steering to the left when doing a parallel park
Hello everybody,
when I am asked to do parallel park, my instructor told me these rules:
1) park parallel to a car
2)reverse until my head is at the same level as the back of the car behind which I am trying to park
3)steer to the left (but then how much; I mean when do I know if I have steered enough??)
4) steer to the right (full lock)
5)when the car is parallel to the car in front, straighten up and continue until it is the length of two cars
6)apply the handbrake, neutral, then release the foot pedals
Of, course I forgot to mention that I need to check all around me throughout the manoeuvres
But, when I do this, I NEVER manage to make my parallel to the one in front (which is the whole point of the manoeuvre) apparently because of my steering . Can someone please correct me on these steps before my next lesson, I need to show my instructor that i can get it right??????????
when I am asked to do parallel park, my instructor told me these rules:
1) park parallel to a car
2)reverse until my head is at the same level as the back of the car behind which I am trying to park
3)steer to the left (but then how much; I mean when do I know if I have steered enough??)
4) steer to the right (full lock)
5)when the car is parallel to the car in front, straighten up and continue until it is the length of two cars
6)apply the handbrake, neutral, then release the foot pedals
Of, course I forgot to mention that I need to check all around me throughout the manoeuvres
But, when I do this, I NEVER manage to make my parallel to the one in front (which is the whole point of the manoeuvre) apparently because of my steering . Can someone please correct me on these steps before my next lesson, I need to show my instructor that i can get it right??????????
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Reply 2
It's a case of practice. It'll depend on your car and the width of the car you're trying to park against. You know you've steered too much when you've run up the pavement and too little when you end up a foot away from the kerb, but to find out how to get it right, you need practice.
itzme
Hello everybody,
when I am asked to do parallel park, my instructor told me these rules:
1) park parallel to a car
2)reverse until my head is at the same level as the back of the car behind which I am trying to park
3)steer to the left (but then how much; I mean when do I know if I have steered enough??)
4) steer to the right (full lock)
5)when the car is parallel to the car in front, straighten up and continue until it is the length of two cars
6)apply the handbrake, neutral, then release the foot pedals
Of, course I forgot to mention that I need to check all around me throughout the manoeuvres
But, when I do this, I NEVER manage to make my parallel to the one in front (which is the whole point of the manoeuvre) apparently because of my steering . Can someone please correct me on these steps before my next lesson, I need to show my instructor that i can get it right??????????
when I am asked to do parallel park, my instructor told me these rules:
1) park parallel to a car
2)reverse until my head is at the same level as the back of the car behind which I am trying to park
3)steer to the left (but then how much; I mean when do I know if I have steered enough??)
4) steer to the right (full lock)
5)when the car is parallel to the car in front, straighten up and continue until it is the length of two cars
6)apply the handbrake, neutral, then release the foot pedals
Of, course I forgot to mention that I need to check all around me throughout the manoeuvres
But, when I do this, I NEVER manage to make my parallel to the one in front (which is the whole point of the manoeuvre) apparently because of my steering . Can someone please correct me on these steps before my next lesson, I need to show my instructor that i can get it right??????????
Go parallel to the car in front of the space, when you are exactly level with the car do one full turn to the left
Now look in your left wing mirror, when you see the kerb meet your wheel arch in the wing mirror, do two full turns of the wheel in the right.
Now as the car is becoming straight do one full turn to the left.
Finish
Reply 5
I was told
My wing mirror level with the other car
Reverse with full left lock on until at a 45 degree angle to the pavement/edge of road
Reverse back straight until the passenger seat just passes the outside corner of the other car
1 turn right until parallel, then just backwards or forwards as is appropriate.
The stupid thing is, once I got in my parent's car and looking around to get these landmarks everything was different!
My wing mirror level with the other car
Reverse with full left lock on until at a 45 degree angle to the pavement/edge of road
Reverse back straight until the passenger seat just passes the outside corner of the other car
1 turn right until parallel, then just backwards or forwards as is appropriate.
The stupid thing is, once I got in my parent's car and looking around to get these landmarks everything was different!
Reply 7
itzme
2)reverse until my head is at the same level as the back of the car behind which I am trying to park
Surely in a normal space when your head is at the same level as the back of the car in front you have gone too far.. You want to start turning in just after the back wheels have passed it imo, then you also don't need to use as much steering lock.
Reply 9
itzme
Does this work all the time, regardless of the length of the car in front?
Why would the length of the car in front make a difference
craziness.
Reply 10
Annaconda
no, its just a general rule, but its pretty good
What/?!?!?
I think you mean it depends on how far you reverse back before turning, as if you put on full lock to start with you'll probably end up in the curb if you start turning in when (imo) you should.
Reply 14
My driving instructor used to tell me to angle in so that the car was facing at 1 o'clock and then put it on full right (? - I never got this!) lock. However this did nothing but confuse me, so he gave up and let me get on with it!
Plus it depends on whether there's a car behind you or not.
Reminds me - I got myself into a tight spot the other day - parallel parked in a space about 3 inches longer than my car by mounting the curb then dropping down into the space - was buggered when it came to getting out again! I did get a round of applause from the people at the bus stop though
Plus it depends on whether there's a car behind you or not.
