When parallel parking, why is it so much easier to back into a spot than trying to drive forward into one?
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In most cars, the back wheels don’t really turn much. When going forward, you trace the path with the front wheels first but when going backward, you sort of move backward and pivot around the back wheels simultaneously. In other words, since it is the front tires that do the turning, the front moves more freely than the back. Therefore, it is easier to get the back in the right place first, and then pivot the front by turning the wheels.
Cars steer by adjusting the angle of the front wheels. The back wheels are always aligned with the front of the car. When you back into a space, you get the part of the car that can’t turn in first, and then you adjust the position of the part of the car that can turn.
If you try to pull in, you need more space because the only way to get the back wheels parallel to the curb is by driving forwards until the car completes the turn.
I used to mow the rough at a golf course, and my mower was the opposite of a car – the front wheels were rigid, the back wheel was what turned, and that was to make it easier to drive the mower **forward** into really tight spaces (like in between bunkers and the green)
Because the center of the turning circle of the car is the rear wheels. The front wheels are the outside of the turning circle.
Front of the car makes the bigger circle. Since parallel parking is almost always against a curb, you would need to steer the front wheels over that curb to get in to the same parking spot that you can easily get into when parking backwards.
When you’re turning, you are pivoting around a circle. If you align that pivot with the space behind you, you can move into it easily.
It’s easier if you looked at it from a different perspective. It’s difficult because you have to do this going in reverse.
Now imagine if you could turn your seat around so you’re looking back. You can now maneuver the rear end of the car similar to how you maneuver a wheel barrow.
What makes it easier is where the pivot point is located. In reverse the pivot point is pushing vs pulling.
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