Are you supposed to use the parking brake

Well, been following from the beginning cuz...I'm a 100% er.

In my jurisdiction it is demanded as part of the 'fit' certification of your vehicle. It has to be functional to be deemed 'safe'. If one does not use it, it is the quickest path to becoming non functional, and no longer safe.

Cides, if ya ever REALLY need to disable nanny features, handbrake is your friend. Think of it as .... fun.

Oh, and all the tech responses are bang on also.

 

Same here. Every time.

 

I started using it all the time now regardless of whether on a flat surface or incline. Read an article a couple of weeks ago about things you should do to make your car/truck last longer. Using the parking brake was one of the things in the article.

 

Always

 

I'd like to ask again since I got buried -- had my drums adjusted last weekend (and other work), tech told me to use my parking brake all the time. Started doing so and my pedal feel is immaculate, like new. My pedal feel was shit after 5100 miles, at 7000 now and I like it. Thing is, clicks aren't consistent with the brake lever on level grade. I see in the manual it says 5-7. I sometimes have to pull all the way up for one, sometimes it gets 2-4. Sometimes, none. Problem? Parking brake engages firmly, as far as I can tell. I haven't noticed any drag symptoms, no pulsating pedal, drum hubs are warm but not hot when minimal braking is applied. I hit 28 MPG on my 32 mile commute to work this morning which I'm not sure I'd be able to achieve if they were hugging. Tech also confirmed they weren't overadjusted when I picked up my truck on Saturday. Curious for input. Thanks!

 

Whether brakes or parking brake are simultaneously depressed, it doesn't matter as far as which brake system is holding the vehicle. The brakes are keeping the vehicle in position and the pressure OFF the pawl. You don't need to release the brake pedal before shifting into P, and the habit of keeping my brakes engaged also is useful when releasing the parking brake to keep the vehicle from lurching. In my earlier post, I described that I stop, hold the brakes, shift into N, set the parking brake, shift into P, then release the brakes. The vehicle doesn't budge or lurch forward, so I know the brakes are holding the vehicle.

 

Go down a deserted side street at 10 mph. Coast and slowly pull your parking brake. You will then "feel" what your brake does. Personally I have no clue how many clicks. I just quickly pull it after turning the vehicle off. I know it will hold.

 

Mines holding good, found that out when I was parked on a slope today and put it into drive and realized I wasn't moving as I didn't release brake all the way down.

 

Yep. Was grateful to have it on the Alero after blowing a brake hard line while coming up to a light.

 

Its one of your $35k investment.. if your brakes doesn't work while driving...

 

Auto and i always use it . Habit from when I drove manual but it's also good to use so it doesn't seize.

I've seen a few people's who no longer works because it was never used and seized up to the point it didn't work anymore. Good to keep it working if your brakes ever failed you'd still have that at least. That's what I've always been told.

Besides means you're not relying on the transmission only. I'm convinced it's easier on it too .The odd time I take it off earlyor put it on after taking foot off the brake and you get that slight roll, I've noticed you'll feel a slight resistance compared to when the weight of the vehicle isn't on the transmission, when you shift into drive .
This could be because my driveway is sloped so I always have the roll of brake isn't on. So I'll continue to use it.


Now what about the hold while engaging as to not wear the ratchet of it?

 

Same for me and I swear it's easier to put it in gear when you do this vs if you don't.

 

Was that the thread where the guy went ape shit because his building towed his truck claiming he didn't get the memo they were repaving the parking lot

 

I think there was one guy who bent an axle because of this. He lived in the mountains. Supposedly a common thing if it's a above freezing then drops suddenly the brake can get frozen on? And he thought putting on diff lock would work better lol.

If I remember right locals said he should've hit the drum a little too brake the ice if anything.


I had one stuck years ago .Even though I always used it the cables rusted out and it wouldn't release the brake. But who knows that was shortly after I got the car used, for all I know previous owner never used it and that's what caused it to seize even I put it on.
But only cases I've ever heard of it sticking

 

How come when applying parking brake and then releasing foot brake on a hill, the vehicle may still shift slightly? Shouldn't the brakes be one in the same?

 

Parking brake only engages rear brakes. Releasing the pedal would take any brake load off the front tires, which you might feel.

 

In my 40 years of driving manual and auto transmission cars in the Seattle area, I engage the parking brake every time. And if I am parking uphill at a curb, I turn the wheels away from the curb and if parking downhill, I turn the wheels toward the curb, as a further backup.

 

I think this is a good point that has not gotten many comments. What do we all thing? Release foot brake pedal before shifting into P?

 

IMHO, I would use it every time. Growing up, a friend of mine had an old Ford pickup. He never used the parking brake, just slapped it in P. One day, I saw him panicking driving past our house. The brakes failed and the parking brakes were frozen from lack of use.

Beyond that, it takes stress off of the transmission, esp ATs, if you let them fully decouple before engaging.

 

Below should help.......

Brake pedal engages front and rear brakes, parking brake is in rear only.

I don’t, I keep both sets of brakes engaged until after shifting into P. If for some reason my parking brake fails before or during my shift into P, I won’t roll anywhere or harm my transmission. Plus, it keeps my vehicle rock steady until my brake is set. That’s just me though. You do what you think works best.