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: Parking Brake Question


G8Smitty
05-14-2008, 09:46 PM
When I apply my parking brake while I am moving there is a poping noise before it engages. My 06 GTO was the same but a little louder. Does anyone else have this? I usually use it for slow highway traffic to gain positions without springing my brake lights on the people that have been kind enough to leave me a little room.
:driving:

Solrac
05-15-2008, 12:31 AM
its not really a hand brake is it? i mean car doesnt stop just keeps moving, thats my experience

G8Smitty
05-15-2008, 08:37 AM
Is that a semantic remark?

Of course the car does stop it slows down that's the point. Mine just makes a poping noise first. I was wondering if anyone else had this issue. Perhaps no one else uses their Parking Brake/Hand Brake/Emergency Brake this way.

h3llphyre
05-15-2008, 08:47 AM
I've never used the parking brake this way. It seems it would be an uneven load on the rear brakes as well. I just use my normal brakes and drive like a normal human being. If I want to drive like an a55, i use the 361hp to do so.

G8Smitty
05-15-2008, 09:36 AM
I see that you are the one that uses 361HP to gain position and then get in front of me only to show me your brake lights. I on the other hand like to switch lanes without having to have the person behind me worry about how quickly I'm going to slow down. My last car 06 GTO was a manual transmission, all you had to do was keep it in a lower gear and let off the accelerator which would slow the car down enough to not disrupt traffic. Since these cars are automatics, you cannot do that since the car is always trying to switch to sixth gear. I suppose I could use manual mode in the automatic, but I don't. The hand brake offers a small amount of braking without the use of brake lights.

Actually I use it to not be an a55. I do it to be kind. I'm not talking about cutting people off.

h3llphyre
05-15-2008, 09:41 AM
I see that you are the one that uses 361HP to gain position and then get in front of me only to show me your brake lights. I on the other hand like to switch lanes without having to have the person behind me worry about how quickly I'm going to slow down. My last car 06 GTO was a manual transmission, all you had to do was keep it in a lower gear and let off the accelerator which would slow the car down enough to not disrupt traffic. Since these cars are automatics, you cannot do that since the car is always trying to switch to sixth gear. I suppose I could use manual mode in the automatic, but I don't. The hand brake offers a small amount of braking without the use of brake lights.

Actually I use it to not be an a55. I do it to be kind. I'm not talking about cutting people off.

Braking without warning to people behind you is dangerous... There is a reason for brake lights :)

I guess in Massachusetts, we're so used to all driving like retards, that it doesn't phase us when people cut in front of us and brake. Overall, driving in this state is much like when you see a flock of swallows. High speed tight maneuvering. Scares the hell out of anyone who hasn't driven in this state before, even NYC drivers. Its come to the point now, where I can tell that someone is going to shift lanes before they do, because the unsaid rule in Mass, is "Never use your directional, it will show weakness".

G8Smitty
05-15-2008, 09:55 AM
I'm obviously not wanting to get plowed from behind. My analogy is I use it like I use the manual transmission in a lower gear.

Most of my city driving experience comes from living in Chicago and Dallas. Things are much different here (KC). What I have noticed here riding around with other drivers is that they overreact to brake lights. Since I am not slowing down to cut anyone off I am just trying to avoid riding the person's a55 in front of me.

Anyway, does your parking/hand/emergency brake pop when you pull it up while you are moving?

h3llphyre
05-15-2008, 11:23 AM
Anyway, does your parking/hand/emergency brake pop when you pull it up while you are moving?

I'll try it tonight and let you know.

1500cc
09-13-2009, 09:35 AM
Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I thought it better than starting a new one ...

Mine does the same thing as Smitty's. While the car is in motion, pulling the emergency brake results in an initial clunk noise from the right-rear brake, every time. (Before another argument ensues, I do this occasionally to try to keep the drums shined up and the mechanism free.) When the dealer was looking at my LCA clunk I asked about this too, but he forgot I said it happens only while in motion, not stopped, so he didn't do anything.

Anyhow, did anyone find the cause of this?

SRG963
09-13-2009, 09:44 AM
Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I thought it better than starting a new one ...

