Pros and cons of Electronic Parking Brakes?

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I want to know what the consensus is for this new technology, not just the " well anything more complicated than a cable and lever is bad" responses. I would say that there are some benefits and some negatives. I always use my pb, it's a habit from having grown up in a hilly city - Vancouver, BC. As a kid, we had a VW Rabbit roll down the front street, go over the front lawn and crash into our house, naturally the owner did not use their pb
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Lets have some discussion, I can offer:

Pros:
1. Less clutter under the dash or centre console, less stuff to injure you in a severe accident.
2. Silent operation - no more crunch, zip,zip, as the ratchet cycles.
3. Force of pb application is no longer dependant on the driver's leg or arm strength.
4. Self adjusting, regardless of rear pad thickness.
5. Equally applied holding force on each rear wheel? no idea if this is actually accomplished.
6. Might be less overall weight?
7. Can be used to prevent roll-back on hills, without the driver's involvement.
8. Might be used more frequently because the task is just push a button versus lift leg, or bend elbow?

Cons:
1. More complex than a mechanical system
2. Harder to do service on rear pads, rotors.
3. Will they release if the battery is zero charge?
4. Expensive components, exposed to heat, salt, debris will fail with time & exposure.
5. Rockford turns would be a skill set lost.

Let me know your own pros & cons?
 
Rockford turn?
Is that related to the TV show "Rockford Files"?
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EDIT: I don't think you need a mechanical ebrake.
Just some quick and and foot action between the gas, brakes, trans shifter and steering wheel.
I thought those were called "cop turns"
 
I have one on my Mazda6; I don't like it. I have a manual transmission Mazda6, and getting the car up a ramp is a real joy with the EPB. Also, if the car is moving AT ALL when you deploy the EPB, the stopping action is extreme. As such, for its use as an "Emergency Brake" that can be modulated.... No Go.

Agree - rear brake service is more complicated.

Sorry, Old School here; I like a cable-operated E Brake / P Brake, preferably between the two front seats.

I live in Vancouver, and I use my PB all of the time.

And one more comment, a pet peeve of mine: I set my automatic transmission cars' PB while the car is in neutral. Then I take my foot off the service-brake. The car "rocks" / shifts a 'wee bit. Then I select Park. I never "hang" the car on the parking pawl of the A/T. Obviously, then, you know the drill for when I take OFF the brake.
 
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The only pro I can think of is more space in the center console. Cons are many.

My Mazda6 had it and it sapped a lot of fun in the winter. You can pull and hold it but alarm chimes sound and the stability control kicks in so you can't rotate the car. If stability can be turned off you can still do J-turns.

My '17 GTI had a manual handle but stability control couldn't be completely deactivated so wintertime fun was sapped again.

My new TourX has one so we'll see. GM lets the Stabilitrak be completely shut off so it may be a hoot with AWD in the winter!

As a side, I learned a Rockford turn was going in reverse at a good clip, cranking the steering while shifting to D, then floor it! No parking brake needed.
 
I tend to prefer simpler and whatnot. But for a 5 and done vehicle I'm not sure just how much it really matters. Most of the fears would be on something 10+ years old, and by then, whatever issues it may have would be long known.

Is kinda fun doing e-brake turns in the snow though. I might be guilty of leaving all seasons on one car just for that purpose...
 
A 2019 F150 I test drove has electronic parking brakes. Being that it has disc rears, it eliminates the inside hat rotor parking braking brakes.
My wife's Audi has them. Her car is a stick so using them is a must.
Cars, I prefer a brake handle.
Trucks, I prefer an electronic parking brake.
I'm not concerned about the reliability of either system.
 
The complexity doesn't justify it use in my opinion. I'm very comfortable with my simple pull up lever. This and no electric motor or software to replace as the vehicle gets older. Just more "stuff" to go wrong if one keeps their vehicle for many years or miles. Ed
 
I like them, frees up a lot of space. Fine with a foot pedal as well, least favorite is manual in the console. I have one of each!
 
Originally Posted by LotI
The only pro I can think of is more space in the center console. Cons are many.

My Mazda6 had it and it sapped a lot of fun in the winter. You can pull and hold it but alarm chimes sound and the stability control kicks in so you can't rotate the car. If stability can be turned off you can still do J-turns.

My '17 GTI had a manual handle but stability control couldn't be completely deactivated so wintertime fun was sapped again.

My new TourX has one so we'll see. GM lets the Stabilitrak be completely shut off so it may be a hoot with AWD in the winter!

As a side, I learned a Rockford turn was going in reverse at a good clip, cranking the steering while shifting to D, then floor it! No parking brake needed.



My 13' GTI did what your 17' did until I reprogrammed it.
You can totally disable stability and traction control on the GTI with a VCDS or other cable and using a special firmware VW leaked years ago if you look for it.
It allows you to hold the stability control button down and totally disable it instead of halfway disabling it. If you continue to hold the button down, it also turns the traction control off, too.
 
The new VW jetta has one. I rarely use it and I am an E brake every time kind of guy.

On slight incline and flat area I put the car in 1st or R.

Yes, it's a MT.

I use the handbrake for turn-in assistance in the Winter with FWD cars and for emergency driving maneuver assistance.

It's an advanced driving suite.

Now I am re-interested to see how these contraptions work in the VAG world

As a teen we perfected the J-Turn ( we called it a "reverse turn around" ) In full size Buicks and Fords.

NO Emergency Brake required.

Pretty easy to do, and the dynamics are awesome. Thank you TH400 and C6 for holding together back then
 
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I'll note that my issues with hand-operated e-brakes have to do with the multiple turns in the cable, and cables getting old, stiff, and not wanting to slide around these corners.

An electric parking brake mounted above the axle with a "straight shot" stands a chance of working better.

However, I use the hold-ability of my manual e-brake to judge the condition of my rear linings for a given pedal input. Having just done shoes, I've noticed a marked improvement. I would lose that with a robot. It's like not having a temp gauge and not knowing you're "almost overheating".
 
The only benefit I see is making more room around the center console. Other than that I think a mechanical hand brake is better in every way.
 
My Kia Niro has the foot brake which is the best of both worlds. No complications of an electronic parking brake and no console clutter.
 
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
As a teen we perfected the J-Turn ( we called it a "reverse turn around" ) In full size Buicks and Fords.

NO Emergency Brake required.

Pretty easy to do, and the dynamics are awesome. Thank you TH400 and C6 for holding together back then

Thanks for confirming what I thought!
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Pros - I don't have that on any vehicle.
Cons - Eventually I will.

There are some things that I think can be done about as well electrically, and perhaps shave a tiny bit off your fuel bill to pay for a higher repair in the long run, but this I only see as more prone to break, more hassle, more expense.

"8. Might be used more frequently because the task is just push a button versus lift leg, or bend elbow?"

Seriously? I figure if I'm parking then I'm probably going to have to move some body parts pretty soon anyway.

I prefer mechanical foot brake, but I could see it being cramped in a small vehicle, as well as hand brake cramped too. Hand brake is better in an emergency if you need to modulate the brake to keep driving if your primary brakes fail, if for some rare reason this seems safer than staying put till a tow truck arrives or if you're out of cell phone range out in BFE.
 
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