Leather Handbrake Handle

[Davrav]

Hi All,

Has anyone fitted a genuine leather handbrake handle [Part# PZ439-X0170-02] to their 4.3?

If so, a number of questions:

What do you think of it?

Was it straight forward to fit? [Appears to be having looked at the AIM fitting instructions]

What did you pay for it?

I just find the original handle a bit Naff against a leather steering wheel, gear knob and seats. I would prefer a genuine part rather than something like a Ripspeed one from Halfrauds.

However, based on Mr T's usual prices for accessories, cost may well be the determing factor!

Thanks for any input.

David

[bothwell_buyer]

Hi All,

Has anyone fitted a genuine leather handbrake handle [Part# PZ439-X0170-02] to their 4.3?

If so, a number of questions:

What do you think of it?

Was it straight forward to fit? [Appears to be having looked at the AIM fitting instructions]

What did you pay for it?

I just find the original handle a bit Naff against a leather steering wheel, gear knob and seats. I would prefer a genuine part rather than something like a Ripspeed one from Halfrauds.

However, based on Mr T's usual prices for accessories, cost may well be the determing factor!

Thanks for any input.

David

Save yersel some cash and just remove the existing handle. It will save space as well.

You could try fitting an actuator underneath the car worked by the hydraulics........ a bit like the brakes! If yer worried, fit a swivel to yer sidesteps so that by leaning out, you can pull the sidesteps up at one end to act as a proper "handbrake"

Otherwise, have you tried DFS etc for leather scraps????

[Davrav]

Hi All,

Has anyone fitted a genuine leather handbrake handle [Part# PZ439-X0170-02] to their 4.3?

If so, a number of questions:

What do you think of it?

Was it straight forward to fit? [Appears to be having looked at the AIM fitting instructions]

What did you pay for it?

I just find the original handle a bit Naff against a leather steering wheel, gear knob and seats. I would prefer a genuine part rather than something like a Ripspeed one from Halfrauds.

However, based on Mr T's usual prices for accessories, cost may well be the determing factor!

Thanks for any input.

David

Save yersel some cash and just remove the existing handle. It will save space as well.

You could try fitting an actuator underneath the car worked by the hydraulics........ a bit like the brakes! If yer worried, fit a swivel to yer sidesteps so that by leaning out, you can pull the sidesteps up at one end to act as a proper "handbrake"

Otherwise, have you tried DFS etc for leather scraps????

[Davrav]

Hi All,

Has anyone fitted a genuine leather handbrake handle [Part# PZ439-X0170-02] to their 4.3?

If so, a number of questions:

What do you think of it?

Was it straight forward to fit? [Appears to be having looked at the AIM fitting instructions]

What did you pay for it?

I just find the original handle a bit Naff against a leather steering wheel, gear knob and seats. I would prefer a genuine part rather than something like a Ripspeed one from Halfrauds.

However, based on Mr T's usual prices for accessories, cost may well be the determing factor!

Thanks for any input.

David

Save yersel some cash and just remove the existing handle. It will save space as well.

You could try fitting an actuator underneath the car worked by the hydraulics........ a bit like the brakes! If yer worried, fit a swivel to yer sidesteps so that by leaning out, you can pull the sidesteps up at one end to act as a proper "handbrake"

Otherwise, have you tried DFS etc for leather scraps????

[Davrav]

Yeah, thanks Bothy. I had considered fitting an hydraulic ram with a spike on the end in the boot locker and a button on the dash and doing away with whole existing arrangement. Not sure councils would be too pleased with the holes I would punch in their blackstuff though!

On the matter of parking brakes, have had the RAV 6 months now and already noticing the need to raise the lever increasingly higher when parking on a slope. The RAV has a similar parking brake arrangement to my old BMW E39 Touring and that was useless too. Had shoes the size of a moped and involved a real rigmarole to adjust. For vehicles of the size and weight it is about time that a more efficient system was adopted.

I guess a 5CWT marine anchor would screw with my MPG!

[anchorman]

Yeah, thanks Bothy. I had considered fitting an hydraulic ram with a spike on the end in the boot locker and a button on the dash and doing away with whole existing arrangement. Not sure councils would be too pleased with the holes I would punch in their blackstuff though!

On the matter of parking brakes, have had the RAV 6 months now and already noticing the need to raise the lever increasingly higher when parking on a slope. The RAV has a similar parking brake arrangement to my old BMW E39 Touring and that was useless too. Had shoes the size of a moped and involved a real rigmarole to adjust. For vehicles of the size and weight it is about time that a more efficient system was adopted.

