Northern Auto Tech - ECU and Blue & Me Repairs

Technical Stilo:Use hand brake and gear 1 or else!!!

Currently reading:
Technical Stilo:Use hand brake and gear 1 or else!!!

hafs

hafs

New member
Joined
Feb 17, 2003
Messages
14
Points
4
Location
London, United Kingdom.
Following on from a very bad week with my Stilo (02, 2002) in for a phantom fault (Fuel pump replacement) which meant I had to hire a renalt clio 1.2 for a week .... I parked my car outside a mates house last night and went inside.

About 15 mins later someone knocked on the door to ask if my car was the "silver one which had rolled down the hill (30m) and into someones front garden"!!!!!!!! The hill was not very steep.

Luckily I had parked rear facing down hill so I got away with a cracked rear lower bumper, if I had parked front first I think I would have been picking headlights/bumper/engine/radiator out of someones front garden or calling the insurance company about a write-off. Will probably still cost £200+ to fix but, rather that than a front mangled stilo.

Had a bravo for 3 years and the handbrake was not amazing but the car never rolled away on me!! The wierd thing is that when you park it wont roll but then 10mins later its gone. Happened last week at another mates house, rolled 5 m, should have learnt my lesson then.

Hand brake and gear one for me from now on when parked on anything more steep than a snooker table.

Had mot done today so its not like the car was in bad shape, I guess bad this week was just a bad one.

hafs
 
Last edited:
Thinking on gear ratios, would a low or high gear be more effective?

Me thinking higher ones, as it would be less likely to turn engine.
I know its irrelevant but its late, im tired, and im wierd :D
 
rembember this being mentioned on the xzara as well.was put down to the discs cooling and allowing the handrake on the discs to release.
personally always leave mine in gear with the handbrake.
does the stilo use a caliper on the discs for the handbrake?must admit i always liked the vauxhall system of a drum within the read disc for the hanbrake
 
Stilo handbrake is on disc brakes so handbrake force reduces as disc cools and it's VERY hot if you've just stopped. ALWAYS leave it in gear and a LOW speed gear ie 1st or reverse for maximum engine resistance. Do it every time, without exception regardless of whether you're uphill or downhill.

Just something you have to get used to with discs all round

If facing uphill, park close to the kerb and turn the wheels away from the kerb. If facing downhill park close to the kerb and turn the wheels towards the kerb.

I've had to avoid 3 runaway vehicles in my driving career and it isn't funny. Last one knocked down a pedestrian before embedding itself in a traffic sign

One old lady here was sat on a park bench in a quiet park, (how safe is that?) not very as a runaway car from the top car park ran noiselessly down the hill, smashed through the bench and put her in hospital for months

ALWAYS LEAVE IT IN GEAR
 
Last edited:
hafs said:
Following on from a very bad week with my Stilo (02, 2002) in for a phantom fault (Fuel pump replacement) which meant I had to hire a renalt clio 1.2 for a week .... I parked my car outside a mates house last night and went inside.

About 15 mins later someone knocked on the door to ask if my car was the "silver one which had rolled down the hill (30m) and into someones front garden"!!!!!!!! The hill was not very steep.

Luckily I had parked rear facing down hill so I got away with a cracked rear lower bumper, if I had parked front first I think I would have been picking headlights/bumper/engine/radiator out of someones front garden or calling the insurance company about a write-off. Will probably still cost £200+ to fix but, rather that than a front mangled stilo.

Had a bravo for 3 years and the handbrake was not amazing but the car never rolled away on me!! The wierd thing is that when you park it wont roll but then 10mins later its gone. Happened last week at another mates house, rolled 5 m, should have learnt my lesson then.

Hand brake and gear one for me from now on when parked on anything more steep than a snooker table.

Had mot done today so its not like the car was in bad shape, I guess bad this week was just a bad one.

hafs
Click to expand...


mine has started doing this after i had new pads put on the back, always now left in gear!

adjusting the handbrake cable doesn't fix it either
 
Wow, this is getting a bit scarey; i've always thought that it was extremely unlikely for ones care to roll downhill with the handbrake on but obviously i stand corrected; i know that from now on i ain't leaving it without a gear in!!!

PS; all car companies should do the same thing that they did in the old Saabs where you couldn't turn the car off unless you had a gear in.
 