Mine does the same thing as Smitty's. While the car is in motion, pulling the emergency brake results in an initial clunk noise from the right-rear brake, every time. (Before another argument ensues, I do this occasionally to try to keep the drums shined up and the mechanism free.) When the dealer was looking at my LCA clunk I asked about this too, but he forgot I said it happens only while in motion, not stopped, so he didn't do anything.

Anyhow, did anyone find the cause of this?

ROFL, I think you answered your own question ;)

1500cc
09-13-2009, 09:57 AM
ROFL, I think you answered your own question ;)

No car I've ever owned has done this, nor should they (and the G8 didn't do it when new). They call it an emergency brake for a reason ... they're meant to be used while the car is in motion if your hydraulic brakes fail.

jmac
09-13-2009, 10:28 AM
Mine clunks.

Drew
09-13-2009, 10:39 AM
No car I've ever owned has done this, nor should they (and the G8 didn't do it when new). They call it an emergency brake for a reason ... they're meant to be used while the car is in motion if your hydraulic brakes fail.

No it's not, the term "emergency" doesn't have anything to do with getting you OUT of an emergency. The only thing this ONE brake is meant to be used for (it only engages the right, rear brake) is to aid in keeping the car in one place on a hill or incline while parked, so all the stress from the weight of the vehicle isn't on the transmission while in park.

rpiotro
09-14-2009, 09:19 AM
No car I've ever owned has done this, nor should they (and the G8 didn't do it when new). They call it an emergency brake for a reason ... they're meant to be used while the car is in motion if your hydraulic brakes fail.

Yeah, my Dad's '47 Hudson Terraplane had an emergency brake. Cars have had dual circuit brakes for how long now? If the failure of one of the two circuits occurs, the car will still stop better than using the handbrake.

karlinoz
09-16-2009, 05:41 AM
No it's not, the term "emergency" doesn't have anything to do with getting you OUT of an emergency. The only thing this ONE brake is meant to be used for (it only engages the right, rear brake) is to aid in keeping the car in one place on a hill or incline while parked, so all the stress from the weight of the vehicle isn't on the transmission while in park.

Don't think you are correct with that statement, the handbrake operates separate drum brakes on both rear wheels. Correct me if the US has different legislation which forces a manufacturer to have it operate on one wheel only but it certainly doesn't operate on one wheel in Oz.

SRG963
09-16-2009, 07:51 AM
Don't think you are correct with that statement, the handbrake operates separate drum brakes on both rear wheels. Correct me if the US has different legislation which forces a manufacturer to have it operate on one wheel only but it certainly doesn't operate on one wheel in Oz.

I thought we had four-wheel disc brakes ;)

1500cc
09-16-2009, 04:01 PM
No it's not, the term "emergency" doesn't have anything to do with getting you OUT of an emergency. The only thing this ONE brake is meant to be used for (it only engages the right, rear brake) is to aid in keeping the car in one place on a hill or incline while parked, so all the stress from the weight of the vehicle isn't on the transmission while in park.

You might want to trying crawling under your vehicle before making such a statement ... as Karlinoz says, the emergency brakes work on both rear wheels of a G8. And while I agree that the primary purpose is to hold the vehicle while in park, the emergency brake can also be used to slow the car in the event of the total failure of the hydraulic system.

Regardless, the clunking sound in the right rear is not normal. I've never had any other car do it, and the left rear of this car doesn't do it. So I'd like to know what causes it.

kbuckert
09-16-2009, 06:16 PM
I dont want to get owned for this statement, and I have not yet had my disks off...but...from past experience the e-brake operate on the inside of the disk brake just like the old-school drum brakes that are still used on large trucks.

All vehicles are required to have a back-up braking system for safety. If the hydraulic system fails, pulling the hand/emergency brake pulls a cable, which rotates a lever to force 'pads' from a looses, non-contact diameter to a larger diameter and puts them in contact with the drum. The drum on most modern cars is the inside of the disk where it mounts to the hub.

