Stopping and going on steep hills?

Question

I drive a car with automatic transmission.

I was wondering how to go about stopping and going at a streetlight when it is placed on a steep hill?

Do I depress the parking brake and then press it off once I'm over the hill? Would that damage the car?

I've driven with the parking brake on before (forgetting to let it go) on flat roads and it becomes very difficult to handle and accelerate.

I'm just wondering if this will damage the car in anyway. PS: this is a Prius.

Answer 1

If you are not parking, you don't want to use the parking brake. Use the brake pedal to slow down and hold it stopped. Release the brake and use the gas pedal gently when you want to go forward.

If you are asking about parking on a hill, stop the car and turn the wheel towards the curb in the down direction, so that if the car rolls down, the wheels will bump the curb and stop it. Once parked, depress and lock the parking brake. Release it when you are ready to go again.

You should always make sure the parking brake is released  before moving.Three weeks ago my best friend destroyed his brakes and burned his tire (yes, flames!) by neglecting to release his parking brake before driving.

Answer 2

Just drive the car normally since it has an automatic transmission and there is no need to use the handbrake until you are parked.

Answer 3

The current NHW20 (hatchback) Prius has a hill-holder feature built-in, such that you will not roll backwards when stopped on an incline.  (The Prius is not a conventional automatic, BTW, it has an eCVT instead.)

Using the emergency/parking brake as often as you indicate, you're likely to either forget that you set it, or it may mechanically get stuck, and then you'll be dragging the emergency brake (wearing it down unnecessarily, and giving you lowered fuel economy).

Just use the normal/traditional foot brake (pedal next to the accelerator) to stop, and you'll be fine.

Or by parking brake, you mean the P button on the dash (moving the "gear" to Park at stops)?  Unless you are going to be stopped for a long time (foot fatigue from a railroad crossing or other blocked road), or are planning on exiting your car, no need to shift "gear" into Park and engage the parking pawl in the "transmission."  It takes much longer to shift back into Drive and then press the accelerator if you have some reason to suddenly move, than if you just had to press the accelerator, so for safety you may as well stay in Drive and have your foot on the brake pedal.  If you were suddenly hit/bumped from behind while in Park, there would be some damage to the parking pawl, whereas if you had your foot on the brake you'd have more control and the parking pawl wouldn't be affected.

Answer 4

you dont need to touch the park brake. there really useless on automatics unless your parked on a hill or you main brakes go out. just use you regualar brakes on the hill and when you want to go just take your foot off the brake and press the gas. the car will be perfectly fine. since you have a prius the engine may kick in but those cars is designed to do that when it need the extra power.

Answer 5

If the car is an automatic, there should be no need to engage the parking brake.

Yes, leaving the park brake on and driving will do damage. It can do anything from stretching the cable, to ruining your calipers and pads, and scoring/warping your rotors.

If you get a red light, the best proceedure is to put your foot on the brake pedal. Once the light changes to green, you can leave your foot on the brake, and start to accelerate. As the motor takes up the weight of the car, you can remove the pressure on the brake pedal and you will pull away smoothly without rolling backwards.

If you are going to be stopped for a long time, you may put the car into park, and engage the park brake, as if you were parked.

Once you get a green light, engage drive, place your foot on the foot brake, remove the park brake and drive away.