That American car "lurch" in films...

[vrsmxtb]

Why is it that in loads and loads of American TV and films, cars often lurch forward when the driver stops and gets out.

Am I being dense? Is it something to do with automatic transmission? Surely park should act as a secure handbrake?

[lesstatt]

Do you mean the lurching wallow that they do when going round a corner as in any 70's 80's and on car chase ? of when they stop, maybe they still bouncing from the last corner

[Eighteeteewhy]

Foot on brake, into park. Then as they take their foot off the brake the car moves slightly as the park gear engages.

[Du1point8]

The cars you talk of lurch due to the parking brake (hand brake to uk folks) being operated by a foot pedal.

However they are only used when on steep slopes, etc. When the car is placed into Park via the gearbox without the parking brake and the lurch is from the driver removing their foot off the brake pedal whilst in 'park'.

[vrsmxtb]

Eighteeteewhy said:

Foot on brake, into park. Then as they take their foot off the brake the car moves slightly as the park gear engages.

Never had an auto. Why don't European cars do this then, or do they?

[croyde]

When I had a big auto, I got into the habit of parking, foot on brake, gearbox into park and foot off brake, hence the lurch. I would never use the handbrake. Bad habit I know.

[TheTurbonator]

vrsmxtb said:

Eighteeteewhy said:

Foot on brake, into park. Then as they take their foot off the brake the car moves slightly as the park gear engages.

Never had an auto. Why don't European cars do this then, or do they?

Any conventional automatic will. In America, literally no-one uses the parking brake. As said they all just stick it in Park and then when they take the foot of the brake, the car rocks on its transmission.

The last time I was there I was visiting friends and none of them used the parking brake, would make me cringe every time. In the end I couldn't keep quiet and everytime I was in the car with, I ended up making them put the parking break on before they took their foot off the break. They got into the habit in the end and they've told me since, that they still do what I told them.

Edited by TheTurbonator on Tuesday 18th September 18:40

[trev540]

My mercedes does it as it has a foot operated handbrake and I suppose Iam to lazy to lift my foot up to use it. The lurch takes a while to get used to especially on a steep hill and I do use the foot handbrake then but you still get a bit of a lurch. Never had the problem with my BMW as it had a proper handbrake.

[anonymous-user]

For me, the "RS6 up to the country park house" in Layer Cake (a fab helicopter tracking shot!) is slightly ruined by the fact the driver doesn't ease off the brakes as the car comes to a rest, and even from the 'copter you can see the car "bounce of the front suspension bushes/ road springs" and lurch back a couple of inches. That annoys me profusely......... (OCD i know ;-)

[lesstatt]

Max_Torque said:

For me, the "RS6 up to the country park house" in Layer Cake (a fab helicopter tracking shot!) is slightly ruined by the fact the driver doesn't ease off the brakes as the car comes to a rest, and even from the 'copter you can see the car "bounce of the front suspension bushes/ road springs" and lurch back a couple of inches. That annoys me profusely......... (OCD i know ;-)

Stoke Park, lots filmed there, Bond as well