GIBSON6594

I've been seeing many of you with worlds of knowledge about transmissions, so I was wondering what puts more strain on the respective parts. Should I use the E-Brake when I park, leave it in 1st, or both? What is best for the car? Or does it not matter?

Thanks peeps.

wvu1999

safety calls for both, esp if you are parked on any sort of grade

TSX 'R' US

if you use your e-brake...then pop it into gear..you should be fine

popping into gear will be a backup if your e-brake fails...

ClutchPerformer

Winner!

majormojo

I always do both.

dzuy

do you guys always use first? what about any other gear?

dabuda

i always do both...for the gear it's either 1st or 2nd, no preference over the other

Viking

Both when on incline/decline and if I am on a level grade I just use the e-brake. On level grade, I fiugure the only way the car would move is if sombody pushed it or worse case scenario bumped it.

Wouldn't it hurt the tranny if it was bumped forward?

dzuy

i put mine into either third or fourth AND use the ebrake

be careful if you stick it in 1st and use ebrake.

if you start your car forgetting that your car is in 1st you'll be in trouble.

vwong

I've always used 1st. I know that a friend of mine from HS has always used 2nd, and another friend sometimes used reverse.

Viking

I use first or reverse depending on which way the car is facing on the incline/decline.

TSX 3Pedal

When parking uphill I use 1st gear and if parking downhill I use reverse and use the e-brake in both situations...
I do this just in case the e-brake fails, the gear will catch the car. And since it is in the opposite gear than which it is facing, it'll be harder for the car to roll and the car will lock up.

tony4311

sauceman

Reverse will have even more "brake torque" or whatever you'll call it. It's demultiplication is higher than first, and thus will require more torque to rotate the engine.

PixelHarmony

I rarely park with the car in gear since Illinois is so damn flat. But out of habit when I'm on a hill I park in gear and always start the car and stall out forgetting it's in gear.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Did just that with my Integra.

Black Ninja

bigwilliestyle

I'm assuming you have an :mt: ?

Always park with e-brake and in gear (like Viking said, depending on which way your car is on the incline)


P.S. (Hey, where's the :mt: and :at: smilies???)

bigwilliestyle

Of course, don't forget to turn your wheels the correct way if you're on a hill.

Black Ninja

Well, I'm not talking about parking on a steep grade...just about parking on a surface where it is noticable that there is an incline or decline.

majormojo

There's a safety switch on the clutch - the car won't start unless the clutch is in.

dzuy

no i meant if you start your car, then let off the clutch AND you forgot the car was in gear.

i.e. for people who usually dont leave it in first. so if you suddenly start leaving it in first, DONT FORGET or the car will jump forward.

dzuy

yea, you see what i'm trying to say.

if you start the car while it's in first, then forget, then drop off the clutch b/c you're used to starting in neutral, then the car will hop forward. VERY dangerous.

that's why i leave mine in third or fourth, in case someone decides to start my car, but forgets its in gear, the gear is so tall that the car wont leap forward like it does in first.

biker

Kind of hard to start the car without the clutch in.

On level ground I just leave it 1st or reverse. Any kind of incline I use both.
Depending on the kind of brakes one has, applying the e-brake hard after prolonged braking might speed brake warping (mostly true for rear drums).

In Europe it's not unusual to leave the car in neutral and without e-brake when the car is in a tight city street. People will then slightly move the car forward/backward to make another car fit or get out.

dzuy

you guys still arent getting it.

here is an example of what i'm trying to say sheesh.

1. park your car.
2. leave it in first (person usually leaves it in neutral)
3. person starts car (w/ clutch down, duh)
4. person forgets it's in first b/c he usually leaves it in neutral
5. person lets go of clutch

does that make sense now? that's what people should be careful of, not forgetting it's in gear. i never said you could start the car w/o a clutch what you guys are talkin about

bigwilliestyle

What dzuy said = MT

NeoChaser

yep done that a few times


OUCH.... on the engine..

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Okay, I'm going to throw in a twist. If you just finished high speed driving with heavy braking, don't use the e-brake. Just put in in gear. Because you can potentially warp the rear discs.

majormojo

OK, OK. I see what you mean. But what you're talking about is just a change from the person's normal routine and habit. I've been parking my MT cars in 1st for over 20 yrs, I NEVER forget it's in 1st because that's the way it's always been and always will be. And I never have to wonder if I remembered to set the parking brake because I always do that as well (on AT vehicles too).

knthornt

Why would you drop the cluth anyway?? When i start the car, I ususally do it for the purpose of driving... thus I put the car in gear and drive away.

lokman

No AT drivers chiming in? I see a lot of AT drivers who never bother to use the parking brake at all, and those who do often engage it after they've put the car into park. This is not usually a problem on flat surfaces, but if the car is on a grade, shifting into park first puts the weight of the car on the transmission as opposed to the parking break.

On an automatic, I usually bring the car to a stop with the brake, leave it in D, apply the parking brake, let off the brake, then shift the car into P. To get out, I start the car, apply the brake, shift the car into R or D, release the parking brake, and then drive off. I always get so many comments from people telling me this is wrong - what do the other AT drivers do?

Viking

I always check the stick position before I start the car, force of habit I guess.

TSXsurf

I have firsthand experience of my TSX e-brake slipping and the car rolling out of a parking space. Thankfully the car didn't roll very far back because the parking lot leveled out, but that was a quick reminder that you should ALWAYS put it in gear.

Personally, I'd say 1st or reverse. Depending on the hill, the car could eventually get rolling in a higher gear. Yes, you could forget, but it becomes a habit after awhile. Its like forgetting where the volume is on your steering wheel.

majormojo

I do pretty much exactly what you do. When parking I keep my foot on the brake to hold it while I shift to P and apply the parking brake. The idea is the same, to hold the vehicle with the brakes, not parking pin in the tranny.

TSX 'R' US

I chimed in... I've got an MT (Solara) and an AT (TSX) car...
With my TSX, I either:
pull the ebrake, then shift to park
shift to park with foot still on the brake, pull the ebrake, let go of brake
and sometimes, don't use ebrake

with my Solara:
ebrake, then shift to 2nd/3rd/4th, or if I'm parking downhill, R

ClutchPerformer

They make MT Solaras?!

dzuy

yup. you got it. just want to make sure that if someone reads this, and decides to start putting it in gear, they remember it is, i always put it in gear and i always check, but change is always scary if you dont know what youre doin

gfxdave99

What if you used the e-brake while you were doing the high speed heavy driving?

TSX 'R' US

it's a '99....V6

they don't make V6 in MT anymore

cmf

I agree, and since I am usually pretty hard on the brakes, I always leave my car in gear when parked. I've had rotors warp due to cooling with the e-brake being on, so since then, I've never used.