[ember1205]

Originally Posted by WVaSS

Agree! HATE electronic parking brakes. Especially on a performance car like the Camaro. I'm sure it was a cost saving measure. Obviously it wasn't a deal breaker for me. But if my car were a daily driver that was going to see winter use it might have been. I can't imagine facing a long, steep, snow covered, downhill road without a proper handbrake. Plus for me it's just an ingrained part of parking a car. Pulling up on that handbrake lever, is just how it is done. Not to mention HANDBRAKE TURNS!

Originally Posted by WVaSS

Apologies. But that is exactly what I'm referring to. Descending a snow covered slick slope and depending on ABS to provide any useful assistance is, IMHO completely optimistic. Using a mechanical hand brake is a far safer and superior method of controlling your rate of descent and vehicle attitude. Again apologies for condescension. Also there are situations where a driver may need the handbrake for either stopping, or again adjusting the attitude or direction of the car. I don't like the electronic parking brake as it takes those tools out of my hands. It may well function to slow the car in a emergency but no way will it offer any useful control. Hey I bought the car knowing it and accepting that limitation. I still wouldn't want to drive it down a snowy hill relying on engine braking and ABS. Not knocking ABS, it's excellent and mostly does a far superior job at braking than I'm capable of. This is not true under snow and ice conditions.

An e-brake / parking brake operates only the rear brakes. Since far more than half of the stopping power for a vehicle comes from the front brakes, you get pretty much no help from the rears when they're used along. Do that on a slippery surface, and you're asking to lock them up and create a situation where you will have LESS control, not more.

As you mentioned, the controllers in cars can pulse a brake far more quickly than most people (race drivers have been shown to have better braking abilities than at least some of the ABS systems), but keep in mind that ABS isn't just a modulated application - there are sensors that are detecting lock-up at each wheel. No matter how good you are with an e-brake handle, you can't detect and respond to each rear wheel's specific condition individually.

Originally Posted by MovieGuy

What I don't like about it is you can't use it as a backup if your brakes ever go out like you could with the manual style.

I don't like that I don't have a way to teach tailgaters that they're following too closely without lighting up the brake lights. A quick, but firm, pull on a manual brake and they get real alert real quick, and you're gone once you hit the gas.

Originally Posted by irobles3680

Hi,

My e brake actually failed today, was literally driving when I got an alert on dash that my electronic e brake needed maintanance, I stop and tried to use e brake and nothing car kept moving forward, I drive a manual trans so I was scared as I was at work and couldn’t park car anywhere. After a few restarts car alert went off and enrage worked again, should I be concerned? Thinking about taking to dealer but I have a lot of aftermarket engine parts but nothing on brakes

If you're pointing uphill, first gear. Downhill, reverse.

Originally Posted by Silverado57

Motorcycles park in gear all the time without any kind of brake. Your car will be fine parked in gear.

I have no issues with the E Brake. In fact, I prefer it to using a pedal or lever. Welcome to the 21st century.

Motorcycles aren't a good comparison here. They are far lighter than a car or truck, which gives them far less mass to potentially be able to turn the engine over and move. Additionally, they have a "stick on the ground" in the case of the kickstand that can and does offer some additonal resistance to movement, especially in the forward direction.

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

The owner's manual is not clear on this point - it only mentions
which could be either mechanical pressure via the e-Pbrake or hydraulic pressure in the service brake system (via the ABS system).

Your comment is in reference to the Hill Start Assist feature and whether it's done via the e-brake or something else (I added this because the comment you quoted didn't also come through). My guess is that it's done via the e-brake and not the hydraulic system for the following reasons:

- In my truck, the Hill Start Assist feature will -also- engage the brakes on my equipment trailer and those are electronically / electrically controlled.

- The hydraulic system would seemingly have to also apply brake pressure to the front brakes and that would likely be far more pressure than necessary to hold the vehicle until drivetrain movement is detected to be coming from the engine. You want "just enough" braking pressure to keep the car from rolling from this feature, and rear only (applied via e-brake) would seem to be more than enough.

Originally Posted by Val Walkinshaw

Honest question:
Why do people with an automatic trans use an epb?


Seems unnecessary once the vehicle is in park. I'm 40. In all my auto trans vehicles I've never used the parking break. Going down a hill in snow...that's what neutral is for. Much better than ABS for my driving style.

I use the epb sometimes with my manual but not always. Neutral, ignition off, shifter in first gear, done.

Have you ever parked on a steep incline, parked WITHOUT the use of a parking brake, and then tried to shift OUT of Park? The pressure on the transmission is significant when you have almost two tons of mass being held back by the parking pawl... Set the e-brake, shift to Park, release the brake pedal. On significant inclines, turn the wheels (uphill, left and downhill, right - reverse for the UK), let the car settle against the curb, set the e-brake, shift to park, release the brake pedal.