What's up with parking in 1st?
 

This really has nothing to do with our car in specific but why do people park in 1st with a mt? Is it like if my parking brake malfunctions then I'll be a bit better off? Sry for randomness but I'm just wondering where this school of thought comes from. To each there own

Had a camaro with a broken parking brake, so left it in first whenever I parked it.

In fact, not doing so is sort of foreign to me :P

If the parking brake does fail you have a backup. Try just leaving it in first and see what happens...once. The keep sing the handbrake and first.

The question is, why wouldn't you? There's no reason not to have the added security if a handbrake fails. I turn my front wheels toward the curb, if parking on an incline, as well...just in case.

If I'm on relatively level ground I don't use the e-brake. I will park in first or reverse depending on which direction I will want to be leaving. The compression of the engine will not permit the car to move. If I'm on not-level ground I might use both a gear and e-brake.

I went three years without an e-brake due to a frozen back caliper and never once misplaced my car, due to leaving it in gear! :lol:
As whaap pointed out, if on level ground, epecially when it's cold out, I'll leave the ebrake off just to avoid any chances of a frozen cable.

Well, same question why to put your automatic in Park? Would the handbrake not be sufficent and just put the automatic in Neutral?

1st gear does prevent the car from rolling on a normal surface (not like down/uphill or something) like the parking brake itself does, so you are securing your car in two ways, like with the Park setting in the Auto Gearbox. If you use 1st or Reverse Gear thats your choice, both will work fine, however cant see any reason why not to put in a gear and the handbrake to secure the car.

i guess ill take my chances with the car rolling away then put added stress on the transmission. Like i said to each their own but are new cars designed to use 1st as a parking gear?

sorry, but you had me laughting there for a minute.

Park the car (foot on the brake and clutch, 1st gear or reverse, whatever) , pull the e-brake, stop engine, take the foot of the brake and clutch. Since the car is already secured with the e-brake, why should that now put added stress on the transmission? It would only if your car begins to roll because your e-brake does not work, and I'd rather take that chance than my car rolling into god knows what because I did not secure it properly.

My guess is you're new to manual transmission, so yes, cars can handle 1st/reverse gear parking since... ever.

In a static situation, leaving it in gear will put far less stress on the drivetrain than it will ever get in normal use. Silly argument.
Yes. Any IC vehicle with manual gearing is designed to work perfectly well being left in gear to prevent runaway situations.
Rationalizing reasons not to is the interesting scenario.

I believe any driving school would instruct their new students driving namual to leave the car in gear and actvate the e-brake when parking. If you are concerned for wear on the transmission, what about all the other parts that are used for their designed intention?

Ive been driving a manual for years and have never put any of them in gear while out and about. I did once and forgot about it and almost rear ended a parked car in front of me because I let off the clutch lol, I usually put it in gear in my driveway tho.

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Leaving the car in first and with the handbrake is way too much stress on the vehicle. I make sure I have 4 sets of chocks with me at all times. I pull the handbrake, get out, place all 8 chocks around the car (Because I don't want to stress just one or two wheels with chocks). Then I release the handbrake so the cable doesn't stretch.

It's not "new" cars. It's been since cars had transmissions that informed owners would use 1st or reverse to park their cars. My being raised in a four season state (Michigan) that last thing you wanted, especially in the winter time, was for your e-brake to freeze-up in the on position.

It's also a habit formed from over 60 years or riding motorcycles. They don't have e-brakes and pretty much all motorcyclist have seen bikes "roll off" their side stands because they were parked in neutral.

p.s. There is no stress on any thing.

Might as well hire a tank to park behind you everywhere you go, too. Can't be too cautious! :lol:

To address the "stress" issue (for others making this claim), you might as well not drive your car, either. You'll put more stress on a transmission running to get a single cup of coffee at 7-11 then you will parking in gear for the life of the car.

This question make me assume that you may be new to MT's. If that is, I would simply restate you question with respect to AT's.

Did you park your AT in neutral and set the e-brake? Nope, you used a 'gear' that is fixed (P) and hopefully pulled the e-brake.

Use the e-brake and put the MT in gear when parking, then lookup 'parked car popped out of gear on a hill' on Google, to understand why both should be used, especially on inclines.

Eric G

sometimes i even park it in 2nd!!! (cue dramatic music)

:clap:17 comments in and nobody mentions that the manual says not to leave the car in gear unless parked on an incline, interesting...

But I agree with everyone here, it doesn't hurt and can only help so I do it all the time out of habit.

I'm new to mt. Should be obvious I wasn't trying to start an argument about one way or the other just curious. Thanks to those who felt like teaching me and for those who wanted to troll thanks and enjoy your plus 1s

We all form our driving habits for different reasons. Perhaps because we were taught by a father who could do no wrong or what ever. None are necessarily bad. True that some are better than others. But, if you've thought about all the various reasons to do something or not to do something and decide what works best for you, that's all that matters.

