# While parked, what gear? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 31, 2001, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375 "2001-07-31T19:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wooba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@wooba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wooba)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/1 "2001-07-31T19:24:13Z")
The thread about pressing the clutch reminded me of a question I’ve wanted to ask. When you’re parking a manual car and you leave it in gear, does it matter what gear you leave it in? My 2001 pontiac tells me to put it in reverse, but out of habit from a previous car (which was used) I always leave it in first. Does it matter? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/2 "2001-07-31T19:32:09Z")
Do you want jerk forward or backward if you forget to put the car in neutral when you start it? ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/3 "2001-07-31T19:40:25Z")
I don’t see that it matters at all, except that I put it in either first or reverse depending on whether the car would roll forward in neutral or backward. So, on a slope that would let the car roll in reverse, I leave it in first; for a slope that would let the car roll forward, I leave it in reverse. I never let it sit in neutral and just depend on the emergency/parking brake. I would think you wouldn’t want to leave it in second-fifth, though, because of gear size, but that’s just a WAG. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/4 "2001-07-31T19:43:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\*Do you want jerk forward or backward if you forget to put the car in neutral when you start it? \*\* Bob, where did you learn to start a car with a manual transmission? I was taught by my father (an ASE certified mechanic, mind you) to push the clutch in before starting. And wooba, It doesn’t really matter, although I usually leave my truck in first. GM has apparently been recommending leaving it in neutral for over 30 years, because that’s what the manual for my 1971 Chevy truck says. -Brianjedi ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Nekked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/46a35a/32.png) [@Buck\_Nekked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Nekked)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/5 "2001-07-31T19:54:47Z")
> [@](#): > > I would think you wouldn’t want to leave it in second-fifth, though, because of gear size, but that’s just a WAG. It’s a damn good WAG. Never depend on a gear to hold a vehicle parked on a slope without the assistance of a parking break, particularly the higher gears. The “rule of thumb” for this is to use the lowest gear that opposes the slope. On a level surface, neutral with the parking brake engaged is sufficient, and is the suggestion of most automotive experts (of which I am not). ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/6 "2001-07-31T20:08:08Z")
Leave it in first or reverse, whichever opposes the slope. Of course, I drove a couple Saab’s which didn’t allow me to comply with this - since the key is not on the steering column, they didn’t have a steering lock. Instead, they had a transmission lock which wouldn’t allow you to take the key out without putting it in reverse, and wouldn’t allow you to shift out of reverse until you put in the key. Annoyed the hell out of me when I parked pointed uphill. No, you shouldn’t rely on the transmission to hold the car, but as a kid I drove a couple of beaters that I didn’t have a choice with - the parking brake didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![wooba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@wooba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wooba)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/7 "2001-07-31T20:24:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\*Do you want jerk forward or backward if you forget to put the car in neutral when you start it? \*\* BobT, North American cars won’t start unless you push the clutch… so it’s not really an issue 🙂 Also, I ALWAYS waggle the stick in neutral before starting… ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/8 "2001-07-31T20:39:29Z")
> [@](#): > > BobT, North American cars won’t start unless you push the clutch… so it’s not really an issue 🙂 > > Also, I ALWAYS waggle the stick in neutral before starting… It’s infecting other makes, too. My new Audi has one of those idiotic switches. And I’ve managed to find some sequence of operations when getting in and starting it that will sometimes make it think I don’t have the clutch depressed when I most certainly do. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/9 "2001-07-31T20:46:51Z")
What I meant, and expressed very poorly, was that if you tried to start the car with it in gear, the car will lurch a bit if you don’t have the clutch in. I believe the first manual transmission car I drove didn’t require you to put the clutch in. The last one I had did. But now I drive an automatic and I suppose I have forgotten such things. It’s made me lazy. ---
**Author:** ![liebfels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/0ea827/32.png) [@liebfels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liebfels)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2001, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/10 "2001-07-31T21:04:25Z")
The Car Talk people suggest Reverse, regardless of the direction of incline. See [http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Archive/1997/August/04.html](http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Archive/1997/August/04.html) ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/11 "2001-08-01T01:07:58Z")
I’ve seen it suggested in another thread a while ago (I can’t seem to find it in a search) that it’s best to go with the lowest gear _in the direction that your car would roll_ (not opposed). IOW, when pointed uphill, put it in reverse. This sounds counter-intuitive, but I think there’s some sense to it. Compression braking works just fine in either direction of engine rotation; it doesn’t want to turn forward, either. (And no, there’s not a ratchet-like device on the crankshaft to keep it from spinning backwards.) For that purpose, forward/backward rotation of the engine doesn’t matter either way. The argument put forth for _preferring_ forward rotation is that driving the engine backwards might cause the timing belt to jump teeth. Makes some sense to me, but I really don’t know just how likely belt jumps are. ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/12 "2001-08-01T04:09:03Z")
