16 replies to this topic

[Wiggywithahailo]

I just had to do a cheeky little handbrake skid this morning on the damp leaves
Empty car park damp leaves = 😊

[Zach P-D]

I remember when me and my dad used to take his Suzuki Vitara in the snow and drift about the car parks near us, was so much fun until that vehicle met it's demise. 
Also learnt how to drive in that car and had my first driving experience on snow in it, was a great car before some pleb smashed into it..

Drove my Mini in the snow last year and I didn't enjoy it at all while on the roads, the same car parks were fun though

[mini-auto]

I remember coming back home in the snow in the 70's from a sledging trip with my dad in his MK3 Cortina, when we got on to the avenue near where we lived as we went round a bend my dad did a MK2 escort style sideways powerslide on the snow, when we came to the next bend I excitedly shouted "Do it again Dad" so he did & we went straight on & demolished someones garden wall, happy days.

Edited by mini-auto, 03 November 2015 - 09:42 PM.

[bob540]

Couldn't resist pulling the handbrake once or twice myself last time it snowed, I think if you're in a car park and all you can damage is your own car then what's the harm

[spiguy]

I remember a couple of years back I nipped over to the industrial estate near my house when it had snowed. Went to the furthest away unit, whose car park was nice and snowy. No cars or people around. Proceeded to do an array of handbrake turns and J turns much to my young son's delight.

 

Upon completing a J turn when I got the right way round, I was surprised to find that a Police car had pulled into the car park. "Oh crumbs" I though, fully expecting to catch an earful about my behaviour.

 

Imagine my surprise then when they smiled, gave a sort of shy wave and drove straight out again. Took me a few moments to register that it had been a car with two officers, one male and one female, both quite young and the WPC was very pretty...

[MrBounce]

Ha ha ha!!!

 

I had a couple of mates in my car shortly after I got it and we went to a deserted grass-covered car park on a miserable rainy December evening. I drove around and simply told them to pull the handbrake at random. It was SO much fun and taught me a hell of a lot about skid control. In fact I'd go so far to say it was one of the best times I've had in a car. When we went to get more petrol I realised we'd managed to get mud on the roof as well as all up the sides. Took a while to clean that off...

 

I also found that compacted snow (more like ice) + deserted carpark + Mini + handbrake = a 540 degree spin. Wasn't expecting it to go quite that far!!!

[mikal]

A "fly off" handbrake comes in very useful when is in the mood! A kit is available and it's easy to do. Additional bonus is it's also an anti-theft device, the uninformed cannot release the handbrake.....

[monkey]

Are fly off handbrakes road legal?

[mikal]

Don't see why they wouldn't be?

[lawrence]

I've had one for about 3 years and in all that time used it about 5times. But it's a hell of a laugh come mot time!

Great for snowy skids too!

[Zach P-D]

can someone elaborate on the fly off.
Is it like the ones you see on cheap drift cars (not the fancy hydraulic systems) where you can yank the handbrake and it doesn't lock unless you push the button in or something? 

[mikal]

Mad Mini, you've got it. To engage the handbrake you apply it and push the button IN. To release it simply pull it up and release. That's why it doubles as an anti theft device, if you try to release it by pushing the button in, nothing happens because you are reengaging the ratchet rather than releasing it. So if you need some rear braking action on a dirt surface say, you heave on the brake as you need then release and it returns to the floor. Pretty sure all rally cars would have had one fitted. My primary reason for fitting one was as an anti theft device. The uninitiated cannot release it no matter how hard they yank on it..... 

[mingy]

Mad Mini, you've got it. To engage the handbrake you apply it and push the button IN. To release it simply pull it up and release. That's why it doubles as an anti theft device, if you try to release it by pushing the button in, nothing happens because you are reengaging the ratchet rather than releasing it. So if you need some rear braking action on a dirt surface say, you heave on the brake as you need then release and it returns to the floor. Pretty sure all rally cars would have had one fitted. My primary reason for fitting one was as an anti theft device. The uninitiated cannot release it no matter how hard they yank on it..... 

I was uninitiated 2 minutes ago........ not now though, where do you live ? 

[welldc]

As a youngster (many years ago!), we were fortunate to have one of the many disused Yorkshire airfields close by.

One snowy night we had carved out a 'lap' in the snow and with a MK1 Cortina, Mini Cooper and Austin 1300 proceeded to hammer round and round, swapping drivers occasionally.

After a while we noticed another set of lights following our lap.

 

Turned out to be a Granada police car. They gave us a wave as they drifted past on full opposite lock.

Happy days!

[surfblue]

I remember a couple of years back I nipped over to the industrial estate near my house when it had snowed. Went to the furthest away unit, whose car park was nice and snowy. No cars or people around. Proceeded to do an array of handbrake turns and J turns much to my young son's delight.

 

Upon completing a J turn when I got the right way round, I was surprised to find that a Police car had pulled into the car park. "Oh crumbs" I though, fully expecting to catch an earful about my behaviour.

 

Imagine my surprise then when they smiled, gave a sort of shy wave and drove straight out again. Took me a few moments to register that it had been a car with two officers, one male and one female, both quite young and the WPC was very pretty...

Police cars are quite good at handbrake turns too.... dont ask me how I know