Parking Brake Poll

[Scarpozzi]

My car has a really loose parking pin...when I put the car in park, if I'm on a hill, it will roll back like 2 feet. I apply the break right away anytime I park on any kind of incline....even the flat ones.

 

[Journer]

Originally posted by: Captante

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.

Nonsense!

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.

your first bit is true, but i've never had to replace a cable. i don't know if you people are driving Kia's around or something, but they have always held up for me, just needing minor adjustment.

your second bit, i feel, is a bit off. yes, the heat and pressure can warp your rotor, but they aren't going to get hotter sitting in the sun than they do when driving. especially if you brake like the idiots around my town. while it could potentially cause undue warpage on one rotor more than the others, this would be a small price to pay if, in the long run, you get more miles out of your tranny. hell, imo, the peace of mind is enough. brakes are meant to be replaced, often. transmissions are not. so if i fuck up o few rotors from time to time and it costs me a few hundred (spread out even), thats a lot better than trashing my transmission and forking out 2-5k(at once) to fix/replace it

 

[Eos]

Originally posted by: Captante

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.

Nonsense!

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.

Mine doesn't. Separate pads for the parking brake system.

 

[OdiN]

Only when I'm parked on an incline on a 4x4 trail have I really used the parking brake.

 

[Apex]

Anytime I'm not using wheel chocks.

 

[Baked]

Funny, if you car experts don't use the hand break, explain to me why car manufacturers put them in every passenger car they make? And you're complaining about readjusting the hand break cable? You spend more money on gasoline, why don't you worry about that instead?

*AT*
- Foot on break
- Shift to P
- Hand break
- Turn off engine

Been doing that since I got my 1st car years ago, not gonna change 'cause some people claim otherwise.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Originally posted by: eos
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.

I do the same, just without the "place transmission in neutral", it's not always necessary (eg: incline, it's not going anywhere even in drive). My Altima has a CVT, and for some reason it rolls back a good fucking 2 feet when I put it in park on like a 5 degree incline. So the parking brake has to be engaged before I put it in park.

Anyone that says not using your parking brake doesn't strain "park" in a car with an automatic is full of it.

 

[ColdFusion718]

All the time, even when driving around sharp corners. Just kidding.

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: Journer

Originally posted by: Captante

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.

Nonsense!

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.

your first bit is true, but i've never had to replace a cable. i don't know if you people are driving Kia's around or something, but they have always held up for me, just needing minor adjustment.

your second bit, i feel, is a bit off. yes, the heat and pressure can warp your rotor, but they aren't going to get hotter sitting in the sun than they do when driving. especially if you brake like the idiots around my town. while it could potentially cause undue warpage on one rotor more than the others, this would be a small price to pay if, in the long run, you get more miles out of your tranny. hell, imo, the peace of mind is enough. brakes are meant to be replaced, often. transmissions are not. so if i fuck up o few rotors from time to time and it costs me a few hundred (spread out even), thats a lot better than trashing my transmission and forking out 2-5k(at once) to fix/replace it

I've never replaced a cable either & although I've tightened them many times its not like its very hard ... also its not like setting the parking brake on flat ground is going to cause catastrophic brake failure. Even in a worst-case scenario all that will happen is you may wear out the calipers on one or more wheels brakes a bit sooner and/or the brake used for parking may begin to stick causing the pads to wear out.

As for the second part, its not just my opinion especially when it comes to heavy trucks its based on information from operater-manuals.

Originally posted by: eos

Mine doesn't. Separate pads for the parking brake system.

Some vehicles do have a seperate braking system for the parking brake ... for example all the Volvos I've owned had a smaller secondary system & in additon applied the parking brake to two wheels to make it safer in an emergency.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: Captante

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.

Nonsense!

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.

A. my bicycle has hydraulics
B. I find it interesting that my dad had his manual truck 19 years without having to worry about parking break...but the way you talk it up he should have had to have replaced it several times over...

