n3985

iTrader: (36)

Hello, I've always had a habit of applying the parking brake whenever I park my car regardless of being on an incline, decline, or a flat surface (parking lot). But, other people tell me it is not necessary and can do harm? But what kind of harm? The way I see it is, if there is even a slight slope, the car will shift weight due to gravity, and all of my car's weight will be on the tranny (like when parked, let og brake, and the car moves forward or back a little). For example, my driveway has a good slope to it, and when my parents park, they just put it in P. But whenever they leave and shift to R, or D, you can hear a small bang sound and feel a hard shift, whereas my car with the parking brake applied, smoothly shift to gear. Opinions?

2k1seae

iTrader: (1)

I had a 91 Max 5 spd that I always set the e brake on when parking and never had any problems in 10 years. On my 01 Auto I always set the e brake when parking and no problems in 4 1/2 years. Only caution I can think of is very cold (below freezing weather), e brake might freeze up. IMO the e brake is there to use. That's just my experience.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

I don't see how it can be bad for anything. In fact, I think its probably a bad idea to let the car roll back and sit on the pawl in the transmission (which is what happens when you don't apply the parking brake). Also, if you don't use the parking brake, the cable tends to stick - so when you do need it (on an incline for instance), you end up getting calipers that start sticking etc. since the cable won't retract. I use mine everyday - just have the habit from my 5-spd days. Since I'm the one who taught my wife how to drive , she uses it too.

chillin014

iTrader: (67)

its a habit for me too. for no reason really, but i do it everytime i park.
i dont see any harm.
i always wondered if there was harm in using it when you are driving. my friend thinks he's some hot shot pulling his e brake while he's into a turn. (he thinks its some drifting hand brake)
dont worry he owns an accord. haha.

n3985

iTrader: (36)

^ LOL...FWD drift via ghetto ebrake method...

geenowalker

I was told by a brake guy that i is more problematic not to use the parking brake. he said that the PB is integrated into hte back assembly and that using the brake helps to keep the back caliper in line. Dont know whether he was FOS or not.

TXT-1

iTrader: (1)

Me and my girl always argue about this. She has a habit of always pulling up the e-brake, I never do. I have no idea whether it does any harm or not, I just argue with her anyway that this is bad for your car.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

Your girlfriend > j00

It's called a "parking" brake for a reason folks.

Tek-Niq

iTrader: (3)

i usually set the e-brake on a steep hill just so when I get back in the car its not so hard to put it in gear after... when you put the car in "P" park, the car tends to roll back on the tranny locking it in place making it hard to pull out of it...

zax 20th ae

iTrader: (3)

Excessive use of it will cause the parking brake cable to loosen or for you commen folks cause the cable to stretch not literally but that how it feels..............
Yes im talking from experiance i had this prob with my 96 max.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

The stretching can be accounted for by adjustments at the parking brake lever. Its something you that you shuold check each time you work on the rear brakes.

DJ2Max

iTrader: (11)

the only bad thing that could come from this would be if you forget to put it down when going for a drive.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

With the red brake light staring at you in the face, it is a little hard to forget!

igzy

iTrader: (18)

And if it works well, you won't go anywhere :-) I use the parking brake for two reasons: so that the e-cable does not seize and so that the rear calipers do not seize either. As you know the rear calipers contribute only like 25% of the braking and they do not get enough exercise as such and pulling the e-brake ensures they do not seize either... I try to remember to pull it every time I park... I figured, it is easier to pull it then to replace either one of these parts...

chr0nos

iTrader: (1)

our family friend owns a meineke, and he told me the same thing.
the cable will loosen over time, but you can get it tightened for free during a routine maintanance. i think on a hill it's more secure to have the ebrake on instead of relying on just the tranny to keep the car from rolling.

n3985

iTrader: (36)

So I guess overall verdict is that using every time will do no harm. OK, thanks for the help!

Playero

iTrader: (2)

It's called a "parking" brake for a reason folks


Parking Brake or Emergency Brake?

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

Both. It is a parking brake that can be used in case of an emergency, i.e. if your pedal brake goes kaput, you can "try" to slow the car down using the parking/emergency brake lever. That is why the parking brake engagement mechanism is independent of the hydraulic pedal brake.

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

Using the parking brake is good for your transmission (Especially when parallel parking and people "accidentally" hitting your car while squeezing in a tight spot).

However, it's bad for the brake rotors as it helps promote uneven cooling (e.g. ultimately warping) especially after a long drive with lots of stops.

