Do You Use The Emergency Brake?

[Floyd]

We have a emergency brake? I know we have a parking brake; but not a emergency brake.

I use mine almost exclusively for emergency maneuvers in a moving vehicle,
Also for fun, but "joy stick" was already taken.
Guess the name you use should follow the function!

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[BassRanger]

The driver seat in the Ranger feels very similar to my Mustang, so I get sporadic muscle memory glitches where I'm reaching for a non-existent clutch pedal and parking the truck with the E-brake and forgetting to put it in park.

 

[OFC Ranger]

I always pull it up when parked. Just habit from the old days of driving a manual.

Or when I watch some Intial D from my youth and want to go Ranger drift-o.

 

[Tracy Bowman]

It’s pretty flat where I am, but would use it if parked on a hill.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Early on in my driving days, I got stuck in Park while parked on a hill and had to get help to rock the car while attempting to get it out of Park, with a loud bang! And after seeing the fragile-looking Park pawl and detent in most automatic transmissions, I got in the habit of applying the emergency brake every time I parked, even in the garage; old semi truck habit.

Hi Chris,

We actually have a test procedure for the transmission parking pawl. It is quite severe. The Vehicle is loaded to GVW. It is then driven up a 30% grade (very steep). Stop and place in park and allow the vehicle to roll back to really load up the parking pawl. Then The vehicle is shifted into drive. There is a tremendous BANG from this action. It must survive 10 cycles of this and remain functioning at the end of the test. Parking pawls can have a very hard life....

This same procedure is used a few times during our durability mileage accumulation as well.

best,
Phil

 

[VegasRanger]

In a decline/incline always. So if I park in my driveway, always. If in my garage which is flat, no.

 

[ScrappyLaptop]

i always wondered why people call a parking brake an emergency brake. Kind of the same reason people say "whats the VIN Number"



just my little rant

In the older cars I've driven the emergency brake was cable actuated, to the back wheels only. Just in case the hydraulic brakes stopped working you'd still have rudimentary braking in an emergency, thus the name.

Guessing on this part, but because they had a ratchet and we were instructed to always, always apply them before putting an automatic in Park to keep pressure off the pawl, they were also known as parking brakes?

The annoying thing about VIN Number, ATM Machine, HIV or HPV Virus, NIC Card, DC Comics, UPC Code and so on is when people say the acronym and then say the last word of the acronym, too. This has been labelled RAS Syndrome, or Redundant Acronym Syndrome...Syndrome.

 

[ScrappyLaptop]

My drivers training as a teen was by a retired CHP Sargent. He drilled so many things into our heads and one of them was parking on a hill:
1. curb your wheel so the curb is taking the load
2. set the cable / emergency / parking brake
3. if you are driving an automatic that day, put it in Park. If it's a manual, put it in the gear opposite the way your car would roll downhill (facing uphill, put in 1st. facing downhill, put in reverse).
The idea is to think about what's taking the load & what its backup is.
He usually followed these lessons with really gruesome stories about what he saw happen when people didn't do what he was teaching us. It must've been pretty effective, as I find I still automatically follow every one of them all these years later.

 

[Lone]

I always use mine. And, whilst on the subject, anyone else have trouble with the boot? Mine does not let the lever fully drop and I frequently get the warning chime and brake light. Minor thing, but a bit annoying.

 

[Scott D]

No, it's an automatic and it isn't necessary for me.

My previous two vehicles were 5 speeds and an incident made using the handbrake into a habit. I had parked my '86 Ranger on the street at my parent's house, accidentally leaving it in 2nd gear and leaving the emergency brake off. It rolled around 100 feet down the street and ran into a curb in the opposite side of the road. I was young and a total spaz back then.

 

[Blue Streak]

I voted always. Just old school always use it to keep all parts involved operating properly and keep the load off the transmission. It might be able to take the load but I hate the sound.

 

[KJRR]

Almost always use the parking brake and have used the emergency brake.
Use it or lose it. Being in a northern climate where salt is used tends to lead to the brake getting stuck after a few years. Usually stuck after you pull the handle and then you have your rear brakes dragging. Using it regularly keeps it loose longer than not using it.
Times I don't use it is if I won't be using the vehicle for a few days and its wet or expected to rain. Don't want it to rust to the rotor. Also in the winter when its below freezing. rather not have it freeze to the rotor.
I have had the parking brake fixed on vehicles where its needed like towing vehicles and manuals. I also carry a "parking block" for my manual transmission vehicle. Have that the parking brake let go and a car roll across the street. Always nice to get a knock on your door from the neighbor across the street telling you your car is in their front yard.

 

[SteelWheelDeplorable]

Habit for me drive manual my whole life. I wish the Ranger was a 6sp

 

[forestale]

... It rolled around 100 feet down the street and ran into a curb in the opposite side of the road...

Ahem, I had a similar incident in my 09 ranger. Except I did something really dumb. I was working night shift manufacturing. I took my breaks in my truck in the winter I would run the truck for warmth and have a cigarette (or 2). It was a 5spd and I would obviously idle in neutral but I rarely used my parking brake because it would always get stuck on especially in cold weather. So I'd just sit with my foot on the brake and then put the truck back in gear after. Well one night I forgot the truck in neutral. The parking lot was flat but there was a strong wind and while I was inside working my truck blew approx. 200ft across the half empty parking lot, left no signs of hitting anyone elses car, and rolled down a 12ft embankment and across a 4 lane arterial road ?. I was called by the police lol. They were outside the shop with my truck on a tow. Since it was after midnight the road was quiet and noone got saw it roll. The cops thought maybe I was intoxicated and abandoned the vehicle after running off the road. When I explained the situation they totally let me off the hook but obviously I still had to deal with the tow truck driver. $100 bucks to drop my truck and it was all over. What a close call. The truck had no obvious damage (it was already rather dinged when I bought it) and I drove it for 8 more years lol. Haven't told that story in a while. After that I got the parking brake fixed but it broke again the next winter and I went back to just parking in gear. I only use the parking brake in my new ranger when I'm on a grade.

 

[ScrappyLaptop]

I also carry a "parking block" for my manual transmission vehicle.

When I was in my early 20's I drove a '73 MG Midget for a couple of years. The parking brake was nearly useless (as were the rear drum brakes) so I kept a folding Toyota wheel chock behind the seat. The car was so low and small I could reach the rear wheel from the driver's seat to place & unplace the chock.

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