Hi - ok, I’m moving to a very cute street in my town, but it’s so narrow my official parking spot is 1/2 on, 1/2 off of a 6 inch or so curb. So, either the right side of the car will be elevated or the left and I can alternate that. I can street park on a flatter area a bit further down the street, but it’s not as close.
Do you think that will ruin the alignment in the long run? Btw, I have a Subaru Impreza sport.
Thanks! Maria
Yes, constantly subjecting your front end to this type of abuse will result in poor wheel alignment, and it will also lead to excess tire tread wear, damage to tire sidewalls, and eventual damage to components like tie rod ends and ball joints. In other words, the convenience of your assigned parking space will be very expensive in the long run.
If I were you, I would park in a location that does not subject your car to the daily pounding of mounting and dismounting a curb. Your car and your butt will both thank you for walking this little extra bit of distance each day.
Went to the Subaru site car does look pretty wimpy (in regards to legendary Subaru off-road use) I wouldnt want to drive it off a curb either.Bet its fast.
I would not worry about it if the curb is gradual. If it is a curb with a sharp upper corner and a vertical side, that would be difficult for your vehicle to climb and yes, rough for alignment retention.
What you describe is very commonly done in the Netherlands (Holland) where urban streets are often narrow.
If you climb and leave the curb slowly it won’t hurt a bit. The tires and suspension typically have to deal with much greater problems when you drive at speed, and they do OK except for the worst obstacles. Also, check with the neighbors. I’ll bet none of them are regular customers for wheel alignment or other suspension problems.
I have a hard time visualizing what kind of situation would require you to park half on a curb. Why is this necessary?
Is this in North America or maybe is it in England or Ireland?
I agree, one bad pothole at 30 mph puts more stress on your suspension than a thousand curb climbings at parking speeds. If it’s something like a 4 inch high curb with rounded corners, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Think about the stress on your A-frames when you lock your brakes in a panic stop and compare that to the stress they take when you slowly climb such a curb. It’s not even in the same ballpark.
You don’t describe the path the wheels take to get up on the curb. That would make all the difference for me. If the wheels up on the curb take a gradual path up the side of a driveway or a crosswalk ramp, there is no danger. The repeated jolt of going up and down a 6" every time you drive will lead to damage. Maybe a Jeep Wrangler could hold up to this type of punishment better than a Subaru.
If you drive on to the curb carefully (slowly) and leave carefully, I can’t see any aditional damge resulting. In real life, driving through New York potholes is much more damaging!
A 6 inch curb? Some cars are so low that the undercarriage, or other component, will hit the curb when the car straddles the curb. Try it carefully and listen for any scraping. If there is a scraping sound, back off. If there is no scraping sound, once parked, look under the car at see if any part of the car is too close to the curb.
Thanks everyone - was off-line since I was moving. It’s a small street with a few houses further up so cars need to get through. Think 1 way street size and, yes, a bit like those city streets in Europe. It’s in Westchester County, NY and it’s a bit historical here, so that’s why the streets are narrow. It’s actually closer to 4-5 inches (now that I’m here) and is not jagged. Seems like the majority says it’s ok and I appreciate the easing of my mind. So, I’ll take it slow when I pull in to park there and if I’m not going to be home long, will just take a spot down the street. I love my Subaru - got it last year and want it to be around for a long time.
If you COULD park 1/2 on the curb without damage, watch out for the legality of doing so. . case-in-point , here at my work is a side street clearly marked as parking on both sides yet with cars parked there the street is too narrow for two cars to pass. To solve this safety issue I would park 1/2 on the sidewalk to make room on the street the “sidewalk” is 12 feet wide, lotsa room). Yep, you’re ahead of me already, a ticket for illegaly parking on the sidewalk ! So I says to the copper I says ; “look how much safer it is and more flow efficient for me to park here.” And of course his pen keeps a-scribblin’ as he says to me he says “rules is rules.” So I swipes my citation from his grubby little paws and retorts “so I guess SAFETY doesn’t matter no matter what you see with your own eyes.”…rules is rules.
Never driven in the Boston area, eh? 1.5 car width roads and 4-6" tall solid GRANITE curbs with 90 deg angles. You don’t want to tag one of them! And climbing one is torturous. If you didn’t park 1/2 on the sidewalk, no one could get through the street.