manual transmission

[rh71]

Originally posted by: notfred
I love when people make polls that don't include an option for say, someone who's response would be "I have no idea because I've never driven one", but instead force them to randomly pick one of the available choices and throw off the results.

I've never driven one, but even I know to put it in neutral when parking if I did have one.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: notfred
I love when people make polls that don't include an option for say, someone who's response would be "I have no idea because I've never driven one", but instead force them to randomly pick one of the available choices and throw off the results.

I've never driven one, but even I know to put it in neutral when parking if I did have one.

You would have hosed the poll with that incorrect answer!!!

 

[m2kewl]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: notfred
I love when people make polls that don't include an option for say, someone who's response would be "I have no idea because I've never driven one", but instead force them to randomly pick one of the available choices and throw off the results.

I've never driven one, but even I know to put it in neutral when parking if I did have one.

You would have hosed the poll with that incorrect answer!!!

lmao

 

[RayH]

Originally posted by: Vic
Always leave the transmission in gear (1st or reverse) and engage the parking brake. Leaving your car in gear will NOT harm the transmission, even in the unlikely event that someone bumps your car (*ponders the monumental stupidity of that idea*), and all cars built after ~1990 will not start unless your depress the clutch first (*thinks about the idiocy of people who don't push in the clutch or check what gear it's in before starting and how they should be forced to only drive autos*).
If you drove an automatic would you not put it into "Park" when you parked? Don't be an idiot... leave it in gear.

I'm guessing the odds of a car rolling on its own on a level surface with a properly functioning parking brake are lower than having somebody bump the car especially if you live in a city where "braille" parallel parking seems to be a common practice. I don't think "Park" on an automatic has any direct parallel on a manual. If one truly wanted to use the engine for braking, why not use 5th or 6th gear instead of 1st? I admit, I do put the car in gear when parked on a hill but any other time it's in neutral.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: RayH
I'm guessing the odds of a car rolling on its own on a level surface with a properly functioning parking brake are lower than having somebody bump the car especially if you live in a city where "braille" parallel parking seems to be a common practice. I don't think "Park" on an automatic has any direct parallel on a manual. If one truly wanted to use the engine for braking, why not use 5th or 6th gear instead of 1st? I admit, I do put the car in gear when parked on a hill but any other time it's in neutral.

I won't deny the common (and hit-and-run illegal) practice of "braille" parallel parking. However, having someone bump your car when it is in gear will not damage the transmission, they're built much stronger than that. Just think of the forces placed upon the transmission just to start the car moving, or to shift gears, or (in the extreme) to drop the clutch at a given high rpm and do a burn-out. A "bump" is nothing compared to those.

"Park" in auto is different than anything in a manual as it uses a pin known as the parking pawl to hold the car in place. This is because otherwise an auto trans does not have a direct mechanical connection from the engine to the wheels, which a manual has inherently.

One puts a car in 1st for engine braking (and not a higher gear like 5th) because in 1st the engine exerts torque upon the tires. In an overspeed (ratio less than 1) gear like 5th, the tires exert torque upon the engine. In simple English, in a single given linear distance of tire roll, the engine will spin farther (usually 3-4 times farther) in 1st than in 5th, which means there is more engine compression force upon the tires in 1st than in 5th.

You should always park your manual trans car in gear (and engage the parking brake), regardless of the circumstances. It will not damage your transmission and it does not take any extra time or effort. It's just simple common sense and safety.

Someone mentioned out one could forget that the car is in gear and forget to depress the clutch when starting. I can't think of anyone who has owned a manual for a long period of time doing this. Personally, I have owned nothing but manuals for more than 15 years, and checking the car's gear and depressing the clutch before starting is second nature. I never forget and I don't even think about it. So much so, in fact, that I often bang my left foot on an empty floorboard when I drive an auto.

 

[GroundedSailor]

The poll speaks for itself.

Park the car in 1st gear or reverse - opposite direction to the slope. If the car is pointing down the slope, park in reverse & vice versa. E-brakes are fine but I don't feel completely comfortable with just the brake.

 

[RayH]

Originally posted by: Vic

You should always park your manual trans car in gear (and engage the parking brake), regardless of the circumstances. It will not damage your transmission and it does not take any extra time or effort. It's just simple common sense and safety.

Someone mentioned out one could forget that the car is in gear and forget to depress the clutch when starting. I can't think of anyone who has owned a manual for a long period of time doing this. Personally, I have owned nothing but manuals for more than 15 years, and checking the car's gear and depressing the clutch before starting is second nature. I never forget and I don't even think about it. So much so, in fact, that I often bang my left foot on an empty floorboard when I drive an auto.

Well, I guess I could try to change. I've been driving the same car which I learned how to drive stick on for the past 12 years so it probably won't happen overnight. I already instinctively make sure the car is in neutral by wiggling the shifter back and forth whenever I start the car even though I know I left it there when I parked it. Heck, I do other things when I drive which wear the car out faster than any bump could do like short shifting, engine braking and left foot braking for manual traction control. I see you have a WRX... I've got a Galant VR-4

 

[chin311]

NEUTRAL = TEH WIN!!1

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Vic
Always leave the transmission in gear (1st or reverse) and engage the parking brake. Leaving your car in gear will NOT harm the transmission, even in the unlikely event that someone bumps your car (*ponders the monumental stupidity of that idea*), and all cars built after ~1990 will not start unless your depress the clutch first (*thinks about the idiocy of people who don't push in the clutch or check what gear it's in before starting and how they should be forced to only drive autos*).
If you drove an automatic would you not put it into "Park" when you parked? Don't be an idiot... leave it in gear.

Actually the '84 Mustang I had 15 years ago had a starter interlock switch. They've been around for a long time: YOu have to have the clutch down in order to start the car.