Wednesday 1st October 2003

Electronic Handbrake

Set to become standard on all cars

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Don't bother with the handbrake when sitting in traffic? It's ok, you won't need to in future. Intelligent parking brakes will become standard on cars of the future.

Some cars have them already, but Siemens are working hard on systems that will filter down to the cheapest of cars. Their braking systems will automatically apply when your car is stationary. Also, by simply pushing a button, their Electronic Parking Brake will act as an improved emergency brake by tapping into the car's ABS system.

Besides the safety factor, another advantage of the electronic parking brake is that when you are at a red light or in a traffic jam, you don't have to push the brake anymore. What the system does is when the car comes to a standstill; the electronic parking break will actuate and hold the car. Hill starts will become a doddle.

By the year 2005, it's estimated that some four million vehicles will feature this technology.

[campbell]

The crap they will put into cars these days, this will make learner drivers realy bad ans soon enought people will get dependent upon such systems and what for, have we all forgoten the basics of driving???? is a nother money spinner or are people just getting lazier and want less to do in the car so they can play with the phone or check there hair......
I dont know...Do you ?

rant over

[GregE240]

Presumably this is for the manual brethren?

When I'm in the Taxi I don't have trouble with hill starts. And I'm unsure as to how it would assist in emergency braking? Surely if the car is equipped with ABS and Brake Assist then the brakes would be applied anyhoo?

Nice rant cammers btw

[Venom]

Surely the point of devices like this in their inception is to make car more numpty-proof?

While most of us on here wouldn't be bothered by it other than for gadget factor anything that reduces the chances of me being rolled into by the general numptitude has to be a good thing?

How often do you sit at the lights only for the car in front to roll back a horrendous distance before numpty finally remembers that the is an accelerator around somewhere?

[smele]

Does this mean that doing hand brake turns could be as easy a pressing a button, like on your playstation?

[rutthenut]

What a load of old tosh - waste of time, money and effort I'd say!

But surely an electronically operated parking brake (not 'handbrake' then) would not pass MOT, SVA or construction and use regs? In the same way that a hydraulic handbrake is rejected by some examiners?

Same comment for the over-electrically-engineered BMW 7-series uglimotor. Nice to think they would be outlawed on a technicality, even though they deserve to be made illegal on aesthetic grounds in the first place!

On that topic, surely it's more dangerous to fiddle with the I-dont-drive control on a Beemer of this sort than it is to talk on a phone?

[campbell]

smele said:

Does this mean that doing hand brake turns could be as easy a pressing a button, like on your playstation?

too stuff

Note too ones self, you should have thought of that one first...dhhoo

[TheLemming]

Correct me if Im wrong, but surely the point of a handbrake was to have a redundant, manually operated brake system?

Replace it with anything else and you have lost the point completely.

[Pistonfest]

Has anybody figured out how to disable this innovation yet...it's going to cause me major problems when doing "unmanned" product reveals at shows/ launches !!!!!!!

[bor]

Pistonfest said:

Has anybody figured out how to disable this innovation yet...it's going to cause me major problems when doing "unmanned" product reveals at shows/ launches !!!!!!!

The application in the 7-series can be switched on/off according to preference.
I think it is quite a useful feature, and tend to have it switched on.

[deltaf]

more dumbing down for the sake of the numpty population....ye gods..

[DanH]

Bad idea if you've been using the brakes hard. You'll just end up leaving half the pad on the disc and getting a lovely vibration whenever it passes over the stamped area.

[wolosp]

....and what will happen if your battery goes flat? Unless of course, it's like an air brake in a truck - i.e. the energy (air or in this case - electricity) is used to keep the brake OFF, therefore it's failsafe.
I dunno - it's all getting to relient on systems.
"Handbrake problem Sir? - You'll be needing a new Vehicle Central Processing Unit then, that'll be £350 plus VAT"!

[rogersavery]

anyone know how you disengage it? If it is automatic when you start moving then it will be a bit silly!

[Balmoral Green]

I used to have a Citroen XM, with a foot operated handbrake to the left of the clutch, it made hill starts a right faff at times. Anyways, I was trying to get around a corner a bit too quick, so decided to give the pedal a stab to help the car around...handbrake turn.

How was I to know it worked on the front wheels!

>> Edited by Balmoral Green on Saturday 11th October 15:10

[Captain Muppet]

Balmoral Green said:

How was I to know it worked on the front wheels!

Did it not say in the manual? That's shocking.

[LordMcMenace]

Don't the construction and use regs say you have to have a separate, mechanical means of braking (i.e. non hydraulic).

Maybe they've changed them, but you used to have to connect up the cables to your hydraulic handbrake to get past Mr MOT...

[Captain Muppet]

LordMcMenace said:

Don't the construction and use regs say you have to have a separate, mechanical means of braking (i.e. non hydraulic). Maybe they've changed them, but you used to have to connect up the cables to your hydraulic handbrake to get past Mr MOT...

No - it just has to be a seperate system. If you have seperate calipers and pipework just for the handbrake you can have a hydraulic hand brake and pass an MOT.