I'm not sure if anyone else has experience this but. The other day I'm sitting in heavy traffic, so I'm constantly on and off the pedal. Usually when I'm in this kind of traffic I turn off the brake hold so it doesn't keep engaging but this time I forgot or was too lazy to turn it off. As I'm doing my little pedal dance the car must've felt I came to a complete stop so as I left off the brake pedal I rolled forward a few inches then I felt the car come to a complete stop while I had my foot off both pedals. I wondered how true it was that the car would completely stop if the brake hold failed for some reason but it does work. Has anybody else had this experience? Seems like it would be a little difficult to actually make this happen.

Also, I can attest that the parking brake will engage if you're sitting with the brake hold engaged for 3 minutes straight. It happened to me twice while sitting at the drive-thru. One last thing, the parking brake will also engage if you have the brake hold on and you take off your seatbelt. Found that out on another occasion while sitting in the drive-thru. At least I know these systems are working properly.

I'm sure most of you knew these things but not sure if most of you actually experienced them.

 

Yeah, I don't use brake hold myself anymore, although like with anything new to me, I did try it out extensively when I first got my car. Even though it is fairly quick to disengage, there's still a perceptible lag to me. Edit: oh, and I like to creep forward sometimes at stop lights by modulating the brake pedal, something brake hold prevents me from doing. Probably the biggest reason I don't use it.

The parking brake engages automatically if you have brake hold engaged and you open the door, the trunk or you unbuckle, as you mentioned. Also, once the parking brake engages during brake hold, you have to manually release it. It WILL NOT automatically release. My car will buzz me if it is brake hold for longer than three minutes.

 

One of my favorite features in my car.

 

+2. One of my favorite features!

 

I am still undecided on the brake hold feature. I usually (lol, "usually" - meaning in the 2 weeks I've owned the car) leave it off. The other day I had it on and came to a stop, but it is one of those stops where you have to roll forward a bit after stopping to really get a clear view if it is safe to go. I let off the brake to do the roll and the car didn't move. So then I had to actually give it some gas to get to the "safe to go" view point. I decided I would probably rather use it only in situations where I remember I am tired of holding the brake.

When do you all use it?

 

Rhambler - I find myslef wanting to do that too. I'm curious as to your reason. I do it because if I come to a faster than normal stop, I like to creep forward, dragging the brakes in order to distribute the heat from the pad over the entire rotor. In my mind I think if I keep a scorching hot pad pressed firmly against the rotor for a length of time, that would contribute toward warping the rotors. So I like to drag the rotor over the pad to distribute the heat. Maybe this doesn't avoid warping the rotors, but it makes me feel like it does.

I usually turn it on though if I'm on a longer ride. My ride to work is 3.6 miles, and is usually over in 5 minutes. So I don't bother with it there. But only longer rides I turn in on and "play." My issue is as above, but also, I can't seem to launch real smooth. It seems to lurch from a dead stop, and then not accelerate as briskly. When I try to leave more smoothly, its like I'm leaving at a drag strip before it feels smooth. But just too quick. So I "play" with the feature to see if I can figure out a smooth way to launch from HOLD.


7milesout

 

LOL, you are a true car enthusiast! I usually inch forward at lights to catch a better look at the pretty lady in the next lane (now, don't call me a creep ), but you have more important things on your mind

 

The only feature I don't use. I wish I could trade it for the self open/close trunk instead. THAT I would actually use.

 

Well, my reasoning or reasons are fairly dumb...

1. First and foremost, to make sure my car is over the magnetic stoplight sensor in the street, you know, to try and speed things up, even though I know deep down inside the light can sense this metal behemoth one block back. It's more of a psychological thing to make me feel like I'm speeding up that signal change...and by golly it works I swear!

2. I've been rear-ended a few times and now OCD at watching my rear-view mirror for that kid staring at his phone (both instances were 17-18 year olds who, undoubtedly, were probably trying to take a selfie or post on facebook). So, if I see someone fast approaching, I'll ease up on the brakes to move forward as much as I can.

3. Visibility. To see around trucks while making a right-hand turn at a light.

4. It just feels unnatural to have my right foot not pressing on something, at all times and that includes the brakes at stops.

 

I don't think ANY of those reasons are dumb at all. I always aim for the center of the sensor loop. I'm amazed daily by people who drive past the loop and sit in front of it. It really doesn't trigger the lights nearly as quickly. When I'm approaching a left hand turn at a traffic light, and I see a car in the intersection far ahead, I anticipate that the light will turn red before I get there because their car will trigger it. I'm talking about driving in areas with sparse traffic.

But then I get to cruise on through the iintersection and be on may way, as i'm making the turn I glance at the car sitting there, and frequently I notice their poor placement allowed me to cruise on through while they wait. More than a couple times I can even read it on their face that they're wondering why the light hasn't changed.

 

I use it at stop lights that I know are long. Use it daily, but turn it off after I leave the light. Turn it on again at the next light if I want to use it.

 

Good to know I'm not the only one out there who still does this.

BTW, it was generally accepted this was useful in lessening disc warpage with 70's-era disc brakes. I do it to this day, out of habit, much like "clearing the box" if I drive a manual transmission.

I'm likely one of the younger people to do this, but my first three automobiles were both four-wheel drum brakes and non-synchro first gear three-on-the-tree machines.

Rhambler, I never became accustomed to holding my right foot on the brake at stops, because I didn't own a car with an automatic transmission until I was out of college. Even then, it was a goal to have it be able to idle, in gear, and not move because the idle speed was low enough.