Motors clutch wear question

It is for safety, if you do not have your handbrake on in a queue and someone rear-ends you, your are instinctively likely to release your foot from the brake pedal and then of course will end up rear ending the person in front of you etc, etc. If you have the handbrake on, this is less likely to happen (at least that is what i was taught when learning to drive). There may be another reason...

 

The handbrake is a very weak brake, it'd make almost no difference in an accident. You can drive around with the handbrake on and not notice till you come to park again, ive seen it done.

I almost never use the handbrake unless im on a really steep hill or my clutch foot is tired and im going to be in there for a while, i do almost all hill starts with the just on the clutch and accelerator.

Moriquendi

 

But imagine this scenario. You stop at a junction - right foot on footbrake, left foot on clutch (disengaged), in first gear, hand brake off - and someone rear ends you, both feet come off the pedals. Not only do you have no active brake, you will be driving forwards because you've lifted the clutch (assuming you don't stall or whatever). By the time you've realised what's happened and gathered your thoughts, you've rolled out into three lanes of fast-moving traffic. Some handbrakes aren't very powerful, but even the weakest will stop the car moving forwards in first at idle revs. Alternatively, if the car has stalled, you'll have lost the braking assist and your footbrake will be half as powerful as normal.

OK, I know that's a worst-case scenario type thing, but that's what the rules of the road are written for.

 

fair enough but a good driver would leave room infront of them and watch their rear view mirror when someone is coming up behind them. if they are going to hit you, move out of the way.
Case in point, I was in Calgary for job training, stopped because the line of cars ahead of me stopped, I left room infront of me, looked in my rearview mirror to see if someone was going to stop behind me or hit me. The guy coming up behind me wasn't paying attention, I slammed on the gas and pulled up and he was able to stop just behind me(the look on his face, lol). if he had been going to fast to stop in time, the lane next to me was empty and I could of gone in there.
Had I had the parking brake on, I would of had to disengage that before I could move. wasting valuable seconds that I could use to get out of the way. Over the last decade I have done this a few times, get out of the way of someone who was not going to be able to stop in time. it's saved my car and my neck more than once.
Just leaving the parking brake on and thinking that you are safe is not a good habit.

exactly, I laughed at my mom one time when she realized that she had been driving with the parking brake on for at least 30 minutes before she noticed.
The parking brake only goes to the rear wheels, and its only a cable.


edit:

first of all, with all modern cars (and by that I mean back to the 80's, I dont have an exact date) you can fully apply the brake twice with the engine off before you lose the ability to use the brake. So having half power, thats just not true.
and like I said before, if someone is going to rear end you, you should have room in front of you and be watching behind you. I always look till there are at least 2 cars behind me. after that its too hard to see. If you are looking and you have a way out, you can throw the parking brake out the window for all the good it will do you.
Even if you dont have room infront of you, push the brake to the floor and get ready to be hit, in that situation where you know that you are going to be hit and you dont have an out, fine throw the hand brake on too. but like I said before, it only holds the back wheels (normally) and I would rather have all 4 locked up.
and if you think that the weakest of handbrakes will stop you, back when I was 16 I had mine on, the instructor told me to take my foot off the brake. lord behold the car moved on its own.
Dont assume that the brake is in perfect shape, dont assume that it can hold you, dont assume that its even working.
the only way to be safe on the road is to watch whats going on around you and plan ahead.

not trying to be an *** here but I really cant stress enough that planning ahead instead of relying on a piece of equipment is much safer.

 

I agree, and if you can get out of the way, that is clearly better. But do you really watch behind you EVERY time you stop? If you do, fair enough. But I certainly don't, and I would imagine that you're in the minority.

Also re: the brakes thing - my car noticeably loses braking power as soon as I stop the engine. For example if I'm just cruising into my drive, I will turn the engine off a second before I come to a stop. But perhaps turning the key (as I do) is different to stalling with the engine power on? My car is not too old either - 1998

 

What ??? your agreeing with what everyone else said.

