One downside of the car is the "electronic" rear parking-brake, arguably
a poor design choice.
It has a *switch* to apply and release, using servomotor-driven calipers
that rapidly go from open to squeezed.
The description in the manual is rather sketchy, but hints that Hyundai
did make some mild operational concessions on the system.
I was very hesitant to experiment at any speed on dry pavement, but after
a couple of cautious tests in loose gravel I was able to
report back
on the basics.
It can be used on the fly for emergency braking, where pulling the switch
at any appreciable speed sets off a lot of insistent warning beeping and
the rear brakes rapidly engage, fairly hard but from what I can determine,
not quite enough to simply lock up the rear wheels on tarmac.
It's still an
abrupt enough event to make your groceries tumble off the seats.
At least letting go of the switch immediately releases everything, so to
a very limited extent it can be modulated sort of on-off while rolling.
It could thus still give that quick pulse of the e-brake we want to, say,
break the back end loose to start spinning donuts in a snowy parking lot.
As this was written before the onset of slippery weather in New England, I figured I'd wait for appropriate conditions outside before experimenting further with this in any serious way. I didn't need to let myself in for *more* tire damage by messing with it on dry pavement. |
_H* 190926