Discussion
puffsorted2 said:
I thought the handbrake was just for decoration?
Oh...and...they all do that, sir.
Ours is utterly rubbish. Apparently its a cut-down Sierra item and so doesn't have enough leverage - IIRC - happy to be corrected. A mate's Cerb has a fully functioning perfectly working handbrake. I was gobsmacked.
Noodle30 said:
Being an athletic bloke I have no problems what so ever with the handbrake but my missus struggles and has she has a half share in the car is looking longingly at Beetle convertibles!
Does anyone know of any modification or adjustment that you can do to help the little lady?
No - but there's a technique. My wife (who's car it is) uses BOTH hands. She's got pretty good at it. Of course - you could also buy her a Bullworker...
Noodle30 said:
Could do with a bit of pipe to put over then end to increase the leverage?????
Tad inconvenient carrying a length of pipe around though.
"Hello, hello, hello. Wot have we got here, then?"
"Honest officer its so I can put me handbrake on...its not for carjackers, honest, hardly at all..."
Don said:
its not for carjackers
I was once stopped at the port going to France by a
customs official asking about the bonnet-stay on my car.
He had only recently stopped someone in a
Chimaera with a baseball-bat "because his
bonnet-stay was broken and they are expensive
to replace". It sounded about as likely
as your handbrake lead-piping...
And yes, they are all like that - the girlfriend would not stop
on a hill unless I was the passenger seat
Another tip, is that in a vain effort to improve the handbrake mechanics over tighten the handbrake cable so there is only 2 x clicks on the ratchet between 'on' and 'off'. Try slackening the adjustment so that there are x clicks to set the brake and 4 x clicks to 'really' set it on a hill. Mine is like this and because you seem to get a bit more leverage it works fine. Rich...
I must remember to get a picture of my Mrs doing her handbrake manoeuver. If I have left it on and she goes to drive I look out the window and shes there roof off standing with a foot on each seat doing a weighlifter move to release the handbrake. Luckily she usually remembers to put in in gear and switch the engine off first...
She doesnt bother with the handbrake, just uses the footbrake and excellent clutch control on hill starts. And leaves it in gear when parked :-)
She doesnt bother with the handbrake, just uses the footbrake and excellent clutch control on hill starts. And leaves it in gear when parked :-)
vixpy1 said:
Mine actually works!!!!
Mine does too, after a fashion, but no good for handbrake turns!
Agree with the comment above that if its over-adjusted with only a couple of clicks of movement most of the mechanical advantage of the lever is lost. Equally applying the brake pressure with the footbrake and whilst taking up the slack with the handbrake is the way to go.
>> Edited by tahiti450 on Tuesday 10th January 00:11
>> Edited by tahiti450 on Tuesday 10th January 00:12
The self-adjuster ratchet in the handbrake mechanism needs a fair bit of travel to work. If you take up all the slack on the cable adjuster instead of letting the adjuster in the caliper do its job, you'll find that the lever at the caliper quickly runs out of travel and the handbrake becomes completely ineffective, you just stretch the cable rather than actually apply the brakes.
You need to leave the cable slack enough to get 4-5 clicks as you apply the handbrake. Of course the adjuster can also seize and stop working so having slack doesn't guarantee that the adjusters are working. And even if everything *is* working perfectly, it seems to require a huge effort on the lever to get any significant braking effect.
You need to leave the cable slack enough to get 4-5 clicks as you apply the handbrake. Of course the adjuster can also seize and stop working so having slack doesn't guarantee that the adjusters are working. And even if everything *is* working perfectly, it seems to require a huge effort on the lever to get any significant braking effect.
GreenV8S said:
The self-adjuster ratchet in the handbrake mechanism needs a fair bit of travel to work. If you take up all the slack on the cable adjuster instead of letting the adjuster in the caliper do its job, you'll find that the lever at the caliper quickly runs out of travel and the handbrake becomes completely ineffective, you just stretch the cable rather than actually apply the brakes.
You need to leave the cable slack enough to get 4-5 clicks as you apply the handbrake. Of course the adjuster can also seize and stop working so having slack doesn't guarantee that the adjusters are working. And even if everything *is* working perfectly, it seems to require a huge effort on the lever to get any significant braking effect.
So.. in summary.. its crap
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