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Parking Brake Poll

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Originally posted by: TruePaige
Never. I know some of you say it prevents wears on the gears, but do you have any idea how long the powertrain warranties these days are? I'm not worried about it.
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You should at least engage it a few times per year.
 
Only when parked on a slope ... using it all the time just make it more likely you'll have brake problems sooner & also stretchs the cable requiring adjustment.
 
It doesn't matter whether I am driving one of the Auto's or the manual transmission cars, I use the parking break when the car is parked. (Though I forget sometimes when they have the foot pedal for the parking break (Read: Honda Pilot))

-Kevin
 
Originally posted by: Captante
Only when parked on a slope ... using it all the time just make it more likely you'll have brake problems sooner & also stretchs the cable requiring adjustment.
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Nonsense!
 
The results of this poll are the opposite of my experience with other drivers.

I always use it, but I drive a manual transmission.
 
Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
It doesn't matter whether I am driving one of the Auto's or the manual transmission cars, I use the parking break when the car is parked. (Though I forget sometimes when they have the foot pedal for the parking break (Read: Honda Pilot))

-Kevin
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Ditto. Driving a manual for the last 12 or so years has made engaging the parking brake an automatic task.
 
I use the parking brake almost everytime I stop. Obviously not while I'm in traffic, but I'll habitually pull it while waiting in a drive through line...

Any time I take my foot off both the brake and clutch, basically.
 
Also.. the whole "weight of the car on the drivetrain" thing is a bunch of nonsense.

Think about it folks. Do you have any idea how much power even 100HP is? Let alone something like the 200-300 that a lot of cars these days have. Believe me, your transmission does not care.

It's a safety thing. Anybody who has parked on a slope without realizing it, only to come back to their car having moved as the engine slowly turns over knows this. 😉
 
Parking brake ANYTIME I park any of my cars, automatic or manual.

I've seen many times when some moron parked an automatic on a slope without setting the parking brake before shifting into park, thus putting all the weight of the car on the parking pawl (inside the transmission). It's not unusual to have to "nudge" the car a bit with another car to remove the weight so it can be shifted out of park. Also, people really fuck up that parking pawl and linkage by trying to force the transmission out of park in that condition.
AAMCO loves them.
 
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Parking brake ANYTIME I park any of my cars, automatic or manual.

I've seen many times when some moron parked an automatic on a slope without setting the parking brake before shifting into park, thus putting all the weight of the car on the parking pawl (inside the transmission). It's not unusual to have to "nudge" the car a bit with another car to remove the weight so it can be shifted out of park. Also, people really fuck up that parking pawl and linkage by trying to force the transmission out of park in that condition.
AAMCO loves them.
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Thats the biggest issue regarding the mechanics of the transmission.
 
Originally posted by: BoomerD
Parking brake ANYTIME I park any of my cars, automatic or manual.

I've seen many times when some moron parked an automatic on a slope without setting the parking brake before shifting into park, thus putting all the weight of the car on the parking pawl (inside the transmission). It's not unusual to have to "nudge" the car a bit with another car to remove the weight so it can be shifted out of park. Also, people really fuck up that parking pawl and linkage by trying to force the transmission out of park in that condition.
AAMCO loves them.
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This is what I was taught.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Also.. the whole "weight of the car on the drivetrain" thing is a bunch of nonsense.

Think about it folks. Do you have any idea how much power even 100HP is? Let alone something like the 200-300 that a lot of cars these days have. Believe me, your transmission does not care.

It's a safety thing. Anybody who has parked on a slope without realizing it, only to come back to their car having moved as the engine slowly turns over knows this. 😉
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i agree with you in that the engine power puts pressure on the drivetrain, but when you park, it puts pressure in the opposite direction. if you are in first gear and rolling backwards, how would that not strain them since they aren't meant to move that way?

think about it, you pull into a flat parking space and stop. which direction do you always fall back to? you fall back. the harder you stop, the more you fall backwards. i can't believe that this doesnt put some wear on your gears. now, it is likely no more the output of your engine, but extra wear is never good, especially with a transmission/rear end.

but anyways, even if what i'm saying is nonsense, it still makes sense to use it. it creates good habit and will do no damage to your car worst case is a 15$ pbrake cable adjustment (if you cant do it yourself) and 20 minutes at the shop.

Originally posted by: CptCrunch
Originally posted by: DLeRium

See that's what I've been taught too, but my concern is that the car STILL rocks w/ the brake, especially on a hill. Is there still pressure on the drivetrain? Well even then I still believe it's better to rest a portion of the pressure onto the braking system than to put it fully on the gears.
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on a hill, I always put on the parking brake first, while the vehicle is still in drive/reverse, then put the vehicle in park. That seems to remove the rocking that occurs when engaging the parking break after you place the vehicle in park
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put are car in 1st or park while still holding the brakes. push in/pull up on the parking brake, release the brake pedal, shut off the car, let off the clutch. whats how i've done it. any more movement after that would mean your parking brake is not adjusted properly or your brakes settling up a bit (your hydraulic brakes are stronger than the manual parking brake cable).

and whoever said something about adjusting your brake cable all the time, again, i've got 250k+ on mine and i've only adjusted it 5 times (once every 50k) and it didn't need much.
 
Another issue that will never be resolved here at ATOT. Although, I think most of us can agree that you need to turn your wheels into the curb on a steep hill.
 
Auto trans.

Use foot brake to stop vehicle.
Place transmission in neutral.
Engage parking brake.
Release foot brake.
Profit.
Let car settle against parking brake.
Place transmission in park.
Turn off vehicle.
Open door and exit vehicle.
 
Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Originally posted by: Captante
Only when parked on a slope ... using it all the time just make it more likely you'll have brake problems sooner & also stretchs the cable requiring adjustment.
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Nonsense!
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Most cars engage the parking brake via a cable & just like the cable on a bicycle-shifter, that cable stretchs over time requiring it to be tightened or replaced to remain effective.

Also the parking brake in many cars & just about all heavy trucks activates the main braking system on one wheel manually clamping the brake-pads onto the rotor/drum ... doing this while brakes are very hot can cause damage over time.
 
If I'm driving a manual i'll put it into first and put on the brake, otherwise I just put it in park.
 
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