[sukhbirST]

Originally Posted by Fx14

Lucky or part of planned sabotage?

In your case, the sequence of events seem too coincidental....

Even my wife thought so, but the puncture guy's attitude and charge made me think it is just bad luck. Still cannot rule out what you are saying. These toll guys can go to any extreme.

[Bigzero]

The Hill Hold feature that most new cars have will help reduce the "rolling back" anxiety a great deal I guess, and could be a major support for these situations. Inch forward, stop and switch to neutral+ handbrake, release handbrake ( hill hold in action ), and move the car forward without any worry.

[TROOPER]

Noob drivers aside, you know the real reason this stretch is a mess?

Lazy traffic cops and lane indiscipline. Cops who stand at the end of the ghat just marking attendance, rather make the effort to stand somewhere at the mid point and ensure at least the first lane is open for passenger vehicles throughout the stretch and not hogged by trucks.

That's the only reason this stretch has become a major pain point irrespective of time or day. Myself been stuck here 9/10 times in the past couple years.

I'll be heading in that direction (early morning) next month and the plan is to check maps after crossing Vashi bridge and if it shows anything north of 'RED+15 mins' for that stretch I'll take the old Pune highway and join the E-way post Lonavala.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by GTO

Unless there was something extraordinary at play here. Best guess = bad drivers ruining their clutch in stop-and-go mountain road traffic. But that's a long list of cars!

It's continuous clutch slipping, very common in ghat sections across India. Many new drivers are not well versed/accustomed with this driving condition.
Similar to Poona-Bombay folks , I have had my share of experiences in Khandala ghat varying from 1 hr delay to 3-4 hrs delay and never had such issue. Please note that most of my vehicles are 10-15 years old, an image of my 2006 Scorpio with 6 adults and a trailer (additional 1 ton) in May 2023.

Driving schools never taught this

[TDIRaghav]

Originally Posted by nvn

Saw this on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mohitjaswani91/s...OU1ZICkhg&s=19

Can this be possible? Seems surprising so many cars broke down back to back.

Checking on team bhp for authenticity of this. Also, if this is true -can this also happen to automatic transmissions ?

Thanks in advance to 'under the hood' section members for helping on this 'under the hood' problem.

I am not sure about Lonavala but I saw more than 30 cars with hood open and drivers/passengers sitting beside their cars while on my way to Mahabaleshwar on 23rd December. It was highly unusual and my better half asked if this is going to happen to us? All the cars that we saw stranded were on a small stretch of road, approximately 7 kms. Initially I thought that maybe some people didn’t take care of their cars but this was when I had seen only about 5 cars and all seemed old models atleast 6-7 years of age. However, I then saw multiple new cars including superb, new Baleno, Punch etc. I am not sure of the reason but I did not face any issues with my Vento TSI.

[Gildarts]

Have seen the same thing happen on the hills of kodaikanal during 2021 Diwali weekend due to heavy traffic on the ghat roads. Drivers burning their Clutch in traffic. The thing to be noted was most of the cars were Marutis. Balenos specifically, don't know the reason though.

[padmrajravi]

Originally Posted by Gildarts

Have seen the same thing happen on the hills of kodaikanal during 2021 Diwali weekend due to heavy traffic on the ghat roads. Drivers burning their Clutch in traffic. The thing to be noted was most of the cars were Marutis. Balenos specifically, don't know the reason though.

This happens mostly to petrol cars with less low-end torque. Suzuki cars fit that criteria to the T. Most diesel cars will not suffer this because, even in the hills, the idle torque with careful clutch release is enough to move them. Petrol cars need generous accelerator input with careful clutch modulation to start moving in an incline. When you get stuck in an incline, lack of skills and fatigue due to continuous start-stop leads to drivers being unable to modulate clutch finely and then to clutch burns.

[trave11er]

Originally Posted by TDIRaghav

I am not sure about Lonavala but I saw more than 30 cars with hood open and drivers/passengers sitting beside their cars while on my way to Mahabaleshwar on 23rd December. It was highly unusual and my better half asked if this is going to happen to us? All the cars that we saw stranded were on a small stretch of road, approximately 7 kms. Initially I thought that maybe some people didn’t take care of their cars but this was when I had seen only about 5 cars and all seemed old models atleast 6-7 years of age. However, I then saw multiple new cars including superb, new Baleno, Punch etc. I am not sure of the reason but I did not face any issues with my Vento TSI.

Indeed, we too observed multiple cars - new and old - stranded in the Khambatki ghat section on 23Dec. There was a huge traffic jam as 2 trucks had broken down in the ghat - additionally broken down cars and cars stopped with hood open added to the traffic wows... Quite surprising to see so many new and modern cars broke down on a regular ghat section.

[TheDarkKnight]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

lane indiscipline.

I was surprised to see no mention of this issue on here and was wondering if I’m the only one who finds this to be a bigger issue.

I have to travel to Pune every month on the weekend and I always try to make the drive on a Sunday. The last time I was stuck on a Saturday, I saw 5-6 cars side by side on a 3 lane stretch of the ghat on the hairpin crawling forward with every other driver jostling for the space ahead without a care for their own or other cars. It’s this ‘Me-first’ attitude I see everywhere that further amplifies these traffic jams.

This is what the traffic police should be looking at instead of just standing around near the toll or ghats but we all know that wouldn’t fill up their coffers like some challans for driving at 53kmph would do.

