electric hand brake and biting point questions

Fett · 13 Jun 2008 at 00:48

rotters said:
the c max need one because there isnt room for a traditional handbrake where there would normally be one. tis weird though.

rotters

Serious question, are you wearing your seatbelt when this problem happens?

Mickey · 13 Jun 2008 at 01:04

Dogbreath said:
Electric handbrakes, the single most pointless automotive invention since the LED washer jet.

Just what strength of crack were they smoking when they thought it was a good idea to make the handbrake unusable as an emergency brake, whilst making it complex and prone to failure? Nice one automotive engineers, square wheels next?

The one in my A6 can still be used as an emergency brake and makes stop/start traffic a bit nicer IMO. What sort of crack have you been smoking?

Fett · 13 Jun 2008 at 01:19

Mickey said:
The one in my A6 can still be used as an emergency brake and makes stop/start traffic a bit nicer IMO. What sort of crack have you been smoking?

Yep, same applies to the A8, all 4 wheels get the same emergency hydraulic treatment. It also systematically runs an auto-test at standstill to make sure all is in order.

Roll that in with hill-assist and I don't see why it would be compared to square wheel design. Emergency electronic parking brakes are not just a simple off/on system. On the simplest level, it's like a clever ABS.

rotters · 13 Jun 2008 at 07:59

Fett said:
Serious question, are you wearing your seatbelt when this problem happens?

oh yes im very careful to wear it at all times, im a very safety conscious driver.

rotters

Dogbreath · 13 Jun 2008 at 08:22

Mickey said:
The one in my A6 can still be used as an emergency brake and makes stop/start traffic a bit nicer IMO. What sort of crack have you been smoking?

None. An electric handbrake not only contains most of the parts of a mechanical handbrake which could fail (e.g. cables), but also has a motor, gearbox and control electronics which can do nothing but make the system more unreliable. Unless you are disabled in some way, and hence don't have the strength to pull a manual handbrake on, then if offers no advantages.

Does your Audi really allow you to apply the handbrake as you are driving along, combined with engine braking (so without pushing the clutch pedal down)? One of the few cars equipped with these stupid things that does in that case.

dthebuk · 13 Jun 2008 at 10:08

just heel toe ***, who needs a hand brake anyway

Ian_Eb · 13 Jun 2008 at 10:25

Dogbreath said:
None. An electric handbrake not only contains most of the parts of a mechanical handbrake which could fail (e.g. cables), but also has a motor, gearbox and control electronics which can do nothing but make the system more unreliable. Unless you are disabled in some way, and hence don't have the strength to pull a manual handbrake on, then if offers no advantages.

Does your Audi really allow you to apply the handbrake as you are driving along, combined with engine braking (so without pushing the clutch pedal down)? One of the few cars equipped with these stupid things that does in that case.

The Passat one will also let you put it on whilst moving. According to the manual, you press and hold the button in and you get an audible warning as it puts the normal braking system on for an emergency stop type thing. I dont fancy trying it though! Cant see that in an emergency I would be thinking "Lets reach over there and press and hold the button until it bleeps"

I find it intensely annoying, especially as half the time it doesnt release when you try to drive away, leaving you to mess about trying to release it

Mickey · 13 Jun 2008 at 11:21

Dogbreath said:
Does your Audi really allow you to apply the handbrake as you are driving along, combined with engine braking (so without pushing the clutch pedal down)? One of the few cars equipped with these stupid things that does in that case.

Yes it does, and from what I've read it'll do a much better job of stopping the car than pulling on a normal handbrake would. Hopefully I'll never have to find out if it really does.

Mickey · 13 Jun 2008 at 11:33

Ian_Eb said:
I find it intensely annoying, especially as half the time it doesnt release when you try to drive away, leaving you to mess about trying to release it

Never have that problem with mine, are you using enough revs to pull away?

Clarkey · 13 Jun 2008 at 11:35

dthebuk said:
just heel toe ***, who needs a hand brake anyway

what a bizarre and over complicated way to pull off.. I'm too lazy to ever use the handbrake when at a stop, but it's really pretty simple to press the clutch, release the brake then simultaneously press the gas and release the clutch, even on a really steep hill you will only roll back a couple of inches. This is what just about every driver I know does. Heel/toe is for hoon downshifting.

Fett · 13 Jun 2008 at 15:06

Mickey said:
Yes it does, and from what I've read it'll do a much better job of stopping the car than pulling on a normal handbrake would. Hopefully I'll never have to find out if it really does.

Ditto. I'm not massively fussed about it, it's a nice, lazy feature and saves a chunk of space on the console.

Ian_Eb · 13 Jun 2008 at 16:52

Mickey said:
Never have that problem with mine, are you using enough revs to pull away?

Normally happens in reverse, and if by enough revs you mean "damn, the wheels have just spun" then yes

Mickey · 13 Jun 2008 at 17:02

Ian_Eb said:
Normally happens in reverse, and if by enough revs you mean "damn, the wheels have just spun" then yes

Weird, although I never use mine to reverse, even forwards if I'm pulling out of a parking space then I'll take the handbrake off myself so I have more control, only use the auto release at traffic lights.