deijmaster

I've had many discussions with friends on this topic and wonder what is the general view on rennlist...

Simply, when parking in a garage or simply a flat surface, do you tend to engage the transmission (let's say in first gear) or just apply the hand brake?

Personnally, I just use the hand brake in "normal" situations. If I find myself in a more complex situation (e.g.: inclined parking downtown) I not only apply the hand brake but also put the gear in 1st.

What's your view in this?

pissedpuppy

engaged

oh58driver

I have had parking brakes slip, so engaged.

Palmbeacher

Engaged, in whichever gear it was in when I stopped, plus set the handbrake. Same with every standard shift car I've owned, in fact my father taught me to always leave a standard in gear when parked, and he learnt it from his father. The belt-and-braces approach never hurts

Mister C

engaged. I have had the parking brake slip. I parked after a hard run. The rotors were still hot when I set the parking brake. When the rotors cooled the parking brake was barely engaged. Luckily, I have a long habit of putting her in gear when I park so she didn't move.

Hella-Buggin'

Always engaged in either first or reverse depending on direction.

rsabeebe

One more for engaged. Always. Set parking brake, release foot from brake and then put into gear once at rest.

Barn996

+1 It's also a backup in case you forget to use the EB.

Vancouver-BC

Always engaged irrespective of incline.

FiatCoupe

If it's in a garage or on the flat surface then parking brake only. It's not going anywhere unless pushed. If it's on an incline then I leave it in gear as well.

In Canada I'd also turn the wheels if parking on an incline. Assuming you're parking on the right hand side of the road, turn the wheel to the left if parking up hill and to the right if parking downhill. That way if the car slides/rolls it goes into the curb not down the street.

jfoxny

Always engaged

PaulLA

Engage in gear and parking brake. Its a habit and good safety practice

bdiamond001

Always engaged. I remember leaving my '97 SAAB parked on an incline during a sleet storm and finding it at the bottom of the hill.

Iceter

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation." Aristotle

Leaving a manual transmission car in gear every time you park is not only good practice but safe practice. Doing it every time guarantees that you will do it when it counts.

Anybody ever seen a car roll into another car in an apparently flat parking lot? I have--many times. Parking brakes don't work well when they're in top shape and they fail often. Operator error occurs even more often.

Put the car into a forward gear if it's pointing uphill, put the car into reverse if it's pointing downhill. Either way, the slope and the weight of the car have to fight engine compression to get moving, which is often a much greater impediment than an unreliable system of levers, cables and pulleys.

I used to have a CDL, can you tell?

XR4Tim

I always put the car in gear. On my Audi, I don't use the handbrake unless I'm on a steep slope, because it has a habit of sticking. On other cars I use the handbrake all the time.