RX4life

happened to me in my focus... very embarassing moment when some guy comes in yelling stating that a black focus is rolling down the parking lot... ever so slowly.. ther was one guy holding it back b4 it hit some car.. :o

markd

Haha, I was thinking the same thing. Weird how putting something in all caps makes some people have to cover their ears as they're reading their monitors. I LOOK LIKE I'M YELLING, BUT I'M REALLY WHISPERING. now i'm yelling :D

brothervoodoo

Not sure how yelling got attributed to it, but it sure is annoying when someone types an entire paragraph in BOLD...

mike0615

i would have mazda adjust ur brakes, i've driving many a stick shift cars, and i feel my 8's e-brakes work really well compaired to others. hmmmm, so since its called the emergancy brake, does that mean we should pull it in emergancys.....? anyway, yeah put it in gear. first time i let a car roll back was my first car ever, 1989 RX7 convertable. i'm still in love with that car. i had to sell it cause it was too old and too much stuff was braking. i guess i'm trying to rekindle my love with this 8 here. :p again, my 8's e-brake responds very very well so its not a defect on the 8 in general, prolly just urs. since my RX7 i've driven 5 other stick cars and aside from my old tacoma truck, this 8's e-brake responded the best. ITS THE BEST YOU HEAR? sorry just had to yell that out. i think i'm gonna marry this car.

SpacerX

Are all the complaints about the e-brake adjustment issue based on a dealership or service department refusing to adjust the brake, or just refusing to adjust the brake under warranty?

I mentioned to my service dept that I wanted the lever/cable tension adjusted because I thought it had too much play in it -- they adjusted it under warranty. Like I said before, it holds the car pretty solid.

As a matter of technique, though, I learned on my PGT (anotherMazda-based car) that the best way to engage the e-brake is to make sure you've got the brake pedal FULLY depressed while engaging the e-brake. The levering action was murder on the fairly small e-brake springs in the PGT/MX6/626, and teh levering action could make them seriously stick. So it's a habit with me now -- it puts less stress on the cables and springs.

Best of luck with the e-brake issues, whatever your situation.

rXter

""stop trying to blame-shift""

Is that like a speed-shift. Always looking for better driving techniques. Oops - this thread is on parking. Put it in gear and hit the gas baby, back to the driving threads for me.

Seriously, as usual, another good heads up in the forum for a new 8-owner. I have found so many that I am now driving my dealer crazy with requests

Morgan

first off...my car was in gear...2nd,i do pull it hard..it just hates me (its cause my car is silver)

MrMethane

This is an intersting problem, I do leave my car in gear when I park it. However given the tendancy of this car to flood I always make sure I have warmed it up before I drive it. Obviously you can't have the car in gear while its warming up. This is when you need the parking brake to be reliable. It should be fixed because of this.

hotpot

I've never had problems with the parking brake on any of the cars I have driven. When I first heard about some people having their cars rolling with the brake pulled up I went out and tested my car. I pulled the brake up without forcing it, got out and tried to push the car as hard as I could. It didn't move an inch.

I've never had to put any car in gear when parked unless it's on a steepish incline.
Owners with the parking brake issues should have their brakes adjusted. There's is nothing wrong with the parking brake.

hotpot

You could still push on the brake pedal, if your parking brake doesn't catch well enough.

guy321

I believe that you can adjust the tensioner on the e-brake handle. Not sure if that will apply more pressure to the brakes.

However, I alway leave it in gear even on flat surfaces also.

Rotario

My thoughts exactly. Well said.

dwynne

With any car, auto or manual you set the parking brake and then release the (foot) brake and see if the car rolls. If it does, then the brake is not properly set. Once you have the car held with the e-brake then you put the car in gear or park. The e-brake holds the car and the transmission/motor are the backup.

When you get back in the car, you release the e-brake once you are ready to go - in the case of an auto after you have the car out of park.

