H8R Proof Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 Hey guys - it's been awhile - love the Board's makeover! Anyway, is it necessary to use the parking brake every single time I park? Or is it only really necessary if I'm parked on an incline? Thanks :)
kyle0k Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 hmm well what would u do? just put it in nuetral or something???? also whats that problem with using parking brake or wait do u mean handbrake? b\c if you mean handbrake then its not needed even on slopes,thats what putting ure car into park does. so pretty much u never need to use ure handbrake other then emergency ormaybe some sliding fun in the snow :D
bbsal Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 i think your talking about the hand brake and no its not needed for parking on flat or even a little slope in the road. only time you need it is if your on a big incline but thats rare.i never use mine. :D
SW03ES Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 TECHNICALLY you're supposed to use the parking brake whenever you park. I however rarely use mine. You should use it every once in a while though so the components dont rust up and sieze. Welcome back!
squarehat Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 I never used my handbrake when parking on a level surface until I read on here that leaving the e-brake on until after shifting into "R" will reduce the "clunk" one hears/feels when going from park into reverse. Now I leave it on until after I've shifting into reverse (or drive if pulling straight out), and set it before I place the car back into park. I can't seem to find the thread (I remember steviej contributing the above suggestions). Perhaps it was during the time period that was lost in the archives.
lexus4mk25 Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 Interesting, I've been thinking all along that the "Clunking" noise when shifting from Park to Reverse was a symptom of a sick tranny. This piece of information will now lull me into complacency Thanks
dropspace Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 also, every once in awhile I will seat the parking brake shoes on the rotor. actually my lexus manual suggests you do this regularly. drive the car at about 30mph and keep about 10lbs of pressure on the parking brake for about 1/4 mile. keeps the mechanism from seizing as mentioned before and keeps crud from building up inside the rear rotors.
SKperformance Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 I can't belive what i am reading ! None of you use your parking brake? It is meant to be used every single time the car is not in motion and the brakes are not applied. IT WILL seize up the internal drum brakes and the brake cable causing them to not work properly when needed and not relese properly when they aren;t. Also by using the parking brake you do not place stress on the transmission,exhuast and mounts which can get pretty expensive. The parking pall in the transmission is strong and made for when people don't use the Pbrake. To use the parking brake properly apply the brakes put transmission in neutral apply the parking brake then release the regular brakes this relesases all tension on the car and makes it reside to the rear brake shoes. I uses mine in my level garage
dropspace Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 wow, a bit excessive imho, but impressive i don't think by not using it EVERY single time you stop the car it will cause problems. I have put many many thousands of miles on quite a few different cars and barely touched the parking brake even in towns where cars rust like crazy (detroit, pittsburgh) and towns where the hills are so steep they are actually staircases (san francisco) if you work the brake every oil change or so it is totally fine. while parking I just lock the wheel on the curb when parking on a hill. I have never had any issues with this...
steviej Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 I'm not going to quote what sk wrote but I back him 100% on this issue. I always use it, no matter what the incline. It was taught to me in driver's ed. back in 1980 and I still abide by it today. Automatic transmission have a little pin that keeps the shift/car in park when not moving. There is a tremendous amount of stress imparted on this little device. Many an automaker has reports of cars "slipping out of park" because these pins do sometimes fail. Manual trannies are a different story, they rely upon compression and gears to hold the car in place. The shift lever needs only to be bumped and slip out of gear and away you go. The parking brake is just that, it is for parking and should be used whenever the car is not in use. Come to a stop, apply the parking brake, then place shift lever into P. This will keep the p-brake adjusted, mechanically fit, and will eliminate the loud clunck when going into R or D on the next venture. steviej
squarehat Posted February 20, 2004 Posted February 20, 2004 sk., am I reading it correctly that you park your car in neutral on level ground and use the parking brake to hold the car instead of the transmission?
gbhrps Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 I agree. Use the parking brake every time you put the car in park, whether on a level surface or not. Right now all five of my vehicles are in the garage with their parking brakes on, and they are on level concert. In 39 years of car ownership I have never had an emergency brake system seize up or break....because I use them consistently...as described in the owner's manual. Use it or lose it.
