exc911ence

I'm wondering about the wisdom of Porsche fitting the 991 (and new Boxster) with the electric parking brake button instead of a conventional cable-activated brake. My concern is that the parking brake has historically also been used as an emergency brake in the event of a total hydraulic pressure loss in the braking system... how does the new electric button-activated one work in this situation? I'm guessing that it doesn't.

Anyone know for sure?

Mike in CA

The following is from my Cayenne Manual. It's reasonable to assume the operation of the electric E-brake on the 991 is the same.

Emergency braking function
If the conventional brake system has failed, the vehicle can be decelerated quickly and braked to a stop using the electric parking brake. Press switch and keep it pressed. The brake warning light on the instrument panel and the indicator light on the switch start to flash. A warning signal also sounds and appears on the multi-purpose display. The emergency braking function is deactivated when you release the switch.

exc911ence

Thank you for that!

SSST

I believe it's the same basic system VW and Audi have used for several years. My company cars are VWs. A Passat and now a CC. As a parking brake it works well. The hill assist feature is more of a pain than a help so I keep it off. You don't really need it in a auto-manual.

I did test to see if it would stop the car, and it will.

19_hole

The 911 has had "hill assist" as a standard since the 997.2, there is no need to use the habd brake for hill starts. That is if you ever really needed it for that anyway!

mdrums

My Audi Q5 has a electronic E Brake. I don't know what the big fuss about not liking this is all about. I hardly ever use it but it's simple to use if parking on a hill and for a emergency stop if your brakes fail it works well that way too.

jmm

Even though they won't admit it, the ones crying over the loss of a handbrake to the far superior electric brake, are missing the ability to jerk up the hand brake and spin the car around in a "playful" maneuver, I'm afraid. Anything else is not applicable.

If the electric parking brake is applied after the car has been turned off, it will automatically disengage when you drive off. If you apply it before you turn the key off, you will have to release it to drive off. Pretty smart, huh?

neanicu

Can you spin the car using this electric parking brake while driving by pushing the button,just as you would do it if you experience brake failure? Just curious...

97c2s993

Saw this coming!!

P.S. don't know the answer but just might try to find out...

Palmbeacher

I think it's admirable and uplifting that Porsche is striving to make their cars so Stephen Hawking can drive one, but most of us aren't crying over the loss of a handbrake as much as the loss of what was once a car that took some measure of skill to drive. I really wish Porsche would just stop trying to bs that they're interested in making these cars better, and admit that what they're really trying to do is make their cars idiot-proof in order to tap the vastly under-served market of idiots.

jmm

One man's idiot-proof is another man's litigation-proof.

Carrera GT

You probably can. It does take quite a few seconds (three, five?) to fully engage and tends to just sort of drag the car down to a halt, not the abrupt wrenching of the conventional lever like a rally driver.)

Palmbeacher

Anyone who believes something can be made litigation-proof is an idiot. Just ask any lawyer.

Alan Smithee

I cannot stand electronic parking brakes. With properly adjusted mechanical parking brakes, you pull the lever or push the pedal, and it's set. Period. You disengage and it is off. Period.

With electronic parking brakes, procedures differ. In some cars you have to hold the button longer than others. So you wait until the light is lit. In my X5 the light is obscured by the steering wheel, so I have to deliberately look to see it is set. A quick pull of the button will not always do it. And then you have to have the right amount of brake pressure before it will release, or all of the visual and audible warnings go off. Annoying every time I get in and out of the car, as well as in rental cars I've had with electronic parking brakes.

rijowysock

how were we supposed to know that in an emergency situation? LOL.