using the e-brake

[Mark B]

In Florida we do not have many hills. I never use the e-break but after reading this thread, I will start.

[spaceCADETzoom]

I never knew people DIDN'T use the parking brake. I learned to drive that way and was surprised years later when I found a buddy who never used it. I just took engaging the parking brake as part of the "process"...like taking the keys out of the ignition.

dunno. My first automatic trans car was the vehicross. It was honestly the second car I've ever driven that wasn't manual. I learned to drive a certain way and couldn't easily drive another (I drive LOTS of cars...but my family always chose manual over auto and all of the cars I wanted to drive that were other people's were performance based ..i.e. requiring the driver to, well, DRIVE..changing gears is as part of the process as steering is.)

People don't think there's a transition from manual to auto like there is to auto to manual. I disagree. I kept shifting to neautral and mashing on the brake (i dont know why I compensated for my dead clutch leg by mashing hard on the brake with my rt foot....but I did).

Anyway. point of all that? backgrounds and experience is different all around...we take practice for granted. What you know to be right, some people get away with not doing. I'm sure there are people that don't know they have to change their oil...and it works for them...

[VehiGAZ]

Almost never - only in extreme parking circumstances. Never at home - and my driveway is sloped downward a little, too. The VX transmission seems very heavy-duty and doesn't seem to mind. It would probably be a good idea for me to use it, but I don't.

The wife's A3 with the DSG transmission seems to get a lot of strain on it when doing the same, but she doesn't use the parking brake despite my suggestions.

By contrast, I ALWAYS use the parking brake on the 928... I saw Risky Business, and I learned my lesson!

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

besides on hills....I use mine alot because I learned from my mechanic that in the rustbelt if you don't use it...things don't stay freed up and tend to stop working.
Case in point...I had more troubles with the e-brake on my Fiero than I care to mention. After repeatedly soaking cables & linkages with penetrating oil to get them unstuck...I started using it daily and didn't have trouble anymore.

[Mark Miller]

I only use mine when playing in the dirt.
No hills Here.
I'm sure I would use it when parking in the mountains.

[VXIRONwoMAN]

I have always used it. I don't know why, habit i guess...but a good one to have...

[Hotsauce]

On the Saab, the handbrake connects to the FRONT brakes. This makes the most sense if you actually needed it to stop in an emergency where the hydraulic system had failed.

John C.

[tom4bren]

I actually used mine today. I was changing a tire.

[Chopper]

On the Saab, the handbrake connects to the FRONT brakes. This makes the most sense if you actually needed it to stop in an emergency where the hydraulic system had failed.

John C.

Boy, that could be an exciting discovery,depending on when it's made. I will remember that little tidbit. Though, I drive just enough Saabs to know where the key goes...and to realize torque steer IS a manly trait! Squirming like a bag of snakes thru each gear, and still twitching at 100mph! Whew!