Do you use parking brake?

The Toyota Service Training: Brake System video (on YouTube) shows this adjuster mechanism in operation in the segment starting at 13:07. They also did a video about ABS (also on YouTube); it’s from 1987 and dated in several respects, but still interesting.

(And yes, I use the parking brake on my Prius every time it’s parked.)

 

For the record, the Owner's Manual refers to it as parking brake, and recommends setting it every time the car is shut down. But the lines have been drawn, trenches are being dug, lol...

 

They also tell you not to use it in the winter and to chalk your wheels instead in that case as well as a couple other cases. Like I said, it's just CYA lawyer speak. How many times have you chalked your wheels when parking?

 

I've never chocked the wheels, as a sub for parking brake. To be fair our winters are mild. Maybe others will comment, with colder winters. I get your point tho, about legalize in OM.

All I know, I've never had a negative issue using parking brake, and it keeps the car completely motionless, don't care for the bit of play that comes from just having it in park. We'll have to agree to disagree.

I do chock rear wheels and release parking brake when raising the front, say for oil change.

 

I do use the parking brake for oil changes. I wouldn't chalk the wheels for anything but a broken drive-line or brake system.

The "play" you mention is non-existent except when you park on a hill which, for me, is basically never outside my driveway. I just stop in the parking place, hit the power button and get out. The car doesn't move.

 

On the Volt, you can hold the switch to apply the parking brake while the car is in motion. Chimes will be set off and a warning to release the parking brake will appear on the display.
If you put the car in gear and start to drive, the parking brake will release.
The parking brake also self tests after 50 cycles and the car is not in motion.

 

Just my opinion, but that seems to defeat the purpose of the parking (emergency) brake, which is supposed to be a simple, reliable, mechanical way to apply the old fashioned friction brakes, not dependent on any sophisticated control systems. Just a cable between the parking brake pedal and the brakes.

 

The Civic might have an electric parking brake now, and that will likely become the norm.

 

Besides the Volt, the Spark EV had them and the Bolt now has them along with many high end cars, American and European. It's the wave of the present.

 

Seems to defeat the whole point of having the parking brake. Unless they are totally dismissing the "emergency braking" aspect and considering only the "parking" aspect to be relevant. How does the electric parking brake work? Surely you cannot have power applied to the brakes the whole time the parking brake is engaged?! So they must work differently than the electric trailer brakes we have for our RV trailer, where pressing the bake pedal in the car activates the electric brakes in the trailer. Does it latch the brake when engaged, and release it when disengaged, so it only uses power to engage and disengage? What was wrong with the utterly simple and reliable mechanical parking brake? Reminds me how my son describes the systems on single-engine small aircraft: carburated fuel system, dual magneto ignition. Not the most efficient, but incredibly reliable.

 

Our first car, an 81 Civic had a manual choke. Next we had a 83 Accord with automatic choke, which automatically stalled the car, at the same intersection, morning after morning. I know, it got better.

 

Well, parking brakes are only emergency brakes because they are there. They are on the wrong set of wheels to stop a moving car in any reasonable distance. If used for an emergency, the electronic parking brakes can work with the car's ABS system to reduce lock up.

Additional pluses

• auto hold for hill start assist or even when stopped level
• less maintenance, cables of the manual brakes stretch over time.
• auto apply if the driver forgets, and the car starts rolling
• frees up center console real estate.
  
• reduces weight by up to 16 pounds

Electronic Parking Brakes: What's The Point?

 

Way too complicated for me! I like to keep my car VERY simple, with just the basic Prime functionality!! Har, har,

.

 

You don't have to worry about driving around all day with them still applied, either.

 

Depends on the emergency...If the emergency was some sort of primary brake system failure, then the parking brake, even if only engaging the rear wheels is serving an important function. Yes, it may take a bit of distance to stop but that's still better than not stopping.

I had a primary brake system failure where the parking brake became important last year on my '89 camry. The master cylinder gave out and it could barely be stopped with heavy pressure on the brake. If these types of emergencies are limited to 28 year old cars, maybe their usefulness is getting pretty but it was useful that day.

 

It's better than nothing, but the parking brake design was not intended for stopping the car, just holding it still once stopped. Referring to them as emergency brakes could lead to a false sense of security.

 

If that were true, it would be a pin or pawl, like the park system. It uses the friction brakes instead precisely because it can stop the car while it's rolling.

 

Except they are on the rear wheels, and use smaller pads/shoes than the what the rear service disc brakes use.

 

Except they are on the rear wheels, and use smaller pads/shoes than the what the rear service brakes disc use.

 

So what? They will stop the car at a rate comparable to a normal braking event, and they only have to do it once so wear and heat are not an issue.