Workings of the handbrake..need help! - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

rallyman · 10-31-2001, 19:29

Hi all,

As a recently converted rev-head, I've now jumped onto doing handbrake turns...both 180 and once I'm good enough, 360 (although I'm sure I'll never get that good!).

But anyway, just wanted to know the technical side of how the handbrake actually works (ie. the mechanisms that lock the rear wheels)? I've heard someone say that it's only a clip of some sort that does it.

Can anyone help me out please? Thanks.

MADXF · 10-31-2001, 19:32

it just pulls a lever that pushs the pistons against the rotors.

well thats how the XF ones work

FTEfan · 10-31-2001, 23:26

Depends on the vehicle. On drum braked cars a lever moves out and pushes the brake shoes against the drum. I think the current Falcon's park brake does this.

Aussie Pete · 11-01-2001, 04:07

Gee, I thought a handbrake worked like this:

You meet a girl, decide it ain't so bad, possibly get married and before long you notice something holding you back from all the stuff you used to do with your mates. That's how a handbrake REALLY works. You can still go forward, sometimes reverse, but there's this 'dragging you back' effect that can be hard to recognise until someone else tells you or the light registers in your mind.

I can also tell you how an airbag works if you like:

You get a nice car, manual V8 sort of thing, and you find a half decent piece of road to give it a bit of stick. But the moment the speed rises and any sort of G-forces are sensed by the airbag device, you hear a loud outburst and your progress is halted immediately. Some people can have ringing in the ears for some time after the airbag goes off. Airbags of this sort are normally only deployed in the passenger seat (just in case you wanted to know). Note that 'airbag' and 'SRS' are not necessarily the same thing.

AusXH · 11-01-2001, 04:12

Quote:

Originally posted by Aussie Pete
Gee, I thought a handbrake worked like this:

You meet a girl, decide it ain't so bad, possibly get married and before long you notice something holding you back from all the stuff you used to do with your mates. That's how a handbrake REALLY works. You can still go forward, sometimes reverse, but there's this 'dragging you back' effect that can be hard to recognise until someone else tells you or the light registers in your mind.

I can also tell you how an airbag works if you like:

You get a nice car, manual V8 sort of thing, and you find a half decent piece of road to give it a bit of stick. But the moment the speed rises and any sort of G-forces are sensed by the airbag device, you hear a loud outburst and your progress is halted immediately. Some people can have ringing in the ears for some time after the airbag goes off. Airbags of this sort are normally only deployed in the passenger seat (just in case you wanted to know). Note that 'airbag' and 'SRS' are not necessarily the same thing.

You poor b@stard... I think you need a emoticon with a chain around its neck.

Futura97 · 11-01-2001, 05:12

Quote:

Originally posted by rallyman
Hi all,

As a recently converted rev-head, I've now jumped onto doing handbrake turns...both 180 and once I'm good enough, 360 (although I'm sure I'll never get that good!).

Gotta love doing those handbrake turns. I think we should discuss the fun we have all had at one stage doing hand brakey's.

I was once delivering a pizza to a house and it was late at night, not to mention the pizza itself was late. I had my GF in the car with me when we were driving down the street looking for number 42. All of a sudden I heard her say "there it is...". If I hadn't been driving so fast I wouldn't have had to do what I did. I ripped up the handbrake and swung the car around 180 deg. It was followed quickly by a very quick slap across the face, and no talking for a long time. Not to mention she hasn't been in the car with me ever since.

It was all fun though.

The best thing about hand brakeys is you can do it in almost any car with a good handbrake. No matter if its front wheel drive.

As for your 360 turns takes ALOT of speed or wet conditions and alot of space to start of with. Try and find a paddock of gravel and practice. The more practice the better.

Cheers
Matt

jaytyn · 11-01-2001, 14:50

doesnt do your tyres any good :) you mgiht get some flat spots.

On the AU's they use shoes dont they? how do they work?

FTEfan · 11-02-2001, 00:16

The AUs parkbrake works the same as on drum brakes. My old 121 used to do handbrake turns all the time. Best was missing a turnin civic and haveing to turn PDQ. 60km/h yank steering wheel to the right, pull handbrake, drop handbrake, slam into 1st gear, rop clutch and prepare for torque steer. Been in a V6 Camry doing a handbrake turn at 100km/h. Axle tramp and wheel spin all the way through 1st and 2nd!

rallyman · 11-04-2001, 06:59

Quote:

Originally posted by xf_xr6

Gotta love doing those handbrake turns. I think we should discuss the fun we have all had at one stage doing hand brakey's.

I have to admit that I learnt almost all of it in a VX Commodore.
You see, a few friends of mine decided to head up to Canberra for a weekend (hey, they serve burbon and coke JUGS up there! That was enough reason for us!!). So we hired a VX Commodore and when we reached Albury-Wodonga, it was about midnight.
Well, my friend said "There's a really good restaurant up ahead" so we just kept going past all the servos and take-away places.
But then, we say the street lights were about to end so I said "Where is this place?" and he said "Oh...we might have missed it!". So I quickly whipped the handbrake up and did a 180 out of nowhere (not easy with 5 people in the car but the road was wet). Some of the passengers who were half asleep were fully awake now as they're not used to me driving like that (I'd never do it in my car). But yeah, all that weekend, that car copped a thrashing! It was mostly raining in Canberra so tyre wear wasn't a problem.

As for the 360, the day I buy my own airfield, I'll start practicing those.

But as for conventional AU/VX handbrakes, is there a chance of them failing if used too brutally?

MADXF · 11-04-2001, 17:58

Had a look at brakes on an AU ute the other day and it seems that it has a lever the pushes directly onto the piston(s) or pushes onto some sort of smaller mastercylinder type thing.