POLL: manual drivers, how do you park your car?

Aharami

Lifer
Aug 31, 2001
21,294
148
106
i leave it in neutral and handbrake. i dont like to leave it in gear
 

MrDudeMan

Lifer
Jan 15, 2001
15,069
91
91
i pull the handbrake first, since it actually puts less strain on the transmission.

stop, handbrake, ingnition, gear, open door, insert finger in mouth...oh wait, thats a different scenario...
 

Valhalla1

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
8,678
0
76
i cant make sense of your poll options at a glance.. and i dont drive a manual anymore but lemme think.. i would

pull into parking space, holding in the clutch.. break to a stop, pull the emergecy break (engine still running, clutch in, shifter in 1st gear) then I would switch off the igntion, then release the break, then release the clutch.

seems like a lot but it all happens in like 1 second
 

Lifer

Banned
Feb 17, 2003
1,948
0
0
Originally posted by: Valhalla1
i cant make sense of your poll options at a glance.. and i dont drive a manual anymore but lemme think.. i would

pull into parking space, holding in the clutch.. break to a stop, pull the emergecy break (engine still running, clutch in, shifter in 1st gear) then I would switch off the igntion, then release the break, then release the clutch.

seems like a lot but it all happens in like 1 second

that's this one: leave in 1st, clutch in, shut off ignition, clutch out (handbrake engaged somewhere)
 

MrDudeMan

Lifer
Jan 15, 2001
15,069
91
91
Originally posted by: Valhalla1
i cant make sense of your poll options at a glance.. and i dont drive a manual anymore but lemme think.. i would

pull into parking space, holding in the clutch.. break to a stop, pull the emergecy break (engine still running, clutch in, shifter in 1st gear) then I would switch off the igntion, then release the break, then release the clutch.

seems like a lot but it all happens in like 1 second

exactly what i do
 

HiTek21

Diamond Member
Jul 4, 2002
4,391
1
0
I usually leave it with only the handbrake on, if I'm parked on an incline I'll put it in 1st gear, use the handbrake, and turn the wheel away from the curb.
 

Valhalla1

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
8,678
0
76
Originally posted by: HiTek21
I usually leave it with only the handbrake on, if I'm parked on an incline I'll put it in 1st gear, use the handbrake, and turn the wheel away from the curb.

when I did this, it was a matter of grinding your syncros when you go to put it back into gear, due to slippage.. so i always left it in (some) gear at least
 

Valhalla1

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
8,678
0
76
and whatever you do DONT do it in this order :

pull into parking space
pull handbrake
release clutch
car lurches to embarrasing scraping halt at curb
???
profit!


 

nightowl

Golden Member
Oct 12, 2000
1,935
0
0
When I am parking my car i always do the following: clutch in, move to 1st if not already there, e-brake on, clutch out. This way the brake is holding the car in place and not the transmission.
 

Lifer

Banned
Feb 17, 2003
1,948
0
0
Originally posted by: nightowl
When I am parking my car i always do the following: clutch in, move to 1st if not already there, e-brake on, clutch out. This way the brake is holding the car in place and not the transmission.

nm... i understand.
you meant that you handbrake before clutching out so that the brake is already holding the car in place and that the tranny is a secondary precaution against movement.
 

dirtboy

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,745
1
81
At night I leave it in neutral with the parking brake engaged, doors unlocked and the key in the ignition. During the day I, of course, lock the car, but it stays in neutral. It's not all that hilly here and it's rather unlikely that the e-brake will fail.
 

imported_Phil

Diamond Member
Feb 10, 2001
9,837
0
0
Originally posted by: dirtboy
At night I leave it in neutral with the parking brake engaged, doors unlocked and the key in the ignition. During the day I, of course, lock the car, but it stays in neutral. It's not all that hilly here and it's rather unlikely that the e-brake will fail.

:Q :Q
 

Lithium381

Lifer
May 12, 2001
12,458
2
0
On level ground, i'll leave it out of gear, if i'm on an incline of any sorts i'll pick a gear
 

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
I only use my handbrake when on an incline (IE: Never - I live in FL) :p

Pull into parking spot - push clutch pedal - shift into first - release clutch - get out of car. I hardly ever use my handbrake.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Something I've meant to ask is this - whenever I jack my cars up I have them always in first gear, but absolutely nothing is preventing the wheels from spinning. They spin into oblivion, which makes it hard undoing lugnuts sometimes - why is that? Going with that line of thinking, my leaving them in gear would be pointless when I park (I do anyway though).
 

DJFuji

Diamond Member
Oct 18, 1999
3,643
1
76
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Something I've meant to ask is this - whenever I jack my cars up I have them always in first gear, but absolutely nothing is preventing the wheels from spinning. They spin into oblivion, which makes it hard undoing lugnuts sometimes - why is that? Going with that line of thinking, my leaving them in gear would be pointless when I park (I do anyway though).

why not loosen lugnuts before you jack up the vehicle? I do that first to prevent the wheels from spinning. Supposedly, leaving it in gear while parked prevents it from rolling, or at least from picking up too much speed if on an incline.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Originally posted by: DJ Fuji
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Something I've meant to ask is this - whenever I jack my cars up I have them always in first gear, but absolutely nothing is preventing the wheels from spinning. They spin into oblivion, which makes it hard undoing lugnuts sometimes - why is that? Going with that line of thinking, my leaving them in gear would be pointless when I park (I do anyway though).

why not loosen lugnuts before you jack up the vehicle? I do that first to prevent the wheels from spinning. Supposedly, leaving it in gear while parked prevents it from rolling, or at least from picking up too much speed if on an incline.
Yeah i've had to start doing exactly that. But it's a pain!

 

OrganizedChaos

Diamond Member
Apr 21, 2002
4,525
0
0
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Something I've meant to ask is this - whenever I jack my cars up I have them always in first gear, but absolutely nothing is preventing the wheels from spinning. They spin into oblivion, which makes it hard undoing lugnuts sometimes - why is that? Going with that line of thinking, my leaving them in gear would be pointless when I park (I do anyway though).

open axle
 

Pliablemoose

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
25,195
0
56
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Something I've meant to ask is this - whenever I jack my cars up I have them always in first gear, but absolutely nothing is preventing the wheels from spinning. They spin into oblivion, which makes it hard undoing lugnuts sometimes - why is that? Going with that line of thinking, my leaving them in gear would be pointless when I park (I do anyway though).

I jack the car up just enough to leave enough pressure to keep the tire from spinning, loosen the lugnuts, give teh jack a couple more cranks, then spin the wheel & take off the nuts the rest of the way off by hand, or just spin the 4 way lug wrench to take them off the rest of the way. Re tighten the same way, but I use a torque wrench since that whole all 4 wheels coming off my van cuz some asshole handed me metric lug nuts with an impact tool & the end over end thing I did:( You haven't lived till you flip a full size van end over end @ ~40 mph.

 

GTaudiophile

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
29,776
31
81
Clutch in, gear in first, turn off engine, clutch out, hand-break on...

(If parked on a hill, I turn the wheels as necessary before doing the above.)