Brakes too good.

I have had 2 E39s and the handbrake on my first one was very poor. Didn't seem to be anything that could be done to improve its performance.

You are not required to mash the pedals to the floor. It's okay to lightly push them.

The hand brake is intended to keep a stationary car it rest, it is not intended to bring a moving car to a halt. Yes, it can do that when called upon, but that is not its job, and its failure to do that as well as the main brakes should not be considered a fault. For one thing, the brake pads for the parking brake have less than half of the mechanical advantage as the main brakes -- they are considerably smaller in surface area, and they haven't the force (leverage) aplied that the main brakes have. For another thing, they call it a Parking Brake for a reason.

I did say for normal slowing down in my post. IOW when lightly braking, the pressure required on the pedal is not enough to hold me in the seat.

I do know what a handbrake or parking brake should be capable of. My drive has a slight slope. Unless I really heave on it, the car will still roll. My wife would never be able to pull it on enough. Mike.

It can be adjusted. The spec on my 3 series is that the brake should engagek on the 4th click of the ratchet mechanism. The adjustment is a bit tedious to accomplish because the left and right side are adjusted independently of each other. One can be adjusted properly, and the other one still be too loose.

You are not supposed to hold yourself in your seat with foot pressure on the brakes. Are you wearing teflon pants or something?

That only adjusts the lever position, and whilst an adjustment may achieve a slightly better machanical advantage. It will not turn a poor handbrake into a good one. The problem with mine is undoubtedly in the hubs, or maybe stiffness in the linkage etc, but as I said. I'm not worried about it. I've no doubt I can easily improve them to an acceptable level. Mike.

IM(limited)E adjusting it will make littel difference to the effectiveness. I would periodically (now and again) engage the handbrake whilst driving (slowly and for a few seconds only) - I think someone sujggested that it might rought things up (though I'd have thought smooth things down!) and it may have made a minor improvement. But on the whole I would describe it as woeful (on that 1997 model).

My previous comments on this matter:

Of course you are. Otherwise how would you stop yourself sliding forward in the seat under heavy braking. It should be relative. Light or heavy braking should need enough pressure on the pedal to avoid sliding forwards. I'm not a newbie to driving. I've been driving for decades. I think I know by now what is acceptable as far as a foot brake is concerned, and as it stands, the foot brake on my car is too sensitive. My quesstion was, whether that is normal for the E39. Mike.

That's true, if only one brake is working. Having said that, two working brakes is not twice as good as one. Two working brakes are better than one marginal brake though.

I'm afraid they're a bad joke. Just why they're worse than an E34 I don't know.

By either using the 'dead pedal' to brace with your other foot or by depending on your seat/shoulder belt to hold you in place. Using the brake pedal to keep yourself from sliding forward in the seat is ludicrous. It sounds as if you have your seat bottom cushion tilted forward.

In which case I suppose I'm glad we're separated by an ocean.

Then put the heel of your brake foot on the floor and use it for leverage and to modulate the pressure.

-- C.R. Krieger

I'd suggest you have another look.

And they are closer to the axle (center of the circle), so they require greater force to accomplish the same work.

Shouldn't be necessary. For comfort it's far better that the pressure exerted on the pedal is more or less the same as the pressure required to hold you in the seat. Of course the other foot is used as well, but it should not be needed for just light slowing down down braking.

Using the

Do you think that I don't know how to adjust a seat?

Make all the snide comments you like, but you have no idea of whether I'm good or bad driver. My insurance Co thinks I'm good enough for maximum NCB though, after 16 years of claim and conviction free motoring.

Don't be ridiculous. If the ball of your foot is on the pedal, unless you have enormous feet, your heel will be off the floor. Mike.

My heel is on the floor while I work the brake pedal.

I completely do not get what your problem is, unless you have the back of the seat higher than the front, and you slide downhill while stopping.

Maybe the seats are too slippery from the crap they smear on them at the Detail Shop.

Use the foot rest under your left foot to hold you back against the seat while you brake. Whatever the problem is, it isn't the brakes.

None of the above applies.

You obviously don't believe there is an optimum for brake pedal pressure. That brakes can be too light or too heavy for comfort. In which case I understand your inability to understand what I mean when I say I believe the brakes are too light for comfort. Mike.

FWIW I didn't notice any difference in pedal pressure when changing from my E34 525 auto. I'd call the brakes on my E39 'perfectly weighted' ;-)

A drum brake of that diameter is perfectly capable of working well as a hand brake. And does on other models. But not the E39. As Mike G says the same size brake works ok on an E34 - and you imply on a 3 Series. FWIW I've driven other examples of the E39 and they're as bad. It is hopeless for hill starts on a manual.

I will be changing all the discs and pads on my E39 shortly and may investigate further, but when I first got the car I checked it thoroughly and adjusted it correctly - which it wasn't as supplied by a main dealer, with a stuck adjuster in one drum and the cables set incorrectly.

Just to confirm how poor it is if you're facing downwards on a slight hill and still in drive it won't hold the car stationary.

You seem to be the only one who knows what I'm on about. :-) I noticed yesterday when swapping the wheels, that all the discs could do with being replaced. Not very badly worn, but a little too much lipping for me. Maybe once they are replaced with new pads all round, the brakes will feel better, and maybe.I can improve the h/brake at the same time. Mike.