When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Electronic parking brakes are straight out of idiocracy.
Whatever maroon came up with the idiotic idea of a parking brake operated by an electric switch needs to go to the same hell as the intellectual infant who though push button electric doors were an improvement. Remember idiot lights? I'm inventing a new term; idiot switches.
Keeping a parked car from rolling away is only ONE of the three primary functions of the parking brake. Unfortunately without a handle attached to a physical cable that can be modulated, almost all of the usefulness of a parking brake is eliminated. For those millennials who don't know, we used to call it an E brake when the E stood for 'emergency'. If there is some catastrophic hydraulic failure, that lever attached to a steel cable would allow the driver to manually operate the rear brakes and bring the car to a controlled stop. The other thing it was good for was taking off on steep inclines with a manual transmission; one foot on the clutch, one on the gas and one hand on the parking brake to eliminate roll back. None of which we can do with the new idiot switch.
The other thing I don't get is; why would you remove the E brake handle on a sports car? Sure, in an SUV that pedal down by the kick panel is fine, but most guys in sports cars (at one point or another) use them to do fun stuff - especially these days when drifting is practically an Olympic sport.
I just don't get the electronic parking brake. In fact, I hate them with a fire to burn a thousand suns. I hate them almost as much as I lothe and despise 'infotainment systems'. Seriously, stop fixing stuff that isn't broken GM and stop putting features that should be relegated to minivans in the Corvette.
Last edited by StreetLegalH2R; 03-04-2017 at 01:15 AM.
Welcome to today's world. Most modern cars, sports or not have an electric parking brake. What does the color maroon have to do with anything?
Its a Bugs Bunny-ism. He used to say 'what a maroon' when he was insulting someone. That said, 'modern' doesn't necessarily mean improved. Are movies today any better than they were 40 years ago? Are books? Schools? Dating? Society? Time marches on but we continue to regress socially and intellectually. Hence the reference to Idiocracy. It wasn't broke, they shouldn't have fixed it. In doing so they made it worse.
Last edited by StreetLegalH2R; 03-04-2017 at 04:32 AM.
I've never used a parking brake to prevent rollbacks and I've never used it to drift, so I'm ok with the E-Brake. I rarely use it.
Congratulations. I guess since you don't need it, no one does. Sarcasm aside, you'll wish you had it the first time you go for the brakes and the pedal hits the floor.
I hope you at least appreciate the irony of still calling it an E-brake, which is short for 'emergency brake' - a function it no longer actually performs.
Last edited by StreetLegalH2R; 03-04-2017 at 04:34 AM.
The car does not have an emergency brake. It has a parking brake with HSA, and no I won't miss an emergency brake because I'm not into the Fast and Furious style of drifting with a parking brake. IMO, this is not something worth complaining about.
I like the E E brake.
If you need to start up a hill, the car has hill assist built in.
You're maybe a little too upset bout this.
Did you forget to pull it and your car roll away?
Also, leave the car in gear and it won't roll away.
I see no issues but to each their own.
Carry on
Whatever maroon came up with the idiotic idea of a parking brake operated by an electric switch needs to go to the same hell as the intellectual infant who though push button electric doors were an improvement. Remember idiot lights? I'm inventing a new term; idiot switches.
Keeping a parked car from rolling away is only ONE of the three primary functions of the parking brake. Unfortunately without a handle attached to a physical cable that can be modulated, almost all of the usefulness of a parking brake is eliminated. For those millennials who don't know, we used to call it an E brake when the E stood for 'emergency'. If there is some catastrophic hydraulic failure, that lever attached to a steel cable would allow the driver to manually operate the rear brakes and bring the car to a controlled stop. The other thing it was good for was taking off on steep inclines with a manual transmission; one foot on the clutch, one on the gas and one hand on the parking brake to eliminate roll back. None of which we can do with the new idiot switch.
The other thing I don't get is; why would you remove the E brake handle on a sports car? Sure, in an SUV that pedal down by the kick panel is fine, but most guys in sports cars (at one point or another) use them to do fun stuff - especially these days when drifting is practically an Olympic sport.
I just don't get the electronic parking brake. In fact, I hate them with a fire to burn a thousand suns. I hate them almost as much as I lothe and despise 'infotainment systems'. Seriously, stop fixing stuff that isn't broken GM and stop putting features that should be relegated to minivans in the Corvette.
Ah. What's up, Doc?
I too miss the manual brake and yes, I too used it for keeping me from rolling backwards at stop lights when the maroon behind me left me little to no rolling room. It was how I was taught to drive...
I gave in to the clear signal that it was time to buy the A8. Nice tranny, but certainly a less engaging way to drive. I grump about it occasionally but I focus instead on the 650/650 available to my right foot. 🙂
I too dislike the electric switch. I'm sure it's possible to have a pull handle that still operates in an electric pull-by-wire system allowing modulation (probably with less feel). But this binary on/off sucks. If the engineers really wanted brownie points they'd have put a handle operated hydraulic brake in.
