[NilsintheSnow]

hi
I'm just wondering how the handbrake work(I know that it works on the rear wheels!!)

I just wonder if it works on the disk-brakes at the rear wheels or is it a system with drum brakes inside the rear disks?

the reason for asking this is.. in Norway they use a lot of salt on the roads, and if you don't drive agressivly you mostly use the front disks when you brake... this means that the rear disks have a tendency to get rusty(at least on my former car).

If the handbreak is a mecanical system for applying the brake-pads on the rear brakedisks, a 5sek driving with the handbrake on will clean the discs.

rusty disks is not a big problem, but with 5-spoke alloy rims it does not look nice if the disks are anything but shiny.

Nils

 

[rav97]

Its not adviseable to drive with the handbrake on...........your putting quite a lot of strain on the drivetrain.

with surface rust on the discs, it usually goes after you use the brakes a couple of times

 

[Marcutio]

It does use the discs when applying the hand brake. Driving down the road just give it a couple of quick pulls with your finger in on the button as you are coasting. You'll feel it grab a little and this will disapate any rust that may have gathered on there.

DON'T YANK-UP ON IT SO THAT THE WHEELS LOCK. JUST GENTLY ENOUGH THAT YOU FEEL IT GRAB A COUPLE OF TIMES.

M.

 

[NilsintheSnow]

thank you all for the information.

I will not pull the handbrake so hard that it will lock the rear wheels...

since we have snow most of the year, I know that the wheels that is doing the brake job seeks forward...

just try to drive a 2wd car up a steep snowy hill and stop to back down...

if you only use the brake pedal your front wheels will do most of the job and soon you will see that your front is facing down the hill.. to some people this is scary because they don't know why it happens
N

 

[Marcutio]

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Good use of a hand brake! Well done.

Later. M.

 

[PaiKia_RAV]

The rear disk rotor comes with an internal drumbrakes. I dun have the chance to drive where there's plenty of salt residues but I did have some rust spots once in awhile. But I really dun bother as much as the rust will 'go again' once I drive off and apply the brakes.

And yes.... dun yank the handbrake else you'll end up like THIS :shock:

 

[NilsintheSnow]

hmm if what PaiKia_RAV say is true (drum brake inside the rear disks) applying the handbrake will not have an effect on "cleaning" the disks!

guess i'll just have to do some hard stops from time to time! (I have not had a problem with rusyt disks at the back, but my father have this problem. maybe due to different driving styles!!)

nice link to the rav4 taking an handbrake-turn! I think it looks scary.. the Rav4 have quite a high point of gravity, and at least mine with 265mm wide tires have a good grip on the asphalt

today was the right day to have a Rav4 here in Norway... 15cm(6") fresh snow on the roads this morning... I was smiling all the way to work.. looking at the other drivers who got stuck in the snow

http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2006/02/06/456940.html

N

 

[RAV4Don]

Well, my RAV is fairly new and I haven't had to mess with the brakes (and hopefully won't have to for a while) so I don't know how the rear brake actually is designed. I will say that i have yet to see a rear disc brake vehicle where the e-brake compresses the disc rotor. Most have a small drum brake that is actuated.

I will have to say that my RAV has the most powerful e-brake of any vehicle that I have ever owned or driven.

 

[Bluenoser]

Hi Nils
My '05 RAV doesn't have rear discs and it's just as well, as I'm not a fan of 4 wheel discs. The rear brakes don't work hard enough to warrant discs, hence they never fail to rust up after a while. One of the biggest sources of the rust is the fact that the sliders rust and scale and then the pads don't contact the rotors hard enough to keep them clean.
My '94 Jetta GL had 4 wheel discs (with no emergency drum brakes) and I had to have the sliders freed up and greased every 6 months. :evil: ......and we have lots of road salt too....... :roll:

So check that your sliders aren't the real problem and keep them freed and greased and the pads should keep the rust off the rotors.

 

[NilsintheSnow]

thank you Bluenoser.

I had a VW Passat 2000model before I bought my Rav. on the VW there was a problem with rusty rear disks! but on this car the handbrake mecanically activated the brake-pads on the rear disks..

so by regularly using your handbrake you keept the system smooth and functioning...

So far I do not have a problem with rusty disks on my RAV, and hopefully I will not have it. I was just posting here to find out how the system works.
If it is the same as on my former VW it's easy to keep the rear disks clean and the system functioning...

N