The Damage Caused By Driving With Your Parking Brake On
Okay, let's start off by being honest. At one time or another, our inner idiot has come out and we've all gone for a drive with the parking brake on. We usually recognize the problem when our noses start sending warnings to the brain or we realize the car sure is slow! So, what damage does this cause?
I was driving to a softball game with a buddy in his rebuilt MG. We had the top down and he was gloating about his little baby. I kept thinking that the car didn't seem very peppy and then I noticed smoke coming up through the floor between the seats. He pulled over in a huff and jumped out of the car. I had a pretty good idea of what had happened and was laughing as he looked at the front wheels while screaming about his brakes. Why laugh? The parking brakes are on the back of the car!
Driving with your parking brakes on is obviously not a good thing to do. That being said, the damage caused is either next to none or totally catastrophic. How can there be no middle ground? Well, the answer is found in how parking brakes work. On most cars, they are set by the amount of effort you put on pulling the brake up. If you gave it a solid tug, you are going to notice immediately when you try to drive because the car will barely move.
Most of the "driving with the brake on" situations occur when the parking brake is slightly engaged. It is on, but isn't on tight enough for you to notice when driving. In such a situation, the drum or rotor isn't going to be damaged unless you are unlucky. It might cause a bit of additional wear, but nothing too bad. There is, however, one exception to this and raises the specter of a bigger problem. If you drive a long ways like this, the rotor or drum could be damaged to the point that they require replacement. The issue isn't the wear rate, but the heat that builds up. As the parts get hotter, they will warp. This is particularly true for drum brakes.
Driving with your brake on is something everyone has done at one point or another. I certainly have! Usually, it is just embarrassing and nothing more than that. If you are worried or it feels like something is wrong, get your car checked out. Be honest and tell them what happened!
I was driving to a softball game with a buddy in his rebuilt MG. We had the top down and he was gloating about his little baby. I kept thinking that the car didn't seem very peppy and then I noticed smoke coming up through the floor between the seats. He pulled over in a huff and jumped out of the car. I had a pretty good idea of what had happened and was laughing as he looked at the front wheels while screaming about his brakes. Why laugh? The parking brakes are on the back of the car!
Driving with your parking brakes on is obviously not a good thing to do. That being said, the damage caused is either next to none or totally catastrophic. How can there be no middle ground? Well, the answer is found in how parking brakes work. On most cars, they are set by the amount of effort you put on pulling the brake up. If you gave it a solid tug, you are going to notice immediately when you try to drive because the car will barely move.
Most of the "driving with the brake on" situations occur when the parking brake is slightly engaged. It is on, but isn't on tight enough for you to notice when driving. In such a situation, the drum or rotor isn't going to be damaged unless you are unlucky. It might cause a bit of additional wear, but nothing too bad. There is, however, one exception to this and raises the specter of a bigger problem. If you drive a long ways like this, the rotor or drum could be damaged to the point that they require replacement. The issue isn't the wear rate, but the heat that builds up. As the parts get hotter, they will warp. This is particularly true for drum brakes.
Driving with your brake on is something everyone has done at one point or another. I certainly have! Usually, it is just embarrassing and nothing more than that. If you are worried or it feels like something is wrong, get your car checked out. Be honest and tell them what happened!
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