Reminds me - I got myself into a tight spot the other day - parallel parked in a space about 3 inches longer than my car by mounting the curb then dropping down into the space - was buggered when it came to getting out again! I did get a round of applause from the people at the bus stop though
All these techniques work for nice small modern cars with tight locks, I've just started to learn in a Defender 110, with the turning radius of a small country. I tried 90* parking in it the way my instructor told me to and I ended up about 3 feet away from the car next to me. There is NO way you can park it without going out into the road at 45* and coming back 45* the other way. I am still yet to perfect my parallel parking in it...
Reply 16
think of it like this.
Your examiner sitting in the passanger seat... you are the chuckle brothers. You know.. "to me, to you, to you, to me"
So, when the back of the parked car appears in your back window..imagine the examiner saying "to me!" (1 full turn to him)
Keep reversing until your left mirror is in line with the back of the car, when you see this, imagine the instructor saying "to you!" (one full turn to you)
When you see kerb in your mirror, imagine again that he says "to you"! so thats another turn to you
then reverse back when you believe you are straight, and straighten up. (to me!)
to me to you to you to me!!!! lol
Its the only manover i can do properly lol
Your examiner sitting in the passanger seat... you are the chuckle brothers. You know.. "to me, to you, to you, to me"
So, when the back of the parked car appears in your back window..imagine the examiner saying "to me!" (1 full turn to him)
Keep reversing until your left mirror is in line with the back of the car, when you see this, imagine the instructor saying "to you!" (one full turn to you)
When you see kerb in your mirror, imagine again that he says "to you"! so thats another turn to you
then reverse back when you believe you are straight, and straighten up. (to me!)
to me to you to you to me!!!! lol
Its the only manover i can do properly lol
Reply 17
I’ve been doing parallel parking on my advanced course and I’d almost forgotten the way to do them. When I was parking in the Falklands in a long wheel base landie or a pick-up it seemed easier than in my tiny city car.
Anyway, the way I’ve been doing it is pull up next to front car, about a foot away, reverse straight until the centre of my rear wheel is level with the rear of the car to the left then apply left steering to line up the right hand side of my car with the front left corner of the car behind. Straighten up the steering until the front of the car is clear of the front car and the rear wheel is about a foot away from the kerb then steer right (up to full lock) to swing the nose in while getting the rear wheels close to the kerb.
Admittedly, that’s pretty much what the official book (driving skills) says, but it seems to work. Trying to think of the move from a birds eye view can help and the main thing is to steer fast and drive slow – or as one of the guys puts it “fast hands, slow car.”
We have to straighten the wheels at the end (without dry steering) but for the L test you should be able to get away with just a bit of a turn
My next challenge is to do that consistently – for reference, we’re supposed to get roughly 6 inches from the kerb every time and the first time we did the manoeuvres on the course I ended up trying to reverse park uphill on ice…
Practice though, is the best way to go. As with all parts of the test, the more you're thinking about the physical moves, the less you're thinking about everything else. Also remember to keep checking your mirrors and blindspots.
Good luck.
Anyway, the way I’ve been doing it is pull up next to front car, about a foot away, reverse straight until the centre of my rear wheel is level with the rear of the car to the left then apply left steering to line up the right hand side of my car with the front left corner of the car behind. Straighten up the steering until the front of the car is clear of the front car and the rear wheel is about a foot away from the kerb then steer right (up to full lock) to swing the nose in while getting the rear wheels close to the kerb.
Admittedly, that’s pretty much what the official book (driving skills) says, but it seems to work. Trying to think of the move from a birds eye view can help and the main thing is to steer fast and drive slow – or as one of the guys puts it “fast hands, slow car.”
We have to straighten the wheels at the end (without dry steering) but for the L test you should be able to get away with just a bit of a turn
My next challenge is to do that consistently – for reference, we’re supposed to get roughly 6 inches from the kerb every time and the first time we did the manoeuvres on the course I ended up trying to reverse park uphill on ice…
Practice though, is the best way to go. As with all parts of the test, the more you're thinking about the physical moves, the less you're thinking about everything else. Also remember to keep checking your mirrors and blindspots.
Good luck.
Reply 18
Iam in the same boat as you and I don't steer fast enough X
Reply 19
Original post by geordiebabehh
think of it like this.
Your examiner sitting in the passanger seat... you are the chuckle brothers. You know.. "to me, to you, to you, to me"
So, when the back of the parked car appears in your back window..imagine the examiner saying "to me!" (1 full turn to him)
Keep reversing until your left mirror is in line with the back of the car, when you see this, imagine the instructor saying "to you!" (one full turn to you)
When you see kerb in your mirror, imagine again that he says "to you"! so thats another turn to you
then reverse back when you believe you are straight, and straighten up. (to me!)
to me to you to you to me!!!! lol
Its the only manover i can do properly lol
Your examiner sitting in the passanger seat... you are the chuckle brothers. You know.. "to me, to you, to you, to me"
So, when the back of the parked car appears in your back window..imagine the examiner saying "to me!" (1 full turn to him)
Keep reversing until your left mirror is in line with the back of the car, when you see this, imagine the instructor saying "to you!" (one full turn to you)
When you see kerb in your mirror, imagine again that he says "to you"! so thats another turn to you
then reverse back when you believe you are straight, and straighten up. (to me!)
to me to you to you to me!!!! lol
Its the only manover i can do properly lol
Haha! Great description!
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