My personal thoughts on the 'clunk' is that as the pads are expanded and come into contact with the drum, they are shifting around slightly until they are tight in position with the solid-mounting bracketry. Again, this is an assumption made from past experiences with a combination of disk & drum brakes.

granatelli
09-18-2009, 11:14 AM
I don't want to sound like Joe Friday, but here are the facts:

There are 2 types of "emergency" brakes. One type is to the left of the standard brake and is on the floor. In the old days, there was a handle near your left knee that said "brake" or "emergency brake" on it. If necessary, you would pull the handle out and then apply the emergency brake on the floor, to the left of the regular brake pedal. Why hold the handle out? Well, if you applied the emergency brake by itself, it would make a ratchet sound and eventually lock up the rear tire.

OK, so the other type is the hand emergency brake. That's the one we have in our G8's. Here is the story - if you are driving down the road, DO NOT pull that handle up without keeping the little thumb knob pushed down. Your hand brake will ratchet and the wheel will lock. If you hold the thumb knob down, you can apply the hand brake similar to your normal brake, it just doesn't work as well. When you are on a hill and ready to shut off the car, after parking, pull up on the hand brake WITHOUT pressing the thumb knob down. The emergency brake will engage. Then, put the car in park. Emergency brake first, then park. Oh, and I usually don't use the emergency brake in the winter as it may occasionally freeze up.

And yes, there is a clunking noise.

SRG963
09-18-2009, 11:25 AM
When you are on a hill and ready to shut off the car, after parking, pull up on the hand brake WITHOUT pressing the thumb knob down. The emergency brake will engage. Then, put the car in park. Emergency brake first, then park. Oh, and I usually don't use the emergency brake in the winter as it may occasionally freeze up.

And yes, there is a clunking noise.

Good points. Always engage the parking brake before shifting out of D or R, this allows your tranny to rest without the strain of gravity :)

Drew
09-18-2009, 12:05 PM
You might want to trying crawling under your vehicle before making such a statement ... as Karlinoz says, the emergency brakes work on both rear wheels of a G8. And while I agree that the primary purpose is to hold the vehicle while in park, the emergency brake can also be used to slow the car in the event of the total failure of the hydraulic system.

Regardless, the clunking sound in the right rear is not normal. I've never had any other car do it, and the left rear of this car doesn't do it. So I'd like to know what causes it.

I stand corrected on the number of wheels this brake works on. But I find it hard to believe that this brake is intended to help you avoid accidents or slow the car down (in any meaningful, substantial way) while doing 60-70 mph on a highway. Yeah, doing 10-15 mph in a parking lot or country road, I can see it being used for that if need be.

EvilMonkey
09-18-2009, 01:32 PM
Good points. Always engage the parking brake before shifting out of D or R, this allows your tranny to rest without the strain of gravity :)

I'm embarrased to admit that I did not know this.

J Wikoff
09-18-2009, 03:04 PM
I didn't think the thumb button did anything but release the parking brake...? The ratchet sound being the catch skipping across the notches in the hold mechanism.

Or do you mean holding the thumb button just allows you to tighten or release the brake at your will?

09g8fan
11-07-2009, 04:18 PM
Ok so has anyone figured out what is causing this?I have just spent the better part of my day sitting at the dealer and with no results, they are just a bunch of grease monkeys where i go.Don't there ass from a hole in the ground.I'm sure if i was allowed back with the tech i would find the problem!

stymous222
06-02-2010, 03:51 AM
Mine does the clunking noise also. Right or wrong I would like to know what is clunking against ,what sounds like the trunk bottom? To me that can not be the e- brake pads. Also does any one with aftermarket brakes have the same problem?

09g8fan
06-02-2010, 02:27 PM
I have'nt been able to pin point where the problem is but my guess is the differential rocking back and forth when you pull on the e-brake while in gear. My friends 03 cobra did the same thing when he would back up and put it in 1st gear without fully stopping. His differential bushings were a little loose.

igneon
06-02-2010, 02:39 PM
I wouldn't use the parking brake while moving - as stated before (and confirmed in the service manual) the parking brake operates small drum brakes on each rear wheel. The pads inside those drums are small compared to the main pads and will wear quickly if you use them while moving.

I use the parking brake to keep pressure off the Park pawl in the transmission. This is especially important on a hill; pressure on the pawl could keep you from shifting out of park because the pawl is supporting the vehicle's weight.

* * *

If you don't want to use your main brakes, just let up on the gas. The engine braking from the L76 is pretty good, especially when you keep the transmission in manual mode.