mobilezen

...cause in my accord, its towards the driver side.

Lore

I think it's the same in the Civic, actually. Probably just a room issue, or even an ergonomics issue. It is far easier to pull the brake when it's on that side than when it's flush against your thighs.

JoganJani

I find this place to be more easier to reach than on a driver side. But reason, I do not know.

Eduardo

I wondered the same when I test drove the TL.

I read in one of the reviews for the TL the same being mentioned. This particular reviewer put this situation in a postive light as he wrote that it might be a conversation starter on first dates when you brush the thigh of your date as you release the emergency break.

DaT1PiNoYduDe

This should be called an additional feature

-=¤willhaven¤=-

some cars are just like that. the rental car i have at the moment has the Ebrake on the passenger side.

Hal

I always touch my passenger's thigh when I pull on the e-break

One more reason why the TL is an excellent car for a date.

boltjames

You, sir, are my idol. Ginger Jolie is not only the hottest model on mattsmodels.com but she is also on the cover of Hustler? Props.

BJ

TSX 'R' US

I've wondered the same thing when I test drove the TL. Would a person with short arms find it a bit awkward to reach farther to use the ebrake?

It's on the driver side on my TSX. No touching my dates thighs for me :'(

-=¤willhaven¤=-

be a man... reach up her dress

TheNip73

My guess is so it doesn't get in the way of your hand when shifting or using the SS mode in the automatic. Again, just my guess.

TSX 'R' US

I thought you meant you had to :shit: off your cousins...

TSX 'R' US

The ebrake doesn't get in the way for me on my TSX at all in SS mode.. Then again the TL is quite different inside..

automophile

The first car I saw that way was was a Jag. I believe by moving the handbrake to the outside of the console, it allows extra room inside for the air ducts to the rear.

As mentioned above, it also allows for some ice-breaking with selected passengers. For non-selected, it's "Can you get that for me?"

ramilford

Eith passenger can pull the brake but I think the main reason for the right side placement is that in case of an emergency for the driver, such as heart attack, the passenger can pull the brake easily. The second gen floor brake would not permit that.

rets

Besides this e-brake stuff, can anyone tell me why the braking pads are so close to the rotors when the car stops? If you remove your tires, you can easily see the almost-zero clearance between pads and rotor.

Maybe all the cars are the same? Sorry, I hardly remove tires and check pads so closely... :o

mastertl

:shit:

that made me laugh
in the case that the driver gets a heart attack and the ebreak is on his side, it would be SO much harder for the passenger to reach over and pull it

dsc888

rets,

All cars are like that. It's to allow for immediate stopping power and a firmer pedal in some cases. If you roll your windows down and drive slowly on a quiet street, you will often hear that light "whissing" pad on rotor sliding sound esp. if you drive close to other cars or a wall. I believe it also helps the rotors and pads to heat up just a little so that you do have more effective braking. Pads don't stop well when cold...even regular street pads.

dsc888

rets

Thanks. dsc888...

TLGator

THe e-brake is better off on the passenger side, out of my way when I reach for my drink. As for using it as an excuse to grope your passenger, well, if that's your move, Slick, thenI suggest picking up some hand lotion on the way home alone.

VelfarreClubber

I wonder why in the 3rd gen they moved the e-brake on the center console? I just noticed the 2nd gen TL and the g35's have it next to the drivers foot well. Sure it could be easier to pull in case of an accident?? even mercedes has it down next to the foot? i think it would look cleaner moved out of the console.

crazymjb

Your dating Ginger Jolie?

subspace

All cars that have a manual transmission (or option of one) must have a hand controlled parking brake. If you've ever tried to start from a stop on an incline with a manual transmission car you will be using the hand brake on and off to prevent rolling backwards. This can not be done safely with a foot brake. Hence all manual trannys have hand brakes.

avs007

Actually, only the automatic G35's have a foot activated parking brake. The 6MT G35's have a hand lever. (On the driver's side)

VelfarreClubber

iiiiiii seee

avs007

Did the 6MT Acura CL have a foot lever or a hand lever? Just curious, how one would do the e-brake up a hill technique on that car, and if it really is a manual tranny thing to have a hand brake....

6mtV6

Before starting to move up on a hill, pull the hand brake. Once the car starts moving you can release the hand brake.

jchcmax

ha ha. Yeah it's only cool when it's a hottie sitting next to ya. Maybe you can have your passenger pull the e-brake when you want to drift!! Yeah!Seriously, where would the cup holder go if the e-brake was in the middle?

KJSmitty

????

I've owned numerous cars/trucks with manual shift that had floor e-brake peddles..... Used the e-brake all the time during incline starts....

Hand operated e-brakes are nice but not mandatory on MT's.....

matelot

subspace

I believe you. But, I've driven MTs for years and I have no clue how you would do this since with a hand e-brake start on an incline I am using both hands and both feet on 4 different things (right hand on e-brake, left hand on wheel, right foot on gas, left foot on clutch). Also the foot e-brakes I know of can not be released slowly, when you step on it to release, it releases all the way.

HondaOnly

The hand brake is on the passenger side so that fat Americans can reach for their overpriced Starbucks coffee without obstruction. Putting the parking brake on the left side is the dumbest thing about the TL. I don't find it any easier and I hate it when my hand brushes the thigh of the passenger. Sure it's great if it's a hot female, but what if it's a male coworker or your mother? The brake is for the driver. Put it on the driver's side.

avs007

You should try driving a manual truck, with 3 guys sitting on the front bench. You pretty much have to shift directly from 1 to 3....

ndx2

haha thank god I don't have to drive a manual truck with 3 guys on the bench.

Anyway, I thought it was a tad odd, but I find it easy to use. I have yet to brush my hand against a passenger's thigh, as they usually don't sit with their thighs spread wide.

I dunno why this is even an issue to some.

crazymjb

"The hand brake is on the passenger side so that fat Americans can reach for their overpriced Starbucks coffee without obstruction."

I resent that. Although it is true that a lot of foreign cars arent desinged with cup holders... I am not fat, so I don't directly take offense, but I love my country.

1995hoo

Not all of them. When I was in high school (circa 1989) I had a 1977 Ford Granada with a three-speed manual (with overdrive....so as far as I was concerned it was a four on the floor) and a pedal-operated parking brake. The high-beam switch was also on the floor beneath where the parking brake would be when activated. Drove the guys who did the state safety inspection absolutely nuts--none of them could ever operate the high-beam switch and they had to ask me to do it.

I never attempted to use the brake to hold the car when starting on a hill. Think I've only done that maybe twice ever with any car except when I was first learning to drive.

HondaOnly

It was a joke. I'm making fun of the fact that 2/3 of Americans are overweight and we pay $4 for a cup of coffee. I laugh whenever I see these people on the road drinking their coffee. Never mind that they don't need the extra calories, but what if the coffee spills?

gyrus

i dont know if this is true or not, but I noticed cars made in japan (TSX) have ebrake on left side, cars made just for US consumption (TL) have ebrake on the right side.

i think the japanese like their ebrake on the other side of the driver. They drive seated on the right side, ebrake on left side; hence, ebrake on other side. And when they bring the car over to the US, they don't bother changing it.

Since the TL is made just for the US, they designed the ebrake to be on the far side of the drive, the right side.

that's what I think anyway.