I drive automatics and never ever use the handbrake
Ties into what I said earlier. Some people seem proud of never using it, and then as per other posts it fails or seizes through lack of use. Whatever...
You don't need the handbrake for that on most autos. After all, most American autos don't have a handbrake at all, just one of those weird foot-operated parking brakes which you couldn't co-ordinate in a hill start even if you wanted to.
You don't need the handbrake for that on most autos. After all, most American autos don't have a handbrake at all, just one of those weird foot-operated parking brakes which you couldn't co-ordinate in a hill start even if you wanted to.
My Volvo automatic failed an MOT about 10 years due to a weak handbrake reading on one side, which was fair enough, but the tester marked it as: "potentially dangerous".
The handbrake works on two small drums at the centre of the rear discs, and the foot-brake passed with no problems.
I didn't argue as it needed seeing to anyway, but have never been back to that testing station since.
My Volvo automatic failed an MOT about 10 years due to a weak handbrake reading on one side, which was fair enough, but the tester marked it as: "potentially dangerous".
The handbrake works on two small drums at the centre of the rear discs, and the foot-brake passed with no problems.
I didn't argue as it needed seeing to anyway, but have never been back to that testing station since.
With respect, the handbrake is also the emergency brake, to be used in case the footbrake fails....
With a car using automatic transmission the handbrake is the ONLY thing that can slow the car down or stop the car if the footbrake fails as you don't have the engine braking that a manual transmission would have.....hence the "potentially dangerous" comment from the mot tester.
With respect, the handbrake is also the emergency brake, to be used in case the footbrake fails....
With a car using automatic transmission the handbrake is the ONLY thing that can slow the car down or stop the car if the footbrake fails as you don't have the engine braking that a manual transmission would have.....hence the "potentially dangerous" comment from the mot tester.
Not quite the case, as I can change into manual, i.e. second and first.
It was just short on the roller reading, and IMO putting it down as dangerous was OTT.
Plus the car has a dual hydraulic braking system, which makes total brake failure very unlikely.
Anyway it was a good move - the two guys I use now are very experienced mechanics as well as MOT testers, and far more reasonable in their approach, I've been happy with their results over the last 8 years or so.
The MOT started out as a sensible safety precaution, but like so many things these days, is turning into a money making racket by covering things that are not safety issues.
You don't need the handbrake for that on most autos. After all, most American autos don't have a handbrake at all, just one of those weird foot-operated parking brakes which you couldn't co-ordinate in a hill start even if you wanted to.
You do need a ‘handbrake’ on most automatics to do a hill-start; granted, the forward ‘creep’ of the auto means it’s not often required.
However, if the hill is steep enough the car will roll back somewhat as you lift your foot off the foot-brake and transfer it to the accelerator.
My car has the ‘foot-operated’ equivalent of the ‘hand-brake’ and it’s perfectly possible to co-ordinate a hill-start; my car is not an ‘American auto’, it’s a new Lexus.
I changed to driving autos in 1998 and I’ve never owned a manual car since. In all those years I’ve only needed to do a ‘traditional’ hill-start a handful of times. One notable occasion was on a multi-story car park recently when I had to stop suddenly on an up-ramp and the car behind came to a halt inches from my bumper.
I couldn’t afford to roll-back at all. Admittedly, I did have to concentrate hard though! It’s certainly not ‘second-nature’ as it is in a manual car.
With respect, the handbrake is also the emergency brake, to be used in case the footbrake fails....
With a car using automatic transmission the handbrake is the ONLY thing that can slow the car down or stop the car if the footbrake fails .
When was the last time, since the 1960s when split-circuit brakes became compulsory under construction and use, that both circuits of a car's brakes failed, the driver was unable to slow the car down through the gears (other than old DAF variomatics, you can always change down) and all that saved them was the handbrake?
You do need a ‘handbrake’ on most automatics to do a hill-start; granted, the forward ‘creep’ of the auto means it’s not often required.
However, if the hill is steep enough the car will roll back somewhat as you lift your foot off the foot-brake and transfer it to the accelerator.
Most people have two feet, one of the left, the other on the right.
I've been driving autos for getting on for twenty five years, and have never done a hill-start against the handbrake. My DSG doesn't roll back, even on slopes. My wife's conventional auto might on a steep slope, but I have two feet.
Most people have two feet, one of the left, the other on the right.
I've been driving autos for getting on for twenty five years, and have never done a hill-start against the handbrake. My DSG doesn't roll back, even on slopes. My wife's conventional auto might on a steep slope, but I have two feet.
