Is the hand brake redundant?

[Black dog]

Originally Posted by Clan

The problem was people all had different strengths when pulling the lever up and sometime cars ran away down hill when parked and killed people ...

At least with the electric handbrake you know it is firmly on ... ( It's cheaper to make too of course ! )

Cheaper? Ever priced a handbrake module for an x5?
I don't mind cars being fitted with the electric bollocks for parking but feel the manual lever independant emergency brake should be compulsory

[Thassos]

Having had some recent experience on a manual, not a volvo tho.. there are a few places where the epb can be a scary place to use, one being if your parked on a hill (front of car downhill) between parked cars (with min spacing), and needing to reverse back, then the ability a cable handbrake gives to release at the right point is a def advantage..but otherwise epb s seem to work in most places ok.

[green van man]

I have both EPB and a cable arrangement owning both a Volvo and a landrover. I can swap between them with no problem and always use them.

The landrover having a separate large drum brake behind the gearbox is a very good brake but does give the chariteristic landrover lurch when applied and foot taken off the football as the transmition settles which has alarmed both passengers and the car in front at times..

If nessesary I also leave the car in gear. The only vehicle I leave with the brakes off is the caravan while in storage, then the wheels are securely chocked front and back and at least one of the steadies front and back are in contact with the ground. As it's stored in a barn the danger of runaway is very minimal.

Paul.

[360beast]

Bentley Continental GT handbrake motors are more often than not cracked allowing moisture inside breaking them.

Always plastic cheap junk charged at an extortionate price!

Pretty sure most cars won't let you put an electronic park brake on without stopping the car first anyway.

[canis]

I couldn't drive without one! One of my pet peeves is people who come to a stop on an upwards incline, and waiting at the lights just sit there "hovering" on the clutch. My father-in-law does this all the time! His clutch was ruined in under 40,000 miles, the car was brand new.

I've tried to tell him. He pulls rank and tells me he's "been driving this way for years" and "it's how I was taught" and other twaddle. I tell him he's riding the clutch. He denies this, saying he's "using" the clutch. What he fails to realise is, if that cable snaps or his foot slips off, somebody's legs are gonna get broken.

He openly admits he never, ever, uses the handbrake except to release it at the start of his journey, and to apply it at the journeys' end.

I think it all comes out of mixture of pride and stubborness. He mastered clutch control early on, believed that makes him a good driver, and stopped learning at that point. In his mind, driving is clutch control and nothing more. I think he genuinely believes he's a good driver.

The guy is dangerous and shouldn't be on the road at all, imho.

Now that I've ranted that lot off my chest, the thought of an electronic handbrake fills me with dread. I need to feel the brake bite. I need to know it's working or not. To me, balancing handbrake, clutch and throttle is essential. I just don't see how that's achieved with an on/off button, and I don't think I could operate a car safely that way.

My opinion is the mechanical handbrake is an essential part of a vehicle.

[Dastardly Diesel]

Handbrake is far from redundant, and should be applied the moment you become stationary. Of course, people dont and hold the car with the foot brake - you're not in proper control, your risking brake disc warping, and it's an offence to use your lights (including your brake lights) in a manner that could dazzle another road user.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by canis

I couldn't drive without one! One of my pet peeves is people who come to a stop on an upwards incline, and waiting at the lights just sit there "hovering" on the clutch. My father-in-law does this all the time! His clutch was ruined in under 40,000 miles, the car was brand new.

I've tried to tell him. He pulls rank and tells me he's "been driving this way for years" and "it's how I was taught" and other twaddle. I tell him he's riding the clutch. He denies this, saying he's "using" the clutch. What he fails to realise is, if that cable snaps or his foot slips off, somebody's legs are gonna get broken.

He openly admits he never, ever, uses the handbrake except to release it at the start of his journey, and to apply it at the journeys' end.

