begin quoting Ralph Shumaker as of Wed, Oct 01, 2008 at 02:05:56PM -0700: > SJS wrote: > > begin quoting Steve M Bibayoff as of Wed, Oct 01, 2008 at 11:32:42AM -0700: > >> On Wed, Oct 1, 2008 at 11:29 AM, Andrew Lentvorski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> wrote: [snip] > >>> That's hardly a recipe for for flipping around backwards. > >>> > >> You have obviously never used the "emergency break" why going down the > >> road > 50 mph (or if you have, been very, very lucky). > > > > I've used emergency brakes (lever, not pedal) at highways speeds several > > times. You don't HAVE to lock up the rear wheels, y'know. > > You don't have to, no, but it's very easy to do in a light vehicle, or a > vehicle with a light back end.
Not so much. When I was a teenager, my Dad yanked the emergency brake on the highway (something to do with Driver's ed teaching me to drive like an idiot, by following a laundry list of rather inane rules instead of, well, driving), and even without much experience, I instinctively kept the vehicle under control. Subaru Brats were pretty darn light, with a very light back-end. > Using the manual brake also has the added danger that it doesn't light > up your brake lights, increasing the risk of rear end collision (or > front end collision if it flips you around). Aside from that I'm not buying the flip-around assertion, this isn't significantly different from downshifting to slow down. I would think the clouds of blue/white smoke and the screeching sound would serve as MORE of an alert to other drivers. > I didn't have to use it the hand lever, but (always with no one around) > did a few times anyway, just to get a feel for it. The first time I did > it, my hand slipped off. I was only going about 25 or so, but it did > flip me around. Subsequently, I was more careful. Overall, I wouldn't > recommend it unless you need it. I've *got* to get a set of tires I can destroy and a place to play with this technique. -- I miss my 5-liter V8's torque. Stewart Stremler -- KPLUG-LPSG@kernel-panic.org http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-lpsg