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Journer
any time you park, you should use your parking brake (hence the name)

why?

manual tranny only: if a gear slips, it will save the car from moving

all trannys: it prevents unnecessary rock on your gears. if you are on a hill and dont use your parking brake, the weight of the car is resting on your drivetrane instead of your rear brakes. whenever you park on a flat (or seemingly flat) surface, once your car is in park (or 1st/R) you release the brake. when you do so, the car will (unless the surface is perfectly flat and you are kick ass at braking) rock slightly forward or backwards, putting strain on your drivetrane.


now, this is what i've always known, i could be wrong, but it makes sense. anywho, i've been doing it forever and my car has 250k+ on it and has never had anything other than routine maint. 😛

well the way most use their parking brake, they have already came to a stop, put it in park, taken their foot off the brake prior to using it. The weight of the car would already be on the gearing.

It's a good practice for safety but very optional in an automatic. In a manual one should always use their brake.

 

[ObiDon]

Originally posted by: BW86
If I'm driving a manual i'll put it into first and put on the brake

i do this too, except i put it in 3rd or 4th now. one of my cars (at 200k miles) has a stick that is loose towards the 1-2 side from having spent so much time in 1st while parked.

 

[spaceman]

always use my e brake
use it or lose it

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: ObiDon

Originally posted by: BW86
If I'm driving a manual i'll put it into first and put on the brake

i do this too, except i put it in 3rd or 4th now. one of my cars (at 200k miles) has a stick that is loose towards the 1-2 side from having spent so much time in 1st while parked.

that doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I use it every time I park, and when stopped on a hill for long periods of time.

I drive a manual.

 

[HannibalX]

Every time I park. My car has an auto-release once the car is in gear.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Eh?

I use mine any time I park, regardless of the grade I'm on. My girlfriend berates me every time I park the car telling me that I don't have to use it... well it's how I learned to drive dammit! Does using the brake when you "don't have to" hurt it?

Your girlfriend is an idiot. Using the parking brake is a good habit and you aren't doing anything wrong by using it every time you park.

I use it even when parking on a flat surface.

 

[JulesMaximus]

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.

That is complete bullshit and adjusting the parking brake is very simple, it takes all of about 5 minutes to do.

 

[yelo333]

Yes, I always use it in my car. (07 Civic)

I also use it most of the time in our 07 Chrysler T&C minivan, but it actually hurts to do so. It's a foot pedal setup, with the disengage lever right above. For some reason, they thought it would be cool to have the lever to disengage so close to the pedal that it slaps you in the knuckles. I don't know whether to be mad or to laugh. :laugh:

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

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.

That is complete bullshit and adjusting the parking brake is very simple, it takes all of about 5 minutes to do.

this is truth. It also depends on the car how long it takes to adjust it. I use mine everytime I park...I drive a stick though.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: eos
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.

If time is money, I'd hate to see how much $$$ you've lost with this ritual.

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: eos
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.

If time is money, I'd hate to see how much $$$ you've lost with this ritual.

Since that procedure IS the proper way to set a parking brake and only takes a couple of seconds to perform, weighing the value of his time against the potential repair costs (and/or towing cost if the weight is on the parking pall and can't be shifted out of park) I'd say it's a debit for time and a credit for repair costs.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: eos
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.

If time is money, I'd hate to see how much $$$ you've lost with this ritual.

Since that procedure IS the proper way to set a parking brake and only takes a couple of seconds to perform, weighing the value of his time against the potential repair costs (and/or towing cost if the weight is on the parking pall and can't be shifted out of park) I'd say it's a debit for time and a credit for repair costs.

Neutral isn't necessary. Double shift FTL.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Originally posted by: SP33Demon

Originally posted by: eos
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.

If time is money, I'd hate to see how much $$$ you've lost with this ritual.

Since that procedure IS the proper way to set a parking brake and only takes a couple of seconds to perform, weighing the value of his time against the potential repair costs (and/or towing cost if the weight is on the parking pall and can't be shifted out of park) I'd say it's a debit for time and a credit for repair costs.

Not disagreeing with whether that is the correct procedure but I've never used the parking brake in any of the automatic transmission cars I have owned (with the exception of a Subaru that had one in the center console) and I have never had a repair cost for any transmission damage to the parking pawl or transmission damage caused by non-use of the parking brake or not going through that elaborate procedure when parking my car.

 

[BassBomb]

I don't do it in my ES350 or I30 because its a ebrake pedal. But I do in my Civic since its in perfect spot