I think it all comes out of mixture of pride and stubborness. He mastered clutch control early on, believed that makes him a good driver, and stopped learning at that point. In his mind, driving is clutch control and nothing more. I think he genuinely believes he's a good driver.

The guy is dangerous and shouldn't be on the road at all, imho.

Now that I've ranted that lot off my chest, the thought of an electronic handbrake fills me with dread. I need to feel the brake bite. I need to know it's working or not. To me, balancing handbrake, clutch and throttle is essential. I just don't see how that's achieved with an on/off button, and I don't think I could operate a car safely that way.

My opinion is the mechanical handbrake is an essential part of a vehicle.

regarding taking off on a hill with an electric handbrake , You just take off normally and the handbrake releases itself at the right moment , The computers are very clever these days , they know when the engine is delivering enough torque to take off , they even know the inclination of the hill you are on .

[green van man]

Originally Posted by Clan

regarding taking off on a hill with an electric handbrake , You just take off normally and the handbrake releases itself at the right moment , The computers are very clever these days , they know when the engine is delivering enough torque to take off , they even know the inclination of the hill you are on .

Even if you don't use the drive through function and release on the button it's no different to useing a conventional handbrake lever, my only gripe with EPB is volvos positioning of the switch, the center console would of been a far better place in my opinion. Even so, drive through or release on the button is easy enough, you feel the clutch bite and release the button or lever same as always. Unfortunatly the EPB is not suitable for handbrake turns, pull it while in motion and all brakes come on stopping you in a streight line, it's Scandinavian flick or nothing.

Paul.

[Harvey1512]

Originally Posted by canis

I couldn't drive without one! One of my pet peeves is people who come to a stop on an upwards incline, and waiting at the lights just sit there "hovering" on the clutch. My father-in-law does this all the time! His clutch was ruined in under 40,000 miles, the car was brand new.

I've tried to tell him. He pulls rank and tells me he's "been driving this way for years" and "it's how I was taught" and other twaddle. I tell him he's riding the clutch. He denies this, saying he's "using" the clutch. What he fails to realise is, if that cable snaps or his foot slips off, somebody's legs are gonna get broken.

He openly admits he never, ever, uses the handbrake except to release it at the start of his journey, and to apply it at the journeys' end.

I think it all comes out of mixture of pride and stubborness. He mastered clutch control early on, believed that makes him a good driver, and stopped learning at that point. In his mind, driving is clutch control and nothing more. I think he genuinely believes he's a good driver.

The guy is dangerous and shouldn't be on the road at all, imho.

Now that I've ranted that lot off my chest, the thought of an electronic handbrake fills me with dread. I need to feel the brake bite. I need to know it's working or not. To me, balancing handbrake, clutch and throttle is essential. I just don't see how that's achieved with an on/off button, and I don't think I could operate a car safely that way.

My opinion is the mechanical handbrake is an essential part of a vehicle.

Maybe you have stopped learning as well 🤔😄. An EPB means you no longer need to balance as you have described. If you are on an incline at traffic lights pop on the EPB. When the lights turn to green you just drive off. You don't disengage, you don't need clutch control, you just drive away. Couldn't be easier.

I think it is only 30% of new cars have a mechanical hand brake now. There's a reason for that, epb are better 👍

[Harvey1512]

Originally Posted by green van man

Even if you don't use the drive through function and release on the button it's no different to useing a conventional handbrake lever, my only gripe with EPB is volvos positioning of the switch, the center console would of been a far better place in my opinion. Even so, drive through or release on the button is easy enough, you feel the clutch bite and release the button or lever same as always. Unfortunatly the EPB is not suitable for handbrake turns, pull it while in motion and all brakes come on stopping you in a streight line, it's Scandinavian flick or nothing.

Paul.

In my Skoda the button is in the centre console, where a regular hand brake would be. It is where Volvo should have put it originally, they may have moved it now. On my xc60 I was always looking for the button, on my Superb I never have to look. It was a very odd bit of design by Volvo.