Aren't you lucky, smart-arse. Some drivers are disabled and only have the use of one leg.;-)
When was the last time, since the 1960s when split-circuit brakes became compulsory under construction and use, that both circuits of a car's brakes failed, the driver was unable to slow the car down through the gears (other than old DAF variomatics, you can always change down) and all that saved them was the handbrake?
The "handbrake/American foot operated parking brake" is still the emergency brake.
BTW you missed out electronic handbrakes which a lot of modern cars have.
Tell me how you would stop an ordinary car with automatic transmission if all the (foot) brakes failed?
Believe me i have seen cars have no brakes at all even with dual circuit brakes...total fluid loss means no brakes, dual circuit or not.
no need in a proper automatic.
the only reason that I still liked applying the hand brake was if the car was on a steep hill. I would rather a simple cable handbrake take the strain rather than the parking pawl in the transmission (pull on hand brake before engaging Park). The Parking pawl acted as a safety net if the hand brake should fail - a bit like (on a steep hill), in a manual car, pulling on the hand brake, turning off the engine, and leaving the car in gear.
But there are other types of automatic, such as automated manual gear boxes. These systems are driven like an automatic, but the gearbox is a basically a manual type and a computer system operates one or two clutch systems for you (it varies by design). Such systems would roll backwards, if it were not for added technology such as "Hill Assist" which keeps the brakes applied for you when you do a hill start. Some examples don't have any such system added - early versions of Honda's I-Shift gearbox didn't (it was added at a later date). VW have always fitted Hill assist to their DSG automated manuals though.
When was the last time, since the 1960s when split-circuit brakes became compulsory under construction and use, that both circuits of a car's brakes failed, the driver was unable to slow the car down through the gears (other than old DAF variomatics, you can always change down) and all that saved them was the handbrake?
I had a drum split and the piston popped out losing presure in that circuit, I drove carefully on the other circuit (front discs) but when the fluid leaked out the rear circuit I lost front brakes as well.
The "handbrake/American foot operated parking brake" is still the emergency brake.
BTW you missed out electronic handbrakes which a lot of modern cars have.
Tell me how you would stop an ordinary car with automatic transmission if all the (foot) brakes failed?.
In the million to one chance that it happened to me, I'd turn the engine off and shift down repeatedly, although that on modern cars that has the problem it takes the steering power assistance with it. Given that modern fuel injection sending no fuel to the engine on the overrun, I might just let it run on engine braking while shifting down.
But one might as well say "what would you do if the steering stopped working", given the overall likelihood.
It's like the fuss people make over cars not having spare wheels: I've been stranded at the roadside by a failed alternator more often than I've had a puncture while out driving, but I don't carry a spare alternator.
What I wouldn't do in a front wheel drive car, such as the vast majority of cars sold in the UK, is yank on a handbrake which operates on the rear wheels (I've owned a FWD car with a front wheel handbrake, but they are vanishingly rare today) and which bypasses both the ABS and, if fitted, the proportioning valve. The most likely outcome of that, especially if it were raining and I hadn't got rugby players in the back seats, is that the back wheels would lock up, which is an extremely entertaining position to be in unless you're travelling in a dead straight line (hence the modern advice to put new tyres on the back wheels). Handbrake turns are fun in their place.
.....true, many eu/uk spec cars refer to it as a emergency or parking brake. On a few cars I have seen to eu-uk spec there is a P inside the brake symbol which illuminates when you pull on the handbrake. When I last checked, handbrake didn't start with the letter P.
My conclusion is the term handbrake is just a uk thing, and most likely anywhere else in the world they would not know what you were talking about.
Comments
Not even when parked on a hill? I found that it could be hard to get them out of 'P' if the car tries to move.
You don't need the handbrake for that on most autos. After all, most American autos don't have a handbrake at all, just one of those weird foot-operated parking brakes which you couldn't co-ordinate in a hill start even if you wanted to.
My Volvo automatic failed an MOT about 10 years due to a weak handbrake reading on one side, which was fair enough, but the tester marked it as: "potentially dangerous".
The handbrake works on two small drums at the centre of the rear discs, and the foot-brake passed with no problems.
I didn't argue as it needed seeing to anyway, but have never been back to that testing station since.
With respect, the handbrake is also the emergency brake, to be used in case the footbrake fails....
With a car using automatic transmission the handbrake is the ONLY thing that can slow the car down or stop the car if the footbrake fails as you don't have the engine braking that a manual transmission would have.....hence the "potentially dangerous" comment from the mot tester.
Not quite the case, as I can change into manual, i.e. second and first.
