Talk:Hand brake

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[edit] Relative strength of handbrake in manual and automatic cars

In my experience, handbrakes in automatic cars tend to be weaker than in manual cars. Occasionally I have driven an automatic with the handbrake "full on", without even noticing; after a mile or two, I might notice the engine straining a bit, or an unpleasant smell, or perhaps a red light on the dash. In a manual car, this tends to be impossible - even with the engine revving off the scale, the handbrake should be strong enough to stall it before the clutch is fully released.

Is this a general feature, or just a coincidence in the cars I have driven? Mtford 08:52, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Difference between handbrake and footbrake

The article doesn't explain why a car can be stopped under control more easily with the footbrake than with the hand/emergency brake. It even states, near the bottom, that the two brake systems may use the "same mechanism". Why then, does a "handbrake turn" only occur with the handbrake? Surely readers should not be encouraged to try using the handbrake next time they need to slow down on a busy road in the rain at 70+ mph!

Also perhaps worth mentioning that the handbrake does not normally operate the rear brake lights? Mtford 09:03, 13 October 2006 (UTC)