Do you use the parking brake?

"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr) 10/13/2016 at 07:15 • Filed to: poll, parking brake

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So, after hearing about a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on my Prius, in which an earlier version of the story actually said that there had been deaths as a result of the parking brake failure (the current story says there haven’t even been any crashes), I got to thinking... how many people actually use the parking brake on their car?

Almost everyone I know that drives an automatic... doesn’t. They assume that the park position on the transmission means you don’t need to use the parking brake, and instead let the car roll against its park pawl. (I don’t know anyone that drives an automated transmission that doesn’t have a park selection - those aren’t exactly common in the US anyway.)

There are actually a couple cars that I’m aware of, where park really means set the parking brake - the Tesla Model S and X. And, I believe the Audi cars with the ZF monostable shifter (same shifter that was in the Jeep Grand Cherokee) automatically set the parking brake in some scenarios. However, in the vast majority of cars, if you want the parking brake, you have to set it.

So, poll time!

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Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:29

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My transmission doesn’t have a park selection, i just leave it in gear.
Anyway, if I had an auto, I’d park it like that, just to be sure:

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:32

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In a manual transmission you have to use the parking brake. Its a good habit to be in even if you don’t drive a manual.

XJDano > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:33

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Both. Manual in gear and brake, auto, jam it in park good enough.

Unless I’m going to be working on the car, jacking it up I’ll set the brake.

LongbowMkII > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:34

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I rarely do it in the auto’s I drive.

bhtooefr > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 10/13/2016 at 07:34

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I actually have seen people just leave a manual in gear, and use that for parking... and I don’t just mean when the parking brake is broken.

And, I personally use the parking brake every time, every transmission, myself. Most people I know hate it when I drive their cars, because they then have to remember to unset it.

macanamera > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:35

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In my GT-R and my CLS63, I would put the car in park and then engage the parking brake, every time. It felt weird not doing it.

In my F-Type, I park in neutral (I don’t like parking in gear) and the car automatically applies the parking brake when I turn it off. I do really wish it had a good old lever, but that’s the world these days.

404 - User No Longer Available > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:42

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I use the parking brake, because manual. With the exception after washing my Solstice. For some odd reason, the parking brake sticks if it’s wet overnight. I was also told you shouldn’t use it either if the vehicle is in storage, it’ll also stick if you park it for so long.

Svend > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:42

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I’ve a 1.4TSi Skoda Superb 6 speed manual which has a push button hand brake which you can set to apply manually or automatically. It can be released at the push of the button but in the seven months of ownership I never have as it automatically disengages when you apply the accelerator.

p33t - wagons 4 lyfe > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:43

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I always have, in any car I have driven, as does everyone I know well enough to have paid attention to.

Honestly it’s surprised to discover that it’s something some people wouldn’t do!

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 07:46

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I only set my Lexus parking brake on any kind of incline. In a flat spot it’s not worth the time, even if it’s just a few seconds.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:03

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Leaving it in gear instead is a good habit to get in if you track alot and live in a flat area. No one wants to warp their rear discs.

and 100 more > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 10/13/2016 at 08:13

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Ha! I’ll show you! I have drums!

duurtlang > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:14

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I tend to use the parking brake as a reflex. Even in automatics, mostly because I drive one rather rarely. Most people I see driving either use their parking brake or leave it in gear. I don’t know that many people who drive automatics.

bhtooefr > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/13/2016 at 08:14

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Interestingly, the manual for my Prius (all 800 pages of it) actually says to not use the parking brake in winter, and to block the wheels instead.

Tripper > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:17

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Obviously I use the parking brake on a manual, but when it comes to automatic it depends on the type of transmission. For instance the DSG on my S3 sounds like you just broke everything when shifting out of park if you didn’t use the parking brake. Even if you let the car roll a bit before setting the brake, it’s makes a terrible “thud” when shifting out of park.

I go as far to shift the car into neutral, set the brake, and take my foot off the brake pedal before shifting to park.

