am I driving wrong ? uphill traffic clutch ect ..

[owas]

Say if im in uphill traffic thats very start stop, i find the biting point with the foot brake on, let go of the foot brake and give it enough gas to move a little .. i usually just pull off like this too instead of using the handbrake

I have a feeling im doing this wrong though ? As I'm reading a lot of people saying you shouldn't use the brake/clutch like that but seeing a lot of people that do.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Your choice what you do. Strictly, as in driving test situations, you should use handbrake but as long as you have full control (ie brake to stop rolling backwards) then I don't see how anyone can say it is wrong.
Personally I use the handbrake in our Skoda- but that is my choice. In my Smart it has a hill hold that keeps brakes applied for a few seconds after releasing pedal which means handbrake not required. Same with automatics - the gearbox holds the car.
Last year I had to retake my driving test due to health issues (post stroke). I was given a new manual car for the test with electric handbrake. That was just a switch to apply and you had to rev engine quite hard to avoid stalling when releasing clutch to get the handbrake to disengage. Didn't like that one bit !

 

[rtbcomp]

Say if im in uphill traffic thats very start stop, i find the biting point with the foot brake on, let go of the foot brake and give it enough gas to move a little .. i usually just pull off like this too instead of using the handbrake

.............

There's always a risk of stalling, but if you "heel and toe" the brake & gas pedals with your right foot you can get the revs on whilst holding the car on the footbrake. I prefer to use a conventional handbrake.

The worse thing you can do is ride the clutch in this situation.

I once had a go in a Jeep that had a foot operated parking brake - that was fun pulling away.

 

[cumbriasteve]

Not sure how accurate the advice I was given is but was always told never to sit with the foot brake depressed for any period more than a couple of seconds, retaining heat from the pads onto the small area of a stationary disc can cause distortion to develop and the handbrake should be applied instead, with most modern cars now having discs on the rear I suppose that's a load of rubbish now.

Mine has something called hill assist, basically holds the brake until the car moves forward, removes all chances of rolling back, there are more and more gadgets removing the need for driving skills, the damn things park themselves, vibrate the wheel if you nod off and wander over the line and start the wipers if it's raining.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I once had a go in a Jeep that had a foot operated parking brake - that was fun pulling away.

I had to do the school run in rush hour Brussels traffic for 2 weeks and used a LHD Merc with foot operated handbrake. Think about it - handbrake was on left of clutch pedal so after braking / operating clutch you had to then select neutral so you could lift your left foot off clutch pedal and engage handbrake. Then it was foot back down on clutch and select gear. Right PIA in heavy traffic.
My Mahindra MM540 has an "umbrella" handbrake however it's under the dash and virtually impossible to reach when driving and impossible when wearing seatbelt !

 

[rtbcomp]

........ with most modern cars now having discs on the rear I suppose that's a load of rubbish now.
...........

A lot of cars with rear discs still have drums for the handbrake. As a disc cools it contracts away from the pads reducing the friction, whereas a drum contracts onto the shoes increasing the friction.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Not sure how accurate the advice I was given is but was always told never to sit with the foot brake depressed for any period more than a couple of seconds, retaining heat from the pads onto the small area of a stationary disc can cause distortion to develop and the handbrake should be applied instead, with most modern cars now having discs on the rear I suppose that's a load of rubbish now.

Electric handbrakes on rear callipers are proving to be a problem. The switch applies the handbrake and people have come back to the car only to find it has rolled away. Theory is disc contracts when cooled and thus pads pressure not so strong. With cable handbrakes, including electric types that pull a cable on drum braked cars, the cable stretched slightly so takes into account heat contraction automatically. I believe Vauxhall have gone back to traditional cable handbrake on the Astra.

 

[owas]

I have a 300tdi disco, so no fancy driving aids
don't seem to have an any issue pulling off the steepest of hills without the handbrake, as long as I've got the clutch at biting point it holds it for the short time it takes to move to the gas pedal, then i release the clutch and off i go, never stalled (apart from the first day i had it and that was the hill on my drive )

Ive just heard about it being damaging for the engine to do it like this and being something you should never do, cant be bothered to keep putting the hand brake on and off every time i stop on a hill.


I have to hear the ratchet to feel confident the handbakes on, would be paranoid with a electrical switch.

 

[rtbcomp]

.........
I have to hear the ratchet to feel confident the handbakes on, would be paranoid with a electrical switch.

Tut Tut! You should press the button, apply the brake and release the button. If you rattle the ratchet it will eventually wear and there's a chance it will fail - although your Disco will have rusted away first I suppose.

