Set your parking brakes!

I don’t use the handbrake. My cars have design faults with the handbrakes which usually results in them sticking on, delaminating and destroying the rear hubs. We don’t have any hills around here, plus i’m an idiot and don’t care.

Some people smoke, others drink, I leave the parking brake off :ok_hand:

Insurance would have an issue with it but i don’t fancy driving along and having the handbrake blow the rear wheels off at speed

I didn’t get this topic… until I realized most of you guys probably didn’t drive manual ^^

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No desire. If I wanted to race, I’d still use hand paddles or buttons. Standard manual is a PITA, especially with city driving.

Yes, driving manual I would usually but not always use the parking brake. Driving an automatic - no one I knew would use the parking brake unless on a hill. From the east coast of the USA. Very flat terrain. No hills around except for driveways for our homes that were built higher than the streets for flood protection.

From the uk “Driving a manual” we just call that driving. Driving an automatic is the exception rather than the norm, using the handbrake is standard practice and is in the driving test.

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I never knew anything else but manual. I guess you get used to everything… But of course the convenience points clearly go to automatic.

For me the manual thing felt more useful for driving fuel efficient than for any kind of sportiness. God is that annoying when the friggin automatic keeps staying in / shifting to a too low gear because… well, it has no idea what’s in front of you. So, for example, it never knows whether or not you might need more torque soon - so in case of doubt stays in lower gear. All I’m sayin’ is that I’m smarter than an automatic transmission.

Well, next car will be electric anyway, so bye-bye manual shift. And back to using parking breaks.

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You need to rely on the electronics then. The one pedal driving on electrics can’t be controlled with enough precision. It’s too jerky no matter how good you are.

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Back in canada i know a few divers that dont use them either. Back in canada also know mnay a person that have had cars roll lol. Regardless of parking and hills, it adds protection for the surrounding .environment if hit/pushed as well.

The real question would be why not use the parking/emergency brake when parked?

@volv1992 post made me think about something though. Some trucks (cars too?) Have those wierd pull out levers and a pedal to release. Those things break all the time, annoying as hell. Really just a piss idea. But the standard pull up ones next to the ass dont. Pull up, press button, put down. They are pretty flawless for 100s of thousands of km…so perhaps a caveat for shitty vehicles with shitty engineeing can be forgiven :slight_smile:

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Used to be these parking brakes could be troublesome. The cable housing would rot and when you’d “release” the parking brake the brake would still be engaged. This would mean the shoes in the drums would still be doing their work and you’d be using much of the energy of the engine to overcome the brake.

I go by stinsonlover because I owned and flew an airplane known as a Stinson. My airplane like many others have a parking brake. The thought of having the brakes engaged on landing is pretty discouraging.

Same thing on our scooters. My older model Yamaha has a rear drum cable that is rotting inside and if I don’t oil it regularly that brake will stick.

I have no idea what new cars use as a parking brake.

Very good direction from the poster above talking about turning the wheels toward the curb.

Also, at a stop light - I always switch to neutral while keeping the foot on the brake. Putting in park is best but our car shifts in and out of neutral more easily than putting it in park.

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This has to be one of the dumbest things Ive heard for automatic. Keep it in drive. So many things can go wrong swtiching to neutral or park while at a red.

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I (American) was taught always to engage the parking brake when parked.

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This is a stupid reply I never anticipated.

Explain why you would keep the car in drive at the stop light. I guess you have no idea why one would put the car in neutral or park while stopped at a stop light.

Please explain all of the things that can go wrong

I heard some people say that having a manual car is a theft deterrent. Simply because most people are so used to driving automatic that if a thief would likely pass on a manual since they wouldn’t be able to drive it.

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You know? Common sense would inform most people why you would put the car in neutral or park while waiting on a stop light. Instead, what were you thinking?

I use the parking brake on an automatic only on any type of a grade, even if slight. If perfectly flat than no. Never had any issues.

Emergency vehicles coming up behind, or you could have someone come up at speed behind you that hasn’t seen the light. Being in park is a state of unreadiness.

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  1. Your brake lights are off. People approaching from behind will not be immediately aware you are stopped.

  2. In a rear end collision you may be pushed forward, but at least with your foot on the brake you will always have stopping power, you won’t just roll into traffic.

  3. You will be shifting gears every time to meet a stop light, subjecting them to unnecessary wear. You may have to replace them sooner than you thought.

  4. If you need to move quickly to avoid a collision or make way for an emergency vehicle it will take longer. Every second counts.

  5. The interlock mechanism is going to be going through a lot of cycles. So you pull up the red light, shift into PARK, and unknown to you the interlock gives up its life. So when the light turns green you’re sitting there unable to shift into anything else.

  6. Many cars flash the white reverse lights when shifting from park to drive because the shifter passes reverse. This could also cause an accident.

Its really poor driving with lack of consideration and safety for others.
Really stupid.

Many times drivers in front of me have gone into neutral at a red and started to slowly roll backwards. I couldnt reverse due to cars behind me, so I had to lay on the horn hoping they realize they are rolling backwards.

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I’ve always used the parking break in the US. I don’t like the ones now with a button. I still miss the hand breaks. I never feel secure about if the parking break is on or off now with the button.

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Yes. Pretty weak support of saying that putting the car in neutral or park is stupid.

I put the car in neutral and keep my foot on the brake to keep the car from creeping forward should the brake fail or I take my foot off the brake. If the car creeps you could hit someone or end up in the middle of an intersection. If you pass out your car moves forward without your foot on the brake. With the transmission engaged you will use more energy. Of course if the car is in neutral and your foot is on the brake your signals are on. Of course if your car is in park and the foot is on the brake your lights are on. Weakness