It was just short on the roller reading, and IMO putting it down as dangerous was OTT.
Plus the car has a dual hydraulic braking system, which makes total brake failure very unlikely.
Anyway it was a good move - the two guys I use now are very experienced mechanics as well as MOT testers, and far more reasonable in their approach, I've been happy with their results over the last 8 years or so.
The MOT started out as a sensible safety precaution, but like so many things these days, is turning into a money making racket by covering things that are not safety issues.
You do need a ‘handbrake’ on most automatics to do a hill-start; granted, the forward ‘creep’ of the auto means it’s not often required.
However, if the hill is steep enough the car will roll back somewhat as you lift your foot off the foot-brake and transfer it to the accelerator.
My car has the ‘foot-operated’ equivalent of the ‘hand-brake’ and it’s perfectly possible to co-ordinate a hill-start; my car is not an ‘American auto’, it’s a new Lexus.
I changed to driving autos in 1998 and I’ve never owned a manual car since. In all those years I’ve only needed to do a ‘traditional’ hill-start a handful of times. One notable occasion was on a multi-story car park recently when I had to stop suddenly on an up-ramp and the car behind came to a halt inches from my bumper.
I couldn’t afford to roll-back at all. Admittedly, I did have to concentrate hard though! It’s certainly not ‘second-nature’ as it is in a manual car.
When was the last time, since the 1960s when split-circuit brakes became compulsory under construction and use, that both circuits of a car's brakes failed, the driver was unable to slow the car down through the gears (other than old DAF variomatics, you can always change down) and all that saved them was the handbrake?
Most people have two feet, one of the left, the other on the right.
I've been driving autos for getting on for twenty five years, and have never done a hill-start against the handbrake. My DSG doesn't roll back, even on slopes. My wife's conventional auto might on a steep slope, but I have two feet.
Aren't you lucky, smart-arse. Some drivers are disabled and only have the use of one leg.;-)
The "handbrake/American foot operated parking brake" is still the emergency brake.
BTW you missed out electronic handbrakes which a lot of modern cars have.
Tell me how you would stop an ordinary car with automatic transmission if all the (foot) brakes failed?
Believe me i have seen cars have no brakes at all even with dual circuit brakes...total fluid loss means no brakes, dual circuit or not.
only shift in and out of Park with the car completely stationary with your foot on the foot brake pedal.
no need in a proper automatic.
the only reason that I still liked applying the hand brake was if the car was on a steep hill. I would rather a simple cable handbrake take the strain rather than the parking pawl in the transmission (pull on hand brake before engaging Park). The Parking pawl acted as a safety net if the hand brake should fail - a bit like (on a steep hill), in a manual car, pulling on the hand brake, turning off the engine, and leaving the car in gear.
But there are other types of automatic, such as automated manual gear boxes. These systems are driven like an automatic, but the gearbox is a basically a manual type and a computer system operates one or two clutch systems for you (it varies by design). Such systems would roll backwards, if it were not for added technology such as "Hill Assist" which keeps the brakes applied for you when you do a hill start. Some examples don't have any such system added - early versions of Honda's I-Shift gearbox didn't (it was added at a later date). VW have always fitted Hill assist to their DSG automated manuals though.
No, just put it in P
I had a drum split and the piston popped out losing presure in that circuit, I drove carefully on the other circuit (front discs) but when the fluid leaked out the rear circuit I lost front brakes as well.
Was off road until new drum arrived
In the million to one chance that it happened to me, I'd turn the engine off and shift down repeatedly, although that on modern cars that has the problem it takes the steering power assistance with it. Given that modern fuel injection sending no fuel to the engine on the overrun, I might just let it run on engine braking while shifting down.
But one might as well say "what would you do if the steering stopped working", given the overall likelihood.
It's like the fuss people make over cars not having spare wheels: I've been stranded at the roadside by a failed alternator more often than I've had a puncture while out driving, but I don't carry a spare alternator.
What I wouldn't do in a front wheel drive car, such as the vast majority of cars sold in the UK, is yank on a handbrake which operates on the rear wheels (I've owned a FWD car with a front wheel handbrake, but they are vanishingly rare today) and which bypasses both the ABS and, if fitted, the proportioning valve. The most likely outcome of that, especially if it were raining and I hadn't got rugby players in the back seats, is that the back wheels would lock up, which is an extremely entertaining position to be in unless you're travelling in a dead straight line (hence the modern advice to put new tyres on the back wheels). Handbrake turns are fun in their place.
My conclusion is the term handbrake is just a uk thing, and most likely anywhere else in the world they would not know what you were talking about.