Last edited by spearfish25; 03-04-2017 at 07:53 AM.
I just don't get the electronic parking brake. In fact, I hate them with a fire to burn a thousand suns. I hate them almost as much as I lothe and despise 'infotainment systems'. Seriously, stop fixing stuff that isn't broken GM and stop putting features that should be relegated to minivans in the Corvette.
The electric parking brake on my 2015 Chevrolet Impala LTZ went bad at around 10,000 miles. I was on my way to the VA hospital one morning and I get an idiot light in the instrument cluster. I must be an idiot because I had never seen it before and had no idea what it was. Anyway, I get to the hospital and have to pull the manual out of the glove compartment to see what the light is for. The manual says it's the electric parking brake and it should be serviced immediately. Long story short, it was at the dealership for several days. They had to pull the dash apart to repair something with the wiring. I'm with you. Whatever happened to good old fashioned "lever" parking brakes?
Last edited by DevilDog II; 03-04-2017 at 07:57 AM.
I too miss the manual brake and yes, I too used it for keeping me from rolling backwards at stop lights when the maroon behind me left me little to no rolling room. It was how I was taught to drive...
🙂
By reading the owners manual you will discover that if you use the electric brake it will automatically disengage when you start to move the car by applying some throttle.
It does this with an M7. Since I don't have an A8 I have not tried it with that transmission.
As to hill assist it only keeps you from rolling backwards for a short time, like a second or two. If that is not long enough for your tastes or you want to take your foot off the brake while waiting on a hill, use the parking brake.
Those with the M7 ought to have the car with a hand-brake so they can bond and be more engaged with the "emergency brake". Us with an A8 don't need a E-brake!
On my C6, as the months went by in ownership, it would wear out. Then i would have to pull the e-brake so far up, the stick is almost looking up at the roof of the car lol.
The other stuff you mentioned about doing a e-brake assist on hills or doing drifting pertains to a very SMALL crowd.
I have never use an e-brake to drift, (in a RWD car?? lol) and i never used an e-brake on an hill.
Actually wait i take it back. I used it ONCE EVER. And this was about a year into me driving manual and the hill was like a 45 degree incline in rush hour traffic. Which was the worst drive home from work i ever had btw lol.
Other than that, the electronic parking brake is the best thing.
Congratulations. I guess since you don't need it, no one does. Sarcasm aside, you'll wish you had it the first time you go for the brakes and the pedal hits the floor.
I hope you at least appreciate the irony of still calling it an E-brake, which is short for 'emergency brake' - a function it no longer actually performs.
I don't mind it either. And you'll never lose hydraulic brakes in a dual-circuit master anyway, unless you deserve to (ie: you screw up the brakes somehow).
In that case you simply pull the switch. Yes I've tried it and yes it works. It's not as easy to modulate as a mechanical lever, but since those ratchet anyway, you're not modulating anything in your hypothetical "emergency" braking situation anyway, I don't think.
Some cars allow you to automatically set the brake upon parking, which you can't (easily) do with a mechanical lever.
They could also use it for hill-start assist, perhaps they do, I don't know. So there are actual benefits to the electronic system as well.
That said, I'd probably prefer a manual parking brake (it's not an E-brake) if the handle were discreet (or beautiful) but it's not an all-consuming passion for me.
The parking brake on a C5 or C6 will not stop it from speed. It is too small. Will just heat fade. Kinda like spring brakes on big trucks. You loose the air you will crash. But cars have dual hydraulic systems. So not much chance both will fail..
By reading the owners manual you will discover that if you use the electric brake it will automatically disengage when you start to move the car by applying some throttle.
It does this with an M7. Since I don't have an A8 I have not tried it with that transmission.
As to hill assist it only keeps you from rolling backwards for a short time, like a second or two. If that is not long enough for your tastes or you want to take your foot off the brake while waiting on a hill, use the parking brake.
Yes, I knew it had an electric brake before I bought it and yes, I knew that it would automatically disengage. The action is identical to the GTI's electric brake. Still wasn't a fan of the change from the C6Z's hand brake.
I got over my diaappointment the moment I fired up the LT4 in track mode and almost hurt myself by smiling "too big".
All of the cars I purchased in the past few years have the e-brake...including my Z and my 911 TTS. I have no issue with them...and it takes up less space in the cabin, which I appreciate.
I rarely use it, as when you come to a stop, if the rotors are hot...the e-brake can cause them to warp. I got used to not using them with my steel-braked cars and have never bothered with my CCB cars.
I don't need (and never did) the hill assist function.
Also never liked when the cables rusted and stretched out from over tension or lack of usage.
E-brake is just fine for me...cuz I'm a maroon, and it's definitely a huge improvement over the manual cable brakes of yore.
Last edited by FastestBusaAround; 03-04-2017 at 01:52 PM.
03-04-2017, 01:14 AM
Electronic parking brakes are straight out of idiocracy.
