Should You Engage the P Gear or Pull the Handbrake First When Parking?
1 Answers
When parking, you should pull the handbrake first and then engage the P gear, as this provides better protection for the powertrain. Regardless of the type of automatic transmission, when the transmission is in P gear, a pawl mounted on the transmission housing engages with the internal gears, locking the transmission components. This immobilizes the entire drivetrain, preventing the car from rolling even if the handbrake is not applied. The handbrake requires manual activation to engage the braking system, effectively locking the wheels to secure the vehicle. If you engage the P gear first and then pull the handbrake, the task of securing the vehicle falls on the transmission's ratchet and gear engagement. However, if you pull the handbrake first and then engage the P gear, the entire braking responsibility is handled by the braking system, with the P gear only serving as an auxiliary brake in this scenario.