I really like my hand pull emergency brake vs the On or Off electric brake. I like the safety feature of being able to modulate with the hand brake. Ed
Emergency vs Parking brake
- Thread starter Eddie
- Start date
What are you modulating?
Don't you just pull with reasonable force until the hand brake handle stops moving?
Don't you just pull with reasonable force until the hand brake handle stops moving?
I am able to lock the wheels or just slow them down.
That's a very specific use, control skid I imagine, that very very few outside rallying practice and nobody with auto transmission.
Although I get what you're saying, a hand pull brake is not designed for use as an "emergency brake". It is designed for use as a parking brake.
Scott
My wife's Audi A4 quattro is a stick as is my Hyundai Elantra Sport, so we actually need to use the parking brake.
Her car has an electric parking brake and mine a hand pull parking brake. I much prefer the good old hand pull parking brake
over hers.
My brothers 2019 F150 has an electric parking brake.
Nissan went back in time on the 2020 Nissan Sentra which now has a FOOT OPERATED parking brake.
Nissan made a short video of it since most younger drivers have never seen such a parking brake:
Her car has an electric parking brake and mine a hand pull parking brake. I much prefer the good old hand pull parking brake
over hers.
My brothers 2019 F150 has an electric parking brake.
Nissan went back in time on the 2020 Nissan Sentra which now has a FOOT OPERATED parking brake.
Nissan made a short video of it since most younger drivers have never seen such a parking brake:
Not sure I believe that. Where did you get this info? Link?
I agree with the ability to modulate, even though I can't think of any reason to use it halfway 
Maybe it's useful to bed in the rear brake pads if you have rear discs and the parking/emergency brake runs off the rear pads, then you can pull it only a few clicks so that the pads rub against the rotor but not enough force to fully stop the car. But even then, there's no real need to do that since Akebono and some other companies say no special bedding procedure is necessary.
The worst implementation of the foot-operated parking brake, too. Those foot brakes are cool, but they should have a pull handle to release it, which Nissan actually used to do on their cars with them. I don't like the ones where you have to push them to release.
Maybe it's useful to bed in the rear brake pads if you have rear discs and the parking/emergency brake runs off the rear pads, then you can pull it only a few clicks so that the pads rub against the rotor but not enough force to fully stop the car. But even then, there's no real need to do that since Akebono and some other companies say no special bedding procedure is necessary.
The worst implementation of the foot-operated parking brake, too. Those foot brakes are cool, but they should have a pull handle to release it, which Nissan actually used to do on their cars with them. I don't like the ones where you have to push them to release.
I agree with the ability to modulate, even though I can't think of any reason to use it halfway
Maybe it's useful to bed in the rear brake pads if you have rear discs and the parking/emergency brake runs off the rear pads, then you can pull it only a few clicks so that the pads rub against the rotor but not enough force to fully stop the car. But even then, there's no real need to do that since Akebono and some other companies say no special bedding procedure is necessary.
I thought almost all hand operated levers used shoes inside the rotor.
how would you actuate a hydraulic caliper with a cable? (curious)
The foot operated where you push in again to release them are only parking brakes. The lever style are dual purpose and yes it is very useful to be able to modulate them in an emergency situation, IF you are practiced at it that can make a difference.
Electric does not really simplify issues as much as compound them. It creates more complexity, more failure points, typically shorter life before failure (as long as you USE the manual brake so it does not seize up prematurely, AND you remember to disengage it once driving away, lol), and higher repair cost, and still has mechanical failure points.
However it can't be an emergency brake if you don't remember to use it, same as some other emergency reactions like using the key (on vehicles that still have one) to turn the engine off in a runaway throttle scenario.
Electric does not really simplify issues as much as compound them. It creates more complexity, more failure points, typically shorter life before failure (as long as you USE the manual brake so it does not seize up prematurely, AND you remember to disengage it once driving away, lol), and higher repair cost, and still has mechanical failure points.
However it can't be an emergency brake if you don't remember to use it, same as some other emergency reactions like using the key (on vehicles that still have one) to turn the engine off in a runaway throttle scenario.
I agree with the ability to modulate, even though I can't think of any reason to use it halfway
It depends on how strong the design is and how worn or rusted it is, whether you're going to need to give it all it's got to slow the vehicle, or if that would lock the wheels (especially on a curve and/or slick roadway).
Of course it also depends on the distance you need to stop in. Stopping as fast as possible in the middle of a high speed highway because your brakes failed, then being stuck in a lane with vehicles flying by, is not as safe as being able to reduce speed but keep going till you can get over onto the shoulder. Often if there is a brake system problem, an alert driver will see the light on the dash and have a chance at a graceful, controlled slow down.
Nope, plenty of hand brakes run off the rear pads and calipers in rear disc brakes. Nissan and Mazda do this a lot, for example. I know that the 4th gen Maxima uses this setup. For that car,
I found this video on YouTube, a tutorial for replacing the rear calipers on the 4th gen Maxima:
This is the best video I could find of how it works when the parking brake runs off the rear pads and not a separate drum/shoe setup:
Nope, some actuate the main rear pads. My Accord and Miata are/were like that. My TL has separate shoes inside the rear rotors.
The emergency brake is a mechanical backup for when the hydraulics fail, so yes it is still an emergency brake. The electronic parking brake dos the same, except it has electronics in addition to, or instead of, mechanical cables. Some EPB systems electronically close the rear calipers, while some have the mechanical cables but pull them electronically.
I agree that EPB is more complicated, and I'm not a fan of them, but many of them do engage and disengage automatically. Some automatically activate when you shut the car off, or shift into park. Some of them automatically release when you hit the gas. So in many cases, you don't even have to remember to engage or disengage it--because the car automatically does it for you.
But the higher cost and complexity is a huge disadvantage, and I would take the regular parking brake any day.
I can use a wrench to pound in a nail. That doesn't make it a hammer.
Passenger vehicles don't have an emergency brake. Passenger vehicles have a parking brake.
FMVSS 393 - Parts and Accessories Necessary For Safe Operation says your vehicle must have a parking brake (FMVSS 393.41).
FMVSS 105 - Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems defines the required hardware and performance a parking brake must meet. The ability to slow or stop a moving vehicle is nowhere in the required performance envelope.
Now, if you're operating a vehicle with air brakes, then you have an emergency brake.
Passenger vehicles don't have an emergency brake. Passenger vehicles have a parking brake.
FMVSS 393 - Parts and Accessories Necessary For Safe Operation says your vehicle must have a parking brake (FMVSS 393.41).
FMVSS 105 - Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems defines the required hardware and performance a parking brake must meet. The ability to slow or stop a moving vehicle is nowhere in the required performance envelope.
Now, if you're operating a vehicle with air brakes, then you have an emergency brake.
It's been called that, by mechanics, owners, tire manufacturers, insurance agencies, etc, and used for that, for longer than most of us have been alive, so personal opinions can't really trump reality.
If you prefer to run into a tree instead of using an emergency brake in an emergency, please let your loved ones know you are that set on your beliefs.
You cited a couple codes and seem to think that you're not allowed to have any vehicle feature that is not in a code? I tend to disagree, but if you refuse to use your emergency brake in an emergency, have fun with that!
PS - If you use a wrench to pound in a nail, you are in fact, still hammering it in by common english use standards. You can get upset that it happened, but the nail still got pounded in, which is what counts when a vehicle can't stop otherwise.
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