How do you curb your wheels?

[y_p_w]

We have a lot of hills around here, so curbing your wheels is generally recommended. Occasionally a citation is given for not doing it, even on streets where there's barely an incline. I was always taught point the front wheels towards the curb when parked downhill, away from the curb uphill against a hard curb (so that it will stop if it rolls), and towards the curb uphill against a soft curb (so it rolls away from the street).

Most people around here do it right, but against a hard curb I prefer to actually contact the curb, even if the tire is compressed against it. Others curb their wheels, but not against the curb. Is there any advantage to either way?

 

[huffmuds9320]

I live in the city so its become second nature to curb the wheel when parking. My dad always says not to have the tire compress against the curb because the tire would lose air faster. Depending on how steep the hill is I would generally have the tire just barely touching the curb. I would let the car roll slightly until I feel it touch the curb then back it off slightly.

Since we are on the topic of parking. Don't want to get off topic here but I find that many people pull the parking brake after putting it to park. So when you are shifting out of park on an hill you get this clunk. If you pull the parking brake first and let the vehicle weight rest mostly on the parking brake then put it in park it will require less effort to shift out of park.

 

[TallPaul]

Not many hills in my neck of the woods but yeah I have curbed it a few times. What I don't understand is people parking on flat surfaces with the wheels cocked hard to one side.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I think, on occasion, if you don't contact curb the wheels you have the potential to roll back enough to hit someone who's parked 2-3 inches from your bumper. That would be my rationale for contacting the curb on a uphill versus letting a couple inches separate you from the curb.

I always turn the wheels to the right parking on an uphill or downhill grade if there's a soft curb or no curb. San Francisco loves to play up the idea of 50 runaway cars a month, but I think it's much more of a rarity. Somehow, that verbiage makes it onto the maps and all the tourist literature but not the police statistics.

 

[Ducked]

Accidentally

 

[blupupher]

I never do it, but have no hills around me.
I was taught if facing downhill, always turn to the right, if uphill, turn to left with hard curb, right with soft/no curb. I was also told to let the tire contact the hard curb, apply parking brake, then let off brake.

 

[Rand]

If "contacting the curb" makes your tires lose air faster.. you need new tires.

+1 on the parking brake thing.

I will curb the wheels on a decent hill.. not too many here..
we have alot of Slant parking on hills where you are already nose or rear into the curb on the hill.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: Vuflanovsky
I always turn the wheels to the right parking on an uphill or downhill grade if there's a soft curb or no curb. San Francisco loves to play up the idea of 50 runaway cars a month, but I think it's much more of a rarity. Somehow, that verbiage makes it onto the maps and all the tourist literature but not the police statistics.

Well - I didn't say right or left, because there's always the possibility of parking on the left side of a one-way street. And there's a lot of those in San Francisco. There are also some steep hills where there's 90º parking. So no curb is going to help. It better be in park/gear with the parking brake set, since the curb isn't likely to stop a runaway car.

 

[KingCake]

Originally Posted By: Ducked
Accidentally


lol

 

[MinamiKotaro]

I've never heard of this practice.

 

[bvance554]

Only in California will you receive a ticket for this. They're always looking for new ways to rape the tax payer... Who they work for. I understand the practice, but are there so many cars rolling down hills that they need a patrol out to ticket people for not turning their wheel a certain direction?

 

[rubberchicken]

I never let the tire touch the curb: too easy to damage the sidewalls.

 

[supton]

I thought curbing was the term for letting the rim hit the curb, and the resultant damage.

Makes sense, while facing uphill, *if there is a curb* to steer hard left. If no curb, steer right. In the former, if the car rolls, it'll hit the curb and stop, within inches. In the latter, it'd roll off into the woods, or someone's lawn. Either case, car doesn't go down the hill if something happens. Reverse directions if facing downhill.

I've never had a vehicle in which the parking brake could truly hold the vehicle on a hill. Maybe one... but it would have been a rear disc brake setup, not drum. None of my Toyota's have a parking brake worthy of the name.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: supton
I thought curbing was the term for letting the rim hit the curb, and the resultant damage.

Makes sense, while facing uphill, *if there is a curb* to steer hard left. If no curb, steer right. In the former, if the car rolls, it'll hit the curb and stop, within inches. In the latter, it'd roll off into the woods, or someone's lawn. Either case, car doesn't go down the hill if something happens. Reverse directions if facing downhill.

I've never had a vehicle in which the parking brake could truly hold the vehicle on a hill. Maybe one... but it would have been a rear disc brake setup, not drum. None of my Toyota's have a parking brake worthy of the name.

My wife's Civic has rear drums, and I've parked it on our fairly steep hill with no issue. We also have soft curbs which are essentially rain gutters. Neighbor has a similar car.

There are different ways to describe it. Some call it blocking the wheels, while some signs say just which way to turn the wheels. However, "curb" is pretty well understood in California to mean turning the wheels with respect to the curb.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I think that 90 degree parking or parking on the left or right side of the one way street is self-evident in relation to curbing the wheels whether the tires touch or not. The rub may lie in your ability to get out of the situation if you're boxed in...which can be more difficult to maneuver out of the space if, for example, you're boxed in on the left side of a downhill one way street with with your wheels toed in. I've done what can be described as a "27 point turn" involving both cars bumpers to get out of such a situation so I can almost understand the idea of people NOT curbing their wheels if they have to engage in "strategic parking" enough times.

The ticket for not curbing your wheels in SF was $23 dollars in the mid 90s and it's $58 dollars now. To the disappointment of some on here, it's definitely not a California-only thing though.

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: MinamiKotaro
I've never heard of this practice.


Wow, and they do have a lot of hills in your state.

 

[Tim83]

Yes same here. When uphill, turning front wheels away from the curb works. When downhill, should be towards the curb.

 

[Olas]

Just leave it in gear, if it moves you have bigger problems than it moving.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: Olas
Just leave it in gear, if it moves you have bigger problems than it moving.

You never saw Risky Business?


So who's the U-boat commander?

 

[DBMaster]

I saw that movie in the theater, and not being a Porsche fan at the time, cheered during that scene.