# Car brakes, Handbrake question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632 "2006-06-21T21:17:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632/21 "2006-06-22T20:17:55Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > As far as I know, every Saab for the last 20+ years, and many Subaru models in the early 90’s. And several Citroen models. Two I know for sure are the DS and the Xantia. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632/22 "2006-06-22T20:32:35Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > This is the second time I have seen someone post regarding handbrakes acting on the front wheels, could you name a model of car that does this ? > > Either historical or one of the newer makes or exotic cars. I think the only time I have seen the park brake operate on the front wheels of a vehicle is on a forklift. > > Declan I have had a Citroen GS, a BX and a Xantia, all had handbrake pads on the front discs. All had all-round discs. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632/23 "2006-06-22T20:34:13Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > And several Citroen models. Two I know for sure are the DS and the Xantia. And the DS, at least, had inboard front brakes, which gets around the problem that **Schuyler** mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632/24 "2006-06-22T20:40:32Z")
Incidentally, the handbrake as an emergency brake saved my bacon in the GS - first Citroen I owned. I regilarly drive down an eight mile long bank and was in the habit of turning off the engine end allowing the car to roll down the bank - prior to being a Citroen owner this posed no problems (no servo on the brakes, no power steering - it was that long ago) Turning off the Citroen’s engine brought some complications, as it powered the hydraulic pump that in turn powered the suspension and the braking system There is enough pressure in the system to operate the brakes about eight times with the engine not running, but unfortunately, on a fairly curvy downhill run, the height correctors in the suspension system bled of the pressurised fluid and whne t I was very glad of the emergency brake on that occasion, I can tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632/25 "2006-06-22T20:42:35Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > And the DS, at least, had inboard front brakes, which gets around the problem that **Schuyler** mentioned. As did the GS, discs were bolted on to the gearbox/diff. output. And they were huge. An absolute bugger to change though. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632/26 "2006-06-22T21:04:29Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > As far as I know, every Saab for the last 20+ years, and many Subaru models in the early 90’s. IIRC, my long-gone 1983 Subaru GL had a diagonal arrangement - think it was left rear and right front wheels that had the parking brakes. My memory’s really fuzzy on this part, but I sorta recall there being a tiny self-contained cylinder on the front right caliper for the parking function. Don’t know how they are now, but back then, Subaru sometimes seemed to do things strange just for the sake of being strange. Having to screw the pistons in rather than simply compressing them ought to be an omen. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632/27 "2006-06-22T21:20:26Z")
> [@Myglaren](#): > > Incidentally, the handbrake as an emergency brake saved my bacon in the GS - first Citroen I owned. > > I regilarly drive down an eight mile long bank and was in the habit of turning off the engine end allowing the car to roll down the bank… > > I was very glad of the emergency brake on that occasion, I can tell you. So the emergency here was ‘muppet behind the wheel’ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632/28 "2006-06-22T21:36:48Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > So the emergency here was ‘muppet behind the wheel’ 😛 Inarguably. Never did it again so it was a lesson learned. I’m just glad it was the GS and not the BX or Xantia with the power steering run off the hydraulic system too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-brakes-handbrake-question/361632.md?page=1)