> From: Zathras >
> Organization: NTL
> Newsgroups: alt.autos.alfa-romeo
> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 18:58:03 GMT
> Subject: Tyres: Best foot forward? or back?
>
> On Thu, 19 Aug 2004 16:37:34 +0100, Tom Boltwood >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>> From: Zathras >
>>> Organization: NTL
>>> Newsgroups: alt.autos.alfa-romeo
>>> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 16:25:41 GMT
>>> Subject: Tyres: Best foot forward? or back?
>>>
>>> On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 19:52:37 GMT, "Gareth Tuckwell"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> I must apologise to you - the manual definitely says the handbrake applies
>>>> to the rear wheels.
>>>
>>> ..correct!
>>>
>>>> However, I know mine applies to the front wheels...
>>>
>>> ..false!
>>>
>>>> I thought it was strange when I bought the car, but I was not too surprised
>>>> because the Citroen Xantia has the same setup, so I thought nothing more of
>>>> it. I mentioned it to a mechanic friend of mine and he was surprised, but
>>>> confirmed that the handbrake is acting on the front wheels.
>>>
>>> I'd call this person a *friend* not a *mechanic* I'm afraid.
>>>
>>> <Snip>
>>>> The reason I noticed the anomoly with my car was when I parked my car on a
>>>> friends driveway (slight slope), then came out later to find my car had run
>>>> down the drive onto the flat area of the road - front
>>>
>>> ..nope..if you change the word 'front' to 'rear', this whole paragraph
>>> becomes correct...
>>>
>>>> brake discs heat up
>>>> when driving, I apply the handbrake, then discs cool down, contract and
>>>> come
>>>> away from the wheels. No damage was done, but I always park in gear now!!
>>>
>>> Parking in gear is what you should do anyway. Also, it's *absolutely
>>> essential* for ANY car that has a handbrake that operates on the disk
>>> brakes for, roughly, the reason you give.
>>>
>>>> I will enquire about this at the garage, the next time I am in - I had
>>>> never
>>>> read that section of the manual before, but the handbrake works OK (except
>>>> when I don't apply it hard enough).
>>>
>>> Sounds like a perfectly normal 156 to me.
>>>
>>>> I'll post something about this in a couple of months, when the car gets
>>>> serviced.
>>>
>>> They'll do a routine adjustment and you won't have to pull the
>>> handbrake lever up quite as far to get the same effect. However, NEVER
>>> trust it..not even on the flat! You've got to get into a 100% habit of
>>> leaving these things in gear these days. The alternative is to find
>>> your car wrecked at the bottom of a hill one day.
>>>
>> My dad does that with the result that whenever he has borrowed my car or I
>> borrow his, I start the ignition and jolt forward. Luckily I haven't hit
>> anything yet!
>
> Hmmm..I always start any vehicle with the clutch depressed. One reason
> is that it avoids the scenario you describe but another is that it
> takes the (smallish) gearbox load off the starter.
>
> --
That all makes sense and is what I should do really, but I've just got in
the habit of leaping in and starting the car as I always park in neutral
like my driving instructor told me to.