But between the two, i'd rather go for rotor failure than transmission damage.

darrelfsu

This is indeed correct. I never used my e-brake and when i finally started using it, my calibers started to stick and wasn't releasing fully; the results were worn down pads, an annoying sound, sticking calibers and messed up rotors with a 755.00 bill attached to it.

n3985

iTrader: (36)

So if the cable DOES stick due to lack of use, a simple tightening can fix the problem?

shonufmax

iTrader: (3)

I always set the parking brake, its only harmful when I take off sometimes driving down the road, and the car's driving sluggish, and the dumb thing is on

n3985

iTrader: (36)

Sigh...at least you guys have a traditional parking brake handle...I get this little weak pedal by the footrest.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

Those foot-pedal operated parking brakes are ... (sorry, but I had to share my feelings on this one).

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

Nope. Either you have cables that are binding, or calipers that are binding. Unless the cable sheathing has been compromised (to allow dirt/water to contact the metal cable and dry out the grease), it is most likely calipers that are sticking.

DrKlop

iTrader: (3)

I have never done it but I read that it is as simple as turning a screw with a screwdriver.

00SEMAX19

iTrader: (4)

I use the parking brake everytime I park. It is good because it keeps the rear calipers from seazing and our calipers are prone to have problems. The calipers on our cars are ratcheting and not just straight pistons like the front, If they don't get used they will go bad. I see this all the time at the brake shop I manage. Very common problem on newer VW's which have the same style brake set up.

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

Having an automatic, the only time I set my parking brake is when I park on an incline. I set the parking brake before I put the car into Park, to keep the load off the transmission. But since it's pretty level ground around here for the most part, I rarely run into such a situation.

HNDA ETR

iTrader: (10)

You know that bouncy motion you feel when you let go of the brakes, after turning off your car?

That's the feeling of your car settling onto the transmission - which is bad...

tophersworld

I always set it and have never had any problems. How many times have you seen a "funny" video where someone doesn't set their parking brake and they start chasing after it starts rolling. The only problem I had was figuring out how to readjust it after replacing the rear pads. There is a 10mm nut under the parking brake handle that a 10mm deep socket will adjust.

I also hold the button while gently pulling it to slow down when a smokie is comming up from behind not to light up the brake lights.

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

Nope, don't know that feeling. I set it while holding the brake pedal prior to putting the car into Park (only on inclines).

mrmj1218

He is speaking of ANYTIME you park your car, not only when it is on an incline. It has been my experience that where ever you park the car, it will roll onto the tranny IF the parking brake is not applied. I simply hate the thought of my car resting on a gear in the tranny, so I apply the parking brake before moving the car into park.

Tsukuba_Circuit

iTrader: (2)

Mike, did you mean it's bad for the brake ROTORS? I don't see how the rotor heat would affect the caliper. If you have just put a great deal of stress and pressure on the rotor from high speed braking or hard braking without allowing the rotor to cool, then, immediately applying the parking brake (e-brake) IS BAD!

Your scalding hot brake pad clamped against the scalding rotors will lead to premature failure of the rotors even if done just once. The hot pad material will transfer onto the rotor leaving an uneven deposit of pad material which creates a hot spot when braking as well as a pad imprint on the face of the rotor. For a complete, technical and informative explanation, see the link to STOPTECH's article below.

This is of course an extreme scenario as most of us never apply the brakes hard enough to overheat and cause fade unless you run your stock brakes at a road course.

At track events, after a session, most drivers will either shove a short wood block or solid object behind one of the wheels to prevent it from rolling...some even go as far as to drive on the outskirts of the pit area goin about 5mph for a few minutes to help cool the rotors before parking. For street cars that are normally driven, setting the parking brake should be ok. If you suspect that the rotors might be hot due to a few hard stops before parking either let them cool before setting the parking brake or just park it in gear w/o the parking brake for that instance only. If you must use the e-brake to park right away with hot rotors then just apply enough pressure to the parking brake handle for the pads to contact the rotor...this is half-@** but it somewhat helps. If I had an automatic transmission in the max then I would definately use the parking brake whenever possible along with shifting to "P."

When I have to park on an incline, I use all three methods to prevent the car from rolling in the unlikely case in which one or the other methods fails.
A) Set parking brake (e-brake) B) Put 'er into 1st or 2nd gear C) Turn front wheels so that if either A) or B) fails, the wheels will run into the curb hopefully stopping the car from rolling down the hill. For example if parked pointing uphill, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left with the car parked as close to the curb without touching the curb with the turned front wheels. Parking downhill, turn steering wheel all the way to the right. Assuming your parking in the US of A and not in London, England.

Great article:
STOPTECH - The Warped Brake Disc

Weimar Ben

iTrader: (5)

brakes are for stopping the car, not the transmission. Use the parking brake to keep the car stopped, that's why it's called a "parking brake." I can't believe this thread has gone on for this long.

n3985

iTrader: (36)

People like to express their opinions...

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

Yep, thanks for the correction. I did mean rotors

juniper9803

Use It Or Lose It, I Use Mine All The Time 6sp. If Use Use It The Wont Stick Or Rust Stuck.

Ammi

iTrader: (26)

Only bad thing that happened to my other car was that the e-brake froze during a winter. That was from not using the e-brake often