I've personally seen 4 different cars roll away (1 mine) due to cable stretch or slack. 1 car actually bumped mine in a parking lot (it was rolling very very slow though).

I ask you this - if I parked somewhere with just the e-brake and my car rolled away and hurt or killed one of your loved ones (perhaps it rolled into the street and was hit) how do you think your lawyers would take to the fact that the car was not in gear and rolled away?

It's also the reason why modern manual cars do NOT start without the clutch depressed - the car is expected to be in gear. It does NO damage.

Clutch in, start car, move gear to neutral, slowly let off clutch in case you missed, then get out clean snow fumble for ipods, whatever.

+1

What stress is parking in gear putting on the car? These are the gears that drive the car from the engine power and torque! Not parking in first gear is waiting for disaster, one day your car will roll into something and you will have more damage. I would never depend on the parking brake alone. Of course I live in hilly terrain so I am probably more attuned to the potential for trouble. Has anyone read the manual on parking suggestions? IF the e-brake isn't secure it wont take much to cause the car to roll. Good luck with this plan, but please, don't park near me.

Manual says to leave the car in neutral and use the handbrake unless you are parked on an incline, then put the car in gear and turn the wheels toward the curb. I don't have it handy but it's in the first hundred pages or so.

Do it every time and you'll stop forgetting.

You didn't have your e-brake on? It should have stalled right away lol.

The manual also has some pretty stupid conflicting stuff in it. I wouldn't consider the manual useful when it comes to common sense matters.

See here:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...ht=read+manual

That does concern me a little.

Personally if I'm on a level surface I leave it in neutral with the e-brake up. If I'm uphill I leave it in 1st, wheel away from the curb, pull the e-brake. If I'm downhill, I leave it in R, wheel towards the curb, pull the e-brake.

That's how I was taught it driver's ed. I don't think it's necessary if you're on level surface, but if you're afraid your e-brake is worn out, then I can see the use of it.

I was driving my GF's Accord one day, parked it in her driveway, pulled the e-brake up (her driveway has the slightest incline), took my foot off the brake, and I felt it roll back. Tried reapplying the e-brake; did it again. So I put it in 1st this time.

I only do it if I feel it's necessary. My FR-S is less than a month old, so I'm not going to sweat it for now. Although I'm guilty of driving in reverse with the e-brake up before, which surely isn't helping me.

Hah, I do the same too, except I clear the little rocks from the parking space before driving in, don't want to stress the tires by having rocks pressing into the rubber under the car's weight.

Get used to leaving it in gear. When you go to the track the last thing you wan't to do after coming back off the track is park your car and pull the handbrake...

I had a MT truck, 4 banger, that the ebreak only worked very little. To keep it from rolling down the hill I had to put in gear. Most of the time the faulty ebreak and in gear would do, but sometimes the truck would slide down the hill a bit before finally stopping.

The compression of the engine wasn't enough. Some neighbors would freak out that the car started moving after I got inside the house.

I can't tell if Imrac and GNS are being sarcastic?!

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Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly accelerate to dangerous speeds.

The only issue with leaving in gear on flat surface would be an accident with the FR-S parked in gear, and the ensuing damage to the trans/clutch when moved/pushed/shoved in gear, not running.

Unless I am missing something?? (Perhaps this is the origin of the post to begin with) ;)

Eric G

Are you implying that if the vehicle was forcibly moved while in gear that components would be damaged?

If so, consider that to damage the transmission the tires would have to retain traction while being moved (causing the driveshaft to rotate against it's will) and the engine would have to resist turning over (because if it did, the force is relieved and no harm done, engines are meant to turn over), if that happens (tires roll, not slide, and the engine refuses to turn over) then yes there may be damage to the transmission/clutch.

I'm pretty sure the tires would slide before any significant damage would occur due to the vehicle being in gear.

This is a lot of food for thought and thanks to everyone who dropped some knowledge on me. I live in a very flat area and I basically never have to park on inclines. The car is new and I'm going to continue parking in neutral. If the handbrake fails then a ill be shocked and angry and b I'll take action against Toyota buy highly doubt that will happen. From now on tho if I park on an incline I will leave it in gear. And for those who asked my last vehicle was at and I Always parked in neutral with the parking brake then turned the car off and would put it in park. Never had any issues with anything 150k miles deep. I think a sub 3k weight brand new car will be fine in neutral lol.

Agreed, this would be so slight, more damage to linkage or bushings, perhaps.

Then what would be the purpose of leaving out of gear on flat surfaces, as suggested by the manual? That was the only reason I could think of.

btw, have had damage to trannies when parked and hit, manual and auto. One major, others minor, as you describe.

Eric G

And here I thought first gear WAS the parking brake and that the parking brake was the drift initiator.

I like your train of thought!

Problem is, what you think is perfectly flat often is not.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1U-gVZyvIsw"]Car rolls away from gas station - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBEXtJIEjrw"]Police - Parking Brake - YouTube[/ame]