releases as soon as the CAN detects sufficient torque for forward motion.

It also applies the brakes on a downhill slope when your foot is on the brake pedal and reverse gear is engaged. There is an inclination sensor underneath the passenger seat which detects when the car is on a slope.

For those of us with disabilities it is actually quite a boon, especially in hilly Cornwall.

John

 

[Melanabb]

And afterwards, don't forget to check that your girlie parking still works, and you've topped up your fragrance dispenser. :devil:

Cough, cough, cough... Girl here, I have no hill holder, no parking sensors and DEFINITELY no fragrance dispenser! (using hubby for that ) Please don't make assumptions on gender basis... I thought that this forum is somewhere you can be what you'll like as long as you love your car Could be wrong though...

 

[Gordini]

Cough, cough, cough... Girl here, I have no hill holder, no parking sensors and DEFINITELY no fragrance dispenser!

Ahh, an honourary boy!

 

[Melanabb]

Ahh, an honourary boy!

Well, something like that

 

[sikersh]

Exactamundo

I've been holding my tongue reading this thread, but come on, seriously, that's what the handbrake is for.

If you genuinely have handbrakeophobia, just use heel&toe.

And afterwards, don't forget to check that your girlie parking still works, and you've topped up your fragrance dispenser. :devil:

i don't see why your so bothered to be honest, some people prefer to use the cars brakes instead of the handbrake, when your in traffic it gets a bit frustrating sticking the hb on/off.

whats wrong with the fragrance dispenser anyway? i'm not being funny but we've bought a 500, its not exactly the most manly car is it

si