Hand Brake/Leg Brake Dilemma

[Ilpav]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of leaving your hand brake/leg brake on when you park your car? I personally use it only when I am parked on a steep incline.

[epp_b]

I drive a manual, so I use the handbrake every time the car is parked.

Seeing as you drive an automatic, yes, you should use it when you are parked on an incline.

[DiuSee]

The only disadvantage is when you forget to take it off, and drive away. Other wise its all good.

It puts less stress on your transmission. It makes sure that if you get hit, your car wont move as much....

[watto]

I don't see why there would ever be a disadvantage to having your handbrake on. It's designed to stop the car from moving, it's a strong piece of equipment. I use it all the time, admittedly I drive a manual but I also use it when I park my mum's car(an auto).

The only time you don't want to use it is when it's around 0C, then there's the potential of water freezing, expanding, and thus breaking your handbrake, making your car immovable.

[Vitamin J]

Originally Posted by watto

I don't see why there would ever be a disadvantage to having your handbrake on. It's designed to stop the car from moving, it's a strong piece of equipment. I use it all the time, admittedly I drive a manual but I also use it when I park my mum's car(an auto).

The only time you don't want to use it is when it's around 0C, then there's the potential of water freezing, expanding, and thus breaking your handbrake, making your car immovable.

What part of the handbrake is made of water? I thought it was a steel cable.

[watto]

Originally Posted by Vitamin J

What part of the handbrake is made of water? I thought it was a steel cable.

Apologies, bad wording. There is the potential of condensation freezing and expanding.

[Ford Prefect]

I must have used my handbrake hundreds of times at temperatures around 0 degrees... I never heard anything about condensation freezing....

the only time I don´t use it is when parking the car after driving on the track...

[Hidden_Hunter]

why wouldn't you use it is probably a better question

parking = car in 1st gear (or reverse if i'm facing upwards on a hill)
hand brake on
out of car

[Fiete]

I also use the handbrake everyday, summer or winter, without any problems.

The only issue I had with my handbrake was after a week of vacation at the baltic sea: I parked the car about 20 meters away from the coast and didn't move it a whole week. When I was time for the trip back home my rear brakes were blocked at first. I have drum brakes at the rear axle (like every small cars have), I guess the salty weather conditions caused the inside of the drums to rust a little and so the brake pads weren't pulled back when I released the handbrake. After a sharp start the rear brakes finally released. Now I leave the car in first gear when I am at the coast and do not pull the handbrake.

[Adunaphel]

ALWAYS use the handbrake for parking, unless the temperature drops below -10C, which will make condensation freeze in the sleeve for the brake cable, which can lock the cable, locking up your rear brakes. The reason why you should always use then handbrake, is that it could break your transmission (automatic) or your tranny and your engine (manual) if someone hits your car while it's parked. The handbrake will prevent your car from moving much when your car gets hit, therefore the stress on the parkign lock of your auto gearbox is a lot less. The story is the same with a manual. People think that parking with the box in first gear is better than using the handbrake because the brakes won't wear out that much. They couldn't be more wrong. It puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the gearbox and engine when the car is just stationary, let alone when someone hits your car while it's parked. The stress from that sudden movement can cause both the gearbox and the engine itself to break, and a lot of insurers will not pay for those damages, because they believe them to be self-inflicted.

[matt2000]

Originally Posted by watto

The only time you don't want to use it is when it's around 0C, then there's the potential of water freezing, expanding, and thus breaking your handbrake, making your car immovable.

i have heard of this, but only with old cars (particularly Land Rovers). they can freeze on, but it's just down to the brake fluid freezing, i think. shouldn't be a problem unless you're well below 0, and even then you can use different grades of fluid/oil to stop it freezing.

here in the UK a large majority of cars are manual, so we use handbrake all the time. when we park, and on most hill starts. i hate autos personally because they make you lazy. i can do very smooth changes in a manual, some better than an auto in town...

