Will your e-brake save your life?
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 11,520
Likes: 13
From: CORVETTE 77 385 C.I. TEXAS
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Tom73)
One can see that it is clearly a mech. brake system, therefore it was most likely designed as an emergency brake. The term emergency brake seems to have been replaced w/ parking brake, not surprising if one takes into account lawsuits & lawyers & that few of the general public can actually drive well. Granted that it takes a real arm to stop w/ that emergency brake.
Many GM cars have an auto. w/ Park which will have no effect at speed. You can expect a clicking sound.
Many of these same GM cars have a foot operated emergency brake which will work. Not guessing.
:cool:
PS Have no interest in debating this.
Many GM cars have an auto. w/ Park which will have no effect at speed. You can expect a clicking sound.
Many of these same GM cars have a foot operated emergency brake which will work. Not guessing.
:cool:
PS Have no interest in debating this.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 924
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
Don't know what cars you guys have been driving in, but all the cars I've owned had emergency brakes that could slow the car down fairly quick...including my vette. I suggest changing the pads, or adjusting the cable if yours no longer works.
#1 use for an E-Brake.......when "Johnny Law" comes sneaking up on you from behind you can pull the e-brake to slow down without ever lighting the brake lamps.
:D :D :D
Mark
[Modified by 81vette, 9:53 AM 5/31/2002]
#1 use for an E-Brake.......when "Johnny Law" comes sneaking up on you from behind you can pull the e-brake to slow down without ever lighting the brake lamps.
:D :D :D
Mark
[Modified by 81vette, 9:53 AM 5/31/2002]
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 269
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St. Jude Contributor
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (81vette)
Okay, 81vette, lets get to the nitty gritty.
It still bothers me that THERE ARE people out there who say their parking brake WILL slow them down sufficiently. They are a minority, but they are out there.
There must be some secret to it??!?!
Apparently rebuilding isn't a sure fire way.
Has yours worked since you got the car, or did you do something to them?
It still bothers me that THERE ARE people out there who say their parking brake WILL slow them down sufficiently. They are a minority, but they are out there.
There must be some secret to it??!?!
Apparently rebuilding isn't a sure fire way.
Has yours worked since you got the car, or did you do something to them?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 924
Likes: 1
From: Houston Texas
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
Mine worked from the start. All of the GM cars that I've owned had great holding power from the e-brake. Even some of my crazy friends in their imports have used their e-brakes for changing direction at 60 MPH. :lol: I would assume that the reason that most cars don't work as well is because someone drove around with the parking brake on alot, or someone has used the e-brakes extensively for slowing down, or the cables have stretched over the years and need to be re-adjusted. My vote goes for stretched or misadjusted e-brake cables.
Mark
Mark
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 269
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St. Jude Contributor
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (81vette)
I guess that would make sense. You always hear of people rebuilding their parking brake assembly, but not the cable.
I guess I'll get the whole shabang... cables, shoes, SS hardware.
If it doesn't have considerable more stopping power after that, somethings got to be done about these rebuild kits.
I guess I'll get the whole shabang... cables, shoes, SS hardware.
If it doesn't have considerable more stopping power after that, somethings got to be done about these rebuild kits.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,660
Likes: 3
From: South Central Louisiana
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Tom73)
I figured as much Tom, I was pretty sure Chevy never called them emergency brakes. They knew just how well they DONT stop the car. Was gonna look in my manual tonight, glad you confirmed it.... :chevy
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Drifting
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,514
Likes: 1
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (71,454,4spd)
Well in my vette not worth a damn, but in my Suburban at any speed you stomp the "parking brake" pedal and the rears are locked like NOW. The trick is gettin' the suckers to unlock after that :lol: now shes old and shes rusty got 305Kmiles on her 3rd motor, 2nd tranny I've had her 15 years one day I'll take her out back and put her out of her misery :lol: But that "parking brake" has been like that since new.
Scott
Scott
Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,456
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From: Press "2" for English
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
c-3 corvettes don't come with either emergency brakes or parking brakes, they come with 'Keep-The-Car-From-Rolling-Backwards-Down-A-Slight-Grade brakes'. :lol:
mine never worked great to begin with, now they don't work at all since they're sitting in the big wooden crate with all the other original crap i've taken off.
seriously, let's consider what we're asking these things to do: your asking a couple of 6" diameter, 1.5" wide drum brakes to hold (or even stop, yeah, right) a ~3500# car? not gonna happen. the real solution if you really drive your car is to run a separate circuit with individual calipers, like wilwoods, to the rear discs. don't know about you guys, but that is just more cash than i can stand for a car that only sees about 3k miles a year.
mine never worked great to begin with, now they don't work at all since they're sitting in the big wooden crate with all the other original crap i've taken off.
seriously, let's consider what we're asking these things to do: your asking a couple of 6" diameter, 1.5" wide drum brakes to hold (or even stop, yeah, right) a ~3500# car? not gonna happen. the real solution if you really drive your car is to run a separate circuit with individual calipers, like wilwoods, to the rear discs. don't know about you guys, but that is just more cash than i can stand for a car that only sees about 3k miles a year.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,281
Likes: 5
From: Boston
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (81vette)
#1 use for an E-Brake.......when "Johnny Law" comes sneaking up on you from behind you can pull the e-brake to slow down without ever lighting the brake lamps.
:D :D :D
Mark
:D :D :D
Mark
And I also use it to get sideways when it rains.
My ebrake works just fine. It will slow my vette form 60mph to 40 in just seconds, so I think it works fine. It wont work in an emergency if you wnat to stop on a dime but its good enough. (just dont use it in turns, or you'll spin out :D )
Paul