Is Parking on a Slope Harmful to the Car?
2 Answers
Parking on a slope definitely causes some harm to the car. When parked on a slope, the car is subjected to the component of its own weight along the slope, and this force is mainly borne by the handbrake. The handbrake cable, being in a taut state for a long time, will gradually stretch, and the suspension will bear pressure. This reduces the reliability of the handbrake, making issues like the car not staying parked and rolling backward increasingly apparent. Impact on the suspension: When parking on a slope, the side facing downhill bears greater pressure on the suspension. Over time, this causes uneven aging and varying stiffness between the front and rear suspensions, affecting ride comfort. Damage to the handbrake braking system: Parking the car on a slope means the handbrake has to bear the pressure. The handbrake fixes the vehicle by pulling the brake via a cable. When parked on a slope, the handbrake cable continuously bears the component of the car's weight parallel to the slope. Prolonged exposure to this stress can fatigue the handbrake cable, affecting its performance. Risk of rolling: If parked on a slope for an extended period, the handbrake may age and fail at any time, leading to the possibility of the car rolling away.
From my over ten years of driving experience, parking on slopes can indeed be harmful to the car. Once, for convenience, I parked on the slope in front of my house for half a month straight, and within less than two weeks, I noticed the handbrake had become loose. Later, at the repair shop, I found out the handbrake cable had been overstretched. The mechanic specifically reminded me that when an automatic transmission is in 'P' park, it locks the transmission gears, and on a slope, the entire weight of the car presses on them. Parking like this for long periods can accelerate wear on the parts. Especially with the common diagonal link suspension in older residential areas, uneven force can also lead to suspension deformation. Now, whenever I have to park on a slope, I place a brick behind the tires to share the pressure.