I guess a 5CWT marine anchor would screw with my MPG!

Most of the slack will be in the cable and that is easy to adjust. You can leave the shoes until some convenient time you have the wheels of (and in warmer weather) but the process for doing it is here;

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=77298

[Davrav]

Thanks Anchorman,

Usual excellent info.

Bowden cables do stretch a bit, especially when new. I just find the whole system a bit poor really. I assume it is supposed to be self adjusting through the ratchet up to a point?

The main problem with the BMW system is rust build up in the drum in damp weather resulting in chaffing wear of the shoes - they recommend pulling on the lever at a slow steady speed to remove the rust but that just wears the shoes more. Do Saab still use a transmission lock?

David

[anchorman]

Thanks Anchorman,

Usual excellent info.

Bowden cables do stretch a bit, especially when new. I just find the whole system a bit poor really. I assume it is supposed to be self adjusting through the ratchet up to a point?

The main problem with the BMW system is rust build up in the drum in damp weather resulting in chaffing wear of the shoes - they recommend pulling on the lever at a slow steady speed to remove the rust but that just wears the shoes more. Do Saab still use a transmission lock?

David

No not at all - it is entirely manual both at the brake itself and the cable. The reason being that it is intended only as a static brake and there for in theory shouldn't wear. There was a big trend in changing over to rear disc brakes and handbrakes that operated the pads in the early 90s but by the 00s they were either going back to rear drums or "drum in hat" (the disc with drum incorporated looks like a hat viewed side on!).

70% of the braking work is done by the front wheels (because of weight transfer) and you can see that in the size of the pads and pistons. The problem is that friction material needs to see some temperature in order to burn away the resin and expose the friction particles. For this reason the rear brakes tend to go to sleep at lower duty levels. It used to be called glazing which isn't really the right term but it has a similar affect. So if you have a little old lady who is trundling around and not generating any temperature she has to develop biceps like the hulk to work the handbrake if it is on the disc. It already relies on clamping force but if she has sent her pads to sleep she has a big problem. If you think things can't get any worse for mary alice - they can indeed! A disc contracts when it cools and so do pads. As they contract away from each other they lose even more of the already feeble clamping force and often when she came out of the post office the car wasn't there - explain with the aid of a sketch how that happened!!!

Manufacturers were faced with litigation problems and had to do something. Citreon Xantia's had the parking brake on the front discs and they had a few problems on car transporters where the one that was on the ramp at the back often didn't make it to the dealer. It could be found in lots of pieces on the motorway and sometimes gathered another vehicle up at the same time. They also suffered with runaways. They addressed it by removing the bottom 6 teeth of the handbrake pawl and ratchet so the driver had to haul at the lever to just pick up on some teeth! Others went to drum in hat. This does make some sense on our vehicles because they do keep out a surprising amount of dirt. Drum in hat and ordinary drum brakes also have a mechanical advantage in that they have a self servo action. In other words the shoes wrap around with the drum and have the same affect as throwing a wedge under a garage door - they jam it up. The drum also contracts onto the linings at a far greater rate than the linings contract and that has the affect of clamping the brake even tighter. Newer cars that have disc brake handbrakes will only have foot operated ones like a Merc or power operated ones like VW etc. (I think the new avensis does???).

Not sure about the Saabs but I think they are a bit more conventional these days. The problem is with a peg is that if you use it on a steep hill and it won't start or you have an automatic you can't disengage it without easing some weight off it (like a park lock on an auto).

You are right about BMWs. I have done them and you often fing a drum full of rusty looking "soil" that used to be linings. They must be particularly prone. To stop it from happening it doesn't do any harm to pull gently on the parking brake once every 6 months or so. Ease up on the lever at 30 mph and keep your finger on the button to stop it engaing. Only pull until you can just feel it hold the car back and for no more than about 100 yards or metres. Remember there is no brake lights so only do it when there is nobody behind you.

There is a procedure for bedding the rear shoes on a RAV which I have on pdf. If anyone wants a copy just pm me with your email address.

[Davrav]

Excellent insight Anchorman.

I agree that what we have now is probably the best compromise between holding power and manufacturing/operating considerations - it's just that it can't be beyond the whit of man to make it easier to adjust without having to strip out half the centre console and remove the wheels.

I'm probably just too pernickerty.