Am I the only one who uses a parking brake?

[Ron Who]

I was taught to use the parking brake and leave the clutch in neutral. So that´s what I do. I only drive manually shifted cars, and all our company trucks are manuals too. Some of my coworkers leave the truck in first gear, so I always down the clutch pedal before ignition.

[Reinier]

Some of my coworkers leave the truck in first gear, so I always down the clutch pedal before ignition.

My car won't start unless you floor the clutch pedal.

My new car (due to arrive in November I think) does not have a clutch even though it's not an automatic

[Ron Who]

My car won't start unless you floor the clutch pedal.

A sensible precaution. I learned this through experience, fortunately without injuring anyone.

[pfrsantos]

I was taught to use the parking brake and leave the clutch in neutral. So that´s what I do. I only drive manually shifted cars, and all our company trucks are manuals too. Some of my coworkers leave the truck in first gear, so I always down the clutch pedal before ignition.

This is another safety measure. Leave the car in gear, contrary to the inclination of the road. If the break fails, the gear will hold the car in place.

[Ron Who]

This is another safety measure. Leave the car in gear, contrary to the inclination of the road. If the break fails, the gear will hold the car in place.

My country is mostly flat 

[Don Pablo]

My country is mostly flat 

You weren't joking!

[Reinier]

Come on guys, we do have a mountain!

[dks]

Handbrakes are fun

[Don Pablo]

Handbrakes are fun

(Image removed from quote.)

Very important to mating rituals.

[Syncop8r]

.

Show content

changed my mind, some may not find it funny

[Vidar]

I use hand brakes all the time. Indeed I remember liking them so much that I drove a fair bit of my driving test with them still on. 

[cody6268]

I use it all the time, even when I don't really need it. Cars, trucks, tractors, ATVs, and UTVs.

But, cars these days rarely have real parking brakes--all E-brakes that don't work like they're supposed to.

[gregozedobe]

I use it all the time, even when I don't really need it. Cars, trucks, tractors, ATVs, and UTVs.

But, cars these days rarely have real parking brakes--all E-brakes that don't work like they're supposed to.

I thought I'd try my 2017 Golf R wagon out on a skid pan to see what it handled like in a safe environment.  Because it has AWD and good tyres the traction limits are too high to "test it out" on public roads.

Turns out it has too good a traction even on a wet skidpan to do anything except juddering understeer almost all the time.  The instructor suggested I try pulling on the 'handbrake", but that was a dismal failure.  It has an E-brake which applies all 4 wheels in a maximum stopping power (even ABS activated) damper on any possible fun.



But I still use the (E-)handbrake every time I switch the engine off.  Mind you, the car does it for me, so I don't even have to remember to do it manually.

[Vidar]

It has an E-brake which applies all 4 wheels in a maximum stopping power (even ABS activated) damper on any possible fun.

Being able to just lock the back wheels is what I miss the most with four wheel drive. If I just want to stop all wheels with ABS there is the normal brake for that. Give me back my rear only hand brake! (I guess sudden stop on only two wheels is not healthy for the four wheel drive system so they wont do that?

Or give me that weird differential brake my previous car had - I could turn a bit, then press down hard on the gas pedal, and it would very gently skid the back out in winter. No idea what that was good for in a family car though.

[WhichDawg]

Handbrakes are fun

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your still posting funny stuff! lol

[Gareth]

My car won't start unless you floor the clutch pedal.

My new car (due to arrive in November I think) does not have a clutch even though it's not an automatic

My Ford is the same. 

My country is mostly flat 

Yeah, if there is one country in the world where a handbrake really might be unnecessary it's yours. 

[Mechanickal]

It's not a handbrake but a handpump.
They use it to inflate the floaters in case the dam breaks...

[Don Pablo]

Crazy-prepared Dutch peeps.

[Gareth]

It's a bilge pump!  If the dams ever break every Dutch car owner need only pump the handle a few times and the water is gone.