Rant over.

TheDarkKnight

[hrman]

Originally Posted by hrman

I drove from Belgaum to Mumbai yesterday. Passed the Pune expressway at around 3.30 to 6..... Sad and pathetic state.

Just to add here, mine is a Kia Sonet IMT. I possibly didn't face this clutch issue since i was on the descent while driving towards Mumbai. However as a precaution, whenever I sensed that I needed to wait more than 30 secs, I shifted back to neutral. I never keep the car in first great and press the brake in stop and go situations. The result was a slightly sore left hand due to constant great changes, from 1st to neutral to 1st. but thanks to IMT, i don't have the issue of clutch burning due to half press since the car manages this automatically.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by JediKnight

This is not completely true. A DCT and AMT transmission are very prone to such failures. Such transmission internally will slip the clutch in case the crawling speed is less than the minimum speed achievable by the first gear. Only transmissions that have a fluidic coupling with the engine are less prone to this kind of failure.

True. DCT/AMTs are no good for hills. Jerky, too. Torque Converter/CVTs are the best among ICE cars. Better than even manuals. But nothing beats EVs in hills because of their max torque playing out right from zero rpm.

[SidTheChamp]

I once had faced bumper to bumper traffic from lonavala to Khopoli back in 2016. Was on old highway, since e-way was blocked and maximum traffic had diverted here. Didn't face or saw such clutch plate burning though there were inclines, thankfully not sharp ones.

My car is Dzire petrol so was actually worst suited for hilly terrain.

Anyway after that incident, I'm always anxious travelling Mumbai Pune route. To avoid such hassle, I always come back on morning hours from Pune when traffic is low. While going also, travel between 10 to 12 pm.

[Intrnl_Cmbstn]

It looks like they have fried their clutches in constant start-stop traffic in uphill conditions. Hill starts while preventing a roll back means lots of clutch modulation, for hours on end.

Originally Posted by nvn

Saw this on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mohitjaswani91/s...OU1ZICkhg&s=19

Can this be possible? Seems surprising so many cars broke down back to back.

Checking on team bhp for authenticity of this. Also, if this is true -can this also happen to automatic transmissions ?

Thanks in advance to 'under the hood' section members for helping on this 'under the hood' problem.

[adiiityaaa]

Reminds me of the occurrence of similar type of traffic jam on Pune-Kolhapur highway in the Khambatki ghat region in 2017 or 2018. The number of broken down cars was even more than what was reported 3 days ago. Traffic had piled up from Shirwal itself till Wele due to road works, festive/holiday season and weddings at halls nearby highways. What usually takes us 3.5 hours to cover took 10 hours that day. I was in our Maruti Zen and was happy that it did not left us stranded like many other unfortunate cars that day.

[na_agrawal]

Originally Posted by itspatra

As a relatively new driver ~7000km what would be the best course of action to prevent this? I assume the slope is gentle (just enough to cause rollback) and spread over a long distance of 1-2 km. Please elaborate how to reduce clutch burn for each type of transmission manual, auto-clutch manual, amt, cvt, dct , etc. It would be helpful for newbies like me.
Thanks!

Originally Posted by Gamemaztr

In such situations, I mostly wait for the car in the front to substantially move ahead before making a move to go ahead. Before you learn the ability to manage the clutch well in such situations, use the handbrake. No need to keep up with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The handbrake technique is very simple. Pull the handbrake 3-4 notches, keep the clutch depressed, slot in the gear, and rev a little. Once you feel that the car is eager to move ahead, release the handbrake and go ahead. My emphasis on revving a little is critical as you may end up in the boot of the car in the front.

After 10 years of driving in varied terrains and mostly involving manual cars ranging from underpowered i20s and Ameo to modern day Compass and Seltos and to exciting ones like Civic and Vento, I can say one thing - Handbrakes are a savior in hills and a tool which if mastered can aid very well in your daily driving.

Like Gamemaztr said, use handbrakes with a bit of caution in bumper - to - bumper traffic. His emphasis on "little rev" is crucial, since once your car is nudging forward to move when you still have your handbrake lever tightly in your hands, a quick release of it and if not modulated properly will send your car taking off from that point and go straight into the front car in a jiffy. So, yes, be gentle on the throttle and but if you are not hard enough on it, you will roll back or your car will shut off. You need to find that sweet spot!

Instead of this, what I generally do is, lift off my clutch pedal just a wee bit and simultaneously press my accelerator just enough to keep my car stationary on a slope. But, I do this only for a few moments time and by then the car in front has already moved ahead and I have already released my clutch and moving forward. But, this requires practice and cannot be done immediately. Messing this act will burn your clutch pretty quick.

Another thing which one can practice is, once you are standstill on a slope and the car in front is not moving anymore, bring your car to neutral and apply handbrakes. Now, once the car in front has started moving/ already moved ahead, check your rear views and analyze the space between you and car behind you. If sufficient, follow this, keep the handbrake applied, slot your gear in first, immediately release handbrake and apply throttle while releasing clutch in a quick manner. This will allow your car to free itself and roll back a few inches and then the sudden surge of power from accelerator and release of clutch will take it forward. No drama, simple formula to keep your clutch healthy. DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM NEUTRAL & RELEASING CLUTCH.

I use all these 3 methods depending on my enthusiasm to drive on that particular day, on that particular time, on that particular road, and that particular car

Happy learning.
~NA