Do you apply the handbrake waiting at lights?

[danja]

I thought it was pretty straight forward but ok. What are you going to do if when you go to take off and something doesn't work quite right? Your clutch slips a little more than normal, the car in front stalls, you stall? Your not in a position where you are ready to react to something going wrong

You make it sound like I drive without thinking. If the car in front stalls or stops, I can either let clutch slip a bit to hold the car without accelerating, or I can put the clutch back in and get on the brakes if I need to. This happens frequently. For the record I have stalled my current car exactly once, because I let the clutch out without putting it into neutral while I had my foot on the brake. Incidentally, had I done the same with the handbrake on instead I think it's quite likely I would have gone into the back of the car in front!

I don't particularly see the relevance of this however - a fault may develop regardless of how the clutch is used. I could say to you "What if your handbrake cable snaps? Then what are you going to do when you need to hill start? Aren't you putting all your eggs in one basket?".

I drive all over Sydney using this method - have been for years - and Sydney drivers are not known for being saintly or predictable, however I am yet to experience any hairy situations related to how I choose to motivate the car from standing. Your preconceptions about my ability to react to unexpected situations simply because of how I operate the car are incorrect.

I guess because its never happened to you its must have never happened.

You're talking about the "out of control bus coming at you from behind?" scenario? I'm not denying this can or does happen, nor saying it's not worth being prepared for. I will however say that unless you sit there with your hand on the handbrake, ready to take it off at a moments notice, I seriously doubt you'll have a quicker reaction time than I do having only to move my feet 15cm to get moving.

Oh and have a read of this if you think i'm the only one who does it.
"[VIC] Waiting At Lights"

I know you aren't the only one who does it.

You seem to think that people who don't subscribe to your way of doing things must automatically be inferior drivers? You sound like you have good reasons for driving the way you do, as do I. You have irrational fears about the amount of wear that not using the handbrake puts on your clutch, then subjective rationales about why your method is "safer" than others. Why don't you keep on doing what you're doing and I'll do the same eh?

 

[Morton]

For those of you with manuals that don't use the handbrake on hills, how do you sleep at night knowing you put your clutch through that. Your having to catch your car with the clutch, no matter how fast you move gravity is already trying to pull you back.

I don't think you understand... I actually have no idea what you... but... what?

Brakes and clutch are very similar in function - four friction surfaces contacting to transfer torque. I can think of a hundred instances on a daily basis when I feed my clutch more torque than a 1" rollback start on a steep hill.

For the record, I really don't like feeding the trolls in this section of the forum, but I couldn't let this one go.

That is all.

 

[dropkick Murphy]

I learnt to drive in an HQ with one of those column mounted hand brakes which were never used apart from during the warrant test because they would **** out so easily.
As a result I still never use the handbrake apart from, doing mean slidies in da gravel ae

 

[SS245]

I don't think you understand... I actually have no idea what you... but... what?


Brakes and clutch are very similar in function - four friction surfaces contacting to transfer torque. I can think of a hundred instances on a daily basis when I feed my clutch more torque than a 1" rollback start on a steep hill.

For the record, I really don't like feeding the trolls in this section of the forum, but I couldn't let this one go.

That is all.

There's no need to be like that. I'm not just picking picking fights and being a troll.

I have my opinion and i feel its perfectly valid. When i was learning to drive those are the things i was taught and the explanations given at the time were good enough to justify it. The same as i wouldn't drive around without a seat belt on or without insurance. You might believe different and your free to do that. I just expressed what i believe in a relevant public forum sorry. if i stood on any toes, not my intention.

 

[vr94ss]

I learnt to drive in an HQ with one of those column mounted hand brakes which were never used apart from during the warrant test because they would **** out so easily.
As a result I still never use the handbrake apart from, doing mean slidies in da gravel ae

Exactly what I've been thinking reading this thread. My first car with a centre handbrake was the VB commodore we bought in 2000. Every other car I've had, had under dash handbrake. Yeah I like old cars.. On top of them being quite prone to breaking cables they were a bitch to get at to do hill starts. So I also never use a handbrake for hill starts and never have except to pass my license test back in the day..

Edit: and the driving test was done in a driving school car with centre handbrake. Datsun or something.

 

[Dum*P*ster]

I only use the hand brake.. if im at red lights sitting on a hill.. I like to be safe..


So..hand brake is on.. And foot on the brake

Silly maybe.. But, it' makes me feel that bit safer that it wont roll

 

[melissasd]

Then again I must add I had some wank the other day sitting behind me at a set of lights in a Nissan Patrol, who rolled forward slowly and hit my car!

I felt a slight jolt and looked in my mirror and there he was right up my arse, so I rolled forward, and he kept coming!

Glad I have a towball.

 

[VZ_SS]

Then again I must add I had some wank the other day sitting behind me at a set of lights in a Nissan Patrol, who rolled forward slowly and hit my car!

I felt a slight jolt and looked in my mirror and there he was right up my arse, so I rolled forward, and he kept coming!

Glad I have a towball.

Hope the towball was in your hand and you were knocking his teeth out with. I hate 4wd drivers LOL

 

[Immortality]

applying the handbrake at the lights, especially on a flat road is nanna styles. just like people who put there auto's into park at the lights. all it achieves is wasting more time when the light goes green.

there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do a hill start as long as you don't roll back and hit the vehicle behind you. simple. a slight roll back certainly won't but any aditional stress or strain on your clutch. doing a 4000rpm clutch drop will as will siting on a slight incline and "balancing" the clutch to stop the car rolling back for a extended period of time. (slippage = heat = damage, organic clutch linings can only handle so much heat before permanent damage is done)

i use a combination of the foot brake/clutch or handbrake depending on the situation at hand. roll back certainly isn't a issue for me :thumbsup:

 

[NOT.BT1]

no point in my vn the handbrake doesnt work hasnt for a few months one day ill get under and adjust it but i will still use the foot brake at lights the handbrake is only used when im parked which i guess is why its also called the parkbrake