Electric handbrakes
Discussion
Well you ensure it's on by pressing the button. With a conventional handbrake you pull up the lever, with an electronic handbrake you press the button.
As ever, it's good advice to leave it in gear.
Terrible things in traffic, if you're stopped on an incline the electronic brake comes on by itself. Then as you pull away it releases. That's the theory anyway but the 'release' is sometimes not very smooth and you are left wondering with a jerk how your clutch control skills have suddenly been lost.
If the incline is very slight, the car will roll backwards because the brake has not been applied. You have to be quite quick with the clutch in this (very common) scenario. You will find yourself reaching for the handbrake lever to stop yourself from rolling back and then realise that you have no handbrake!
And what happens if there is an electrical fault and the brake applies itself and won't release?
I'd pay extra to have a conventional handbrake.
And all this come from driving an Insignia.
As ever, it's good advice to leave it in gear.
Terrible things in traffic, if you're stopped on an incline the electronic brake comes on by itself. Then as you pull away it releases. That's the theory anyway but the 'release' is sometimes not very smooth and you are left wondering with a jerk how your clutch control skills have suddenly been lost.
If the incline is very slight, the car will roll backwards because the brake has not been applied. You have to be quite quick with the clutch in this (very common) scenario. You will find yourself reaching for the handbrake lever to stop yourself from rolling back and then realise that you have no handbrake!
And what happens if there is an electrical fault and the brake applies itself and won't release?
I'd pay extra to have a conventional handbrake.
And all this come from driving an Insignia.
Some months ago an Insignia was rolling down our high street with no one in it!! Finally the driver returned, the car having been stopped by the crowd of people just before it would have crashed into a young couple pushing a pram. Having told the female driver what had happened, she replied that it was a company car and others in the fleet had had the same problem!!! So why had she not had hers checked??? Grrrrrrr.
I've had an Insignia for the last two and a half years, never had a problem with the handbrake. It automatically disengages when you drive off so potentially easier than a conventional handbrake. Mind you, I'm one of the few people in the company who read the handbook... Really must get out more!
HeatonNorris said:
I'm on my 2nd Passat with an electronic handbrake - can't fault the system at all.
Good, I get a company passat on Tuesday and can't stand electronic handbrakes in general. Had a Meriva hire car a while back and didn't like the brake at all. Never knew if it was going to do anything each time I pressed the button.Can't see how they ever got into production to be honest. If it ain't broke and all that.
Golaboots said:
Good, I get a company passat on Tuesday and can't stand electronic handbrakes in general. Had a Meriva hire car a while back and didn't like the brake at all. Never knew if it was going to do amusing each time I pressed the button.
Can't see how they ever got into production to be honest. If it ain't broke and all that.
Packaging, I suspect: a lever, ratchet etc. takes up quite a it of room. Plus it allows manufacturers to fit hill hold/assist/whatever.Can't see how they ever got into production to be honest. If it ain't broke and all that.
The system in the XF works quite well, although as has been said there's a little un-Jag-like jolt when first pulling away. You soon forget about it though,
It really is quite simple. Pull / push the switch in the same direction you pull / push a normal handbrake (NOT as written above!). You have the standard "handbrake" light in the centre console to warn if it's on or off. The better VW/Audi systems actuate direct on the pads, rather than the lower tech vauxhall sytle "cable pullers". The VAG systems tend to be far better tuned and easier to live with, but I'm a bit biased.
Insignia system is okay on the ones I've driven. Release is a little early in reverse and apply is a little slow. It seems better than our astra pool cars - the drive away release seems a little late on these. I think the vauxhall systems lack the auto apply on the drivers door open unlike the VAG systems, I think this maybe the reason for these phantom roll aways of insignias people talk about. I'm sure it's simply they haven't been applied in the first place...
Ahead of the usual luddite comments - the EPB systems have evolved for a variety of reasons, largely packaging related. You free up lots of space in the centre tunnel, don't need the cables running in awkward places over the rear subframes (a particular issue on mid engined cars) and have a lot lower maintenance as they are self adjusting. The other big reason is legislative - not that ECE13 has changed much recently, more that with increasing vehicle laden weight it's increasingly hard to hold a vehicle on a 17% slope with acceptable handbrake apply forces, let alone the typical manufacturer stipulated 30% slopes with hot brakes.
Put simply it's getting almost impossible use a conventional handbrake to hold a large saloon (ie 2.5t GVW) on a 1 in 3 slope without superhuman apply forces. Even harder with 400 deg. brakes!
Insignia system is okay on the ones I've driven. Release is a little early in reverse and apply is a little slow. It seems better than our astra pool cars - the drive away release seems a little late on these. I think the vauxhall systems lack the auto apply on the drivers door open unlike the VAG systems, I think this maybe the reason for these phantom roll aways of insignias people talk about. I'm sure it's simply they haven't been applied in the first place...
Ahead of the usual luddite comments - the EPB systems have evolved for a variety of reasons, largely packaging related. You free up lots of space in the centre tunnel, don't need the cables running in awkward places over the rear subframes (a particular issue on mid engined cars) and have a lot lower maintenance as they are self adjusting. The other big reason is legislative - not that ECE13 has changed much recently, more that with increasing vehicle laden weight it's increasingly hard to hold a vehicle on a 17% slope with acceptable handbrake apply forces, let alone the typical manufacturer stipulated 30% slopes with hot brakes.
Put simply it's getting almost impossible use a conventional handbrake to hold a large saloon (ie 2.5t GVW) on a 1 in 3 slope without superhuman apply forces. Even harder with 400 deg. brakes!
Our company has a set of Toyota Avensis with electric HB. I have to admit I am not a fan:
1. they put the button in a really inconvenient place - under the steering wheel on the left (opposite side from the fuel release). It is just far enough out of reach that it irritates me every time I have to use it.
2. it engages and disengages quite slowly (about 2 seconds from pressing/pulling the lever) this results in roll-back on hills or over-use of the clutch which I am sure will result in the clutch wearing out sooner than manual hand brake
3. although it will release when you try to pull away it is slow so results in juddering or if you are not careful a stalled engine (very embarrassing!)
1. they put the button in a really inconvenient place - under the steering wheel on the left (opposite side from the fuel release). It is just far enough out of reach that it irritates me every time I have to use it.
2. it engages and disengages quite slowly (about 2 seconds from pressing/pulling the lever) this results in roll-back on hills or over-use of the clutch which I am sure will result in the clutch wearing out sooner than manual hand brake
3. although it will release when you try to pull away it is slow so results in juddering or if you are not careful a stalled engine (very embarrassing!)
Golaboots said:
Can't see how they ever got into production to be honest. If it ain't broke and all that.
It could be related to cars having only disk brakes - people don't put the brake on hard enough after pulling up, disk cools down and shrinks slightly and parking brake effectively releases - with an electronic brake the problem goes away. I recall a few storeys of Citroen Xantias rolling away and Citroen had to do a recall, though was front disks uses parking brake.
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