To all the manual drivers...

[ezracer]

It's a good policy to do the following with EITHER a Manual or AT.
1) Keep foot on brake
2) Engage Emergency brake.
3.) Take foot off brake to allow e-brake to take the load.
4) Place in gear......either 1st or park whichever is applicable.

Just a simple task but It's amazing how many people do this wrong everyday. I see so many people park their car, get out, and their car is still rocking in "Park"!!!

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[Garfy]

This is only a AT thing!
Regular ATs (with torque converter) have a pin, which locks the gearbox in P.
This pin is not made for holding a car on a slope.
If you park a car with AT without ebrake on a slope, in the long run it will damage or even brake that pin.
So you should not park a car with AT without ebrake if there is only the slightest gradient.


With MT it is different, there is no such pin.
A manual transmission has self-locking generated by the friction and the ratio in the transmission.
Added to this is the even greater locking caused by the engine on the gearbox.
Anyone who has ever tried to push start a car in first gear knows that you push start in 3rd or 4th gear because there is less resistance.
With the MT, there is nothing to stop you parking in gear only (the lowest possible).
The only reason why you should apply the ebrake on a gradient is that there may be not sufficient locking in the drivetrain for that slope. If this is the case, the downhill force is sufficient to turn the gearbox and motor, once it turns (breakaway torque) then it rolls downhill until there is an obstacle.


There are objective reasons to get used to the first gear.

I know this which is why I questioned the OP's question about manual transmissions. All automatics have what's called a "parking pawl" in the transmission to lock it in place (I'm a retired 44+ years ASE Master Tech). BTW if you inadvertently put the trans in park while moving at a good highway speed like 45 mph, it won't go into park, all you'd hear is a rattling sound as the pawl is bouncing around as it can't drop into the slot (did this on a '70 Chevelle by mistake and it didn't damage anything fortunately). Also, most everyone erroneously calls it an "emergency brake" which it isn't; it's a parking brake although if you were to lose your hydraulic service brake it can help to slow the vehicle down eventually to a safe stop. I prefer the parking brake like the Mustang has where you can modulate the lever to slow the car down if you ever lost the service brake; cars with the ratcheting foot pedal can't be modulated well, especially the ones where you push to apply it and push to release it; you'd be locking up your parking brakes as you try to engage and disengage it as you try to use it as an "emergency brake".

 

[Garfy]

It's a good policy to do the following with EITHER a Manual or AT.
1) Keep foot on brake
2) Engage Emergency brake.
3.) Take foot off brake to allow e-brake to take the load.
4) Place in gear......either 1st or park whichever is applicable.

Just a simple task but It's amazing how many people do this wrong everyday. I see so many people park their car, get out, and their car is still rocking in "Park"!!!

Absolutely! I've even seen this in a lot of TV movies so you know that even those actors don't apply the parking brake. Another good reason to apply the parking brake on an automatic before putting it into park is if you don't and the incline is somewhat steep, when you try to take it out of park, there's a hefty "clunk" sound as you force the parking pawl out of the slot since all the load of holding the car in place is resting against the pawl. With a manual in 1st or reverse you don't get this issue because all you do is step on the clutch and the load is disengaged. There's no way to damage a manual trans with the load on it because if parking on a steep hill in 1st gear can damage it, then I imagine 460 HP would damage it even more. (BTW I recall some old cars with manuals wouldn't allow you to turn the ignition key to "lock" to remove it from the column mounted switch unless it was placed either in 1st or reverse.)

 

[Jon7190]

Living in Houston, probably one of the flatest cities in America, I will typically park in gear, no brake. If there is any possible slight incline, I'll do brake with gear in neutral. If there is a substantial incline, I'll do brake and have it in gear.

 

[Jon7190]

I'm also the guy who clutches in and stays in gear at lights, go figure!

I've heard that's hard on the clutch. Have you had any problems from doing that, like needing clutch replacement?

 

[ORRadtech]

I've heard that's hard on the clutch. Have you had any problems from doing that, like needing clutch replacement?

How could that possibly hurt the clutch? It's literally completely disengaged. If that hurt the clutch then simply shifting gears would completely destroy it...

 

[sk47]

How could that possibly hurt the clutch? It's literally completely disengaged. If that hurt the clutch then simply shifting gears would completely destroy it...

Hello; You are correct if the depressed clutch pedal completely disengages the clutch disk from the pressure plate. At that point the rotating assembly is spinning on the throw out bearing. It is the throw-out bearing which is a potential extra wear item.
The way a clutch can be affected is if the clutch pedal is not depressed all the way for some reason. The tolerances are tight so a slight relaxation of the left foot might allow light touching of the clutch on the pressure plate without enough to move the vehicle. Was more of an issue back in the mechanical linkage days when clutch springs could be stiff. It was easy to let that spring win just a little.

But in the end, it is a personal choice. You can get away with holding in the clutch and keeping it in gear for a long time.

 

[SheepDog]

I love when people call it an "emergency brake"

There is nothing "emergency" about it. It is a parking brake.

Next time you are in an "emergency", go ahead and crank up on that handle - If it wasn't an emergency before, it certainly will be now.

 

[Nightmonkey]

There is nothing "emergency" about it. It is a parking brake.

It is both.
It is the only (triple) redundant system on the car, the service brake is hydraulic, the parking brake is mechanical on the rear axle only.
If the hydraulic brake with its two circles fails, you can still make a rescue attempt with the mechanical brake (together with the engine brake). Better than nothing.
Even in vehicles where the parking brake is only operated with a switch, it can be used as an emergency brake. I tried it myself out of curiosity on a (what you guys call it) 2016 Buick Regal.

 

[Duece McCracken]

I've heard that's hard on the clutch. Have you had any problems from doing that, like needing clutch replacement?

As stated above, its only increasing the duty cycle of the throwout bearing.

Never had an issue. If I do, I'll just replace everything while Im in there.

Always felt like an old wives tale, never experienced any issues this far into my life. Lol

 

[RowdyRam]

It's a good policy to do the following with EITHER a Manual or AT.
1) Keep foot on brake
2) Engage Emergency brake.
3.) Take foot off brake to allow e-brake to take the load.
4) Place in gear......either 1st or park whichever is applicable.

Just a simple task but It's amazing how many people do this wrong everyday. I see so many people park their car, get out, and their car is still rocking in "Park"!!!

Yes this exactly. I apply just enough pressure on the e-brake/parking brake to hold the car from moving. Slide it into 1st and shut the car off before letting out the clutch pedal.

Never had a car run away nor any transmission trouble with this method, ever.

 

[RacerPaul]

Gosh, I guess I'm an odd man out, driving manuals for longer than I car to admit.... my ingrained method is neutral, then apply ebrake. If the car doesn't hold, you need an ebrake adjustment. If on a steep incline, I will engage to first or second after that for a little extra security... also with wheels pointed appropriate direction
I do appreciate seeing all these replies and what works best for others, thank you Mustang friends!
PS: don't forget to wave when you see another Mustang drver!

 

[AmyB]

This should be an easy discussion...For those driving manual transmissions, when you park, do leave in gear and pull the brake of leave in neutral with the E brake? I have driven manuals most of my like and when parking, I put the car in first and pulled the brake. Now I have seen that doing that could damage the transmission. Makes sense. Now I'm curious if I am not alone with my parking habits...if needed can I change them...that is the big question...

 

[AmyB]

In gear with brake

 

[dfesta]

This may sound crazy but I actually set the brake and put mine in 3rd. I do this so I don't put the tensioning spring under load when parked/stored. I've seen these wear out where the shifter won't center itself as it is designed to do.

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