i was curious about how many people when they are parking their car do they leave it in 1st gear or neutral. if so, whats the point of leaving it in 1st gear?

 

Always leave it gear - 1st or Reverse. If for some reason the parking brake fails, your car won't roll away.

 

I agree, for bertg's reasons.

 

I always leave it in gear, even if im parked on level ground. Never trust the parking brake!

 

+1

This is why I always put mine in gear.

 

always in gear 1st if facing uphill and reverse if facing downhill. one day at work i just happened to look outside and see one of our tech's neon roll through our parking lot slightly down hill and into a brand new hemi ram that was a demo for one of the managers. did't do anything to the truck, but the neon needed a new fender, headlamp and hood, which was pricey bc it was a dohc. i just looked up and saw the whole thing.

it would also be much harder to roll if the parking brake wasn't on and someone yanked it with a flat bed........teh chances are slim, but i have seen stranger things.

 

and to add...

Downhill: the front wheels are turned into the curb.

Uphill: the front wheels are turned away from the curb.

Temperature below freezing:emergency brake OFF.

 

What are the reasons for E brake off in frozen weather? Brake fluid freezing?

 

No. The emergency brake (linkage) can freeze ON. If that happens, you can try to drive the car with the emergency brake ON, but it will stall regularly. Or you can wait until the front brakes thaw.

 

when parking always put the parking brake on first and then after the car rolls the inch or two that it always does, then apply the gear accordingly. dont want to put unnecessary stress on the gears.

 

Always in gear. Unless you like having to figure out where your car went when you come back, .

 

From personal experience I had my prevoious car roll off my drive due to not leaving the car in gear when parked. Especially when you have a car over 3000lbs the E brake will give a little as time goes by. I most definitely make it a habit to leave my Z in gear when parked. I've had my track for only a few months and the e-brake does not seem to hold the car when i'm parked on a steep driveway or hill. In gear will always insure that your car is safe.

 

+1, the ebrake in our cars sucks.

 

I agree with this statment only when the pavement is not at too sharp of an incline/decline. A couple of weeks ago I went to the Houston Cruise to Galveston Island. We parked on this really steep slope. I shut the car of and place it in gear. I slowly let off of the brake pedal, so the car's weight could rest on the transmission instead of my e-brake. The car started rolling. I tried several gears, but no luck. Finally I had to engage the e-brake pretty hard and let the car's weight sit on that. He is a link to some pictures of the slope I'm talking about.
https://my350z.com/forum/texas/138169-houston-galveston-z-and-g-cruise-pictures-8-21-05-a.html

 

+1 And I'd like to add that you should set the brake with the clutch depressed or while in neutral with your foot on the break. Let off the break after the e brake is set then put it in 1st or reverse. This relieves tension on the tranny.

 

+1 for sure. Do it all the time...make it a habbit, its important.

 

wow..didn't know that. This a problem here in MD? I've been here almost 2 years and it gets cold..but not like NY cold. I'd think it would be safe to have the E brake.

 

neutral and pull way back on my e brake. works fine.

 

Why not just put it in gear to be safe?