The problem with using 4th is that it takes almost no slope to cause the engine to turn. And THAT will allow the car to roll away if the handbrake fails. Even 1st gear is BARELY sufficient to hold the FD from rolling on a slope due to the low internal friction and relatively low compression at low rotational speed of the rotary. Even in a high-compression piston engine, it will be much more likely to roll if 4th is used instead of 1st.

Remember that the FD gear ratios are
1st 3.483:1
2nd 2.015:1
3rd 1.391:1
4th 1.000:1
5th 0.719:1

So using 1st instead of 4th means it will be 3.48 times as hard to make the car roll.

I have NEVER had the trans pop out of 1st gear while parked in the 17 years I've had my FD.

 

It only takes once. Then you'll start parking in gear on hills like you should be.

Yeah, I wasn't trying to be attacking, glad you have (think terrible kung fu movie accent) "skin like-o rhino". I have just seen so many e-brake failures that I grew paranoid. Also, to be completely honest, my first year and a half of driving was done parking only using the e-brake. I was in a bad habit of just getting in, starting car, letting clutch out (quickly!) and waiting from there. Imagine my surprise every now and then if someone else drove my car and left it in gear (like i SHOULD have been doing. I got lucky and never put my car into anything or anyone. But I have since fixed my bad habit I started out with. My biggest thing with parking in gear though, is the hill thing. My 1.5 year old car started sliding (slowly) down a hill. It was fast enough to make it difficult to open the door and reach in, but slow enough that it was possible after thoroughly embarrassing myself.

I am no expert as to the mechanics of which gear, although, my truck has rolled down my sloped driveway when it was in 4th and the e-brake failed. Since then I have used second (and fixed the e-brake ) Dave W might be the one to ask about the specifics

 

i was coming and going. and i never thought i would have any tension problems regarding the e-brake. i've owned and driven many cars and have never had that happen. also the ebrake was engaged as far as it would go.

i also cant stand leaving my car in gear. but i do it now, just with the fd, because of the past incident.

 

I apologize for the tone of my post. I too have had my share of "oops" situations. Read above, where I was chasing a newish car down a hill trying to get in it to stop it. and really, any car on a hill should be in gear. Its just a safety thing.

Once those cables stretch out, that e-brake starts applying less and less force, until the cables breaks. Then its off to the races.

 

mine rolled 9 house's down to the other side of the street (curb stopped it) i thought the street was flat so i left it in nutral with no handbrake like a dumb *** no damage .....................................last time!

 

haha...your opening up a can of worms with that story. that was just dumb dude...im sorry

 

nah, I think the thread has calmed down to the point where we can admit the "oops" and hope that those that have yet to mess up in this style... will learn from those that have.

 

 

Its kind of a habbit...My diving instructor taught me that way years ago and it stuck..Never had any problems. Where I live its very flat - I would prob put it in gear on a steep slope...But I've never had to park the FD on one.

 

There is so much truth in thing one statement.... every relative i visit they all remind me about my accident, which was from my thick-headedness