Are you supposed to use the parking brake

It's called the parking brake, so you should use it when you park.

Sarcasm aside, I use it almost 100% of the time. If you park in a situation where you can feel the car lean forward or backwards after you release the regular brakes and then rest on the tranny, you should have used that parking brake - too late now!

Food for thought for the car newbie - when you apply the parking brake is just as important as using it in the first place.

Do NOT:

Stop the car, hold brakes, put the car in Park, release brakes, apply handbrake.

DO:

Stop the car, hold brakes, put the car in Park, apply handbrake, release brakes.

I have no proof that not using the parking brake is necessarily bad for the transmission or any other parts, but as stated above it's a great way to keep the rear brakes adjusted and will keep you from having to use more force than necessary to pull the car out of Park on a hill.

 

Just for education this is all that Park amounts to inside the transmission.. If you ever put your truck in park before its completely stopped you'll hear a ratcheting sound.. It's the parking pawl jumping over the gear teeth. If you want your truck to be in the same spot when you come back you should use it.

2nd argument the parking brake helps keep the rear brakes adjusted correctly.

 

Where I worked my first job 20 years ago, I would help people out to their vehicles.. it was on a slight incline, not very steep. Twice in one year people came out to their car across the street slammed into the building about 100 yards away. I've used the parking brake almost 100 percent of the time since then. The only time I don't is when it's extreme cold.

 

It’s not paranoia. A parking pawl is about the size of a pencil eraser. That’s all that’s stopping a vehicle from rolling when people don’t use their parking brake.

 

Got into the habit when I started driving manual in '89 and I use mine 100% of the time. All year round regardless of conditions. Never had an issue.

 

I thought it was so we could drift our trucks around like in fast and furious. I mean, that's why R stands for racing in TRD, right?

 

Had my rear drums adjusted at 6100 miles, AT. Tech told me I should be using my parking brake often to keep them adjusted. I need to get in the habit. Learned something new, here...what happens if you put in park, release brakes, and then apply handbrake?

 

I’d make it a habit, my neighbor down the street needed a new living room after someone up the hill forgot to put their break on...

 

That puts the pressure on the pin and teeth in the tranny. Putting the parking break first puts pressure on the rear drums before the cars weight rests on the pin.

 

Since you have a manual, I would get into the habit of using it every time you park. If you happen to park on a hill and do not engage a gear completely, or park it in too high of a gear, you have the potential to roll.

 

I’m not a mechanic but i would think that using the parking brake would release tension on the gearbox.. so that’s why I use it...

 

Wait, I thought it was supposed to be like this:

Stop the car, hold brakes, apply handbrake, shift car into park.

Then,

Hold brakes, shift car into drive, release handbrake, release foot brakes.

 

Just read a couple websites and they all say what you just said.

 

i think the key point is don't apply the parking brake after you are in park, and released the brake pedal. At that point you are already shifted load onto the parking pawl in the transmission. I use the parking brake to avoid that. If I put it in park and release the brake pedal, and it lurches an inch or two, that makes me cringe.

 

Good catch. In all honesty I don't think it makes much different either way if you are keeping enough pressure on the brakes. It's just important to make sure you have the car held by the brake system instead of the parking pawl.

 

This is the best explanation.

 

If I park on a steep grade, I'll apply my parking break, put it into neutral and take my foot off the foot brake to let the truck settle, then into park.

 

I use my parking brake all the time no matter even if I'm parked on flat level ground !!!!

 

I use mine any time I'm parked, but I've always owned manuals. In automatics I hate that big "pow!" into gear when the driveline is loaded up (no e-brake on a hill).