rijowysock

i'm only familiar with electronic parking brake from porsche/ferrari where it auto applies itself when vehicle ignition turned off with foot on brake..

also they auto disengage when ignition turned on and foot on brake..



anyone know if the C7 electronic parking brake acts the same?

i assume it's also set to "gradually" add parking brake when vehicle at speed? on the porsche models they have it set so if the vehicle brakes failed at speed you can press the button and it would slowly bring vehicle to stop versus immediately applying brake pressure to the drums..

jsc7vette

I am guessing it will be very similar to what they did on my XTS. You pull a small rectangular button to 'apply' the parking brake, and push it to release it. If it is applied, turning on the engine and stepping on the brake does NOT release it, nor putting it in gear. You must step on the brake and then press the button in to release the parking brake.

mpuzach

I've been wondering about this, too. Specifically, I'm curious if the parking brake is simply either engaged or disengaged vs. being able to apply varying amounts of braking (while the car is stationary).

jsc7vette

If it is like the one on my XTS, it is either on or off. However it is very effective and permits zero roll once engaged.

rijowysock

i hope they updated it... at first i thought the porsche/ferrari method was odd, but if your foot is on the brake then you will not roll anywhere as it auto disengages... also very helpful otherwise to just give it gas and it releases..

it's just on/off, their is no varied pressure... the vehicles do not move at all when engaged.

jsc7vette

Since the XTS electronic parking brake is pretty new for GM I kinda doubt they would have a different/updated version for the C7.

Jinx

The second-gen CTS-V also has a push/pull switch for the parking brake. It takes a full second to engage/disengage, and won't do it without your foot on the brake. Annoys the hell out of me. Saves a lot of interior space versus a manual lever, but that space isn't well-used in the V anyway. I guess most luxury buyers would rather have burled wood and a switch than something so primitive as a lever you have to pull. In the case of the C7 I don't see where they'd put it. Oh well.

Cruiter

This is my 1st experience as well. When did the tried and true center pull up parking brake disappear?

SCM_Crash

I always wonder about these bits. I'm in the habit of always parking in reverse. I'm sure that shouldn't and won't change. I've never trusted GM parking brakes. My Corvettes and my Trans Am had the worst parking brakes. On steep hills I had no choice but to put the front wheel against the curb, wheels turned in, parking brake on and in reverse gear. The car would still lurch forward if the curb wasn't there.

Zero roll is nice if it's legit on a steep hill. In any case, I won't be trust it to work on its own. Always park in reverse!

Jesterissimo

I always thought the whole point of having the pull up handle (usually a stiff, hard to move one) was that it was a mechanical connection to the brake and so it would be guaranteed to hold the car - how does an electronic brake do that if the battery fails?

Heck, if the battery fails how do you release the brake so you can push the car?

Stingray Sam

The electric part is the activator, not the brake. The brake is still mechanical. Once it is set, it doesn't matter what happens with the power.

As to how to disengage without power, that is a good question. If the car is running, the brake automatically disengages if you put the car in gear and apply slight pressure to the throttle. However, if the battery power is completely dead, you can't do those things. I don't know if they have an emergency parking brake release somewhere. My Volt has a similar electric brake and I haven't come across anything in the manual or in the vehicle about that eventuality.

Cruiter

I'm thinking if the battery is dead you're not going to start it anyway, so leave the brake on. I'm sure if you had to release it, it could be jumped from the rear.

Jinx

CTS owner's manual says it can't be dis/engaged without power.