[Chris13002]

I am writing this because the 6MT doesn't engage the handbrake/ebrake automatically.

I've had old manual cars where the handbrake wasn't enough and even when I thought I pulled it all the way up, the car still rolled. It would be a nightmare for me to see my car rolling somewhere when coming back to it.

[aerobod]

With an electric rear parking brake that uses a lead screw, there should be no premature release (has to be deliberately powered to release) and it is using the rear disc brake pads, unlike the previous drum-in-rotor-hat brakes on BMWs that didn’t hold very well.

[sacowich]

Way I was taught and as a long-standing habit of mine, I always put it in gear.
It just makes all the sense.

[MMMGuy60]

I always put the car in gear after turning it off, I guess it's an old habit that will never change. You can't be too safe.

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by aerobod

With an electric rear parking brake that uses a lead screw, there should be no premature release (has to be deliberately powered to release) and it is using the rear disc brake pads, unlike the previous drum-in-rotor-hat brakes on BMWs that didn’t hold very well.

What he said (in every thread he posts).

I voted in your poll as "e-brake and leave in neutral", which is what I do 99% of the time.

However, old habits die hard, so I leave it in first gear if I'm on an incline (plus e-brake).

When I'm on a stupidly steep incline, I engage first gear, activate the e-brake, and turn the wheels against the curb so if the car rolls it hits the curb with them.

I think the e-brake is sufficient for all cases, even on the steepest hills. But I hope I don't have to find out.

[Sculpin]

I always stop with clutch and brake depressed, then engage the parking brake, then release the brake, then release the clutch. I’ve always done that so the weight of the car is on the parking brake and it will only be on the transmission if the parking brake were to fail.

But I live in Florida and haven’t seen a hill in years so it doesn’t really matter.

[stashstein]

I do both - in gear, e-brake on.

[KCuv]

old habit - leaving cars in gear. cant really hurt, but I suspect the elec brake does a good enough job.

I'm curious to know, as our C8 vette has this option (but its a paddle car obv), if the car senses it could roll on a hill when the car is off, it engages the brakes?

[Albator_IIII]

Another twist on the question:
For winter storage, with the car plugged on battery tender in leveled garage, e-brake engaged or not? In gear or not?

[KevinC]

Manuals should always be parked in gear. Period. No matter what type of e-brake.

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by KevinC

Manuals should always be parked in gear. Period. No matter what type of e-brake.

Why is that?

[KevM2]

If I had to choose just one, I’d pick putting it into gear over hand brake… just an old habit of mine because in older cars especially in our Canadian winters, sometimes the hand brake would freeze/seize so I’ve developed a habit of always putting the car in gear and sometimes forget the handbrake altogether… although in this car, I always seem to remember to engage it (probably because I like to hear the electric noise lol)

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by KevM2

If I had to choose just one, I’d pick putting it into gear over hand brake… just an old habit of mine because in older cars especially in our Canadian winters, sometimes the hand brake would freeze/seize so I’ve developed a habit of always putting the car in gear and sometimes forget the handbrake altogether… although in this car, I always seem to remember to engage it (probably because I like to hear the electric noise lol)

I tried getting into this habit but couldn’t… I intentionally leave it in gear if it’s extremely cold outside and I’m parking out (obviously not with the M2 yet). I only do this on flat surfaces.

If the car is on a steep hill the gear won’t hold it. So we need handbrakes then.

[JamnF87]

Originally Posted by M2siast

What he said (in every thread he posts).

I voted in your poll as "e-brake and leave in neutral", which is what I do 99% of the time.

However, old habits die hard, so I leave it in first gear if I'm on an incline (plus e-brake).

When I'm on a stupidly steep incline, I engage first gear, activate the e-brake, and turn the wheels against the curb so if the car rolls it hits the curb with them.

I think the e-brake is sufficient for all cases, even on the steepest hills. But I hope I don't have to find out.

Why not just leave it in gear always when you park? Just curious on your rationale for not taking the extra step out of an abundance of caution.

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by JamnF87

Why not just leave it in gear always when you park? Just curious on your rationale for not taking the extra step out of an abundance of caution.

Habit.

[JamnF87]

Originally Posted by M2siast

Habit.

Interesting. Sorry not judging, I’m just typically in first gear when I am parking - so my logic is why take it out of gear? I push clutch and brake, press start/stop and then pull e brake button - same routine, every parking job.

[M2siast]

Originally Posted by JamnF87

Interesting. Sorry not judging, I’m just typically in first gear when I am parking - so my logic is why take it out of gear? I push clutch and brake, press start/stop and then pull e brake button - same routine, every parking job.

I only reverse parking, so I’m always in reverse.
I could leave it in reverse too, just have a habit of putting it in neutral.
When I learned to drive starting the car with the foot on the clutch wasn’t a thing. So we always left the car in neutral to start it and not have it lurch forward.

Now obviously my foot is on the clutch as it’s a requirement, so it’s just an old habit.

Plus I think it’s some “organization” method I have. I put it in neutral, set the wheel completely straight, and so forth… lol

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by JamnF87

Interesting. Sorry not judging, I’m just typically in first gear when I am parking - so my logic is why take it out of gear? I push clutch and brake, press start/stop and then pull e brake button - same routine, every parking job.

In the past in Europe in some cities it was normal when parallel parked on a level road to have cars gently pushed by other cars to make room to either enter or exit a parking spot, it is best not to leave the transmission in gear to avoid the engine from being rotated backwards in those cases. Best to just leave the car if it has a conventional hand brake on a couple notches, with an electric parking brake it may be best to just leave it off.

Not sure with EVs and automatics over the past few years rapidly taking over from manuals in Europe, whether there is still as much parked car shunting going on in cities like Paris, Geneva and Rome.

[KevM2]

If I park on a steep surface, I generally apply e-brake and then leave it in gear. In that order as to not put any stress on any transmission/engine components- even if the stress on these components is negligible and of no harm it’s just my ocd to have the brakes hold most of the tension

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by Albator_IIII

Another twist on the question:
For winter storage, with the car plugged on battery tender in leveled garage, e-brake engaged or not? In gear or not?

From my digital owners manual:

"Taking the vehicle out of service:

When the vehicle is shut down for longer than three months, special measures must be taken. For more information, contact an authorized service center or another qualified service center or repair shop."

[c1pher]

I pull the brake in my 992 911 and put it in first gear. Same situation here.

[RockCrusher]

I always apply the e-brake and leave the transmission in gear. 2nd gear.

2nd gear is habit I developed from back when pushing in the clutch to start the engine was not required and if someone got in the car and tried to start the engine with it in gear I felt 2nd gear would be less likely to allow the engine to start or if it started to stall.

(Years ago used the starter with the transmission in 1st gear to pull the car out of some water than had accumulated under a railroad under crossing. The engine had stalled. Once out of the water and after a few minutes the engine restarted.)

Even if the e-Brake fails the car will not roll away in 2nd gear...

Oh, and while I haven't parked on a hill in decades I would still turn the wheels the proper direction parked on a hill. Nose downhill wheels turned to the curb. Nose uphill wheels turned towards the street. (Think the idea is to have the wheels roll towards the curb if the car rolls at all.)