Miata ebrake doesn't lock tyres

SiiNerGia

SiiNerGia

New Member
Hello everyone! I'm having a lot of issues trying to set up my ebrake.

This is the second time I try setting it up and I can't quite get the power I need.
I'm trying to set it for drifting, so I need it to lock the tires while the car moves. Even though the stock brake doesn't have much force, I've seen people online using it just fine so it should be fine, however, I can't manage to get enough force to lock up the wheels while traveling at a straight line at around 15kph (10mph). it's pretty slow so I should have no issues, but I do
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Things I have already done:

-I have a new set of rotors and brake pads
-I have set up the rear calipers to completely lock the wheels with 2 the ebrake at 2 clicks
-I have tightened the cable of the brake


Other info:
-My tires are small (165 14inch) so they shouldn't be an issue.
-Ebrake works fine when the car is stopped, it's just a matter of it not having enough force to lock the tires while moving
-Yes, I know getting a hydraulic would be the best thing to get what I need but I'm trying to make it work with the stock one, as it should

If anyone has any idea what else I could check I would really appreciate it.
 
Have you tried rebuilding the calipers? Likely old, corrosion or crap on the piston, won't be working 100%.
 
Standard handbrakes are not designed to lock the wheels whilst in motion.
It is a parking brake, the 'e' in e brake stands for 'emergency' in usa speak.
Think about how much use an 'e' brake would be if Joan went shopping and its brakes failed, locking the back wheels solid would likely make a bad situation worse.
It's design is to slow the car down.
You could try more lever force (longer handbrake lever) but doing this risks breaking the cable at the caliper end.
 
SiiNerGia said:
Hello everyone! I'm having a lot of issues trying to set up my ebrake.

This is the second time I try setting it up and I can't quite get the power I need.
I'm trying to set it for drifting, so I need it to lock the tires while the car moves. Even though the stock brake doesn't have much force, I've seen people online using it just fine so it should be fine, however, I can't manage to get enough force to lock up the wheels while traveling at a straight line at around 15kph (10mph). it's pretty slow so I should have no issues, but I do View attachment 333665

Things I have already done:

-I have a new set of rotors and brake pads
-I have set up the rear calipers to completely lock the wheels with 2 the ebrake at 2 clicks
-I have tightened the cable of the brake


Other info:
-My tires are small (165 14inch) so they shouldn't be an issue.
-Ebrake works fine when the car is stopped, it's just a matter of it not having enough force to lock the tires while moving
-Yes, I know getting a hydraulic would be the best thing to get what I need but I'm trying to make it work with the stock one, as it should

If anyone has any idea what else I could check I would really appreciate it.
Click to expand...

I thought I was having an issue for the longest time as well, but that's just how a factory handbrake works, there's not really a whole lot of leverage to really lock up the tires in a straight line. With that being said, you shouldn't need to lock it up going straight anyways, it works perfectly for locking up the rear when you already have some momentum and weight transfer to one side and should really only use it to slow down while maintaining angle. Additionally you get the best results from the handbrake by being real aggressive when you yank on it. Put some muscle into it and be explosive with the movement, that's why you'll see some people sorta pump the handbrake during a run as they're usually trying to get that handbrake to lock up those rear wheels.
 
MessingerMedia said:
I thought I was having an issue for the longest time as well, but that's just how a factory handbrake works, there's not really a whole lot of leverage to really lock up the tires in a straight line. With that being said, you shouldn't need to lock it up going straight anyways, it works perfectly for locking up the rear when you already have some momentum and weight transfer to one side and should really only use it to slow down while maintaining angle. Additionally you get the best results from the handbrake by being real aggressive when you yank on it. Put some muscle into it and be explosive with the movement, that's why you'll see some people sorta pump the handbrake during a run as they're usually trying to get that handbrake to lock up those rear wheels.
Click to expand...

The issue is that at the moment I can't trust it to lock the tyres. I don't want to pull the handbrake sometime and feed the wheel, just for the car to realign because it didn't lose grip in the rear and go into a barrier :(
 
oscar said:
Standard handbrakes are not designed to lock the wheels whilst in motion.
It is a parking brake, the 'e' in e brake stands for 'emergency' in usa speak.
Think about how much use an 'e' brake would be if Joan went shopping and its brakes failed, locking the back wheels solid would likely make a bad situation worse.
It's design is to slow the car down.
You could try more lever force (longer handbrake lever) but doing this risks breaking the cable at the caliper end.
Click to expand...

I understand, but investigating across several forums I've found contradicting information about this. Some say that the miata handbrake only has enough strength to stop the car from moving when parked. Others say it should fully lock the rear tyres even at 50mph. I don't know what to think anymore.
 
I've read through your thread, and I wonder why you don't ask your mechanic? He will see the issue and could provide you with a more precise answer if the opinions you found on forums contradict each other.
 
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