 

Edit
someone said it already opps

 

Now that talking rubbish It will make a hole lot of difference.

 

It will reduce how hard you move faster and is better than no brake at all. If you got a handbrake fully applied you cant get the car move believe I've tried on a few times while learning to drive unless you handbrake isn't properly adjusted or your rear brakes are worn . And what if your in queue of traffic and you cant go anywhere surely the guy in front would prefer you to at least minimize how hard you'll hit him

 

You lose the servo assistance, push the pedal harder and you'll brake just as normal.

 

Well @ OP, the wear will be minimal. I think both situations are the "right" thing to do, neither will cause any unnecessary wear on the clutch. I don't think either are anything to worry about. If you drive like a mentalist and ride the clutch half way at the lights then you are going to cause some extra wear, like everyone else the only time you can get away with that is up a hill while in traffic.

The handbrake scenario is fair enough, some handbrakes will simply not hold you enough to stop you but it will help, but think of it this way....

If the person behind is going so fast that you would get knocked into traffic when your feet are on clutch and brake, then the person behind you is going fast enough to push you out when you have your handbrake on. When you are in gear and you come off the clutch your gearbox is going to act like a brake and hold the car back to an extent. I know that I wouldn't take my feet off if someone hit me, and I don't think other peple would either.

As for my handbrake, If its applied properly my car is not going anywhere unless I get hit pretty hard, though I have been lazy and not dropped it down all the way and realise a minute later that it was taking a few extra revs to get going and realised why, luckily only ever in my street.

In the UK we don't have these huge crossroads like in the USA/Canada. So I don't think we can accuratly compare scenarios. In the UK there usually is only 1 or 2 lanes and both will be probably have cars in, there is never going to be enough time to move out of the way.

 

You would also lose ABS (unless you included that in servo assistance) I believe. Therefor there would be a real possibility of skidding if you where hit hard enough and the conditions where not great.

 

@freedom

First off look at the bottom right of your post, see the edit button?

Given the amount of energy applied and the short time its applied in during a collision having the hand brake on will make very little difference, either the brake will slip and the wheels will turn or the wheels will skid over the tarmac. The rear wheels have very little ability to slow the car which is why most cars other than sports cars have the foot brake connected to the front wheels and the handbrake connected to the rear wheels.

Moriquendi

 

Moriquendi was that aimed at Freedom, or me?
I hope not me.

Edit: Also didn't this thread have something to do with clutch wear rather than whats the best way to save yourself and others while rearended?

Did you just edit in "@ Freedom" or am I going complety blind?

 

@Matticus, I dont have ABS anyway and manage to stop quicker than most cars that do, in the wet.

@Moriquendi, ALL cars have the footbrake connected to ALL wheels, and the handbrake usually to the rear wheels.

 

@Matticus, that was aimed at freedom, sorry.

Xen0phobiak, hmm, maybe youre right, theres certainly much more braking effect from the front wheels though because of the way the forces are arranged when you brake.

Moriquendi

Edit: Matticus, yeah i did, when i started writing my post there were no replies so it was pretty clear who i was responding to, when i hit submit you and Xen had posted so i edited it to make it clear...

 

Correct, rear brakes on a FWD car are only really there to stop the back trying to overtake the front. On RWD and 4WD cars they're there to slow down the drivetrain aswell.

 

i would like to see you do that.....

here the main use for the hand brake is as a parking brake and for extra control when you need to climb some hill (we have lots of them).

 

And doing hand brake turns...right?

 

Its easy, my car has the brakes fitted from one twice its weight, and I use premium tyres (Goodyear Eagle F1's if you're interested). Compare that to the average vehicle, considering most people opt for ditchfinder tyres...

..also factor in that if I lock up I'll just release the brakes then re-apply, effectively being my own, slower, ABS.