Electric handbrake tom-foolery
Discussion
The Dangerous Elk said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I suffered a couple of times with my Xr4x4 having a seized on handbrake. The car wouldn't move and it was a strip down job to get it working again. I also had the clutch cable snap three times too!
I always look back at my old cars with a lot of fondness...but the reality was that they were crap!
Crap?, not so. Better,? subjective. Nicer to look at?, quite often. Needs more wok ?, for sure. Needs DIY skills?, deffo.I always look back at my old cars with a lot of fondness...but the reality was that they were crap!
cerb4.5lee said:
Yes and you just need more patience, plus it adds character to the car...well that's what I always told myself with cars like my TVR and old Ford's!
TVR and Ford = Easy. Try a load of old Citroen's if you want fun fun fun (and green-oil on the drive). The handbrake is on the front calipers (on two of them for added fun !Edited by The Dangerous Elk on Saturday 15th December 09:58
Sheepshanks said:
SkinnyPete said:
I find it sad a whole generation of young men will grow up never experiencing late night shenanigans doing handbrake turns in a McDonalds car park
I've never tried this, but it can be applied while moving - it has to, so it'll work as an emergency brake (which is what Americans call the handbrake anyway). Apprently it'll beep at you but it you hold the button / lever then the brake will apply.
I didn’t carry out exhaustive testing, but flicking it up and releasing, as you would when parking, applies the handbrake and brings the car to a halt - you have to keep holding it up
Edited by PSRG on Saturday 15th December 10:04
PSRG said:
I didn’t carry out exhaustive testing, but flicking it up and releasing, as you would when parking, applies the handbrake and brings the car to a halt.....
Appreciate you said the testing was limited but that shouldn't happen. It should release. You could flick it accidentally while driving and you wouldn't the car to screech to a halt.Sheepshanks said:
PSRG said:
I didn’t carry out exhaustive testing, but flicking it up and releasing, as you would when parking, applies the handbrake and brings the car to a halt.....
Appreciate you said the testing was limited but that shouldn't happen. It should release. You could flick it accidentally while driving and you wouldn't the car to screech to a halt.I've got an Insignia which has one of the most notorious electronic handbrakes ever. Didn't like it at first. Day 1, it took me efforts to work out how to reverse my car off our fairly steep drive. For situations when you're reversing its a pain because as soon as you touch the throttle, the handbrake release.
Other than that, I really quite like it now. In traffic jams I like how the handbrake is either on or off. None of this creeping backwards you get when a manual handbrake isn't quite pulled up enough. Also, you just accelerate and go...no more juggling clutch, throttle and handbrake when in a queue on a steep hill. The car also feels rock steady and held on hills, when the handbrake is on.
So I get why some people hate them, but for me, its not a problem.
cerb4.5lee said:
cerb4.5lee said:
RicksAlfas said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Yes mine was an early model so I'm sure they've improved it on the later cars. I did really like the autohold when stuck in traffic on the 640d and the Mercedes doesn't have that feature.
Your Merc will have "Hold" where you give the brake pedal an extra press after coming to a stop.Is that what you are after? You are in Drive, but the car is braked and you can lift your feet off the pedals.
To go, touch the throttle pedal and it goes.
The Dangerous Elk said:
You pull a cable in the arm rest on mine which disengages the brake actuators/cables to the caliper.
That is brilliant... Manufacturer designs EPB into car that does away with the need for cables from rear brakes to centre console, then adds cables back in for the override! PSRG said:
Sheepshanks said:
SkinnyPete said:
I find it sad a whole generation of young men will grow up never experiencing late night shenanigans doing handbrake turns in a McDonalds car park
I've never tried this, but it can be applied while moving - it has to, so it'll work as an emergency brake (which is what Americans call the handbrake anyway). Apprently it'll beep at you but it you hold the button / lever then the brake will apply.I didn’t carry out exhaustive testing, but flicking it up and releasing, as you would when parking, applies the handbrake and brings the car to a halt - you have to keep holding it up
Edited by PSRG on Saturday 15th December 10:04
Mine's only a couple of years old though, maybe they've changed it from earlier A3's.
As someone above said, no more handbrake turns
The Dangerous Elk said:
Try a load of old Citroen's if you want fun fun fun (and green-oil on the drive). The handbrake is on the front calipers (on two of them for added fun !
Yes indeed - adjusting the handbrake on the CX was always something of a challenge! It was also one of the few cars where the caliper halves had to be separated to change the pads - one half being integral with the hub
Smiljan said:
I've got an A3 and the switch puts the brakes on just as I would during heavy braking. I've only tried it on a quiet tarmac road at 50 mph but it definitely puts on all four brakes not just the rears. If you release the switch it releases the brakes, if you press the throttle while holding the switch it releases the brakes too.
Mine's only a couple of years old though, maybe they've changed it from earlier A3's.
As someone above said, no more handbrake turns
In a Seat hire car and in the Golf it works like a regular handbrake on the rears. You can keep your foot in like you would whilst doing normal handbrake turns. Mine's only a couple of years old though, maybe they've changed it from earlier A3's.
As someone above said, no more handbrake turns
Smiljan said:
I've got an A3 and the switch puts the brakes on just as I would during heavy braking. I've only tried it on a quiet tarmac road at 50 mph but it definitely puts on all four brakes not just the rears. If you release the switch it releases the brakes, if you press the throttle while holding the switch it releases the brakes too.
Mine's only a couple of years old though, maybe they've changed it from earlier A3's.
I would guess, as it thinks there's an emergency, it's activating the emergency braking. I wonder if it's clever enough to know if the brakes have failed, so then winds on handbrake instead? Or perhaps it does that as well anyway.Mine's only a couple of years old though, maybe they've changed it from earlier A3's.
Ollerton57 said:
gamefreaks said:
Because the handbrake is a tactile, analog control. Not an on off switch.
I really struggle with electronic handbrakes on manual cars.
So how exactly do you use your handbrake in a non-binary way? I really struggle with electronic handbrakes on manual cars.
Note, I haven't had an electric handbrake in a manual car, only auto, however I have driven and owner many manual cars and only ever use a handbrake in a binary fashion.
I've just gone back to an electric handbrake and the auto hold function, I don't mind it at all in an automatic car it works really well on my 7 series, I've just set the auto hold and I don't do anything releases and comes on automatically whether parking up or in stop start traffic.
Suits the cars style and purpose.
Suits the cars style and purpose.
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