Smart people the Dutch.

[pfrsantos]

It's a bilge pump!  If the dams ever break every Dutch car owner need only pump the handle a few times and the water is gone.

Smart people the Dutch.

The whatnow?!

 

[Sea Monster]

Like some others in this thread (recently, and less recently )  I am astonished to discover there are people who do not use the parking brake.

I use it all the time, on all the cars (bike less so, bit it is generally pretty safe on the stand )

With the manuals I'll generally pull up, brake on, out of gear, foot brake off, let it "Rest" on the brakes, then gear back in(either 1st or R, depending on the incline) as a "safeAty"

in the Auto, same sort of deal, pull up, neutral, handbrake, let it "rest" then Park (if I don't do this and it is holding the weight on the "Park" gear, it's a prick to get back to N or a gear the next drive, if it is physically difficult, I have to assume it's not good for the vehicle)


Just as an aside, since we're talking about brakes - the wagon has this kind of park brake - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_brake
I have no idea if is better or worse than wheel brakes for parking, but I still think it is neat.

[old Lefty]

^
Series Land Rovers have that tranny brake. Works very well. Only type I would fully trust in a seriously hairy situation

Lähetetty minun SM-T515 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[MacGyver]

Like some others in this thread (recently, and less recently )  I am astonished to discover there are people who do not use the parking brake.

   I din't even knew there ara people in the world that don't even use the handbrake when parking a car... 

That's like, "driving school and safety 101"...

Every since i have a car and a licence i always park it and pull the handbrake and shift it in a gear opposite to the road inclination. If it's flat i just gear it in 1st.

Mind you i only drive manual gear box cars, never even been inside a automatic gear box car. But nevertheless, if a manual handbrake exists, it's there to be used, period. Same way as if a lock exists on a door, it's supposed to be locked.

As for electronic parking systems.... i'm from a mechanical engineering background, so i'll trust a fully mechanical system miles before i'll trust an electronic driven one... 

[Swiss Reformer]

I do, all the time.  It's how I learned.   

My wife doesn't, ever.  It's how she learned.   

[Kev D]

I do, all the time.  It's how I learned.   

My wife doesn't, ever.  It's how she learned.   

I was taught the same when I learned, and when I drove a manual I used it all the time, but since moving to an automatic I only use it when parking on slopes/hills

[SteveC]

^  This   

[ThundahBeagle]

It may have already been said but I use it when I drive a stick shift, but not as much when I drive an auto. I DO always use it when parking on a hill. That is the point at which I turn my wheels to point into the curb (when facing downhill) or pointing away from the curb when parked facing uphill. This is so that the truck will stop against the curb with minimal rolling in the event that both the transmission and the e-brake fail. And I always set the e-brake before taking my foot off the regular brake to help save the transmission.

Wintertime is a different story. As others have said, the e-brake cable and shoes can freeze up, so I never use it in the winter, and if I have to, I warm the truck up a while before attempting to disengage

[ToolJoe]

Sad to see they are a thing on less and less newer vehicles. 

[Pacu]

I drive Dodge 3500 and 5500s all the time now and pull gooseneck trailers with tractors / heavy machinery.

I always set the parking break when loading up mulchers, tractors and skytrims onto the trailer.

[ThundahBeagle]

Sad to see they are a thing on less and less newer vehicles. 

Actually I dont think that's the case at all. In Massachusetts these days, for new drivers license tests, not only must the vehicle have a parking brake, it MUST be in the center console area, as the proctors wants to be able to use it in the event they need it.

I am ways stymied by how we managed to get through the 1970's and 1980's? All we had when my brother took his drivers exam was a 1978 Ford pickup and a 1970's Chrysler station wagon. They both had left foot pedal e-brake, with a handle to pull and release. Both reachable only on the driver's side, to the left of the wheel. Whatever did police and driver license authorities do if they needed a brake back then?