What gear in park?
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 18,682
Likes: 4
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12
I ALWAYS used to do Neutral and E-brake till I got my C5. Now I do either 1st and E-brake or Reverse and E-brake. Even though my E-brake works fine but I dont want to take any chances from reading everything on here. 
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,404
Likes: 55
From: Glastonbury CT.
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'20, '21,'22, '23
I can vouch for the parking brake not being a strong suit on these cars.
I thought I was on flat ground; I pull up on the parking brake and got out; the car started rolling ever so slightly forward and I scrambled to open the door but, alas, was not swift enough. The car now has a character mark on the front, but nothing serious. The car was a garage queen before I got it but she is a road warrior now. I drive my cars, I don't baby them. She is getting slightly nicked as time goes on but she still looks good and drives strong.
I use 2nd gear religiously now in addition to the PB when I park the car. Even in my garage. I should have known better.
777
I thought I was on flat ground; I pull up on the parking brake and got out; the car started rolling ever so slightly forward and I scrambled to open the door but, alas, was not swift enough. The car now has a character mark on the front, but nothing serious. The car was a garage queen before I got it but she is a road warrior now. I drive my cars, I don't baby them. She is getting slightly nicked as time goes on but she still looks good and drives strong.
I use 2nd gear religiously now in addition to the PB when I park the car. Even in my garage. I should have known better.
777
Racer
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 393
Likes: 0
From: Palm Springs CA
On an 88 C4, you can't take the key out with-out the car is reverse. I leave my in reverse, my first time at the gas pump with neutral resulted in a roll, I do not think I had pulled it back far enought.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: Singer Island Florida
I always used to leave the cars in neutral w/e-brake on, no hills here in So. Fla. I assumed that in the event of an impact, there might be less damage to the drivetrain if the car was not in gear. My e-brake, however, no longer holds particularly well. I've caught myself putting the car in gear and leaving w/e-brake on on more than one occasion and I'm pretty sure that's what has caused it to weaken. How do you adjust the e-brake? Is that a thread of it's own? Whats the protocol on a separate but related question posed in someone else's thread?
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 234
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco CA
The reason to use 1st or reverse is because those are the gears in which it's hardest to roll the car, since the engine will be turning faster than in any higher gear.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 234
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco CA
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,082
Likes: 0
From: Richardson Texas
I was told by someone that this is true of the C6 due to the computer drain unless the car is parked in reverse. Can't vouch for the truth, but seems somewhat logical. He laughed about people having trouble starting their cars after using valet parking who did not know to use reverse.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,404
Likes: 55
From: Glastonbury CT.
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17,'20, '21,'22, '23
97....I've got an aftermarket shifter that is very notchey when shifting.
I use 2nd for no other reason than it is easy to slap it left and down.
777
I use 2nd for no other reason than it is easy to slap it left and down.
777
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 9,844
Likes: 33
From: S. FLA :: Professional Devil's Advocate
If you want to have a lot of fun try driving a car where the clutch is completely gone as is the parking brake. Had to do that for a little while and nothing would stop the car from rolling other then actually putting your foot on the brake. I remember after gasing up sitting on a downhill on-ramp pulled to the side car off setting my GPS. I look over at the ground (door open) and notice I'm rolling down the hill with the car in reverse and parking brake pulled all the way up. Not the kind of weeeee you want to feel in your vette as you're rolling into traffic moving 75mph.
Just as force of habit I use both the putting in gear and parking brake method. Safety first.
Just as force of habit I use both the putting in gear and parking brake method. Safety first.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Heel & Toe
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
From: Innisfil Ontario
This whole thread started with a info from the manual
"Parking Your Vehicle (Manual Transmission)"
Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual transmission in REVERSE (R) and firmly apply the parking brake.
Makes sense. Low gear ratio of reverse, use the parking brake as an added precaution no matter how good or bad it is.
I have also read "right/wrong or misinformation" that reverse also has an impact on the battery drain.
"Parking Your Vehicle (Manual Transmission)"
Before you get out of your vehicle, put your manual transmission in REVERSE (R) and firmly apply the parking brake.
Makes sense. Low gear ratio of reverse, use the parking brake as an added precaution no matter how good or bad it is.
I have also read "right/wrong or misinformation" that reverse also has an impact on the battery drain.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,786
Likes: 7
From: Iowa
I always leave mine in reverse except for the rare case where I turn it off and remove the key before putting it in gear. the safety lockout on the reverse gear which prevents you from putting in reverse while moving forward seems to be activated by a lack of power, when the car is off you can have the car in reverse if it was there to begin with, but you can't put it in reverse when its not unless you put the key back in and turn power back on. so if that happens I just drop it in 1st. I always set the E-brake also, I took it apart and adjusted it so it works now, but I still have to pull it to one of the tightest 2 clicks or it seems to have little effect.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 700
Likes: 2
From: Spring Hill Florida
Reverse
When I started driving my father told me to always park in reverse. I never understood until I re-built my first tranny; an old Ford. All the forward gears are on the main spline and reverse was a gear that was in a housing welded to the case. If you parked in reverse NOTHING could move the car. I haven't seen the inside of my Corvette tranny but I bet it is still similiar. If in a forward gear it can roll. How else could you start the car by pushing it and popping the clutch? The parking brake is useless and in colder climes could freeze as the lines were always open to the weather under the car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 2,498
Likes: 4
From: Brentwood TN
It takes less of a downward slope on a hill to roll the car against compression with the transmission in 4th than in 1st or reverse. Find a hill where you can park your car, shut off the engine and put the car in 4th and it rolls against engine compression. Then shift into 1st. The car won't roll. My driveway has only a slight slope and it will roll backwards in 4th but not reverse.
Charlie
Charlie
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 30,770
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From: Down the Shore New Jersey, Elev.3 feet
St. Jude Donor '17
In garage its netural with E-brake,usually in street its 1st and E-brake unless it is totally flat then just E-brake to protect the trans is some jerk hits me when parked!
Pro
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 534
Likes: 1
From: Island State of Mind
I have been driving standards most of my life and always parked with the shifter in reverse and the E-brake pulled (habit even when the Vette E-brake didn't work). Never had the car roll for any reason with this method. 
RR
RR