Information Handbrake - Caution !!!!

Birchall

Birchall

Dick Chown Award 2016
Ever since Hilary had the unfortunate incident where her car rolled away I have been extra cautious with the handbrake, or so I thought !!!!!!!

i always give it a fair tug to make sure. But fortunately there are no real hills in our area.

Today I went to High Wycombe on the way to program some keys for Davud S. near his home was a "proper" hill and some traffic lights so I put the handbrake on very firmly. A couple of extra notches.

I was shocked to see just how freely the car rolled backwards so I clicked another notch on and it still rolled back a little. In the end I had given it FOUR more clicks that I woukd EVER use.

So please check your handbrake on a proper hill and see for yourself just how hard the handbrake has to be pulled to stop the car rolling. You may be shocked.

I mi believe that in my case, because I never park on hills my handbrake was never fully engaged and the mechanism hadn't settled properly.

Please don't get caught out. Check your handbrake first chance you get. And give it an extra notch or two each time you use it, to keep it at its best.

Cheers
Steve B
 
I've always thought the handbrake on drum braked models is rubbish. The handbrake on the fsi and tdi90 is MUCH better. I'd like to do a conversion.
 
I agree Steve. I remember having drums on my 75 tdi and it wasn,t good. New drums are cheap from europarts so i bought some, removed the old ones, brushed off all the old dust and when the new ones were fitted it did improve things slightly.
Ta
Dave
:)
 
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Birchall said:
Ever since Hilary had the unfortunate incident where her car rolled away I have been extra cautious with the handbrake, or so I thought !!!!!!!

i always give it a fair tug to make sure. But fortunately there are no real hills in our area.

Today I went to High Wycombe on the way to program some keys for Davud S. near his home was a "proper" hill and some traffic lights so I put the handbrake on very firmly. A couple of extra notches.

I was shocked to see just how freely the car rolled backwards so I clicked another notch on and it still rolled back a little. In the end I had given it FOUR more clicks that I woukd EVER use.

So please check your handbrake on a proper hill and see for yourself just how hard the handbrake has to be pulled to stop the car rolling. You may be shocked.

I mi believe that in my case, because I never park on hills my handbrake was never fully engaged and the mechanism hadn't settled properly.

Please don't get caught out. Check your handbrake first chance you get. And give it an extra notch or two each time you use it, to keep it at its best.

Cheers
Steve B
Click to expand...

I take no chances where I live!
As well as the handbrake it's always left in reverse gear just in case lol
The handbrake just wouldn't hold it on tdi drums but rear discs on my fsi do seem better!
 

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My car used to roll on hills which alarmed me more than once. Tony at A2Cars adjusted my handbrake and when I park I now ratchet the handbrake (it's self-tightening), I also always put the car in gear.
These are wear parts so it's no shock given our cars' ages, well worth mentioning Steve!
 
Basically, and especially if you have rear drums, make sure that you "exercise" the handbrake mechanism from time to time.
Pull it on firmly to stretch both cables into shape and get the mechanism moving freely.

On steep hills, with the handbrake firmly applied, turn the steering towards the kerb and use reverse or first gear as an additional measure.

But as I say, use the handbrake fully and regularly and it should be good enough.

Steve B
 
I too can vouch for the major difference between rear drums and discs. :p

Discs certainly seem to hold the car better on hills, with far fewer clicks needed. Swapping to discs on the rear axle would definitely be a nice upgrade, but I've never really looked into what's needed. I'm fairly sure I've seen a how to on here though. :)

Regards,

Matt.
 
Believe me I've given this plenty of thought too!

But also here is a point of interest which won't affect most of you...

My seat position is set at the furthest forward possible and therefore I am applying the handbrake reaching far behind.
Mechanical disadvantage and very poor leverage. Also find it difficult to release the handbrake when anyone else applies it.
So my routine is now to leave in fourth gear, apply handbrake, push seat right back and apply few further notches so very firmly on.

I've been surprised how much further I could apply the handbrake

Hilary
 
YorkshireHill said:
So my routine is now to leave in fourth gear
Hilary
Click to expand...

Not sure if the use of 4th gear is easier for you to engage but the lower ratios of first or reverse gear enhance the engine 'braking' effect and do more to prevent the car rolling on an incline.

Cheers Spike
 
I always leave it in 1st or reverse (either upwards, or towards the nearest kerb / wall / hedge), even if parked on the flat. Heard of too many cars of every make rolling away even when the handbrake is on. And this also discourages pranksters ...

Birchall said:
... make sure that you "exercise" the handbrake mechanism from time to time.
Pull it on firmly to stretch both cables into shape and get the mechanism moving freely. ...
Click to expand...

I wonder if I overdo this lol, I do put it on pretty firmly. Pretty much need the handbrake re-adjusted every time I have a service, back to 4 clicks from about 10 - 12 clicks. Tony has just rebuilt the drums pretty much completely so it'll be interesting to see if that changes.
 
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Once visited a friend in our 1.6 FSI and parked next to his house. When I left an hour later I found the car 100 yards further down the road 'parked' on the other side where it had gently rolled into a green bank. Very luckily there were no cars around and no damage done at all.

When I checked the car the handbrake was on but not as tight as it could have been. From then on it was parked in gear everywhere.
 
One of the potential issues with rear disc can occurs when the brakes are hot. As the discs and pads cool they contract and the handbrake may loose its 'bite'

Cheers Spike
 
spike said:
Not sure if the use of 4th gear is easier for you to engage but the lower ratios of first or reverse gear enhance the engine 'braking' effect and do more to prevent the car rolling on an incline.

Cheers Spike
Click to expand...

Interesting debate. Here's my reasoning...

If the car is moving there would be maximum engine braking in first gear. When the car is moving, wouldn't the maximum braking be produced by putting into fourth (or fifth) gear?

Hilary
 
Oh Sorry I made a mistake above. I meant to say if the car is stationary wouldn't there be maximum braking in fourth?

Example.: if the car is stationary and you let the clutch out in first, it will probably move

If you let the clutch out in fourth, it will probably stall


Does engine braking work the other way round when the car is stationary?
 
YorkshireHill said:
Oh Sorry I made a mistake above. I meant to say if the car is stationary wouldn't there be maximum braking in fourth?

Example.: if the car is stationary and you let the clutch out in first, it will probably move

If you let the clutch out in fourth, it will probably stall


Does engine braking work the other way round when the car is stationary?
Click to expand...

Yes,

First gear gives maximum resistance with the engine off, 4th gives a much reduced resistance, so 1st (or reverse) is best when preventing a car from rolling away

Steve B
 
Hello all,

I assume it is best such that when parked facing downhill, it is best to leave the car in 1st gear as opposed to reverse so that should the car move, the engine will rotate in its normal direction? Is that correct?

Damage is likely if the engine were to rotate backwards even slightly I assume?

Thanks,

Matt.
 
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