The only time I park my car in gear is when I am parked on a hill, in reverse when facing down and in first when facing up. Should I always park my car in gear? Why?
2007-03-23 01:24:37 · 19 answers · asked by curlytop 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
Emergency brakes or parking brakes as they are really known, often lose their grip and need to be adjusted after a while of continuous use, so they can not be relied upon to hold your car on a hill. Always put your car in reverse. Reverse is the "lowest" gear, meaning that the compression in the engine (it's resistance to turning or moving when not running)will be enough to hold youre car still even if the parking brake is not fully engaged due to wear or maladjustment. I recommend not using your parking brake when parking on relatively level surfaces for a few practical reasons. First, the engine compression is more than enough to hold the car still if you park it in gear. Second, in colder weather, parking brakes often freeze solid and then you cant get them disengaged to move anywhere. You are stuck. Third, don't use them if you dont have to and they are more likely to hold better on hills when you need them because the mechanisms that operate them will not be out of adjustment from overuse (how many of us have driven a block or two with the parking brake on and never realized it?).
2007-03-23 01:41:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I assume your car is a stick shift, right? Good for you.
First, you don't need to differentiate between 1st and reverse - 1st is always fine. Now, the reason you should park in gear is simple - it will prevent the car from rolling. It is recommended that parking brake is engaged as well as an added precaution. I personally never use it unless parked on a significant hill. I'm not saying this is right but 30 years ago, cars had really bad parking brakes, and I can't get rid of this habit.
And finally, you should always turn the wheels so that IF the car starts rolling it moves in the direction opposite to the traffic.
2007-03-23 01:33:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Assuming you drive manual - no you sould not. Your parking is supposed to do the job except for extreme slopes, and you are absolutely right using it the way you do.
Puttiing your car in gear stopping power is limited to whatever resistance engine can provide, and this is usually less then parking brake stopping power, but it can compliment parking brake nicely on the hill.
Another problem with putting your car in gear is that when you start your car and forget about it being in gear, it will jump when you release the clutch, causing a dangerous situation.
2007-03-23 07:12:40 · answer #3 · answered by Misha 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Putting the car in gear makes it so that the engine and transmission will work against the car rolling. It's not necessary if your parking brake is in good working order.
I ALWAYS, auto or stick, use my parking brake as I have had older cars where the brakes were not used and therefore rusted inside their housing and were not operable when needed. In case your throttle should ever get stuck or something happen with your brakes, your only option might be to put the car in neutral and stop with the parking brake. It HAS happened. So I always use it so that I know it'll work if/when I need it.
2007-03-23 03:12:03 · answer #4 · answered by Ferret 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've made it a habit (only for manual).
It's just extra precaution in case the parking/emergency brake fails.
It's not only useful on hills (though that's primary).
Say someone hits your car while it's parked and it becomes a ballistic. It will stop twice as fast if it's in gear.
Again, you don't have to - it simply further secures your car.
2007-03-23 01:30:21 · answer #5 · answered by teh_popezorz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who told you you had to ? If you are parked on a hill, it makes sense to put your car in gear. If you park it in PARK, it is just the same. IF you have a manual tranny, just make sure your hand break is in good working condition. Also, if you leave it in gear and someone who does not ordinarily use your car goes to start it up, they may not engage the clutch. Do what is right for the situation :-))
2007-03-23 01:34:35 · answer #6 · answered by Tiger Beer 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
You do not need to if you have a reliable parking brake. It can actually be hard on the transmission but if you have a front wheel drive car and the parking brake is on while in gear...it does make it harder to tow away.
2007-03-23 01:33:20 · answer #7 · answered by fingersthatmakeusmile 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You don't always HAVE to park your car in gear, but it's a good habbit to get into. If you don't you're putting all that extra pressure on your e-brake. But if you'd rather not bother, then you don't have to. But it's a good practice to do so.
2007-03-23 01:34:44 · answer #8 · answered by Vanessa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I assume you are driving a Manual, Its just added protection in case the emergency brake fails. It is always recommended that you park with it in Reverse, I don't know why.
2007-03-23 01:27:09 · answer #9 · answered by Samantha 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Accually, you should NEVER let your car sit on the gear, its really bad for the transmission. Unless you put the parking break on, you will notice it messing up if you let your car sit on its gear.
2007-03-23 02:04:29 · answer #10 · answered by auther89 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