Cars & Transportation Tips for reverse parking?

[Simple Jack]

All these theories and techniques make my head hurt. It's not overly complex or difficult, just practice until you've got it down. Use cones or whatever else or just use spaces between cars you are comfortable with on a quiet road and keep practising, then move to smaller gaps. If you physically don't have the ability to learn to do something like reverse parallel park you would know about it by your lack of ability to operate door handles and the like.

 

[Sydney Bloods]

Reversed Parked the other day for the first time in 9 years.

My tip, get a mate to spot you if it's a tight space.

 

[Doss]

Just got my self a new car this week and it does the park assist thing.

Don't think I could bring myself to use it. Just do it the old fashioned way.

I'd be terrified of it stuffing up and scraping another car/blowing a tire on the kerb.

I'm a techno-sceptic though, I suppose.

 

[SugarShane]

Step 1: Be a male.

 

[kfc1]

Step 1: Be a male.

 

[UmpiringFooty]

Practice all types of parking. Even if it means that you drive to a uni car park and try it there

 

[Doss]

According to the olds, they learnt in supermarket car parks on Sundays, back in the day when supermarkets were closed on Sundays.

 

[BotsMaster]

Just got my self a new car this week and it does the park assist thing.

Don't think I could bring myself to use it. Just do it the old fashioned way.

Does it have a shoe compartment for your heels?

 

[RU_]

When practising for your p's test two instructor's I had both told me that in your test they don't make you park in between two cars, and theres just the car at the front. Long behold, in my test they made me do it in between two cars.. one of my three minors was not finishing the parallel park close enough to the curb.

 

[Messenger]

Does it have a shoe compartment for your heels?

It doesn't. I just chuck them in the passenger side floor well.

 

[Caesar]

Just got my self a new car this week and it does the park assist thing.

Don't think I could bring myself to use it. Just do it the old fashioned way.

It would go against every single instinct I have to press down on the accelerator whilst not holding the steering wheel.

 

[hawks realist]

Practice all types of parking. Even if it means that you drive to a uni car park and try it there

Is that where you learnt to hoon and do doughnuts and brakies? I painted an entire carpark black once

 

[Sterge]

You haven't lived until you've tried to reverse parallel behind a Ferrari

 

[Affidavit]

I always use shop windows and glass. Makes it so much easier to see exactly where you are. I used to hate doing it and avoid it at all costs. After you do it a couple of times you just get used to knowing your car.

 

[Northworth]

It doesn't. I just chuck them in the passenger side floor well.

bunch of savages in this town

 

[vealesy]

Wow. Nobody knows the mirror/hard turn trick?

Thought it was just "the way".

 

[YAZZ#13]

Wow. Nobody knows the mirror/hard turn trick?

Thought it was just "the way".

Exactly what I do. Mirror to mirror, hard lock in reverse and you're in

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Just got my self a new car this week and it does the park assist thing.

Don't think I could bring myself to use it. Just do it the old fashioned way.

Is it kinda small but still big enough for babies n stuff?

 

[bkozican]

I was told you start turning in once your mirrors are at the front wheel and turn the opposite way once your mirror reaches the other car's back wheel.........You should get in everytime.

Like some people have said above, The last time I paralleled park was when I was going for my license 5 years later.......Haven't done it since

 

[vealesy]

Exactly what I do. Mirror to mirror, hard lock in reverse and you're in

It was the one thing I learnt out of the 8 paid lessons I had as a 16yo.

And it still works, in every different car I am in.

I parallel park everywhere, because I can, easily.

 

[YAZZ#13]

My old man taught me that one (I didn't have lessons, did the P's test in the car I bought prior to my 18th and passed no worries) and it works a treat. My girlfriend will ignore a parallel park right out the front of a shop we need to go to and drive a couple of blocks to find an easy angle park

 

[kickazz]

Yeah live in the inner city/suburbs and you will learn quickly.

Trying to line up this with that and remeber how many turns to do I think overcomplicates things. Sure, knowing when to start turning the wheel might be a good idea if you are completely lost with it. In the end, though, just do it. If you stuffed up the angle of entry it just means you might have to go forward/reverse a few times a la Austin Powers to get it right. With practice you instinctivley get the angle right to start with. Also actually watch where the car is going rather than memorise when to steer, etc.

- Checking reflections in windows always helps too.
- Get to know how much room you have behind you - it's often more than you think.
- Especially in tight spots, observe if car in front has a towball.


I also have driven those cars with the parking assist thing - it's actuially kinda cool, it helped once when I reverse parked on the right hand side (one way street). Not many of those in Melbourne so not used to doing it, the computer worked a treat!

Now where is the thread about reversing with a trailer.......

 

[vealesy]

Yeah live in the inner city/suburbs and you will learn quickly.

Trying to line up this with that and remeber how many turns to do I think overcomplicates things. Sure, knowing when to start turning the wheel might be a good idea if you are completely lost with it. In the end, though, just do it. If you stuffed up the angle of entry it just means you might have to go forward/reverse a few times a la Austin Powers to get it right. With practice you instinctivley get the angle right to start with. Also actually watch where the car is going rather than memorise when to steer, etc.

- Checking reflections in windows always helps too.
- Get to know how much room you have behind you - it's often more than you think.
- Especially in tight spots, observe if car in front has a towball.


I also have driven those cars with the parking assist thing - it's actuially kinda cool, it helped once when I reverse parked on the right hand side (one way street). Not many of those in Melbourne so not used to doing it, the computer worked a treat!

Now where is the thread about reversing with a trailer.......

Your advice was to stop over complicating things and then you did just that by advising to ignore the simplest ways and then focus on angles and feel and "just do it" ?

Th simplest way IS:

1. As soon as mirrors line up, hard lock steer in towards kerb.

2. When mirror reaches in line with rear of car in front, hards lock steer the other way.

Works. Try it. Cant be simpler.

 

[kickazz]

Your advice was to stop over complicating things and then you did just that by advising to ignore the simplest ways and then focus on angles and feel and "just do it" ?

Yep. There are many things that require coordination that are best accomplished 'by feel' than too much concentration. Two good examples are playing the drums and properly operating the 'hands' on a spacesuit. I think it's a left/right brain thing.

 

[Black Diamond]

Don't mind saying I'm a pro parallel parker.

I'm a gun at reversing into a park on the left, that is, passenger side to the curb, but I'm also excellent reversing into a park to the right. It's critical to be able to do this on Edward and Alice Streets where parks become available with little warning. Whenever I have passengers in the car I make them give me high-fives. They love it.

Unfortunately I have no tips for you. It's all just instinct.