Parking with car in gear??

Tracyk · 14-06-2014 8:08pm #1

Hi just wondering is it a good idea when parking your car and after putting the handbreak on to also put it in gear? Should your car move when it is in gear and the handbreak off. My car will move a bit, stop and move a bit again and so on by having it in gear alone (handbreak off) it doesn't actually stop the car the best way to describe it, it likes just bobbles along. Should by having it in gear alone stop the car from rolling. I'm asking this because what's the point in putting it in gear when handbreak is engaged if by having it in gear alone doesn't actually stop the car from rolling.

colm_mcm · 14-06-2014 8:10pm

I'd normally do both.

challengemaster · 14-06-2014 8:11pm

It's intended to stop the car from rolling when on an incline (and it does a damn good job of it too).

My guess is you're not choosing the right gear for the circumstance. 1st if you're car nose up, reverse on nose down.

brembo26 · 14-06-2014 8:12pm

Its just like being extra safe when you park up on a hill or something.

If you have a weak handbrake the car might roll with the handbrake alone so also having it in gear will just back it up a bit.

Tracyk · 14-06-2014 8:15pm

challengemaster wrote: »

It's intended to stop the car from rolling when on an incline (and it does a damn good job of it too).

My guess is you're not choosing the right gear for the circumstance. 1st if you're car nose up, reverse on nose down.

Oh right just checking that it's not a problem with the gear then. This will happen if its not in a particular gear?

biko · 14-06-2014 8:23pm

I always park in 1st and never use handbrake (unless I'm parking on a steep hill).

Tracyk · 14-06-2014 8:26pm

Just another quick question. When I stop in traffic on a hill and put my foot on the break and also pull up the handbreak fully until it stops and then take my foot off the break the car rolls a bit but then when I go to pull up the handbreak again with my foot off the break I can engage the handbreak another small bit (1 click) and the car stops rolling. Seem that when I engage the handbreak fully with my foot on the break the car will roll just very slowly once I take my foot off the break but by taking my foot off the break I then can get an extra bit (1 click) on the handbreak and the car stops. Why is this? It doesn't really bother me but I'm just wondering.

brembo26 · 14-06-2014 8:28pm

biko wrote: »

I always park in 1st and never use handbrake (unless I'm parking on a steep hill).

Why?

nomdeboardie · 14-06-2014 8:31pm

Tracyk wrote: »

Oh right just checking that it's not a problem with the gear then. This will happen if its not in a particular gear?

Any of the forward gears will slow it rolling forwards (nose-down a hill), but first will slow it most, as greater gear revs per wheelroll = more resistance ('engine-braking'). Conversely, reverse will slow it rolling backwards if oriented 'nose-up'.

wendell borton · 14-06-2014 8:37pm

brembo26 wrote: »

Why?

Prevents the brakes from sticking.

colm_mcm · 14-06-2014 8:40pm

Do people still have drum brakes?

biko · 14-06-2014 8:41pm

Yeah, brakes doesn't stick and I don't have to start a thread in Motors every winter - "my car won't move after a cold night, why oh why"

Each to their own I suppose but for me gear alone is fine. I never had a car roll on me yet.

wendell borton · 14-06-2014 8:43pm

On some cars the handbrake operates separate drum brakes.

brembo26 · 14-06-2014 8:43pm

wendell borton wrote: »

Prevents the brakes from sticking.

Id understand that if the car was being parked up for a long period of time.

But if in regular daily use I couldn't imagine the brakes sticking.

Maybe I'm wrong...

brembo26 · 14-06-2014 8:45pm

biko wrote: »

Yeah, brakes doesn't stick and I don't have to start a thread in Motors every winter - "my car won't move after a cold night, why oh why"

Makes sense

K.Flyer · 14-06-2014 8:48pm

Back in my learning years, I was always told not to use the gearbox for parking as it can put undue pressure on bearings and shafts.
Park using the "parking" brake, but it was ok to leave it in gear as a back up as long as there was no pressure on the gearbox.

christy02 · 14-06-2014 8:51pm

biko wrote: »

Yeah, brakes doesn't stick and I don't have to start a thread in Motors every winter - "my car won't move after a cold night, why oh why"
Each to their own I suppose but for me gear alone is fine. I never had a car roll on me yet.

I am same only use handbrake on a steep hill. Few years ago I had handbrake stick on me and since then just park in gear.

Lot of cars still have drums on rear and discs on front.

Stainless_Steel · 14-06-2014 9:01pm

K.Flyer wrote: »

Back in my learning years, I was always told not to use the gearbox for parking as it can put undue pressure on bearings and shafts.
Park using the "parking" brake, but it was ok to leave it in gear as a back up as long as there was no pressure on the gearbox.

But it's ok to put 100 ft lbs of torque through the same bearings and shafts?

K.Flyer · 14-06-2014 9:09pm

Stainless_Steel wrote: »

But it's ok to put 100 ft lbs of torque through the same bearings and shafts?

