Bedding in parking brake shoes

[mlc]

Olaf,

I cant agree more. I read Pauls comment earlier in the day and it struck that this is a guy that never had a total brake failure and had to rely on the handbrake!

I have only ever had a total brake failure once, but it means that I am now paranoid about ensuring that I have a good handbrake. Its also worth noting that the IAM expect drivers to check the footbrake at the start of every journey, this still confuses my kids because why should I need to gentlly brake before pulling off the drive each morning.

O to be young again

Mark.

 

[Myros]

more stuff

When I was a driving instructor (many years ago), I used to hammer home that the handbrake was indeed an emergency brake, which just happened to be used mainly to assist with parking and hill starts. Keep on thinking of it that way and you won't take it for granted.
7 clicks on my C's pedal parking brake would have me in paroxysms of paranoia. One click holds it on my street of about 15degree slop, two just for safety. Three is an effort and four requires thighs like a footballer.
The SL had its MOT yesterday, and passed the retardation test on three clicks, which holds it on my street. Four stalls the big motor quite happily.

Incidentally, the DOT correct way to release a handbrake is lift the lever slightly while pressing the button. Keeping the button depressed, lower the lever to the bottom of its travel. Release the button. To apply the handbrake, press the button, raise lever to required level, release button.
Anything else gets you a fail on your test, and wears out the mechanism on your new found emergency brake, so that when you do need it to stay on while you use both hands to fight a bucking steering wheel in the face of a rapidly approaching and fatal hazard, it lets you down and you go to meet the great mechanic in the sky.

Nothing like a bit of realistic apprehension to temper your driving habits.
You should try a front wheel blowout at motorway speeds and how it affects your composure.

 

[paulcallender]

Just to give an update: initially the parking brake was as good as it was before - 7-8 clicks and it could hold the car. But over the next month or so (800 miles) it 'went away'; I also used the parking brake (deliberately) whilst the car was moving, to try and bed the shoes in.

I've just adjusted it, for info it took 12-14 'clicks' of the adjusters to bring the shoes closer, to the correct position.

Now its absolutely great, the retardation on parking brake alone is easy enough to stop the car in an emergency (it can't lock the rear wheels, though), I'd say it gives more brake effect than you'd normally use in day-day driving.