Which part does the handbrake brake?
2 Answers
Car handbrakes always brake the rear wheels. Here is some relevant information about car handbrakes: 1. Classification: Parking brakes come in different types, including mechanical mechanisms operated by hand or foot. High-end vehicles are increasingly adopting electronically controlled parking systems, commonly known as electronic handbrakes. 2. Electronic handbrake: The electronic parking brake system integrates the temporary braking function during driving with the long-term braking function after parking, and achieves parking braking through electronic control. The electronic handbrake is a technology that realizes parking braking through electronic control. Its working principle is the same as that of the mechanical handbrake, both achieving parking control through the friction generated between the brake disc and brake pads, except that the control method has changed from the previous mechanical handbrake lever to an electronic button.
Before driving a manual car, I had looked up how the handbrake works, which mainly targets the rear wheels for braking. The handbrake is connected to the rear wheel brakes via a steel cable, whether they are drum or disc brakes, and when engaged, it directly locks the rear wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving. This is different from the foot brake, which uses a hydraulic system to affect all wheels. The advantage of this is that it stabilizes the rear wheels when parking, avoiding vehicle rotation due to sudden braking. Especially when used on slopes, the handbrake secures the rear wheels more safely when engaged. In the electronic era, some cars have integrated it into an electronic parking brake, but the traditional handbrake's mechanism of acting on the rear wheels remains unchanged. During maintenance, the rear wheel handbrake components are prone to aging, making regular checks on the cable tension important.
