Manual transmission parking method?

[word302]

I’m not sure the order matters that much. It all works.

I’ve had a stick since learning to drive and the only ‘new’ thing is this push button ignition. I’ve had this habit forever of turning the key off while coming to a stop (before stopping).

With the push button it’s a bit annoying. Above a certain speed if you push the button to turn it off, it just doesn’t turn it off. Maybe it’s not speed related and maybe I just don’t push the button hard enough sometimes. Punch line is that I think the car is off and I get that lurching surprise that kills the motor every once in a while.

Push button start coupled with proximity entry is convenient, but I’d give them both up for a real keyed ignition.

With my JL I lost all my brake fluid while off-roading. In that case my only way of stopping the vehicle on the last half of the trail was to leave it in gear and turn the Jeep off, then coasting to a stop. Was sure glad to have a manual that day.

Hand brake should still work with no brake fluid.

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[cgagnon99]

I've been driving manuals for the 15 years I've had my license. I do it your buddy's way. My thoughts are that putting it in gear first puts strain on the gears. I set the e-brake first, let off the brakes, then clutch in and either 1st or reverse depending on which way the car would roll if the e-brake failed. I'd rather the brakes hold all of the weight of the vehicle, and leave it in gear as a back-up to the ebrake incase something failed.

 

[1quick1]

I've been driving manuals for the 15 years I've had my license. I do it your buddy's way. My thoughts are that putting it in gear first puts strain on the gears. I set the e-brake first, let off the brakes, then clutch in and either 1st or reverse depending on which way the car would roll if the e-brake failed. I'd rather the brakes hold all of the weight of the vehicle, and leave it in gear as a back-up to the ebrake incase something failed.

I was always this way as well.

It's sort of the same mindset when people downshift to slow the vehicle. My theory was I'd rather put the extra strain on the easily replaced brakes than the engine.

 

[cgagnon99]

I was always this way as well.

It's sort of the same mindset when people downshift to slow the vehicle. My theory was I'd rather put the extra strain on the easily replaced brakes than the engine.

Ha! See I'm in the downshift crowd, since rev-matching doesn't really wear the clutch. Though I cringe at my friends that downshift without rev-matching!

 

[txj2go]

Oh, I know. I still like using the brake. It's all habit from how I was taught.

Using the brake is fine and if you are parked on a slope that is certainly recommended. My point was that you can leave the manual transmission in gear too and it doesn't matter.

My thoughts are that putting it in gear first puts strain on the gears.

It certainly can depending on when you take your foot off of the brake pedal. But the strain is so small compared to the strength of the transmission that it does not matter a bit. Without the brake involved if the vehicle wants to roll it is acting against friction in the engine.

I've built a lot of engines. A big V8, not broken in, takes something like 50 ft-lb to rotate against its own friction. Broken in it would take less, a smaller motor like the 3.6L would take less. In one of my previous vehicles I had a 3.0L V6 and I could rotate the engine just by putting both hands on the harmonic balancer and twisting. So the engine can't generate enough friction to put much "strain" on the gears. The lowest torque rating of any of the JL engines is 260 ft-lt so wide open throttle generates 5 times, maybe 10 times, the maximum force on the transmission gears as you can generate through any parking scenario. The limited friction of an engine also explains why you don't rely on engine resistance alone when parking on a steep incline.

Now anything said above only applies to the manual transmission. The park setting in the typical automatic transmission is not strong at all and should not be relied upon for parking on an incline. I don't know if the Jeep trans is stronger than normal, I haven't disassembled one of them.

 

[JG1000]

It's so interesting to me how on a manual transmission people from all over the world have their own methods and quirks to do anything and I've been driving manuals for a while now and even to this day I still learn something new from other people lol. I'm actually surprised companies and brands in the past haven't gotten together to decide on the best or proper way to drive a manual transmission that's most efficient mechanically and logically but then again I guess at the end of the day it doesn't matter how you drive a manual it all works the same even a quick google search on how to drive a manual and everyone that teaches teaches it differently lol

 

[ShadowRig]

I daily drive a M/T... I was always tought to leave it in first gear in case parking brake fails. On parking I try to keep weight on E-brake rather than the gear...

 

[JLJeeper]

If on flat ground I often just leave it in 1st, no parking brake. On a hill I put the e-brake on, Take my foot off the brake pedal so the cars weight is on the e-brake, then shut it down and let off the clutch. Keep the stress of the vehicles weight off the drivetrain on on the brakes.

That’s the way I do it, and have taught our three kids the same method. Keeps the stress off the linkage.

 

[iznthesky]

Doesn’t make any difference which one you do first......although you were taught to do it in a certain order.....Do you have any articulable reasoning for your sequence.
In the end.....this is a BASIC....parking sequence....it’s not rocket science...nor is one method any better or worse than the other.

 

[BuffDad]

I was riding in my buddies Jeep the other day and when he parked his Jeep he turned off the engine, engaged the parking brake, then went into first gear. This is my first time I ever seen anyone park like that and when I talked to him about it he told me that's how he was taught. I've been driving manuals for a while now and I've always been taught since day one to park by shifting into first gear or reverse depending on the hill or flat ground, applying parking brake, then shutting off the engine and letting go of the clutch. I was wondering if anyone on here ever parks their manual vehicles by the first method and if the proper right way to park a manual was to engage the gear first or the parking brake first also shutting off the engine before anything seems very strange to me

Great topic! I have been driving manual shift for 45 years. And, I always leave my vehicle in gear with the parking brake applied. If on a hill pointed down, I leave it in 1st gear. And if on a hill and pointed up I leave it in 2nd gear; same for being on a flat surface without a hill. As to my procedure, when coming to a stop I’m stepping on the brake and on the clutch at the same time, applying the parking brake, turning off the ignition, and then releasing the clutch.

 

[BigJim]

I remember having cars that you had to have the shifter in reverse to remove the keys from the column...

 

[amnesiac]

I remember having cars that you had to have the shifter in reverse to remove the keys from the column...

lol, I remember that too!

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