 

[owas]

Tut Tut! You should press the button, apply the brake and release the button. If you rattle the ratchet it will eventually wear and there's a chance it will fail - although your Disco will have rusted away first I suppose.

Not using it much helps
I really should get round to welding up the holes I've found on it .. doesnt look anything like usual disco rust though, just what you'd expect from a 18 year old car.

 

[zx9]

I had to do the school run in rush hour Brussels traffic for 2 weeks and used a LHD Merc with foot operated handbrake. Think about it - handbrake was on left of clutch pedal so after braking / operating clutch you had to then select neutral so you could lift your left foot off clutch pedal and engage handbrake. Then it was foot back down on clutch and select gear. Right PIA in heavy traffic.
..........................

Just like my Vito, I got used to it very quickly, so used to it I occasionally try applying the non existant foot operated parking brake in the Audi !

 

[piman]

Hello Owas,

if it's going to be more than a couple of seconds put the handbrake on. The brake lights are annoying to many drivers, myself included, and are a real distraction particularly at night. Unfortunately it seems to be more common as time goes on.

Alec

 

[Bill Edwards]

Yes, brake discs do warp if you keep the pressure on them while they're hot. Of course some cars have drums for the parking brake as well as the discs.
This isn't really something to worry about round town/stop start traffic though because they aren't getting hot. But pull off a country road where you've been braking, a motorway slip road etc and you could warp them, so you should keep moving or use the parking brake.

As to using the brakes as described by the OP it's fine for the car provided you aren't holding it on the clutch for any length of time (you'll wear it out).
Some have an issue with the bright brake lights such as piman above, but that's the only real argument against it provided you have control over the pedals as most people have. Driving schools teach to use the handbrake, but you can then learn to drive instead.

Yes, the foot operated pedal used on the old Mercs is a pain. Clearly very little thought was given to how it would be to use on the manual version.

 

[Kayos]

In both the van and the pug I can hold the bite point with no revs, come off the brake and set off, no heel to toe or handbrake needed on any hill. However they are both biggish diesel engines in relatively small motors, 2.0 hdi in a 206 and a 2.5 cdti in the vivaro

 

[Robotstar5]

I prefer to use the handbrake for all but the shortest stops, as above, holding on the footbrake annoys the driver behind, but use the button, not the ratchet.

The handbrake on your car (and other Land Rovers) has a transmission brake which means when you release the footbrake the car will roll a couple of inches on the handbrake, slightly un-nerving when you first try it also do not apply the handbrake while the vehicle is rolling as it can damage the rear diff.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Hello Owas,

if it's going to be more than a couple of seconds put the handbrake on. The brake lights are annoying to many drivers, myself included, and are a real distraction particularly at night. Unfortunately it seems to be more common as time goes on.

Alec

Had exactly that sitting in traffic behind a BMW Mini One the other day. I was just about to ask the driver to put the handbrake on, when we all moved off. Maybe to do with relative heights, but it was seriously blinding.

 

[daleyd]

Had exactly that sitting in traffic behind a BMW Mini One the other day. I was just about to ask the driver to put the handbrake on, when we all moved off. Maybe to do with relative heights, but it was seriously blinding.

Maybe an automatic? Also on new cars with start stop you have to keep your foot on the brake otherwise the engine starts again (it does In the missus vw anyway)

Personally the glare from brake lights when stopped doesn't particularly bother me too much, if anything it actually reminds people you are actually stopped.

 

[rtbcomp]

........You should press the button, apply the brake and release the button. .........

Unless you have a fly-off handbrake. On these you apply the brake and push the button to hold it on the ratchet. To release lift the lever slightly and let go (of the lever).

 

[owas]

I prefer to use the handbrake for all but the shortest stops, as above, holding on the footbrake annoys the driver behind, but use the button, not the ratchet.

The handbrake on your car (and other Land Rovers) has a transmission brake which means when you release the footbrake the car will roll a couple of inches on the handbrake, slightly un-nerving when you first try it also do not apply the handbrake while the vehicle is rolling as it can damage the rear diff.

I thought my hand brake didn't work at first when it rolled back, was a tight gap maneuvering onto my drive and I almost hit my neighbours car

 

[Robotstar5]

Unless you have a fly-off handbrake. On these you apply the brake and push the button to hold it on the ratchet. To release lift the lever slightly and let go (of the lever).

I converted my first Mini to flyoff handbrake, helped with handbrake turns although did cause a few problems at MOT time.