Technical Panda 100hp - handbrake performance

[MD 100hp]

Hello all, my first post
I'm a happy owner of a 57 plate 100hp over the past 9 months... and think its an awesome car... with great advice on this forum

One part of the car I think should be better is the handbrake - it is good enough to pass the MoT, hill starts etc - not so good at handbrake turns in err 'emergency situations'.

For those of you who might have tried are you able to perform said handbrake turns ?.. or does your car just beep at you and not really play?

Cheers Mark

 

[timmycm850]

hi MD

It probably just needs new shoes (if it has shoes) or pads.

as they lose a couple of mm over time the leverage of the handbrake mechanism becomes less effective, if it looks like you still have some meat on them they could have just hardened over time.

Tim

 

[Jockcl500]

Hello all, my first post
I'm a happy owner of a 57 plate 100hp over the past 9 months... and think its an awesome car... with great advice on this forum

One part of the car I think should be better is the handbrake - it is good enough to pass the MoT, hill starts etc - not so good at handbrake turns in err 'emergency situations'.

For those of you who might have tried are you able to perform said handbrake turns ?.. or does your car just beep at you and not really play?

Cheers Mark

where do you live, that handbrake turns are needed in emergency situations....lol
Chances are the brake drums and shoes need replacing but could just need cleaning and proper adjustment, either way not a big or expensive job.
Handbrake turns don't work so well on cars with soft suspension.

 

[MD 100hp]

Thanks both - brakes will be checked.
I was just seeing what normal handbrake performance is like for other owners - gut feel is mine should be better.

 

[A3jeroen]

100Hp has discs and pads in the rear. The handbrake (selfadjusting) is not great. Perhaps it can get a little better by adjusting under the middleconsole, but handbraketurns?...

gr J

 

[rmjbn1]

Hi Mark, welcome and great choice of car

Well, I do know the handbrake can lock up the drums on my 1.2 at low speed (I once had to intervene when my girlfriend was learning to drive). No beeping or electronic intervention.

I would have thought the rear discs on the 100HP would easily do the same, if the handbrake is tight enough to hold the car on a hill. As A3jeroen says, maybe it needs adjusting at the lever end if it's a bit loose. Can you feel resistance on the lever as you start to lift it, or is there quite a bit of slack?

By the way, how are the rear spring pans for rust?

 

[MD 100hp]

Thanks rmjbn1 and A3jeroen.

It is a fun car - rear spring pans seem solid - only fixes needed so far are new engine injector coils, clutch release bearing and centre exhaust section.
all wear and tear fixes.

Ive tested the handbrake - at first click its starting to bind, at the 4th click the car will stall if you try and pull away in first gear.
So the handbrake is working.

It might just be age, slightly wider tyres and slightly worn handbrake shoes mean handbrake turns are not possible

Oh yes and the reason for asking is preparation for autotests this summer.

Any other 100hp owners experience out there?

 

[dac69er]

My girlfriend's 100hp has nearly 140k miles on It and the handbrake is pretty damn good if you ask me.

I replaced the discs and pads recently and it was good before as it was after.

Never did a handbrake turn in it as I don't feel the need to impress 15 year old girls outside mcdonalds, but I'm pretty sure it will lock the back up if needed.

 

[grantleyrich]

Your message got me thinking...

I had always thought that my 100hp had a pretty good handbrake. So I tried it out in anger last night. The road was a bit damp which would have helped, but I was able to confirm that it is possible to unstick the back of the car using the handbrake quite easily. How much of a handbrake turn you can execute depends on skill, and I am not very skilled so I wasn't about to try to do a full turn, but on the basis of this trial it is possible.

Please don't try this on a public road

 

[MD 100hp]

Excellent grantleyrich. Thanks for this. I'm off to get my handbrake fixed.
btw - did the car beep?

 

[DaveMcT]

Does anyone know if the 100HP has a different handbrake cable to the drum braked Pandas?

I assume they are different but have never compared them.

 

[testacorsa]

I have changed cables on both a 1.2 and a 100HP. They are not the same as the 100hp has a rubber sleeve at the end, where it connects to the caliper. The 1.1 and 1.2 go into the drum, so they have no rubber at the end.

After I restored my calipers, changed the disks and pads, and replaced the cables, the handbrake works REALLY well. Good for emergency situations too

The design of the caliper isn't great and neither is the handbrake mechanism. It sits very bare and exposed. I expect to maintain them often.
The front caliper design on the 1.2 was awesome though. Brilliantly simple!

My calipers were corroded on the inside, which meant that the pistons could barely move. The handbrake did work, but not very well.
I wouldn't be surprised if it's time for a rebuild on yours too MD 100hp

 

[grantleyrich]

Excellent grantleyrich.
btw - did the car beep?

Oh yes, handsomely