Reassurance needed - parking on steep drive

[Bartleby]

Hi

we've just moved to new house with quite a very steep drive/parking space leading up to the house. I've found that the handbrake will only just hold the car (and won't if the car's full of people). So, I've been parking in first (parked facing up the hill), and leaving the wheels turned a little to the side too.

I'm conscious though that, should the handbrake fail, the engine won't stop the car from rolling down the hill into the road, albeit more slowly than if it was in neutral (I have tried this whilst sitting in the car with my foot on the brake!).

So, I guess my question is, how much reliance should I place on the handbrake in these circumstances? I've got some wheel chocks but when you're in and out 4 times in a day they're quite tiresome to deal with, and I'd rather not bother.

If it makes a difference it's a nissan almera tino.

Thanks for any advice/useful comments!

[sidgolf]

reverse-gear is usually a lower ratio than 1st gear,so perhaps try parking facing down the slope,in reverse gear, and see if that works.

[AcidReflux]

Bartleby said:

Thanks for any advice/useful comments!

Fix the handbrake?

ETA: Every car I've owned would lock the rear wheels with the handbrake, so the only way they'd escape down a hill would be if the tyres slipped. I've just adjusted my wife's dysfunctional handbrake for the MOT and it's now the same. It might be worth getting your handbrake serviced if it won't hold the car on an incline.

Edited by AcidReflux on Monday 23 August 16:50

[hman]

park sideways?

[Mr2Mike]

AcidReflux said:

ETA: Every car I've owned would lock the rear wheels with the handbrake,

Almost none of the cars I have owned with rear disks have had good handbrakes, except my Astra GTE 16v which had drums built into the rear disks for the handbrake. The MR2, the Civic VTi and my current Fiat coupe 20VT all had/have dire handbrakes and I have a very steep drive like the op. All of these cars would *only just* hold themselves on the handbrake as long as it was well adjusted etc. but you could make the car move with relatively gentle pushing. However I have always left them in gear and never had a problem, though I also have a pair of chocks now just to make sure.