Should I use the parking brake in winter?

One of the most common tips of old motorists is not to use the handbrake in winter. The reason for this is the features of the cables of the old generation - often there were situations when it froze. But is this advice true?

Factors Affecting Answer

Experts say that the answer to the question regarding the use of the parking brake in winter depends on the case. There is no legal obligation to apply the parking brake, but the car should not be arbitrarily seated after parking.

Handbrake on a flat surface

On a flat surface, just turn the gear on. If it does not turn on or for some reason the clutch remains deactivated, the car may roll back on its own. That is why the parking brake is an insurance against such a situation.

Handbrake on the slope

When parking on a slope, it is obligatory to park the car on a hand brake. For new cars with an electronic parking brake, it is activated automatically if the driver does not disable this function.

Old cars

 In winter, a long stretch of the handbrake has its own characteristics. Drivers of older cars with drum brakes or relatively unprotected pads should pay attention to this.

The parking brake can actually freeze if the car has been parked for a long time. In this case, the expert advice is to use the included gear and even the wheel chock under one of the wheels.

New Generation Auto

In modern cars, the risk of freezing the parking brake cable is small, since it is better insulated and, thanks to its design features, is less likely to leak moisture. If you want to prevent possible freezing of the cable during prolonged shutdown of the machine, you can turn off the parking brake.

Drivers of vehicles with an electronic parking brake should check in the operating instructions whether the manufacturer recommends disabling automatic mode. If there is such a recommendation, the brochure clearly describes how this can be done. After a cold period, the automatic function must be switched back on.

In any case, the hand brake is one of the means to prevent spontaneous rollback of the vehicle. To ensure safety, a motorist must use different methods.

Questions and answers:

Where is the parking brake located? In the cabin, this is a lever near the gear selector (in some models it is represented as a button near the steering wheel). From it there is a cable to the rear pads.

How does the hand brake work in a car? When the handbrake rises, the cable is stretched, unclenching the pads in the drums of the rear wheels. The degree of their effect depends on the angle of the lever raised.

What is the difference between a parking brake and a hand brake? These are identical concepts. The main brake system of the car is activated by a foot drive (pedal), only the parking brake is activated by hand.

How to apply the handbrake correctly? When the car has stopped, the driver pulls the parking brake lever for a few clicks (it is not recommended to jerk it strongly so as not to break the cable).