Are you serious?!?

It is easier for a car to roll in furst gear because of the lower gear ration(the tires will "X" number of times for every rotation of the motor.

If it is in 4th (closest 1:1) or fifth you are having to fight a full compression stroke before the wheels will even turn.

 

Yes, AznX TL is right. You have it backwards.
1st gear is a low gear ratio when driving forward (the crankshaft spins multiple times for each rotation of the wheels).

You generally can't start moving in 5th gear (unless you're testing a Corvette Z06 on Top Gear) because the overall gear ratio is so low that the engine torque is not being multiplied by enough to get the car moving.
But when the engine is off and you're parked on a hill in 1st gear, gravity is trying to backdrive the drivetrain from the wheels, and the high gear ratio (when back-driven) multiplies the engine resistance (multiple back-driven crankshaft turns per wheel rotation).

 

A simple test to determine who is right would be to go out in a parking lot, put the car into gear while its off(w/o the e-brake of course) and give it a shove in both 1st and 5th and see which one moves.

 

Bingo!!!

 

ok wheres my cookie at?

 

When you leave your car in gear on a hill, the tranny takes the strain of holding the car in that position. You can simply leave your wheels turned the appropriate way, and put on your emergency brake, sparing your tranny. Just keep your emergency brake in good condition and adjustment. Brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than trannys that have been used for brakes.

 

owners manual even says when parked facing downhill, put the car in 1st gear, and when facing uphill, put the car in reverse

edit: you need the e-brake

 

i read that also which seems to be very odd.
i was alwayz taught the opposite.

 

The problem is, you are thinking about it too much.

1st for uphill, reverse for downhill. 1st for downhill is not necessarily a bad thing either. Regardless of what kind of strain it puts on the transmission, you owe it to yourself and others to put the car in a safe position once you've left it.


'Nuff said!


Cabo

 

you were told reverse for uphill and 1st gear for downhill.........thats just asking for it to roll down the hill

 

^^ he's refering to the owner's manual