Will your e-brake save your life?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
St. Jude Contributor
Will your e-brake save your life?
I know everyone hates polls, but I think this is an important one.
I see varying opinions about the stopping power of our C3 E-Brakes.
Someone said it should lock up the wheels going 25mph, others say they're not worth even parking the car.
Personally, mine will hold the car in park, but will not stop forward or backward IDLE movement, god forbid the MC would fail. :eek:
I will soon be ordering the rebuild kit, but have no idea what to shoot for.
So, what kind of E-Brake stopping power do you get?
I see varying opinions about the stopping power of our C3 E-Brakes.
Someone said it should lock up the wheels going 25mph, others say they're not worth even parking the car.
Personally, mine will hold the car in park, but will not stop forward or backward IDLE movement, god forbid the MC would fail. :eek:
I will soon be ordering the rebuild kit, but have no idea what to shoot for.
So, what kind of E-Brake stopping power do you get?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,313
Likes: 0
From: The cure for the blues is eight cylinders roaring
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
I dont use mine because I forget to release them.I burned mine up because my brotherinlaw set them and I did'nt notice it until 20 miles down the road. :rolleyes:
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
the Daze of stick shift cars without parking 'gear' are just about over, sales wise....in general I think it's about 3% of total sales, very small anyway...
in a sports car the percentage is still minority....
and in fact the 'e-brake' is useless as a backup...NO ONE THINKS THAT FAST....and the thing won't work anyway.....barely able to keep the car stopped on a minor incline...let alone a hill.....this is true for the vast majority of cars....
it's a hangover, literally, from the 30's changeover from mechanical brakes that didn't work worth a damn to today's hydraulic systems....
included as a backup system....but today, it's an anachronism pure and simple...
sort of like EGR, air pumps, carbs, and catastrophic converters....
GENE
in a sports car the percentage is still minority....
and in fact the 'e-brake' is useless as a backup...NO ONE THINKS THAT FAST....and the thing won't work anyway.....barely able to keep the car stopped on a minor incline...let alone a hill.....this is true for the vast majority of cars....
it's a hangover, literally, from the 30's changeover from mechanical brakes that didn't work worth a damn to today's hydraulic systems....
included as a backup system....but today, it's an anachronism pure and simple...
sort of like EGR, air pumps, carbs, and catastrophic converters....
GENE
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
Wow... there's actually people on the planet who think their ebrake will save them.
Okay, whoever you are... speak up. What did you have to do? Just rebuild and adjust? New pads? Or have they always worked?
Okay, whoever you are... speak up. What did you have to do? Just rebuild and adjust? New pads? Or have they always worked?
Racer
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 260
Likes: 0
From: Ipswich, MA
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
My parking brake was rebuilt last year with all new stainless hardware. Won't hold at all.....I drove a C5 with only 19K miles and its brake didn't work either. Is it the same design? If it is...it sucks.
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Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 11,322
Likes: 1
From: Living in the Hartland
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (CharlieF)
For about the same price they could have put another smaller caliper on the rear and had a disk parking brake instead of an outdate drum style one.
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? (mrvette)
...NO ONE THINKS THAT FAST....
GENE
GENE
Hope it never comes to it for you & if it does hope you can handle it!
After a bunch of ACCEL. & BRAKE runs, was on the way back when the brakes faded. Since I normally drive fast, not good. Worked for me. Could give other examples in other cars.
...Or have they always worked?...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 3,365
Likes: 5
From: Lake Villa IL
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
I had one of the PROS at Midas spend $90 of my dollars and a whole bunch of his EXPERTISE on my emergency brake. The damn thing actually worked better before he messed with it. And it was cheaper. One of these winters, I'll try to make it work on my own.
The brake should work. It's not impossible.
The brake should work. It's not impossible.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,508
Likes: 0
From: Wisconsin
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
If the emergency brakes don't work I'd rather dump the tranny into reverse than crash into another car/animal. Transmission rebuild would be cheaper.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,700
Likes: 3
From: Lebanon KY
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Schmucker)
My e-brake has never worked. I've fooled with it a few times, but still no go. My car's not a manual, so I'd never use it anyway :smash:
[Modified by corvettemaster, 12:29 AM 5/31/2002]
[Modified by corvettemaster, 12:29 AM 5/31/2002]
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 15,146
Likes: 477
From: NM
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Marc78)
I just took a look at the original specs for my 73's and Chevy does not call it an emergency brake, it is a Parking Brake. In other words it is not designed to stop the car, just to keep it from rolling when parked.
tom...
tom...
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 10,854
Likes: 3
From: HONOLULU HAWAII
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (Tom73)
Mine has all brand new stainless steel parts etc.....never worked properly....however it will hold in reverse.....In an emergency all I have to do is turn on the A/C.....and the car will come to a screeching halt...well....it appears to anyway :jester :seeya Cappy
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
From: Tucson Az
Re: Will your e-brake save your life? (8T1-7T9 BIONIC VETTE)
My E-Brake sure won't save your life. Has never worked but the handle is a nice place to hold the Ball Cap.
Later
Ken
[Modified by thamzid, 4:49 AM 5/31/2002]
Later
Ken
[Modified by thamzid, 4:49 AM 5/31/2002]
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,711
Likes: 43
From: San Antonio TX
Re: Will your e-brake save your life?
You know that cup holder you see in the vendor catalogs? The wooden one that slides over the E-brake handle that holds two drinks? Yeah, that one. Someone finally came up with a practical use for that handle the factory installed between the seats. It otherwise would have no real purpose. I've got mine working as well as it was designed to work but I think I'd have more stopping power by turning the car into the wind.