F355's Handbrake

Hi everyone,

I am planning to buy a F355 next year, but I have found that the handbrake is different than the F430, F360 and all other cars.
The handbrake is next to the door and there are "pop" sounds when you release the handbrake. To me, it feels like easy to break!

However, anyone like this design? Any advantage about it? Any other F cars uses this kind of handbrake? Why Ferrari put it next to the door?

Honestly, I really like the F355, but I feel kind of disappointed about the handbrake.

F Luk

 

Its put there to save space on the centre console. lots of Ferraris have had them

 

Dont be disapointed by somthing like that dude. The workings of the hand brake is the same as any other brake shoe system. The brake shoes push out and clamp the inner dish/drum of the rear disk. So it does not realy matter were the hand brake is put as long as the system is not alian. The 355 leaver is designed to fold down when in use and not in use, so it does not catch ya on the way in and out. Though the 355s do need adjusting more so than other ferraris.
Talking about strange places to put hand brakes, have ya seen were some Merks have theres....in the lower dash board

 

Thanks for the reply...

By the way, sometimes when I was drifting I use the handbrake. Is that a problem for the 355's handbrake? Anyone try that?

Why the 355's handbrake do need adjusting more so than other Ferraris?

And why there are a "pop" sound when you release the handbrake?

 

I don't know why they need more tuning but I can tell you first hand I have had mine replaced once and adjusted in the last two years a couple of times, they are figgety. Also the park light 'sticks' when disengaging the brake and the light stays on, very annoying, and the technicians at Ferrari of Ontario mentioned to me just on Saturday that I should be used to it by now, most of them do it???

 

They need adjusting more becourse they are p*** weak and any use under pressure while driving, like hand brake turns ect will soon fade them, or streach the hand brake cable. The adjuster is found on the right rear of the car, under the rear under tray. Its a bit of a pig to get at but once done the job is esyer. Were as if you have a shop do the adjusting for ya then of course the hand brake will get weaker and weaker untill its back in. So if your a shop man, may i suggest that you do ya hand brake turns within the first day of ya getting ya 355 back from the shop

 

Bad news, if the handbrake is weak and easy to fade. That's a big problem for me. I need to stop and go on a 45 degrees hill everyday. I am wondering if the handbrake can hold the car?

 

Perhaps not the best car if you need a serious handbrake, imho. The "parking brake" on my 98 456GT - it's also by the door, same design I believe - has been adjusted several times and still is pretty worthless.

Pre-adjustment it apparently was so loose that the shoes were bouncing against the disc and I could raise the lever to vertical and not get either braking or the indicator lamp. Post-adjustment it was much better, worked as advertised. BUT post-post-adjustment (a couple of weeks, tops) it was already working itself loose again.

My mechanic said that the admustment is a simple matter of tensioning the cable. If anyone knows how to DIY this I'm game to try. I have a feeling this will be a recurring issue on the car - I only hope it's the worst!

 

The shoes need to be adjusted first. They were never done at the factory. After the shoes are correctly adjusted the cable can then be adjusted. If all is in good condition and properly adjusted it will hold the car surprisingly well, even on steep grades.

 

355 parking brakes are designed for parking only and as said in the previous post can be made to work very well but they were not designed nor do they have the strength to be applied forcefully at speed. I have repaired many that have been used that way and it often results in destruction of everything at the corner except the caliper.

If you want to go drifting, buy a Mustang.

 

The 355 parking brake can be a bit annoying. When it's pulled up high, it slightly impedes getting in/out of the car. Not really a big deal, and shouldn't be a consideration when buying the car.
It sometimes is a bit tricky to get it to go all the way down too. You just have to hold the button down, and raise the lever to a certain height before pushing down all the way. The dash light will turn off then.

 

Thanks for the info...

If the handbrake can handle on a steep hill then that's fine, but how offen the handbrake needs to adjust?

 

Thanks! I will mention this to my mechanic and find out whether he addressed the shoes or just the cable (the work was done under warranty so I never saw a detailed invoice).

 

Whoa! Never heard of anyone buying a Ferrari to drift it. I am not saying I have never hung the tail out on my Ferrari's but only with power induced slides, never with the handbrake. Sounds like a Nissan 240sx should be a car to buy along with a 355 so as to keep the Ferrari away from the drifting events.

 

Why on earth would you need to use the handbrake for a hill-start? Learn some clutch control!
The 355 will easily pull away on a flat road by gently releasing the clutch, and hill starts aren't a problem if you learn to use the clutch properly!

I suppose this is the problem with the US driving test, you all pass your test in an automatic transmission car and then wonder how a manual works!

In this country, if you pass your test in an auto, you aren't allowed to drive a manual unless you pass another test!

PS, the handbrake on my 355 has NEVER worked properly, therefore the car is always parked in gear. If you do put on the handbrake when laying the car up for more than a few days, the stupid thing sticks anyway! The ONLY time my handbrake is ever used, is to pull it up a notch or two to allow the electric roof mechanism to work!

 

When I did have mine replaced my tech at the dealer said the shoes were shot due to overtightening of the handbrake cable which is the incorrect way. As someone earlier posted you must start from the shoes and work your way back to be done properly. But as the last gentleman stated mine also has never worked properly and they are a pain the @*#

 

If you are using it as designed, once. At the pre delivery inspection.

 

I realy would not hold me breath mate seriously, but you will see I bet the dealer/specialist ya buying it from would never guarantee it
I think the question may be best answerd by any one who lives in San Fransisco

 

With all due respect, let's not take the thread in that direction There are plenty of jokes and misinformation on both sides of the pond.



Drinking an icy cold beer,
Daniel

 

The hand brake on my 355 works perfectly thanks to Daniel and his supply of parts.

The reason "we" use a handbrake on hills is because we don't want to roll back on the very step ones that tend to show up around in the states. It makes much more sense than smoking the clutch trying to prevent the car rolling backward down the hill.

Ken

 

+1 Well said!

 

I'm am in the middle of having my rotors machined this week after replacing the pads, thanks to the help of Chaa. My emergency brake never held particulary well, what I noticed after removing the rotors was on the drivers side the the adjustment was loose almost 4 full turns, and on the other side it was so tight the rotor was dragging. I'm hoping when I put it all back together later today to have a much improved emergency brake, I will post back when done.-MICHAEL

 

Done, still sucks .

 

just an idiosynchrosy not a character flaw.
My brake works pretty good for it's intended purpose.

JD

 

Test drive a 355 today and the handbrake is fine, no problem with it. Thanks for all the inputs.