Just sayin' what I was told...

Tracyk · 14-06-2014 9:12pm

Getting back to this question :-)

Just another quick question. When I stop in traffic on a hill and put my foot on the break and also pull up the handbreak fully until it stops and then take my foot off the break the car rolls a bit but then when I go to pull up the handbreak again with my foot off the break I can engage the handbreak another small bit (1 click) and the car stops rolling. Seem that when I engage the handbreak fully with my foot on the break the car will roll just very slowly once I take my foot off the break but by taking my foot off the break I then can get an extra bit (1 click) on the handbreak and the car stops. Why is this? It doesn't really bother me but I'm just wondering.

christy02 · 14-06-2014 9:25pm

Tracyk wrote: »

Getting back to this question :-)

Just another quick question. When I stop in traffic on a hill and put my foot on the break and also pull up the handbreak fully until it stops and then take my foot off the break the car rolls a bit but then when I go to pull up the handbreak again with my foot off the break I can engage the handbreak another small bit (1 click) and the car stops rolling. Seem that when I engage the handbreak fully with my foot on the break the car will roll just very slowly once I take my foot off the break but by taking my foot off the break I then can get an extra bit (1 click) on the handbreak and the car stops. Why is this? It doesn't really bother me but I'm just wondering.

Erm your handbrake isn't working properly. I think nct is 3clicks. Could be it just needs adjusting or it could be your calipers are worn.

Tracyk · 14-06-2014 9:40pm

christy02 wrote: »

Erm your handbrake isn't working properly. I think nct is 3clicks. Could be it just needs adjusting or it could be your calipers are worn.

It not that much of an inconvenience or much of a problem but it's just there all the same and I've just bought the car of its main dealer. Do you think that warrants me to bring it back to get sorted cause it is under warranty anyway

jt65 · 14-06-2014 10:10pm

biko wrote: »

I always park in 1st and never use handbrake (unless I'm parking on a steep hill).

hope your car hasn't a dmf

one sure way to induce premature failure

jimmyw · 14-06-2014 10:11pm

biko wrote: »

I always park in 1st and never use handbrake (unless I'm parking on a steep hill).

I dont think thats really a good way to do it, puts pressure on the box, linkage etc.I always use handbrake first, and then gear.

Of course with my former lovely Saab, you could not take out the key unless it was in reverse.

jimmyw · 14-06-2014 10:20pm

Tracyk wrote: »

Getting back to this question :-)

Just another quick question. When I stop in traffic on a hill and put my foot on the break and also pull up the handbreak fully until it stops and then take my foot off the break the car rolls a bit but then when I go to pull up the handbreak again with my foot off the break I can engage the handbreak another small bit (1 click) and the car stops rolling. Seem that when I engage the handbreak fully with my foot on the break the car will roll just very slowly once I take my foot off the break but by taking my foot off the break I then can get an extra bit (1 click) on the handbreak and the car stops. Why is this? It doesn't really bother me but I'm just wondering.

I'd say that by using the foot brake, its expanding the shoes (if drums) a bit more than the handbrake is.So when you release the footbrake, it moves the shoes back more too, so the handbrake can put them on that little bit more.

my theory at least. .....................now goes to cover my head from all the stones that are going to be thrown at me

joujoujou · 14-06-2014 10:29pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

Do people still have drum brakes?

People - no.

Cars - yes.

Tracyk · 14-06-2014 10:55pm

jimmyw wrote: »

I'd say that by using the foot brake, its expanding the shoes (if drums) a bit more than the handbrake is.So when you release the footbrake, it moves the shoes back more too, so the handbrake can put them on that little bit more.

my theory at least. .....................now goes to cover my head from all the stones that are going to be thrown at me

07 Kia Ceed 1.6 D CRDi
Would it be an expensive fix? Car under warranty anyway

bazz26 · 14-06-2014 11:30pm

Tightening the hand brake is not a warranty issue but if you only bought the car recently then ask the garage to tighten it otherwise any mechanic would be able to do it for you quickly.

Reggie. · 14-06-2014 11:31pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

I'd normally do both.

+1

Red Nissan · 14-06-2014 11:36pm

I was taught to park in gear with handbrake.

My son, who is 30 years younger, was away and he needed his exotic to be started every day, so I did.
He came back from his holidays and asked if I drove it, I had not, he started and the car lurched forward as I had left it in gear. He has TEN years driving experience.

He had never heard of it.

ION08 · 15-06-2014 12:01am

Red Nissan wrote: »

I was taught to park in gear with handbrake.

My son, who is 30 years younger, was away and he needed his exotic to be started every day, so I did.
He came back from his holidays and asked if I drove it, I had not, he started and the car lurched forward as I had left it in gear. He has TEN years driving experience.

He had never heard of it.

Starting a car to have it leap forward is such a rookie thing to do.

I aways start the car with clutch depressed and also to relieve load on start up.

This has become as subconscious as moving the gear stick to ensure its in neutral at least

Parking with car in gear??

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