If the e-brake does its job then no wear and tear on anything else. It is amazing to me how many folks with auto trannies let the expensive to repair transmission hold he weight of the car on a hill and use the cheap to repair e-brake only as a backup. Then get in the car and have to really yank to get it back out of park.

Dennis

V_for_velocity

Then there's this bit from the manual, and I quote:
"Don't use the parking brake in freezing weather as the parking brake may freeze. Instead, shift to P with an automatic transmission and to 1 or R with a manual transmission. Block the wheels."
This isn't really related to the original post/rant, but it does point out the neglible utility of this brake. I mean, where I live, it's freezing 5 months of the year.

spork

My parking brake is really strong. But I leave it in gear if there's any kind of incline. I've forgotten a few times and my parking brake holds up. I usually test it by just pulling the parking brake up, putting it in neutral and then releasing the normal brake. The car's always stayed put even on relatively steep driveways.

But yeah always best to leave it in gear. I hear it doesn't matter which you pick though (1st or R) so I just leave it in 1st. (I used to do it opposite of the direction but now I just leave it in first).

StewC625

Weak parking brakes are common on cars with rear discs. It's only designed to keep the car from rolling away, not to secure it to the ground. The way it works is that it mechancially presses the brake pads to the disc, rather than hydraulically - the mechanism is necessarily small to fit into the caliper around the hydraulic pistons that operate the "normal" brakes.

I never trust a parking brake alone - always put it in gear. And always apply it without the button pushed and always "test" to make sure your car won't roll away if you're on an incline by releasing your regular brakes and waiting a second or so to make sure the car is secure.

fredw1

I think we need to start a list of all the things the Mazda dealer never told us (but may be in the owner's manual):
1. Don't drive in snow with summer tires. Failure to so so may result in loss of traction.
2. Always leave your car in gear when you park it. Failure to do so may result in car rolling.
3. Always turn the engine off when leaving it for prolonged periods (e.g., overnight). Failure to do so may result in an empty gas tank. Driving the car may also cause this problem.

SpacerX

LOL

fredw1

Oh, one other thing , based upon something said in another thread:
4. Do not use an open flame to look inside your gas tank or anywhere that gasoline might be found (e.g., engine, fuel pump.)

ptiemann

Hi, the same happened to me a year ago. My car rolled at work into someone elses and I got a funny ticket from site staff.
I posted pics here- try to guess which direction the car rolled :-(

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/little-warning-about-parking-brake-31420/

I learned to always put it in gear now.

bluesunlion

Man, one of the first things my mom taught me when driving a manual was to put it in first when parking. I don't even think about doing it, I just do.

Rotario

ROFL!!!

Maybe the list should be titled: "For Those Born Without A Brain," and be required reading for those so afflicted. :D

Bill

Frank Patrick

Make, manual E-Brake adjustment. Or have done--- (3-5klicks)

ptiemann

Honestly I don't think that belittling the original starter of this thread is the right thing to do. The parking brake is weaker than in other cars, including other rear wheel drive cars. I've driven MT cars before and never had that happen to me.

I guess I learned my lesson cheap (no damage).

Nubo

One reason this car's emergency brake is more difficult is that the lever at rest is elevated at a higher than normal angle, due to the unique handle design. So, by the time the lever is getting into the "tight" range, it is getting further past the point where your arm has effective leverage and it's more difficult to exert the necessary force. Chalk one up for form over function.

- exercise those biceps and triceps
- make sure the brake is properly adjusted
.... there's usually adjustment in these things to take up cable slack that develops.
- find somewhere where you can park on a steep incline to get an idea of how much tension is required to reliably keep the car from rolling
- always leave in gear when parked (MT).
- As someone said, when parking, engage the emergency brake first so that it takes the weight of the car and the transmission is the backup -- even if you are NOT on a hill. Then, if someone bumps into your car, the emergency brake may absorb the impact instead of chipping gears, etc.