Do you park in gear? From what I've heard, parking in gear isn't good for the tranny.

 

I don't do it. It drives me nuts when other people drive my car and then I get in and its in gear! As for whether its bad for the tranny, I have no idea.

 

i find it annoying also...

 

its not bad for the tranny, it makes no difference. Its actually smarter to park in gear though because if for some reason the parking break should fail, being in gear keeps your car from moving. Just be sure to park in first or reverse (keep it low).

 

I was taught to leave the car in gear when parking on a hill. It is cheap insurance if the parking brake does not hold. I have to say that some of the old cars I have driven did not have very impressive parking brakes.

 

I was also taught to always leave the car in first when parked...

 

i usually always park my car in gear if i am on an inclined surface, if its enough for my car to roll forward or backward when its in neutral then i will park in gear.

as long as you arent dry shifting, or forcing the car into gear it wont hurt your tranny, plus like others have stated, if your brakes go bad, you still have a chance to prevent a roll .

 

After doing a some of research...it's usually not good to park your car in gear.

Why? Because it puts weight on your tranny, depending if you're parking on hit and in which direction. Will it make an EXTREME affect? No, but parking in hear puts weight on your tranny which wears it out quicker.

Even if you're parking straight, parking in gear is no advised.

Also, if you have engine start, parking in gear will definitely mess your stuff up.

 

im willing to put more stress on my tranny if it can prevent a roll back.

also, the only way i can possibly see it even affecting the tranny is if you turn off the engine, put it in gear then pull the brake.

the way i do it, is turn off the engine, pull the brake, the car will usually have more movement after that, you know the lunge forward or backwards depending, then put it in gear.

 

i almost always leave mine in gear

 

It shouldn't roll back regardless... if you have your e-brake on. It's kind of like using your tranny to slow down at a stop light or for whatever reason.

It doesn't matter if you put it in gear before or after the ebrake.

It's just a bad habit.

 

i guess, but if that car is just sitting and has no movement it shouldnt affect your tranny.

say you park on a hill facing upwards, once you pull your e-brake the body of the car will move slightly backwards correct?

after it does move, then pull your e-brake.

 

I do understand it is taught and said to put your gear in reverse or 1st gear when parked just in case the parking break does fail.

At the same time you're putting weight on your transmission...

It's not a huge deal honestly, just something little.

 

i say put your car in gear on a incline/decline
and just the e-brake on leveled ground

this is because my car has rolled (backwards) before with just the e-brake
i know its not suppose to do that but it did
good thing it was on my parents driveway and just the rear bumper was on the street

i don't do it on leveled ground because of friend of mine (a mechanic) says that if someone barely bumps you while you are parked, then your syncros gets all screwed up

 

I don't quote understand...when you're parking straight up on a hill this is what I do...

Once I'm ready to park...I hold the break and put it in neutral, pull the e-brake...let the car roll slightly backwards...let go of the break. If the car is still moving backwards it means you didn't pull the e-brake hard enough.

This is why it is a bad habit...I'm not saying everyone has done this but it has happened to me...

When I first got the car I didn't pull the e-brake hard enough and the car would roll even with the e-brake on. I was used to an automatic transmission where it has Parking on the "gears." The e-brake is not as important or powerful...

Hence the reason why auto trannys don't last as long...

You're kind of taking the responsibility away from the e-brake if you're relying on the tranny to break. Your e-brake shouldn't be weak unless you're drifting, and at this point your tranny and e-brake are both probably weak.

Like I said it's not a BIG deal, just trying to spread some knowledge...

 

ya i understand, but like i said before i only put it in gear if i am on a hill or if my car moves when its in neutral.

but i pull my ebrake all the way, and say your on a 45 degree angle hill, the car will move back or forwards regardless. now im saying the acutal car moves, the tires stay planted, the body seems to move only.. i dont know how to explain it any further.

i figure once the car is settled in shouldnt put any more stress on the tranny.. maybe its just me, but thats what i do.

and think about it this way, a tranny cost like what 500 used, where if you roll into someone, who knows how much damage you can do.

 

Yeah leave it in gear with no load on it after the brake is set because the ebrake is just a steel cable and can stretch with time once set and slip. On level ground I just leave it in gear with no load on the tranny and no ebrake at all. I have parked in the same place for so long that there are dents in the pavement that hold my xB in place. Bumping the car in gear will not harm the syncros - more likely break a motor mount. If you are worried about parking in gear then don't take off from a stop quickly either and turn your front wheel and roll up against the curb - then you can worry about deforming the tire cords. I would be more worried about the ebrake rusting a spot on the brake rotor/drum from constant use.

 

I leave mine in gear everytime.

 

i have remote start on mine so i dont park it in gear unless i park on a hill

 

I've always park with my cars in gear ... never had any problems and I usually put at least 150K on my cars before getting rid of them.