Dear Tom and Ray:

Besides complaining about my driving, my wife complains about how I park. She says when I park facing downhill, I should put my gear shift in Reverse. And when I park facing uphill, I should put the shifter in First gear. She says that the engine doesn't want to turn backwards. And if my brakes fail while I'm parked on a hill, the car is less likely to roll away if I park this way. Does any of this really matter? -- Carl

Ray: Sure it matters, Fred. My brother used to think this stuff didn't matter. Then one day his parked car rolled down a hill into Tony "The Leg Breaker" Testosteroni's brand-new Coupe DeVille. And from his hospital bed that summer, my brother did quite a bit of reading up on parking techniques.

Tom: And here's what I learned. When you have a stick-shift car and you're parking on a hill, you need several things to keep the car from rolling. You need an engine with good compression, a clutch that doesn't slip, a parking brake that works, and you need to put the shifter in Reverse.

Ray: Why Reverse? So you can make a quick getaway from Tony "The Leg Breaker" Testosteroni after you smash into his car!

Tom: Actually, Reverse gear generally has the largest gear ratio in the transmission. That means that the wheels have to turn the greatest number of times to make the engine turn once. And that's what you want -- you want to make it as hard as possible for the wheels to turn the engine.

Ray: Is the engine less likely to turn backwards? No. The engine doesn't care if it's turning backwards or forward. It'll readily turn either way. So you really want the highest gear ratio, and that's almost always Reverse (and First is usually very close to that).

Tom: And for extra protection, don't forget to make sure your wheels are turned in toward the curb when you're parked on a hill, your parking brake is fully engaged, and you're not parked just upstream from a brand new Cadillac with "LEGBRKR" plates.

Don't get stuck with a lemon. Be an informed shopper. Read Tom and Ray's guide "How to Buy a Great Used Car: Secrets Only Your Mechanic Knows." To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Back to the August 1997 index