question..

[AKIRA]

ok, so i see a lot of manual cars when they are parked they're left in first gear...i never do that, i just leave it in neutral and put the emergency break on..is what i'm doing wrong, should you always put it in 1st when parked?

 

[Cavalry]

no, most people are lazy, either that, or everybody is getting ready to see if there clutch is good...

if you leave it in first, there is a chance that your car can lunge forward a little.
most likely, people are putting it in first and engaging the e-brake.

 

[xcellerate]

putting it in first is using your transmission as the brake.

You've probably never turned over a motor by hand but it's quite hard, and that power gets multiplied through the transmission and keeps the car in place. I rarely use the e-brake on my cars, especially not if it's cold. There's really no need for it unless you're on a steep hill.


You can use both if you want to feel secure. If you put it in first then pull the e-brake, you're using your transmission as the primary and e-brake as backup. If you pull the e-brake then put it in first, you're using the e-brake as the primary and the transmissions as the backup. I just prefer not to stretch out my e-brake cable...again, I've never had a car roll away from me in 1st.

 

[Saturos]

ok, so i see a lot of manual cars when they are parked they're left in first gear...i never do that, i just leave it in neutral and put the emergency break on..is what i'm doing wrong, should you always put it in 1st when parked?

I keep my car in 1st when parked, not neutral + e-brakes or 1st + e-brakes. The e-brakes are busted and I only have liability! Oh well...

 

[lePobz]

I live in a very hilly place, and leaving the car in gear (whilst parked) ensures that if the handbrake fails, the car won't move anywhere. I leave it in gear even when not parked on a hill, just for peace of mind I guess. And perhaps laziness. Most people around here do the same though.

 

[AKIRA]

hmm every time i park i just leave it in neutral then engage the e-brake. I hope i'm not ruining the e-brake but from now on i'll just put it in first for extra security

 

[lePobz]

Why the hell do you call it an e-brake anyway? I figure E is for emergency - but you don't pull it in an emergency ... it's a parking brake, but you don't call it a p-brake. It's a handbrake.

What's so emergency about it?

 

[xcellerate]

Why the hell do you call it an e-brake anyway? I figure E is for emergency - but you don't pull it in an emergency ... it's a parking brake, but you don't call it a p-brake. It's a handbrake.

You can use it to bias the rear brakes to try and neutral out understeer...and understeer IS an emergency. At least that's what I told my Defensive driver, and she screamed at me.

If for some reason you lost brake pressure you could use it to slow the car down, that would be an emergency. The handbrake bypasses the brake pedal's systems and runs straight to the rear (or in the case of some saab's, front) calipers. So maybe it's designed to be used in that rare emergency situation...

 

[lePobz]

Pulling the handbrake whilst understeering? That's how you end up going backwards into trees. Also, if my brakes failed, i'd probably bail out. My handbrake is either off or on - It knows no inbetween. I'd rather jump and take my chances than pull the handbrake and eat the rest of my meals through a tube.

 

[Operational]

I pull the handbrake first and then put it in 1st gear.

I am also curious about this whole "e-brake" business too.

 

[xcellerate]

Pulling the handbrake whilst understeering? That's how you end up going backwards into trees.

I've done it plenty of times and never ended up backwards or in a tree. The handbrake isn't an on/off switch you can modulate pressure. If you're gonna be a dumbass about it and pull it as hard as you can, then yea you're gonna get screwed up. Next time it rains go take your car out into a parking lot, drive in some circles and play around with it; you'll probably be surprised.

 

[lePobz]

Im just talking about my car here. The handbrake does nothing until it grips, which is when the rear wheels lock. Might work in an emergency but not without leaving some very big bald spots on the tyres and a very big brown spot on the seat.

 

[xcellerate]

extra-tight cable You just gotta handle it more carefully then...like a women...or man...or something.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

It's a parking brake. Not all parking brakes are hand activated, not all parking brakes can be used in emergencies. It's a PARKING BRAKE, and you are supposed to use it when you park 1) to reduce wear on your transmission especially on hills and 2) as a secondary safety measure when parking, again, especially on hills. It's also a convenience for manual cars equipped with auto starts. Leaving the car in 1st could be devastating for a car that is auto started. Using the P-brake is essential in this case.