SKperformance Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 Both of mine and my wifes car have the brake on. ALWAYS The key can sometimes still be released without the car being in park . I knwo as my car is like that. I find myself getting in the car and i am in neutral not park .As i always go to neutral before the Pbrake to release all pressure on the tranny and its mounts. The tranny usually is in park but it is my secondary not my primary way to keep the car stopped. I can replace brakes much easier than a tranny for a stupid pall or tranny mount or other part. I like to keep everything loose and used as mucha s possible .Including the a/c which i turn on for 10 minutes a month to cycle the compressor and lube the bearings and clutch. I definatly don;t need the a/c in minus 30 weather but i will in 40 just basic tlc and diy routine driving manitance to keep my and my baby together for a long time.
2XLexV8 Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 For those folks with rear drum brakes: The rear brakes self-adjust to a point. Regular use of the parking brake helps them stay adjusted. Front brakes do around 70% of the work of stopping, with the others bring up the rear (ok, bad pun) Those who never use thier parking brake, over time, put more of a load on the front, which can cause you to use more pedal force to stop the car, and increase the chances of warping the rotors. I've seen several cars that need front brake work, sometimes replacing rotors, have nearly new rear shoes. When asked, these owners often tell us they never use the parking brake. Even using it only on the weekend will save you some trouble ($) in the long term. I use mine every time I park. I guess I'll stop now. . . :whistles:
kyle0k Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 I heard using it too much like that is bad b\c the handbrake wire gets loosened up as u use it more and more. dont use that as a fact,im just stating what ive read and heard in a couple places
skippy Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 i use my emergency/hand brake every time i park. and even sometimes at a crazy long stop light when im tired(so i can take my foot off the brake). its just a precaution when parking to have the e-brake initiated. and i'm guessing it would help out your transmission when you put it in Park. also, since you only initiate the e-brake when you're car is already standing still, wear is so minimal that it's not even worth mentioning. If you're worried about the brake lines being stretched out, i'd suggest not jerking the e-brake up and instead just giving it a slow, smooth, firm tug. most of the time you wont need it to be at full braking strength; you just want to have good resistance to assist your tranny...just in case. ps. got this from driver's ed too.
SKperformance Posted February 21, 2004 Posted February 21, 2004 The steel cable will not wear unless it is not used and get corrosion in there which adds friction from rust. Using the cable keep sthem in check and you don;t need to yank it up i only pull it up 2 clicks after the car stops moving since it is in neutral .So it is never overtightened and stressed. Also the rear drums on all lexus are used for parking only not form regualr braking as it is a drum inside the rotors hat .
2XLexV8 Posted February 22, 2004 Posted February 22, 2004 The usual spec for Lexus/Toyota parking brake is 6-12 clicks, depending on model. The "gorilla" among us pull too hard, and can stretch the cables. If you have to pull up the handle to depress the button (on hand-brake models); there was too much tension. On foot brake models with a release lever, having to put your foot on the parking brake is the same situation. A good indication that your rear brakes need adjusted is setting the parking brake, and it never tightens up. When you hear that the parking brake needs tightened, smile, clean and adjust the rear brakes. Most of the time, properly adjusted rear drum brakes will fall into the 6-12 click range.
bbsal Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 wow this topic really got big!i had ALOT of cars and never used the parking brake in any of them except the few that were manual trans.i never once had a problem in any car with regards to the brakes, mounts etc.. other then changing the pads and old worn mounts. i do however agree to at least pull it up once in a while to keep it ajusted if your like me and never use it. :D
SW03ES Posted February 23, 2004 Posted February 23, 2004 I had to have the parking brake completely rebuilt in my Explorer because it seized due to lack of use ;) If you never use the brake you'll never even know its seized. The problem is when you never use it, then use it once, and it jams locked.
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