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Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 3:18 pm
by stever
hi tony i went for niro 4 with 16inch wheels instead of 18inch better fuel economy and cheaper road tax. mpg in summer was fantastic high 80 now getting colder i noticed engine running more so little more fuel being used. dont tend to use foot brake leave it in park but you get use to it very quickly,
steve r

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:16 pm
by Hazza selby
Compared to a regular handbrake this is surely preferable as it's rarely used and declutters the centre console without compromising on usability. The problem is both styles of parking brake are rubbish compared to a good electronic parking brake found on many modern cars now. They are fantastic and basically allow you to forget there's a parking brake at all as they automatically engage and disengage as you stop. I have a Passat which has the e-brake and its brilliant. This seriously puts me off a Niro phev as my next car. I was all ready to place the order but had a look at one at a dealer and noticed the foot brake. I had assumed this would have an e-brake especially as its a hybrid and would want to include all the latest technology. Kia need to up their game here.

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 8:53 am
by kn4
I got used to the foot brake - its not much of a hassle.

I see that the new e-Niro has an electric brake.

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 5:20 pm
by pjm5755
The foot parking brake may seem odd when you first see and drive the car, but it doesn't take long to get used to it and I find it now quite normal to use - put in on when you park and press again to release when you drive off.

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:00 pm
by AlanW55
I've followed this thread from its earliest days, and speaking for myself I don't have any difficulty with the footbrake, it's just so noisy and agricultural in that you can't silence the ratchet as you can with a handbrake. I therefore avoid using it out on the road unless absolutely necessary. Obviously I put it on when I park.

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:53 am
by jerrytaff
It's just so noisy and agricultural in that you can't silence the ratchet as you can with a handbrake. I therefore avoid using it out on the road unless absolutely necessary.
I'm sorry but why you would even consider using it out on the road. Could you provide examples of when it would be absolutely necessary to do so as I can't think of any?

Most cars are made with auto and manual transmission variants. The manual transmissions need a handbrake, (whether a cable control, or electronic) for hill starts etc. An auto doesn't; the transmission does all the work, but it is simpler for the manufacturer to fit the same brake to both the auto and the manual variants. The Niro does not come in a manual variant, therefore it does not have a handbrake.

It is a parking brake, pure and simple. When I took my driving test in California on an auto, I think it would have been an automatic failure if I had tried using the parking brake, or taking the transmission out of "drive" when stopping at a junction, or doing anything other than parking up at the end of the test! My friends out there would only use the parking brake, if parking on a steep hill; normally, engaging "park" would be enough for them. They explained to me that the parking brake is primarily a fail-safe to prevent the car rolling in the event of a catastrophic failure of the transmission, and that it also reduces the static load on the gear teeth when parked on a hill; the load when parked on the level is negligible. Most of them had never driven a "stick shift", and would not have the first idea how to use a handbrake on a hill start. Although the parking brake has a ratchet, it is only intended to be used for full "on" or "full "off", not for any kind of control. If stopped, but not parked, you are supposed to leave the car in "Drive", with your right foot firmly on the brake until ready to go.

It seems to me that, as we in the UK primarily learn to drive manuals, and don't take separate lessons on how to drive automatic transmissions, we have a tendency to over complicate the driving of them.

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:06 pm
by John pell
Could not agree more
It is simply a parking brake meaning it should be used when parked.

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:11 pm
by AlanW55
Tad patronising. The vehicle should be held stationary at traffic lights etc. Yes, you can hold your footbrake on, but it's bloody annoying and dazzling for the driver behind you, especially at night.

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 7:11 pm
by John pell
Not patronising simply a fact it says PARKING BRAKE

Re: Foot Parking Brake

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 8:59 pm
by jerrytaff
You can hold your footbrake on, but it's bloody annoying and dazzling for the driver behind you, especially at night.
Proves my point about over-complicating. Holding your foot on the footbrake is exactly what you are supposed to do in an automatic.
Brake lights are designed to be brighter than normal tail light; They are not allowed to be dazzling bright; but it has to be admitted that like headlamps they do seem to be getting brighter (or perhaps its my old eyes taking longer to accommodate to the light).

So when you use the parking brake to stop at the junction? Do you leave the car in "drive" or do you engage "neutral" or "park"? Many people put the car into neutral in the mistaken belief that it reduces wear on the transmission. It doesn't! Constantly taking in and out of drive causes the wear!

A poll on the pistonheads site gave the following:
Poll: at the red light with an automatic car: brake or neutral?
Total Members Polled: 253
"N" with or without handbrake: 21%
"D" and footbrake: 61%
"D" and handbrake: 13%
"P" with or without handbrake: 6%

i.e only 61% of respondents on a site for car enthusiasts got it right. Amongst the general UK car owning public it is likely to much lower.