You don't HAVE to use your P- brake if you don't want to. I use it all the time and my vehicles are automatic. My DD won't be for long though, I pick up my MT tomorrow, if all goes well. I will probably never leave it in gear, especially since it is auto start capable.
--
The only emergency you need to use your P-brake in is if your main brakes fail.

 

[Krynn72]

Im just talking about my car here. The handbrake does nothing until it grips, which is when the rear wheels lock. Might work in an emergency but not without leaving some very big bald spots on the tyres and a very big brown spot on the seat.

At first i was like... wut? But then I was like "OH!" and lol'd

 

[Cormeh]

If you don't apply the handbrake when you're parked, and someone bumps you from either the front or back, your car would roll and possibly cause more damage to other vehicles, so it should always be on in this case.

I never leave my motor in gear when I'm parked. Save perhaps in the situation Pobz already described (hills and whatnot).

 

[Parrot of doom]

In the USA its called an emergency brake.

Everywhere else, its a parking brake. Oh and they're not all on/off, most disc parking brakes work by pushing brake shoes onto the inside edge of the drum. Their braking effectiveness can be controlled by the driver.

The reason for using the gearbox to hold the car is twofold - one, in case the parking brake fails. Two, in case the discs cool and the parking brake mechanism no longer grips the disc/drum due to contraction of the metals used.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

In the USA its called an emergency brake.

Everywhere else, its a parking brake.

In my Japanese car, I big red "P" pops up on the dash when I ues the hand controlled parking brake.
In my Dodge Caravan a big red "P" pops up on the dash when I use the foot controlled parking brake.
In my Chevy work truck a big red word "park" pops up when I use the hand controlled, ankle mounted parking brake.

If anyone here can go into their car, use the P brake and have either an "E" or an "H" pop up on their dash, I will be VERY impressed.

-
Oh, believe it or not, I used to have a Honda motorcycle (1981 CM400 Hondamatic) with a parking brake.

 

[CptStern]

parking brakes slip after awhile ..keep in gear to prevent it from rolling down a hill (has happned to me - found my car in the neighbours driveway/lawn)

 

[Cormeh]

In my Japanese car, I big red "P" pops up on the dash when I ues the hand controlled parking brake.
In my Dodge Caravan a big red "P" pops up on the dash when I use the foot controlled parking brake.
In my Chevy work truck a big red word "park" pops up when I use the hand controlled, ankle mounted parking brake.

If anyone here can go into their car, use the P brake and have either an "E" or an "H" pop up on their dash, I will be VERY impressed.

-
Oh, believe it or not, I used to have a Honda motorcycle (1981 CM400 Hondamatic) with a parking brake.

Shitty culture difference - my cars dash has a "!" light up when the handbrake is on.

 

[[Matt]]

I live in a very hilly place, and leaving the car in gear (whilst parked) ensures that if the handbrake fails, the car won't move anywhere.

Thats the main reason qwhy people leave cars in gear.... thread over?

 

[Farrowlesparrow]

In my Japanese car, I big red "P" pops up on the dash when I ues the hand controlled parking brake.
In my Dodge Caravan a big red "P" pops up on the dash when I use the foot controlled parking brake.
In my Chevy work truck a big red word "park" pops up when I use the hand controlled, ankle mounted parking brake.

If anyone here can go into their car, use the P brake and have either an "E" or an "H" pop up on their dash, I will be VERY impressed.

My car doesn't tell me what to think

Handbreak.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

Shitty culture difference - my cars dash has a "!" light up when the handbrake is on.

Same. I was incorrect about my Chevy, it actually has a "P" like the other cars, and a "!", and says "brake", like this:
(!)(P)
BRAKE

I suppose if you want to call your parking brake a hand brake, you can, because it differentiates between foot operated and hand operated parking brakes, but that is not a factory term.

 

[Saturos]

parking brakes slip after awhile ..keep in gear to prevent it from rolling down a hill (has happned to me - found my car in the neighbours driveway/lawn)

*Saturos imagines the look on the Cap'n's face when he noticed his car was on the neighbors lawn.* Were you like, WTF?