Deckchair5 said:
One old lady here was sat on a park bench in a quiet park, (how safe is that?) not very as a runaway car from the top car park ran noiselessly down the hill, smashed through the bench and put her in hospital for months
Click to expand...

:eek: Alfas (well the alfasud) was bad for this,discs coooled & theyt 'ran' away causing hundreds of 'mishaps',all had to be recalled for new front discs & calliers!
 
When a car is left on any sort of incline, the car should have the handbrake firmly on, then the car should be left in gear (the higher the better) then the car should also have the wheels turned into the curb, as if by some chance the above fail, then the car will turn into the curb with its front or rear wheels whilst rolling and come to a stop. I would rather this happened then roll down a hill coem to an abrupt painful stop :eek:
 
Last edited:
So what is it high or low gear??????
Also, i agree that a gear shold be left in but turning the wheel towards the curb is not a good idea because when the wheels are turned they stick out the side and if a somone hits the wheel it'll ruin you stearing and your alloys (believe me, it happened to my cousin)
The reason why I don't like to leave a gear in is that if you have it in and you get hit from the front or back it couls brake the gear box.....
so basicly i just leave gear in on slopes and not when the car is flat or flatish
 
In some driving instruction tests you can be given a minor up here if you dont park up and turn into the curb. If a street is narrow you are given lea-way on your test but not much. It is seen that if you are sufficiently close to the curb you are posing no threat to passing motorists. The principle was divised on motorways as when you break down or stop on the hard shoulder for anyreason, you must turn your cars wheels away fro the path of oncoming or passing traffic. If a car is hit on a street or road then it is seen to cause more damageif your car careers into the road and persons on the pavement etc, have time to react rather drivers on roads swerving inot more oncoming traffic - what we a re taught up here anyway, regardless or curbed wheels or knocked out tracking
 
yehs, sorry, thats true, i always think of the gearing, you know as in first is high seeing as its rpm's are higher, sorry, It is best to leave in low gear as there is more resisatnce to turn the engine, seeing as it would have to work faster to turn the engine ans gearbox round, fifth would only need a small amount of revolutions to turn it over and the wight of the car would start that off
 
"So what is it high or low gear?????? "

You need a low gear like 1st or reverse for maximum resistance.

"Is 1st a high or low gear?"
Think top gear- that's a high gear
Low gear is a slow gear
Don't get confused with high/ low ratios

"but turning the wheel towards the curb is not a good idea because when the wheels are turned they stick out the side and if a somone hits the wheel it'll ruin you stearing and your alloys"

Unless you're driving a 4x4 your wheels won't stick out any further than your mirrors. You don't need to have the wheels on full lock just enough to so it runs into the kerb befre it hits anything

"The reason why I don't like to leave a gear in is that if you have it in and you get hit from the front or back it couls brake the gear box....."

Not a chance. Your car could be totally written off and flattened and your gearbox would still be intact ready to transpant to your new motor but if your car is set off in moton down a steep hill you'll need a crane to drag it out of the river :)
 
Normally people I believe say:

In first gear if facing uphill, reverse if facing down.

However, would you risk turning the engine backwards in some way (if at all possible) if the car were to go (for example) forward whilst in reverse gear?
 
The idea of course is that the engine doesn't turn at all and it would take one hell of a slope to be able to turn the engine around in 1st gear, the sort of slope where it'll be a good plan to put a brick under the tyre

The idea of selecting reverse when facing downhill and vice versa was that a hot diesel could actually start if the engine was turned but technology has moved on and car's have fuel cut offs now so no chance of that happening.

Reverse usually gives the most resistance in both directions but is negligable difference ratio to 1st
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Tuning Larger brake discs on Stilo 1.6
Replies
2
Views
328
Maxcaddy
Maxcaddy
Smart038
Technical Shaking problem when in gear
Replies
9
Views
594
Smart038
Smart038
L
Technical Fiat stilo 1.6 DTC P0230 and U1706 engine doesn't start, help?
Replies
0
Views
198
lukasrn82
L
sancarnutrition
Technical Fiat Stilo Abarth Front Brake Discs Calipers 330mm Coversion
Replies
2
Views
826
Maxcaddy
Maxcaddy
Smart038
Technical Idle and Stalling Problem
Replies
10
Views
680
Smart038
Smart038
Back
Top