I have…a few years ago when I was teaching my son to drive. It’s NOT the best…It won’t stop you anywhere near as quickly…but it did stop my Pathfinder while going about 60…and another time while doing down hill.
Mechanics avoid pulling it since some people don’t use it and it binds up, guess who gets an unhappy customer who wants the parking brake mechanisms replaced free. Smart thinking on mechanics part.
Got my car back after an oil change. Assuming that the parking brake was set, I floored the clutch to start the engine. While it was cranking, I notice that it was rolling toward someone else’s car. Not pulling the parking brake would result in 2 unhappy customers.
I know they changed the name, but personally, I prefer to think of it as an emergency brake. It better emphasizes the importance of keeping it operating properly. Because in truth, if I lose my hydraulic brakes that handle become an emergency brake, no matter WHAT they call it.
Calling it an emergency brake emphasizes that it can save my life and should therefore be kept functioning properly. And, in truth, it can.
Because in truth, if I lose my hydraulic brakes that handle become an emergency brake, no matter WHAT they call it.
Exactly…
I can see some fool now who looses his hydraulic brakes…and REFUSES to use the “Parking” brake because it’s for PARKING…NOT STOPPING…I’ll send flowers.
That is a good point. Last summer I was visiting parents and set the parking brake on one of dad’s vehicles. ONe side froze and I was under it tapping on the lever at the drum at the end of the cable.
Probably the biggest difference is in the brakes themselves. A few years back everything had rear drum brakes, typically self actuating. The same brakes were used for the parking brake. Today most cars are going to disc brakes in the rear, which require more applied force. Many are even using tiny drums cast isto the center of the rear disc with little tiny shoes for parking brakes. These have no where near the stopping power that teh old self actuating drum brakes that were also used as parking brakes had.
Bu hey, if I lose my brakes I’m pullin’ the handle! They’ll stop me when they stop me! Late is better than never. I’ll also be scanning for an obstacle free path and downshifting too, but pullin’ the handle will be a big part of the activity.