A look at a bicycle chain and a little knowledge about timing chains will show why you don’t want to use reverse compression braking. The problem is the slack in the chain or belt. In normal operation, the slack wil be greatest where the chain goes onto the cam gear, since the crank is pulling down on the other side of the chain. This means that when the engine reverses, the slack will relocate to the other side of the cam gear, minutely changing the valve timing of the engine. In most engines, the change is not great enough to make a difference but on some high output engines, the timing is critical and interference between the valves and pistons can occur. This is a Bad Thing[sup]TM[/sup]. On 99.99% of manual transmission-equipped cars, there is no real difference, but if you happen to be in that tiny percentage that matters, you don’t want to have to rebuild your engine just because the car rolled a few feet downhill in the wrong gear. Also, use the lowest gear possible. The lower the gear, the more the engine will have to spin to allow the car to roll, hence maximum compression braking will be available. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/13 "2001-08-01T13:21:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by brianjedi \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > > \*\*Do you want jerk forward or backward if you forget to put the car in neutral when you start it? \*\* > > Bob, where did you learn to start a car with a manual transmission? I was taught by my father (an ASE certified mechanic, mind you) to push the clutch in before starting. And wooba, It doesn’t really matter, although I usually leave my truck in first. GM has apparently been recommending leaving it in neutral for over 30 years, because that’s what the manual for my 1971 Chevy truck says. > > -Brianjedi \*\* For the last 10 years or so, manual transmission cars cannot be started without pushing in the clutch. I guess too many stupid people lurched their cars into other parked cars. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/14 "2001-08-01T14:54:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sewalk \* > \*\*A look at a bicycle chain and a little knowledge about timing chains will show why you don’t want to use reverse compression braking. The problem is the slack in the chain or belt. In normal operation, the slack wil be greatest where the chain goes onto the cam gear, since the crank is pulling down on the other side of the chain. This means that when the engine reverses, the slack will relocate to the other side of the cam gear, minutely changing the valve timing of the engine. In most engines, the change is not great enough to make a difference but on some high output engines, the timing is critical and interference between the valves and pistons can occur. This is a Bad Thing[sup]TM[/sup]. On 99.99% of manual transmission-equipped cars, there is no real difference, but if you happen to be in that tiny percentage that matters, you don’t want to have to rebuild your engine just because the car rolled a few feet downhill in the wrong gear. > \*\* Ummm… are you implying that when you put your car into reverse it actually makes your engine run in **reverse too??**. That would be a pretty neat trick. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/15 "2001-08-01T16:37:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*\* > Ummm… are you implying that when you put your car into reverse it actually makes your engine run in **reverse too??**. > > That would be a pretty neat trick. \*\* No, he’s saying that a parked car with the gearbox in first that rolls downhill in reverse, may make your engine run in reverse. Conversely, if your car rolls forward, and your gearbox is in reverse, this may also run the engine in reverse. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/16 "2001-08-01T16:47:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AWB \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by brianjedi \* > > \*\* > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > > > \*\*Do you want jerk forward or backward if you forget to put the car in neutral when you start it? \*\* > > > > Bob, where did you learn to start a car with a manual transmission? I was taught by my father (an ASE certified mechanic, mind you) to push the clutch in before starting. And wooba, It doesn’t really matter, although I usually leave my truck in first. GM has apparently been recommending leaving it in neutral for over 30 years, because that’s what the manual for my 1971 Chevy truck says. > > > > -Brianjedi \*\* > > For the last 10 years or so, manual transmission cars cannot be started without pushing in the clutch. I guess too many stupid people lurched their cars into other parked cars. \*\* Guilty as charged! But fortunately I just hit the wall of a garage and did little damage. When I got a Mazda 323 in 1988, I couldn’t do this anymore. In my defense, I was not taught very well about the intricacies of manual transmissions. I was very adept at it, by the time I sold the car. I even drove my car up steep grades with little anxiety. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/17 "2001-08-01T16:54:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Terminus Est \* > No, he’s saying that a parked car with the gearbox in first that rolls downhill in reverse, may make your engine run in reverse. Conversely, if your car rolls forward, and your gearbox is in reverse, this may also run the engine in reverse. Upon re-reading, I agree. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/18 "2001-08-01T17:04:40Z")
why doesn’t my car roll in reverse in first gear, even on a slope? ---
**Author:** ![Zweistein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/54ee81/32.png) [@Zweistein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zweistein)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2001, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/while-parked-what-gear/74375/19 "2001-08-01T20:55:16Z")
None of all: it depends on the wheather. When the weather is good, leave it in neutral and block with the handbrake. When it’s freezing, don’t use the handbrake at all but put it in reverse when the nose is pointing downhill and in first gear when pointing uphill Never understood why Americans want to drive automatic gear… It’s the car driving them and not vice versa