Does auto parking brake necessary if I only park on flat area? Whenever I park my lexus apply auto parking brake on, I feel it does more harm then good. I'm I wrong? Should I disable it ?
Auto apply parking brake necessary ?
- Thread starter MetalSlug
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Actually, you should always apply your parking brake, even on level ground, to save stress on the parking pawl in the transmission, to build good habits, and to keep the mechanism working properly.
Folks who don’t set it tend to forget when they’re on sloped ground, so just do it every time. My ex would never set the parking brake in the Ford Expedition. It would get corroded and stop working.
Look at it this way - if your car were a manual, would you set the handbrake every time? Of course you would.
Handbrakes are far more reliable when they are used often.
Here in the UK, everyone pretty much uses theirs all the time. However, most of us drive manuals where you kind-of have to always use the handbrake.
Here in the UK, everyone pretty much uses theirs all the time. However, most of us drive manuals where you kind-of have to always use the handbrake.
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Same in my F150.
I've grown to like mine. Perfection it's not: both my cars have eaten rear pads faster than normal, and I think it's related to that, the parking brake can exert enough force to drive a mostly stuck pad out, whereas under light braking not enough force would move said stuck pad. Result, rear pads wear faster than I'm used to, and I need to pay more attention to keeping them freed up. Not that hard to service during rotations.
On my cars they have been a pain to release. The service brake operation seems to only release, not unwind, regardless of what the internet says. 12V battery fixed the issue for me, easy to get them to crank all the way out.
Will say, at least they work. Unlike the drum brake parking brakes of my prior Camry and Tundra, those didn't work for beans IMO.
On my cars they have been a pain to release. The service brake operation seems to only release, not unwind, regardless of what the internet says. 12V battery fixed the issue for me, easy to get them to crank all the way out.
Will say, at least they work. Unlike the drum brake parking brakes of my prior Camry and Tundra, those didn't work for beans IMO.
For conversation...how is an automatic parking brake causing harm...or even frustration? If anything it helps minimize the rolling of the car when you let up on the service brake in park. I guess I don't see why you would disable it.
On a side note, Timken used to be a HUGE supplier of parking pawls. After witnessing the testing they undergo, I would have ZERO concern about reducing the stress on it by using the parking brake. They are designed to only engage under ~25 mph, and when they do engage, they will lock up the wheels and bring the car to a stop.
I agree with Astro though...no reason not to use it, and I certainly use mine every time in my manual car. The Kia is automatic, and I use it in my truck whenever I tow, hook up my hitch (again, minimize rolling), or park on a slope (to make it easier to get out of park).
On a side note, Timken used to be a HUGE supplier of parking pawls. After witnessing the testing they undergo, I would have ZERO concern about reducing the stress on it by using the parking brake. They are designed to only engage under ~25 mph, and when they do engage, they will lock up the wheels and bring the car to a stop.
I agree with Astro though...no reason not to use it, and I certainly use mine every time in my manual car. The Kia is automatic, and I use it in my truck whenever I tow, hook up my hitch (again, minimize rolling), or park on a slope (to make it easier to get out of park).
Is it a habit you have doing it, like opening door in drive and then putting into Park? Or maybe having auto start in off mode and opening door before shutting car off ?
Our VW does that .
Our VW does that .
Here in the flat mid west, I never do on automatic cars
I always use my parking brake.
Come to a complete stop, foot on brake, enable parking brake, then shift to P.
A transmission (well, in my case, electric drive unit) is EXPENSIVE while an electronic parking brake actuator motor caliper thingy is cheap if I do wear it out.
Come to a complete stop, foot on brake, enable parking brake, then shift to P.
A transmission (well, in my case, electric drive unit) is EXPENSIVE while an electronic parking brake actuator motor caliper thingy is cheap if I do wear it out.
Like everyone else said, the parking brake works better when used regularly.
In particular, if the parking brake runs off the rear pads/calipers, not using it regularly will cause premature failure of the rear calipers.
In particular, if the parking brake runs off the rear pads/calipers, not using it regularly will cause premature failure of the rear calipers.
Growing up in snow country I was taught not to in the winter as it can freeze. I think they've gotten better but there's no disputing that anything cable-actuated can freeze more readily than hydraulic or electric.
I basically never use them in automatics, although I agree it's best practice. In manuals I always use them, except perhaps in the dead of winter.
I also tend to be aware of turning my wheels such that disaster is mitigated should a vehicle roll while parked.
I basically never use them in automatics, although I agree it's best practice. In manuals I always use them, except perhaps in the dead of winter.
I also tend to be aware of turning my wheels such that disaster is mitigated should a vehicle roll while parked.
Unfortunately in the salty midwest, lack of use greatly exacerbates rusted/rotten cables.
Do the cars with more rapid rear brake wear have traction control systems?
I know and seen what you mention.
Yes. However, they're FWD.
I only drive boring cars.My prior VW had EBD and that model was known for wearing rear pads rapidly. I still got over 100k out of the set, and the trick with EBD is to either avoid light braking or just live with the accelerated rear pad wear.
My Tundra had TC and some reported rapid rear brake pad wear due to that. I didn't care much for the system, as it was like I had to stomp on the gas to drive in snow, and listen to the system cut power, pull brake lines and sound like a dying blender in the process. I generally turned off TC if I had to drive in snow--not the wisest, as I took one intersection sideways by accident (oops) (and yes I had snow tires on, just wasn't in 4WD at the time).
It's just wildly ironic, to me anyhow, that my wife's hybrid car wore out a set of rear pads in 60k. I mean, hybrids are often sold on the idea that regenerative braking means you'll just about never need to replace a brake pad. Yeah, not so much. Not for me anyhow. I know how my wife drives, and she is not hard on brakes. Not at all (she'll get more than 100k out of brakes on non-hybrids, did so in the past). No, I think it's a combo of the electric parking brake and rust. Rust, the bane of my northern lifestyle...
I only use parking brake when parked on a slope. I’m always worried with it being applied to hot rotors (don’t want it warping my rotors). My Mazda cycles the electric parking brake on a schedule just to keep it working and free (every 1k miles I think I read somewhere?).
After reading all this. I turn the auto parking brake back on.
Absolutly not. I live in pancake flat SE TX and have driven vehicles, both STD and Auto, and not once have I have applied the brake. Ever. After 40 years of driving, zero issues, zero problems, zero necessity.
I'm from the school bus world. Parking brake gets set all the time, every time. Same with turn signals.
