truelove

just wondering what everyone does

sorry, this is only for manual cars obviously.

MacPhisto

Its a good habit to leave it in gear and use the parking brake. A parking brake cable can fail, or you can not have the brake set fully. And, its possible to think you have it in gear, but it not really be in gear. Or it accidently pops out. Doing both is a good redundancy.

I usually leave it in first OR reverse, depending on how I am parked. If I am in a spot where I am going to use reverse to get out of the spot, I use reverse. If I am going to go forward when I leave, I use first. That way, if I accidently start the car in gear (no starter cutout), or my foot slips off the clutch, or the clutch MC goes out, etc., and the car lurches, it will at least lurch in the direction I am going, which should be clear.

Manual transmission cars are really about muscle memory and habit. Its a good habit to develop to use both the brake and the gears. After a while, you do it without even thinking about it, just like shifting.

Buellwinkle

Unlike the midwest, most streets by me (So Cal) have some sort of incline even if you can't tell. Also someone can bump you while parked (In NY people push you out of the way to make a parking spot). So I do both as a safety measure, habit, don't even think about it. If it's an incline I turn the wheels so the car would naturally go against the curb if all else failed.

Lynn

What? No one is using wheel chocks?

CitronC230K_03

i set the brake and leave it gear. i also leave it gear in the direction i will be leaving once i return to the car, 1st or R, which ever applies for the specific situation.

peet

I follow the saab mentality... reverse on flat, reverse and brake on incline.

BTW: if you didn't know, in a saab you can't take the key out without putting the tranny in R.
P

MarkL

I also use the p-brake and leave it in gear. Here's a related comment: I don't mind the parking brake being a foot pedal except for one thing -- and after a year I've gotten used to it. When parking, I used to be able to leave the trans in 1st (clutch in, of course), hit the regular brake to stop, and set the parking brake by hand. Now I have to first shift to neutral so I can take my left foot of the regular brake to set the p-brake, then re-engage the clutch and go into 1st. A little more cumbersome...

truelove

here's what i do, it's pretty easy.

come to a stop with the clutch and brake pedal in (obviously). put it in gear, turn off car, release clutch and brake pedal, push in p-brake, get out.

taylor192

I agree with MacPhisto, its all about habit. I drove my Camry like hell and developped a lot of bad habits, which I tried for a month to fix before picking up my C230K. If you do something constantly for 29 days (I think tht's the saying, but not sure) you'll develop a habit of doing it always.

As for me, brake, neutral, set parking brake, turn car off, put into reverse, get out. Opposite is, get in, neutral (you can tell if it is in reverse, shifter is in an ackward position to grip it), brake, start car, release parking brake, release brake and drive away.

I've got one question, is it better to leave it in reverse when parked on an incline, or in first? and vice versa when parked on a decline?

MarkL

That will work, but I prefer to have the p-brake take most of the effort of holding the car instead of the trans. So that's why I engage the p-brake first, release normal brake, re-clutch and engage 1st. Just a habit...

truelove

MarkL,
ah yes, i didn't even think of that. that is a good idea, especially on a hill. i will start doing that. i haven't formed any habits yet since i've only had the car since monday.

MacPhisto

On an incline, I would say that it's best to leave it in reverse, since reverse is the lowest gear ratio in the box, it has the highest "holding power." (if you were to try to push a car while in gear, it would be hardest to move the car while it was in reverse, then first, then second, etc.)

Then again, on an incline, you really should turn the wheels so that the curb holds the car in place as a last resort.

Lynn

In that case, use truelove's method, but press the parking brake with you left foot before releasing the brake with you right foot.

20FHK02

That's what I always do: engage the parking brake before releasing the brake pedal.

truelove

actually, that's what i do too now that i think about it.

MarkL

I think that's what I originally said:

1. Come to a stop with normal brake, clutch in.
2. Go to neutral, still holding regular brake w/ right foot, let clutch out
3. Engage p-brake with left foot.
4. Release normal brake to let p-brake "hold"
5. Clutch in, gear in 1st (or reverse -- whatever)
6. Done!

Matt230K

I think he's saying that you can leave it in gear, come to a stop, turn off the car, then when you let the clutch out, keep your foot on the brake, then press the p-brake, and then let out normal brake. Then you don't have to go to neutral then back to gear.

Lynn

That is what I meant.

Matt230K

I can't tell whether you are confirming that that is what you meant or telling me. In any case, I don't think he got it. It should be easy enough to understand now. This is how I do it on a slope. My parking spot at my apartment is really flat. The car won't even roll on its own. So I just put it in R and leave it. Especially for the winter, I've had cars before that the p-brake froze up and that sucked.

MarkL

I get it now -- we just do it differently .

Lynn

I was agreeing with you, Matt.