404 - User No Longer Available > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:19

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I don’t recall seeing Priuses around with chocks though. Some say it’s just a standard disclaimer that if moisture freezes it, they don’t want to cover it or something.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > and 100 more 10/13/2016 at 08:20

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Gross.

bhtooefr > Svend 10/13/2016 at 08:25

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I’m of two minds on a system like that, really.

On one side, I like that it does the right thing without driver intervention.

On the other, I don’t like that it means that the one mechanical backup, when everything else electronic may have failed (the ABS system, after all, can inhibit the brake pedal fully), is no longer present.

Also, how smoothly does it release the parking brake? I know some people have found the hill holders on modern VWs in the US to be a bit too strong, which means more throttle and clutch slip is needed to get it off the line. (However, I’ve heard it from TDI people, who were used to the 2006 and older cars, which were very, very hard to stall, and didn’t really need throttle to get moving.)

bhtooefr > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/13/2016 at 08:29

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Yeah, that was my guess, too. And, I mean, I’ve owned three VWs, which have been well known for terrible parking brake systems (including frozen cables). Other than the parking brake handle BREAKING on my first car (and I actually did carry chocks for that), haven’t had a problem with those.

Of course, Prius drivers (at least in the US) are just the type of driver to not use the parking brake for parking ever, so...

Shour, Aloof and Obnoxious > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:32

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Up until last January, I had only owned manuals, and even learned in a manual. That makes for 23 years of parking brake use. That’s many years of habitual parking brake application that doesn’t just immediately stop over night.

MarqCars > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:34

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In my Jeep Renegade DDCT (Dry Dual Clutch I believe) it has a traditional PRND gear selector.

When I put it in Park it engages the parking brake and then releases it when I shift into Drive and press the accelerator.

Roundbadge > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:35

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I use it every time I park my 5-spd Toyota Tacoma. I also use it in my Honda Accord, but I know my gf doesn’t use it.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:44

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I regularly drive an STi with a stick, so leave it in gear and set the parking brake. Unless it’s in my garage, then I leave it in neutral and set the parking brake. On my truck I generally set the parking brake, especially when parking on an incline. My wife has even gotten in the habit of using the parking brake on her Explorer too.

Klaus Schmoll > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 10/13/2016 at 08:51

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I only leave it in 1st or reverse. Haven’t touched that thing in months.

jminer > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:55

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On my focus manual, yes. On of flex automatic, no. Neither are automatic. The flex has the manual pedal for a parking brake and the focus has the traditional lever.

On a side note, every old truck I have ever owned had a non-functioning parking brake so I didn’t use it there (even when they were sticks) and just found a flat-ish place to park.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:56

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Although my car is an auto, I still use the parking brake (sometimes to the annoyance of manual trans drivers) because I always hurt a little inside when I’m in a car and the driver puts it into park and you feel the car bounce a little bit on the parking pawl. It probably doesn’t hurt the car since the parking pawl is designed to support the car’s weight, but I feel much better about applying the brake. It’s something I’ve done since I got my license. Oh and it has a good old fashioned lever. Not a button, not a switch, not a voice command, I goddamned lever.

Pixel > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:57

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M DD is a manual and I use the parking brake about 80% of the time. Sometimes I just leave it in first or reverse instead.

Once I get the 3-speed overdrive into the ‘64 pickup I will have to use the parking brake, as the Overdrive means it freewheels when it isn’t in overdrive. So when parked, all gears are effectively neutral.

Svend > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 08:57

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Ye’, it takes a bit of getting used to that’s for sure.

I’m told in an emergency I can still push the button and it will work but I’m not sure and don’t want to try it if it all goes Pete Tong.

It releases smoothly from a parking space and stop lights. From outside you can hear a slight whirl as it engages.

I still don’t think I could ever drop the manual gearbox and go for an automatic. To me it’s giving too much away from the connection of driver and car.

J_P_Cars10s > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:02

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Electric parking brare in my Outback....

