Ownership Verified: Optimus "T?mus" Prime | '13 VW T5 180 BiTDI 4motion DSG

I like buttons and toys but I fail to see the point of an electric handbrake in any car. A mechanical lever does the job, because the job it needs to do hasn't changed since the first car rolled out of Karl Benz's garage back in the day.

Unless it's necessary for the adaptation in this case, of course.
 
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It was, the seat wouldn't be able to swivel around back to the lift with it in place.
 
I have no clue why cars or vans that have automatic transmission have handbrake, since the "P" always locks the transmission in place :p

unless these fake automatic don't do that.
 
Because securing the car with a brake is safer than relying on a transmission lock.
 
viilaaja@pt cruiser said:
I have no clue why cars or vans that have automatic transmission have handbrake, since the "P" always locks the transmission in place :p

unless these fake automatic don't do that.
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P mode on the transmission is just a small pin that locks into a slot on the output shaft. It's not really designed to support the weight of the car on inclines, etc. Also, you can't use it as an emergency brake since it's a lock (like the steering wheel lock) and not a brake.

When parking on a hill you should always engage the handbrake first, release the foot brake and THEN put the transmission in park. The point is that the weight of the car should end up resting on the handbrake and NOT on the parking pawl.

And yes, "fake automatics" (aka DSG that are just as automatic as anything else) have parking pawls too.
 
Or you could go the Audi large saloon way and have a hydraulic handbrake operated via a button where the handbrake lever used to be. Pro: integrated hill hold; con: can't do handbrake turns.
 
And its fucking slow.. had that in the A6 rental in 2011 and it was deadslow.. Pull.. wait.. *bssssssst*-sound in the rear of the car.. *click* - p-brakes engaged!
 
It's not just on the "large Audi saloons" nowadays. It's been on the Passat since '05 and the Golf since the recent refresh. As well as on a couple of Renaults and various other cars. As well as a bunch of BMWs and Mercs over the last decade or so, I'd imagine.

But it's still mechanical, not hydraulic. Hydraulics aren't suitable for something like a parking brake that needs to be able to be engaged for weeks or months on end without letting go.

Rally cars (etc) have hydraulic handbrakes especially for going around corners, but you can't even get a normal road car past inspection without a real mechanical one.


And speaking of hill hold, I don't think there are many cars (if any) where it works via the handbrake. It's usually via the ESP system.
 
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First gen Audis had it via the handbrake button. The brake wouldn't disengage if the driver didn't put the seatbelt on and would automatically disengage when enough torque was applied to prevent rolling back. The newer ones have a separate hill hold button next to it.

 
:dunno: Mine doesn't have any way of turning hill hold on and off, it just automatically activates whenever it decides the hill is steep enough. Hill hold is a necessity with a DSG-type box unless you want to end up like James May in the segment with the Sensonic Saab.

And the brake pedal is stiff as a rock while hill hold is doing its thing, so it's most certainly using the normal brakes. Not that there's any other way since I have a normal manual parking brake.
 
The T5 has automatic hill holder, but it applies the brakes automatically when it senses it's on an incline. I was driving up a steep hill, and went in reverse to park - didn't know the hill holder only then works in D. Que me shooting backwards until i got it stopped on the brake again.

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Perc said:
When parking on a hill you should always engage the handbrake first, release the foot brake and THEN put the transmission in park. The point is that the weight of the car should end up resting on the handbrake and NOT on the parking pawl.
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You should put it in Neutral first.

Hold brake -> N(eutral) -> apply parking brake -> release brakes -> P(ark)
 
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The hill hold on mine works in both directions. It holds in R if the car is facing downhill and in D if it's facing uphill. The one thing it does NOT do is cut in and stop the car from moving if you shift between D and R while still rolling.

That's one of those little things you have to get used to when coming from a conventional auto. It takes a split second for the DSG to change direction and start slipping the clutch, longer than a conventional auto needs. So if space is tight, be sure to be stationary when shifting between D and R to let the hill hold keep you from rolling into stuff.

But hill hold isn't really designed to keep you from moving when you're reversing down a hill like you just described above. It's meant for keeping you from rolling backwards while doing a hill start in forward gear, or the other way around. I can see how doing shifting and braking with the same hand might be tricky though. Is it possible to lock the hand control with the brake applied or something?
 
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I can reach the gear selector while holding the brakes, luckily. I just thought it would at least give some sort of hill descent assist. But no.
 
Nah, it's not how hill hold works. With a normal foot-operated brake there's no real need for any kind of assist if you are in a "gear that's pointing downhill" so to speak. The car will move in the desired direction when you let go of the brake regardless if it's gravity or the drivetrain doing the job. Things are a bit different with hand controls I guess. :)
 
I can completely let go of any controls with the car in gear, while on an incline.
 
Adrian said:
I can completely let go of any controls with the car in gear, while on an incline.
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That's real trust right there.

I don't think it's smart to trust a machine that has so much electrics however. :p
 
It works on really shallow inclines, even a little driveway. I have to really push the gas to get the torque to overcome the braking force. It starts moving once it hits boost (1500rpm), but i have to push the throttle to at least 60+% to get it to free completely.
 
Hill starts are funky in a Twizy... its "automatic" doesn't creep, much like a Saab Sensonic. If you go off the brake on a hill you roll backwards if you don't prod the dimmer switch.
 
Adrian said:
It works on really shallow inclines, even a little driveway. I have to really push the gas to get the torque to overcome the braking force. It starts moving once it hits boost (1500rpm), but i have to push the throttle to at least 60+% to get it to free completely.
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Sounds odd for a DSG. I don't have to touch the throttle at all. The car starts slipping the clutch, lets go of the hill assist (if on unlevel ground) and creeps away. It also applies a bit of throttle by itself if needed to not stall. Every dual clutch I've driven works like that. I've never driven a T5 though. :dunno:
 
I'll see if i can get it on video.
 
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