A question.. see if it turns into a debate

MizPahPAH · Post by **MizPahPAH** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:46 am

The lever between the seats with a thumb button on it?
and or the pedal on the far left with a relase handle...

what do you call it? and why? or why not?
what do you use it for? and why? or why not?

I know what I call it and what I use it for and why I dont use it for certain reasons.

Just curious

After this Toyota issue some of the people I have talked to would never have thought to use it the way I do / would because they were told its name is what I would not call it or use it as...

FineFrank · Post by **FineFrank** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 10:00 am

I call it a handbrake or parking brake, depending on location.
I use it for parking when I need to get out of the car/truck with the engine running- like when I'm opening a gate.
I'd use it if I had a brake failure or engine runaway, but as it's the least effective brake on the car, I don't consider it an "emergency" brake.
Maybe that's because I don't own a Toyota.....

82vdub · Post by **82vdub** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 10:14 am

I agree with FineFrank. It really is a parking brake, which could be called a handbrake. Since it's been used in emergency situations, it has also been called the emergency brake. I believe all terms really do apply, depending on how the device is used at the moment. But, it's real purpose is to stop the car from rolling when the car is turned off - a parking brake. It takes place of the "parking" tab inside an auto transmission that locks the transmission output shaft from turning.

Ira B · Post by **Ira B** » Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:04 am

To have no other way to stop the vehicle but the parking brake in an emergency situation would be a bummer day indeed, but it would be better than nothing.

Regardless of pedal or hand lever actuation I always call it the parking brake.

tylernt · Post by **tylernt** » Sat Feb 06, 2010 2:06 pm

If I'm parking, it's the parking brake.

If I'm doing donuts in the snow, it's the handbrake.

If my hydraulic brakes fail, it's my emergency brake.

Op-Ivy · Post by **Op-Ivy** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:40 am

E-Brake.

MizPahPAH · Post by **MizPahPAH** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 10:30 am

I have heard both sides over the years.

Mostly about cars with manual trans.. The park paw in an automatic is strong enough to hold...

Its a parking brake so the car wont roll away when parked

Its a emergency brake only to be used when working on a running or in the case hydrolics fail...

or as tylernt said... wet wooden bridges are fun too...

the emergency brake side usually add that its could cause issues to apply brake after just stopping car with hot rear rotors or drums that over time it could cause warping?

Post by **Fatmobile** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 10:55 pm

It's the hot brake,..
you know,
the one you forget to release and drive down the road with it getting hot.

I finally told a broke-ass friend I would not fix her brakes again, how many times a year should the rear brakes need done? damn.

Ira B · Post by **Ira B** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:22 am

Fatmobile wrote:It's the hot brake,..
you know,
the one you forget to release and drive down the road with it getting hot.
I finally told a broke-ass friend I would not fix her brakes again, how many times a year should the rear brakes need done? damn.

I confess to rolling up to a stop light and wondering, "wonder who's brakes are overheating" only to realize I had been driving around with the P-brake 1/2 set and wondering why the Caddy was a bit more gutless than usual.

FineFrank · Post by **FineFrank** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 3:50 pm

I confess to rolling up to a stop light and wondering, "wonder who's brakes are overheating" only to realize I had been driving around with the P-brake 1/2 set and wondering why the Caddy was a bit more gutless than usual.

Reminds me of towing a 78 gasser to my shop a year ago last Halloween. Brakes quit while moving the car, so the only brake was the handbrake. My towing partner forgot where my shop was, ended up towing me through town. I finally got him shut down in the middle of town (through traffic) and turned around. Parked the hot, smoking car and went back to the shop for the towbar. Exciting evening.

KYMidnight · Post by **KYMidnight** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:33 pm

I call the lever in-between the seats a handbrake, and the pedal on the side a parking brake.
That said, I use them both for parking... so maybe I should just start calling them all parking brakes? On an automatic, it might make sense to call it an emergency brake, since I wouldn't think you'd use it for parking much.
This greatly annoys my wife who owns the only automatic vehicle in our family, and I normally set the parking brake when I park, so if I drive in her car, I tend to still set it out of habit when I'm done. Her KIA spectra's parking brakes are really good and will pretty much hold her car while she spins the front tires making smoke, a huge mess, and a really pissed of lady...

bscutt · Post by **bscutt** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:56 am

Well if you've ever had an automatic with a liittle bend or burr on the stop pawl you will learn to set the e-brake before putting the tranny into park. Had an old 62 Falcon like that, if you set the tranny into park on a hill before setting the e-brake you needed a few big guys to rock the car before you could get it out of park. I have always used both on all my cars with auto transmissions just to avoid over-taxing the transmission stop pawl

BTW I call it the emergency brake, I have for the past 40 years. Doesn't matter what I use it for, the term just stuck.