I hated it at first. Could not stand it. Now that I’m used to it, I dig the extra interior space and ease of use. Push button on, and it automatically let’s go when I let the clutch out.

bhtooefr > Svend 10/13/2016 at 09:07

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My problem with automatics hasn’t been so much, connection between driver and car, as much as... a combination of their impact to driveline efficiency, and how often they either make the wrong decision, or take too long to make the right one. Then again, that could be argued to be part of the lack of connection, it not knowing what I want and doing the right thing when I want it to do it.

That’s actually why I was fine with the Prius’s gearbox - it almost always makes the right decision, and it does it quickly. If I request a certain amount of power, it gives that amount of power to me, in less time than it takes most turbocharged cars to spool their turbo up (even if it requires starting the engine to do so).

bhtooefr > Bourbon&JellyBeans 10/13/2016 at 09:08

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Weird, it’s automatic drivers that are annoyed with me when I set a parking brake on an automatic.

And I’ve got an old fashioned lever on the (manual) Miata, and an old-fashioned push on/push off foot pedal on the Prius.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:10

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I would if the parking brake worked... Sadly because of the automatic, my Jeep’s parking brake didn’t get used enough to stay functional. I mostly miss it when parking on hills. There’s a lot of pressure on that parking pawl, and it takes quite a bit of effort to disengage it. I’m always worried about breaking something.

The Lada always gets the parking brake set (it actually well enough, but will struggle on a steeper slope) and also left in gear simply because I don’t have complete confidence in either system to hold it in place, and redundancy is the best factor of safety.

My buddy’s 2015 Colorado is a little odd to set the parking brake. It’s a foot pedal so there are four evenly spaced pedals in the drivers footwell which is odd until you get used to it. We were doing both the brake and in gear on our roadtrip this weekend, but only because the parking brake hasn’t engaged properly ever since he took it in for the first oil change last week... He’s pretty sure whoever moved it around (at the dealer no less) had no idea how to drive a standard.

Cé hé sin > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:12

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I drive an automatic and never use the handbrake. The last time I had any occasion to try the handbrake (tyre change) the lever pointed skywards without any effect, seemingly because it hadn’t been used for so long it had gone out of adjustment. Hauling on the lever a couple of times got it back working though.

I am careful not to leave the car drop onto the Park pawl though. If it’s on a hill I release the foot brake slowly until the slack has been taken up.

Oh, and in a manual I apply the handbrake after first pushing in the button. He or she who would haul the lever up with a clicking sound is the kind who would eat their first born.

Dru > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:17

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I don’t use it on my Grand Cherokee because it just barely works, and has been that way for the half a decade I’ve owned it. It’s also one of the worst ergonomic designs I’ve ever seen.

I use it every time in my wife’s car even though it’s an auto.

I use it almost every time in the old 4Runner, which is a 5 speed, but tends to be parked on level ground in the garage and left in reverse gear.

Svend > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:21

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My Piglet is a 1.4TSi ACT and the performance is more than enough for what I want. It’s solid, reliable and smooth. You can’t even tell when the engine flicks from two to four cylinder modes and back at all.

DipodomysDeserti > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:22

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I use my parking brake on both my auto and manual cars.

they-will-know-my-velocity > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:22

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I know the pall can wear out or break so I always use the parking brake in an auto.

In my daily, I really dislike keeping the car in gear, so I always use the parking brake. I only put it in gear if I am parked on a hill. (manual)

But the REAL reason I always use the parking brake is that I hate that oh shit feeling of a free rolling car for split second when it’s just in Park and on a slight hill.

Bourbon&JellyBeans > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:25

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Interesting! I’ve never taken shit from another driver in person, but I’ve just seen people online complain about automatic trans drivers setting their parking brake. If anyone asks why I set it, I say, first off, what is it hurting? Secondly, it’s way cheaper to replace a parking brake than it is to replace or fix a transmission. So why take any risk? It’s also a peace of mind thing for me. I like redundancies. If I’m parked on a hill and anything ever happens, there are two systems making sure that the car doesn’t move.

