Using the parking brake instead of the normal brake

If you took the (rear) brakes apar in your car you might find you are mechanically activating the same mechanism you do with the hydraulic cylinders.
So as for damage… none. Only thing I can think of is you woudl take as long to stop as if your front brakes failed, assuming your brakes are split F/R and not diagonal.

Hand brake or foot brake as in a van?. hand are easier to modulate. Foot tend to lock down. so you nee to pull and hold the release handle at the same time to modulate.
Rear brakes tend to lock easily, I tried Emergency brakign on the minivan once on a falt enpty street and only locked the wheels and smoked the tyres, but it did not stop very quickly.

Wo with lots of space an time you can do as you are doing, but do not use for a real emergency stop…

Unless you own one of those odd french cars with the Emergency brakes on teh front.

Also some cars may have seperate Hydraulic and emergency brakes on the back, eg, Rolls Royce and Toy Camry that I know of.
Some rear disks share the same pistons and pads, so no possible damage there, Save a lock-up

He was using a SUV with the 4x4 engange and the first gear on it / still he looses brake power and had to stop with the side of a wall again i am not sure if that is tru i was not with him on the car stil since that day i dont believe in the " imposible to fail" new brake systems

jorge:

for proof of how the brakes work, some time when you have an hour to kill. go to an auto parts store and ask for the rear brake pads and the parking/emergency brake shoes for your car.

you don’t have to buy them, just open the boxes, and look at them. compare the sizes. you will be amazed at the difference in the size, and the thickness of the material.

having this visual comparison in sizes will show you how small and undersized the E brake is, compared to the regular brakes.

this should be proof for you to realize you are expecting the parking brake to be used in a manner it was NEVER intended.

if you drive down the highway and let up on the gas doesn’t the car slow down by itself? doesn’t it actually slow down quicker than using the parking brake like you have tried? seems like a crazy way to abuse your parking brake.

Have you given yourself a great big dope-slap yet?

Reading the threads on this site is becoming hazardous to my health. It lets me know just how many wacky ideas there are out there. Whether out of rage or boredom, doing thoughtless, inappropriate things while driving constitutes a hazard to yourself and a menace to everyone else who is unfortunate enough to be sharing the road with you. To relieve boredom, you might consider juggling butcher knives in the privacy of your own home.

What parking brake, I recently drove 2 2008 models, a Volvo V70 and a VW Passat, and neither had the type of parking brake with its own lever. They have a button on the dash. You push this button and then apply the normal foot brake. They don’t have ignition keys either. They just have a push to start button that works after you insert a chip.

Both of my cars have conventional parking brakes ('01 & '95). I always use them when parked. I also use them every day while driving to make sure they are in working order. I use them at red lights after the car behind me has stopped to hold my car until the light turns green. Even though they are parking brakes, they can be used in an emergency, but as you know from using them, they are grossly ineffective.

I’ve used the parking (emergency) brake many times to stop a car that I may have been working on that didn’t run or the keys were not handy. I will push the car forward or back to reposition or make room. But considering how much smaller those rear brakes are than the front brakes I think it is so bizarre that someone would make a habit out of using this brake on the main roads. For one, the wear rate on the smaller rear brakes would be much higher so there certainly won’t be a savings. Also, without the brake lights coming on you could wind up getting rear ended by some elderly person with cataracts seriously ruining your day. Plus one last critical detail, that emergency cable isn’t as reliable or durable as the hydraulic system. If that breaks at the wrong moment you might not be able to get on the brake pedal fast enough to stop in time.

Do what the rest of us do; use the brake pedal. If that doesn’t work, heaven forbid, then use the emergency (parking) brake. Hopefully you will still have a working parking brake if you haven’t worn it out before it’s time.

Have you ever considered doing a research project to determine the statistical probability of Russian Roulette going wrong? It would require a gun, 1 bullet and about 5 minutes of testing.

Skipper

Using the PARKING brake to stop is a practice only used when you’re hiding from the police, going down a dark alley and not wanting to show your brake lights ! If this is you , go right ahead.

You appear to be a perfect candidate for the Darwin Awards honorable mention. See www.darwinawards.com

Heat buildup is a serious concern wirh these speeds. Also consider that the e-brake is ,normally ,cable controled, not hydraulic.Sneeze and loose the grip on the handle…Also if they are drums the shoes are smaller than normal.Ever consider changing lanes while only watching your rear view mirror? Should keep your heart rate up.
Highway driving requires much more driver courtesey. More morons at high speeds all pissed at all the other high speed morons around. Signal, bump/tap the brakes to let others know you are slowing down.

He don’t need no stinking brake lights. What is he doing 30 for ,anyway ,on a freeway? We never hit 20 in LA.