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"...satisfying handle..." I detest that sentiment. The brake handles I had to use sooner or later were too soft, no matter the maintenance. So, I started to pu

"...satisfying handle..." I detest that sentiment. The brake handles I had to use sooner or later were too soft, no matter the maintenance. So, I started to pull as strong as possible because otherwise the cars weren't standing still on steep hills -- I never had that issue with electric parking brakes; I love that.

bob1029 11mo ago
My problem with the EPB is that it seems to encourage drivers to simply not use it. The convenience of a zero effort digital switch disconnects the user from the physical reality of the vehicle's heft. I've had to instruct several family members and friends to engage their parking brake when on my very steep driveway. We had to shove a car up the hill to get it out of park one time. Leaving 2 tons of car resting entirely on the parking pawl can cause trouble. I always lecture drivers to let the brake take the load before putting transmission into park (or a low gear). It can be challenging to do this with digital everything.
- netsharc 11mo ago
  Don't EPBs get applied automatically? I have a 2020 car, if I turn off the engine it goes to Park and engages the EPB.
  - tehwebguy 11mo ago
    Not on our ’21 Honda
    - nmeofthestate 11mo ago
      Mine (Civic '19) applies it if your seatbelt is fastened when you turn off the motor. Otherwise it doesn't. I think there's a "don't do automatic stuff unless the driver is wearing their seatbelt" rule.
  - wkjagt 11mo ago
    My 2020 Hyundai Ioniq EV doesn't do this. It's a separate button.
cenamus 11mo ago
And manual parking brakes aren't really wonders of mechanical simplicity anyway
- toxik 11mo ago
  They're actually really simple? Two wedge-shaped brake shoes that cam into the inner diameter of the wheel.
  - cenamus 11mo ago
    More not easy to servicd if they seized and you can disassemble half the car to get to all the cables and so on
    - cartoonworld 11mo ago
      You can almost always pop the cable (if you have to) and hit the rotor with a hammer, or use a puller. If that doesn't work you hit it with a hammer from the other side until the parking brake shoes pop out of the pins and come off with the rotor.
- somat 11mo ago
  The real magic/genius are trailer brakes, they are electric right, however if they worked the way you would naively assume an electric brake would work, directly operating on the friction surface with an electric solenoid, It would take a huge solenoid and the amperage requirements would quickly exceed what the trailer wiring can provide. so what they do is apply an electromagnet which starts to drag on the side of rotating wheel assembly it uses this drag to push the friction surfaces together, so it takes a surprisingly small magnet to run. most of the force comes from the rotating wheel.
  - meindnoch 11mo ago
    That's the "self-applying" property of drum brakes. Not specific to trailer brakes.
userbinator 11mo ago
too soft, no matter the maintenance That sounds like they weren't adjusted correctly.
westmeal 11mo ago
You might just need to adjust the brakes in the back. Usually there is an equalizer with a nut you can tighten for it to lock the rear better.
- GuestFAUniverse 11mo ago
  I don't need to. I pay others. EPB: no such issue. Period.
Lanolderen 11mo ago
Cables need replacement sometimes but I prefer the manual ones. It's really useful for turning in winter, it's fun and I trust it a lot more as an emergency brake. I've tried a Model 3 ebrake in motion once at 30-40 kmh and it locked up the rear instantly. Manual ones I can regulate so they don't lock or even let go a little if they do since they're not a button.
AngryData 11mo ago
You should be able to make a mechanical parking brake as tight as you want, although I wouldn't put it past manufacturers to make the parking brake cable have fixed ends which would make tightening them impossible except by replacing the cable which will just stretch again after use, hence why they should be adjustable to start with.

bob1029 11mo ago

My problem with the EPB is that it seems to encourage drivers to simply not use it. The convenience of a zero effort digital switch disconnects the user from the physical reality of the vehicle's heft. I've had to instruct several family members and friends to engage their parking brake when on my very steep driveway. We had to shove a car up the hill to get it out of park one time. Leaving 2 tons of car resting entirely on the parking pawl can cause trouble. I always lecture drivers to let the brake take the load before putting transmission into park (or a low gear). It can be challenging to do this with digital everything.

netsharc 11mo ago
Don't EPBs get applied automatically? I have a 2020 car, if I turn off the engine it goes to Park and engages the EPB.
- tehwebguy 11mo ago
  Not on our ’21 Honda
  - nmeofthestate 11mo ago
    Mine (Civic '19) applies it if your seatbelt is fastened when you turn off the motor. Otherwise it doesn't. I think there's a "don't do automatic stuff unless the driver is wearing their seatbelt" rule.
- wkjagt 11mo ago
  My 2020 Hyundai Ioniq EV doesn't do this. It's a separate button.

cenamus 11mo ago

And manual parking brakes aren't really wonders of mechanical simplicity anyway

toxik 11mo ago
They're actually really simple? Two wedge-shaped brake shoes that cam into the inner diameter of the wheel.
- cenamus 11mo ago
  More not easy to servicd if they seized and you can disassemble half the car to get to all the cables and so on
  - cartoonworld 11mo ago
    You can almost always pop the cable (if you have to) and hit the rotor with a hammer, or use a puller. If that doesn't work you hit it with a hammer from the other side until the parking brake shoes pop out of the pins and come off with the rotor.
somat 11mo ago
The real magic/genius are trailer brakes, they are electric right, however if they worked the way you would naively assume an electric brake would work, directly operating on the friction surface with an electric solenoid, It would take a huge solenoid and the amperage requirements would quickly exceed what the trailer wiring can provide. so what they do is apply an electromagnet which starts to drag on the side of rotating wheel assembly it uses this drag to push the friction surfaces together, so it takes a surprisingly small magnet to run. most of the force comes from the rotating wheel.
- meindnoch 11mo ago
  That's the "self-applying" property of drum brakes. Not specific to trailer brakes.

userbinator 11mo ago

too soft, no matter the maintenance That sounds like they weren't adjusted correctly.

westmeal 11mo ago

You might just need to adjust the brakes in the back. Usually there is an equalizer with a nut you can tighten for it to lock the rear better.

GuestFAUniverse 11mo ago
I don't need to. I pay others. EPB: no such issue. Period.

Lanolderen 11mo ago

Cables need replacement sometimes but I prefer the manual ones. It's really useful for turning in winter, it's fun and I trust it a lot more as an emergency brake. I've tried a Model 3 ebrake in motion once at 30-40 kmh and it locked up the rear instantly. Manual ones I can regulate so they don't lock or even let go a little if they do since they're not a button.

AngryData 11mo ago

You should be able to make a mechanical parking brake as tight as you want, although I wouldn't put it past manufacturers to make the parking brake cable have fixed ends which would make tightening them impossible except by replacing the cable which will just stretch again after use, hence why they should be adjustable to start with.