[Mischief007]

I advised my parents to use it in their automatics as well because if you don't use it, then when you need to use it that one time, everything disintegrates due to rust if for example it hasn't been used in a very long time.

[Austere]

There are a few advantages:

The car really isn't meant to be held in place by the transmission in any situation other than an emergency or when the handbrake isn't working. Using the handbrake should reduce wear & tear on the transmission.

If your car is involved in an accident while it's parked it wont be easily forced into traffic if the handbrake is applied. It's also good to have a 'back up' in case of a mechanical failure or some other such shenanigans within the gearbox - two things holding the car in place is better than one.

Also, If you return to your car only to find it has rolled back and crushed some children the police will see you haven't pulled the handbrake and you'll need to bribe them to avoid jail time.

Down sides to using the handbrake:

Over time the cable will loosen and you'll have to adjust it. If you don't know how to adjust it you'll need to pay a mechanic to it for you and he will overcharge you.

If your brakes are very hot and you apply the handbrake the heat from the rotor could pass through the braking system and boil your brake fluid. But this usually only happens if you've been driving on a race track.

The handbrake could also freeze in very cold weather but since I live in Australia I don't know nothing 'bout none of that. It's the middle of winter here and today was a crisp 15° and everbody was crying like a little bitch about how utterly unbearable it is.

[Peter3hg]

I would think for most people with a manual it is just an automatic reaction. I despise people who sit at junctions with their brakes on and I think holding the car on the clutch is a pretty daft way to do things due to the wear to the clutch etc. At lights I will always flick it out of gear and stick the handbrake on. It's easier anyway because you don't need to keep your feet on anything as well as being much much safer.
When parking up I can see no reason not to apply the handbrake, as well as stick it into gear if in a manual.

[Brother Michael]

Originally Posted by Peter3hg

I despise people who sit at junctions with their brakes on.

Oh...thanks alot dude, that feels really good...I won't even ask for an explanation, since I don't think you can come up with anything else besides that this is your personal opinion. I knew already that I am a bad human being, I've been told it before, but this one takes the cake.

[Peter3hg]

Originally Posted by Brother Michael

Oh...thanks alot dude, that feels really good...I won't even ask for an explanation, since I don't think you can come up with anything else besides that this is your personal opinion. I knew already that I am a bad human being, I've been told it before, but this one takes the cake.

I'm not going to retract it, I feel it is very very selfish, as bad as not going onto dipped beams with an oncoming car. The reason I hate it is dazzle from the lights, especially on modern cars. At night it can be sometimes be enough that you really have to look away because it can appear so bright. It has less effect if there's street lights around but in more rural areas it is a real problem.

[Cobol74]

Pretty much agree with all that's been said - only question setting it on if you are parking for any time in a very cold environment, otherwise always on!

/EDIT or you're racing and your breakes are very hot - seee below.

[Ford Prefect]

Originally Posted by Austere

If your brakes are very hot and you apply the handbrake the heat from the rotor could pass through the braking system and boil your brake fluid. But this usually only happens if you've been driving on a race track.

I was told not to pull the handbrake when I park my car in the pitlane so that the brake pads don´t stick to the disc. I think it should be very hard to actually boil your brake fluid to the point that anything could break... I may be wrong though...

Originally Posted by Peter3hg

I'm not going to retract it, I feel it is very very selfish, as bad as not going onto dipped beams with an oncoming car. The reason I hate it is dazzle from the lights, especially on modern cars. At night it can be sometimes be enough that you really have to look away because it can appear so bright. It has less effect if there's street lights around but in more rural areas it is a real problem.

so what do you recommend people with automatic cars do? go through the braking and auto-lever moving thing for half an hour when the light turns green?? and I thought I was sensitive when it came to bright lights in my eyes...

[Cobol74]

^ We have an amber light that says - get the handbrake off and put your auto into D. ... By that time the light has turned green and you press the go peddle.

[Ford Prefect]

yeah we have the yellow light as well in between... to me that means go...