Michael > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:40

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I use the good old foot actuated parking brake on my 4Runner. Good practice all around, and I don’t want to forget when I park on an incline with the boat

TheRealBicycleBuck > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 09:43

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Every vehicle, every transmission, every time. The only time the parking brake isn’t used is on track days.

It helps that our driveway has a fairly steep slope to the street.

DanZman > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 10:03

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This is tricky. In my vette, I always use the parking brake because it’s a stick shift. But, in my truck I never use it unless I’m on a very steep hill or have my trailer. The truck has a column shifter and a foot actuated parking brake. I think if I had a regular car that had traditional console mounted controls, I would use the parking brake more often.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 10:43

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Its kind of funny. I’ve only had automatic cars so far (4 of them)

YES on the 2013 Civic

YES on the 00 V70R

YES on the 08 C30

NO on the 13 Accord

I really hate the way the handbrake feels on the Accord. It just feels cheap and awkward and doesn’t leave me with the desire to pull it. I know that sounds weird but whatever.

JGrabowMSt > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 11:05

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I use the parking brake in my cars when Im parked on a hill/incline. Im also old school and turn the wheel so if something happened, the car wouldnt necessarily just roll away easily.

I have an SL600 and a Magnum. If Im parked on flat ground, I dont typically set the parking brake, but I also have a tendency to put the car in neutral and make sure it isnt going to roll into the lockout.

MGS315 > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 11:12

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Manual here so irrelevant/no park option I guess.

Having said that I’ve got a few mates that leave their (manual) car in first when parked. Not even the excuse of being on a hill either. It’s a stupid habit. Whilst I habitually wiggle the stick before turning the key to check for this, I have seen people lurch forward into very nearby walls not checking this first when they use a shared vehicle.

bhtooefr > MGS315 10/13/2016 at 11:15

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Myself, I always park manuals in gear, but I also always set the parking brake.

And, the “does not have a park selection” options are basically for manuals and the few SMGs that don’t have a park pawl.

CaptDale - is secretly British > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 12:23

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Mine is a manual (park with gear in reverse), but even in other cars I always apply it when parking.

DynamicWeight > Bourbon&JellyBeans 10/13/2016 at 12:34

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I agree, I set the parking brake before my foot leaves the brake pedal. I just like that nothing in the transmission is under any kind of load or stress as the truck sits there. Funny thing though, I am so used to doing it that I do it automatically when I park either my mom or girlfriend’s car. This annoys them because they are both pretty small, and apparently they struggle to disengage the lever after I have “pulled it too hard”.

Jayhawk Jake > MGS315 10/13/2016 at 12:43

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Better safe than sorry, I always set my brake. I try to put it in gear as well but sometimes I forget

Bourbon&JellyBeans > DynamicWeight 10/13/2016 at 14:24

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I can relate. Lol

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > bhtooefr 10/13/2016 at 22:47

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Always park in gear. In the last couple years, I have also started to always park with the parking brake. I used to just leave it in gear, but that meant the parking brake used to not get worked/adjusted. Since I’m driving with the mindset of building up more miles on my vehicles now, I am applying the thought of keeping the parking brake relevant, in addition to the additional safety.

Justino6969 > bhtooefr 10/14/2016 at 00:24

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My car is manual and even thought I leave it in gear I always use a parking brake. I decided to rip it around a turn the other day and now it’s kind of loose. Still holds, but need to pull it much further to not roll away. I should probably look at that.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > bhtooefr 10/14/2016 at 07:58

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sometimes. Yes if on a hill or slope.

Shoop > bhtooefr 10/16/2016 at 22:44

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Ive got a foot operated one in my truck.

I use it when im on a steep hill where thered be a lot more pressure on the pawl then usual. I also set the brake before I let of the footbrake so less pressure is on the pawl as well. The parking brake takes quite a bit of force to set, so its annoying to use regularly.

When I drove a volvo with a hand brake, Id set it every time. Force of habit.