Hi All This is my first visit to the new site, everything looks awesome! Now, for a (probably) dumb question. I park on a street graded slightly. Is it best for me to park on the incline or on the decline (I can park on my street in either direction). I was not sure if one of the ways was better for the vehicle. Thank you!
I would park nose out, or with the vehicle pointed with the flow of traffic. Most cities require this for a reason. FWIW your car probably doesn't care if it's got its butt or nose in the air, and I can't really see where it's going to make much of a difference: Here's a squib from the California Driver Handbook. The people there may not know how to drive worth a crap (been there, done that) but their handbook is OK.... Parking On A Hill When you park: On a sloping driveway, turn the wheels so the vehicle will not roll into the street if the brakes fail. Headed downhill, turn your front wheels into the curb or toward the side of the road. Set the parking brake. Headed uphill, turn your front wheels away from the curb and let your vehicle roll back a few inches. The wheel should gently touch the curb. Set the parking brake. Headed either uphill or downhill when there is no curb, turn the wheels so the vehicle will roll away from the center of the road if the brakes fail. Always set your parking brake and leave the vehicle in gear or in the "park" position. Good Luck!
Thanks for the info. I was asking from more of a mechanical aspect for the Prius (brakes, transmission??) if it matters which direction I park. My street is extremely low traffic (3-4 cars per day pass) which allows me to park in either direction.
It does not matter to the car which way you park. I suggest that you set the parking brake firmly, to reduce stress on the transaxle parking pawl. If you experience heavy rainfall in your area, you may find that the rear hatch area will have a greater tendency to leak if the car is pointing downhill, if the slope is sufficient so that water cannot easily flow out of the hatch area.
Honestly on a slight incline I cant see it making any difference, so just point with the flow of traffic. I'm not sure whether or not the following is region specific*, but on a steep incline the park-brake on my Prius works heaps better in the forward direction than the reverse. So, if I had a choice, on a very steep incline I'd prefer to park pointing downhill. * Brakes on Australian and UK models are front/rear disc, with auxiliary drum on rear for park-brake only. So results may be different for other models.
I am guessing my street is between a 10-20% grade. I have noticed the same thing Uart. When pointed uphill, the vehicle seems to make a lot of "creeking" noises as I exit the vehicle.
Hi reece. For some reason the "grade" of a hill is something that most people tend to over-estimate. Anything over 10% is actually fairly steep, and 20% is very steep. The very steepest hills in San Francisco, renowned for it's very steep areas, are in the high 20's (percent). See : The Steeps Of San Francisco – In Search Of The City's Steepest Street
Probably because the parking brake pedal was not pushed hard enough and the parking brake is not holding tightly. I suggest you apply your full body weight on the pedal, then see if you hear creaking sounds.
if you're goal is mpg gains, park the car pointing downhill so that in the morning, gravity will help move the car forward and not use up much of the HV battery for propulsion during stage 1 of the operating mode. if the gradient is high and long enough, you can even charge the HV battery from that and get into stage 2 at the bottom of the hill.
