Emergency Brake Yes/No

[VirtualJSK]

I’m a new Grenadier owner. It’s been a long time since I owned a car with a manual hand brake. What does everyone think… should it be used every time the car is parked, or only under certain circumstances? I can imagine that using it takes stress off of the drive train, but using will also lead to cable stretch and the need for maintenance or repair. What does everyone think?

 

[FlyersFan76]

I always use it. And I always engage it before taking my foot off of the brake. It would kind of defeat the purpose, in my head, if it was engaged after.

 

[Dokatd]

Virtually never use it on road. Maybe if I was parking on a steep driveway or the like. But generally flat ground, I spare the handle, the cable etc.

Offroad is a different animal of course.

 

[Ovrland Bill]

I always use it. And I always engage it before taking my foot off of the brake. It would kind of defeat the purpose, in my head, if it was engaged after.

When parking on any significant incline I was advised to not only apply the parking brake, but then shift into Neutral, take my foot brake, and only shift into Park if the parking brake is holding. Whew!

 

[FlyersFan76]

When parking on any significant incline I was advised to not only apply the parking brake, but then shift into Neutral, take my foot brake, and only shift into Park if the parking brake is holding. Whew!

Speaking of steep hills and parking brakes this picture hurts my brain. I always thought turn into the curb so the car rolls into the curb not into the street. But this is better than not turning the wheel at all.

btw this is from the Waymo standoff in San Francisco.

 

[pmatusov]

I’m a new Grenadier owner. It’s been a long time since I owned a car with a manual hand brake. What does everyone think… should it be used every time the car is parked, or only under certain circumstances? I can imagine that using it takes stress off of the drive train, but using will also lead to cable stretch and the need for maintenance or repair. What does everyone think?

I always use parking brake. The parking pawls in most automatics are barely adequate.
... also, a parking brake that is not regularly used is waiting to fail. A common theme in later Land Rovers.

Speaking of steep hills and parking brakes this picture hurts my brain. I always thought turn into the curb so the car rolls into the curb not into the street. But this is better than not turning the wheel at all.

btw this is from the Waymo standoff in San Francisco.

View attachment 7916371

The Mini parked at the curb has it right. California vehicle code is very specific about cramping wheels to curb (or other ways of preventing the rollaway).
In San Diego, having the wheel cut the wrong way on a slope will get you a parking ticket.

 

[ADVAW8S]

The mini is correct for parking up hill. Parking downhill you turn the wheel so front portion of the tire is pushed into the curb.

 

[KristinaM]

Offroad? Absolutely.

I’ve never needed to use the e-brake on asphalt around here.

 

[landmannnn]

I’m a new Grenadier owner. It’s been a long time since I owned a car with a manual hand brake. What does everyone think… should it be used every time the car is parked, or only under certain circumstances? I can imagine that using it takes stress off of the drive train, but using will also lead to cable stretch and the need for maintenance or repair. What does everyone think?

On the flat never. On hills, yes.

The way an auto trans holds the vehicle when in park is by engaging a pin on the output shaft. Parking on a hill without the handbrake puts pressure on that pin, it's an expensive repair versus cable adjustment.

 

[washingthegreaseoff]

I used it all the time, especially with an automatic. Putting the weight of the vehicle on a parking pin in the transmission is just wearing the transmission faster. I'd rather replace a cable than tear apart a transmission.

Note, if you only keep your vehicles for a year or two, or put a couple of thousand miles on every year, this is probably a moot point.

 

[pmatusov]

Offroad? Absolutely.

I’ve never needed to use the e-brake on asphalt around here.

On the flat never. On hills, yes.

The way an auto trans holds the vehicle when in park is by engaging a pin on the output shaft. Parking on a hill without the handbrake puts pressure on that pin, it's an expensive repair versus cable adjustment.

When you always use parking brake, it becomes a habit.
When you make a slope-based decision, it becomes a matter of time before you forget to use it. Like our neighbor who left his Mazda in Neutral and without parking brake because his habits were formed by his Tesla. $8K in damages to my daughter's Disco 5.

 

[KristinaM]

MA unlike OR is effectively flat and consider what I said to imply asphalt at ~0 gradient.

 

[Dokatd]

I used it all the time, especially with an automatic. Putting the weight of the vehicle on a parking pin in the transmission is just wearing the transmission faster. I'd rather replace a cable than tear apart a transmission.

Note, if you only keep your vehicles for a year or two, or put a couple of thousand miles on every year, this is probably a moot point.

Certainly not looking to be an Ass here, but that's not really how it works.

The transmission has a parking pawl. It engages a ring with multiple notches. There is virtually no wear in the design. An automated transmission parking pawl could function for multiple millions of miles with no trouble assuming no abuse. It's basically a cockroach. Try to avoid dropping into park while moving, but even that has minimal wear associated with it. Sure it can break in some instances but that usually means heavy abuse or a wreck when your vehicle is parked.

The pawl itself has relatively low forces on it due to it being ahead of the differential. The pawl is often in the tail housing of the transmission and is repairable without removing the transmission in many cases.

 

[Tazzieman]

Not employing the handbrake is like not wearing a seatbelt. Very American.
Nobody else in the world calls the handbrake an emergency brake, I'm pretty sure.

 

[Ovrland Bill]

MA unlike OR is effectively flat and consider what I said to imply asphalt at ~0 gradient.

Certainly not looking to be an Ass here, but that's not really how it works.

The transmission has a parking pawl. It engages a ring with multiple notches. There is virtually no wear in the design. An automated transmission parking pawl could function for multiple millions of miles with no trouble assuming no abuse. It's basically a cockroach. Try to avoid dropping into park while moving, but even that has minimal wear associated with it. Sure it can break in some instances but that usually means heavy abuse or a wreck when your vehicle is parked.

The pawl itself has relatively low forces on it due to it being ahead of the differential. The pawl is often in the tail housing of the transmission and is repairable without removing the transmission in many cases.

Not to endorse transmission abuse, but I have been told that the LA Police will shift into Park while in motion, so that there is no delay jumping out of the cruiser after it slides to a stop.

 

[Dokatd]

Not to endorse transmission abuse, but I have been told that the LA Police will shift into Park while in motion, so that there is no delay jumping out of the cruiser after it slides to a stop.

I did it as a kid in my blazer at about 20mph. Made a lot of noise and then stopped aggressively. Worked fine even after that for another 100k that I am aware of.

 

[skinny_tom]

Every time I park. It's an effort to keep the weight of the car off the pawls in the transmission.

 

[shakesc]

Use the handbrake all the time. I guess being brought up on manual cars its just second nature.

 

[Tazzieman]

Use the handbrake all the time. I guess being brought up on manual cars its just second nature.

Also, dual braking circuits came into being over 50 years ago.

 

[Gasguzzler]

I pretty much use it all the time, but that is because I like pulling it not because I feel the car would roll away if I did not. If it is in there why not use it?