2009 Dodge Challenger RT: Where's My Handbrake?

Above the dead pedal or the space where one should be?

I assume he is indicating that is not where it "should" be in a sporting car. Maybe he's planning on doing some drifting...?

For the love of Pete, give the guy his handbrake!!

Holy Crap! I didn't even notice it didn't have one.
Man, I can deal with all the baggage his car has, but this may just push me towards another car!
Might as well sell my soul and get an automatic!
Serisouly though, is it a "foot" handbrake, or is it totally electronic? Is it possible to install one, as in some kind of upgrade/mod?

I'm pretty sure it's a foot activated parking brake, which is an annoying design/engineering choice in a sports car. The Infiniti G37 suffers the same fate.

Pistol grip shifter and no hand brake is wrong. This is not a Buick LeSabre!

Chalk one up for the new Camaro. The pics from the comparison test show a hand brake where it should be.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/MediaThumbnails/appname=il#12

Another thing GM has done right.

Did they go totally retro and put a classic foot-operated high-beam switch in as well?

People...you better think twice about pulling a handbrake on a 4000 lbs car, just to show off your fancy sideways action. So if one was actually there, should you be using it in such a manner on any public street? I hope not, because that would be a special kind of jagov to put others at risk just to show off something nobody cares about. If it is on a closed track and you are using the handbrake, how good of a driver are you? So that leaves the scenario where you want it just for looks, and never plan to use it for anything that you couldn't already do with the foot brake that does exist. That simply makes you a poser then, eh?

A handbrake means about just as much as proposing there should be 3 carburetors under the hood. In the end, it is pretty irrelevent in the modern car world.

It's absolutely lame that so many cars have the emergency brake in the footwell. It's much harder if not impossible, to engage and release in conjunction with the clutch should it occasionally be necessary when stopped on a steep hill, etc.

This used to be mostly an American car thing, but now the Japanese makes have been doing it too. Only with a slushbox transmission is it livable, while still not preferable.

cwc, that's what the normal break is for.

I've no problem with the parking break being on the floor. Having it on the console can be annoying sometimes, as it gets in the way.

The high beam switch is another story. Moving that off the floor was a good idea.

Re: Foot operated dimmer switch

I actually prefer these, it was so easy on my old mustang to activate the high beams, just move your foot a little. I can't tell you how many times I have accidentally turned on my turn signals while adjusting the headlights in new cars.

brn, the regular brake pedal is hard to operate with one foot on the throttle and one on the clutch. Imagine being at top of a steep hill (maybe San Francisco) and not wanting to roll back into the car behind you. No matter how quickly you can engage the transmission, the car will roll back a bit, where you may not have even a few inches to spare.

It really shines a light on how "hardcore" manual trans drivers really are, doesn't it? Their skills are honed to the driving experience like a diamond edge, right? So how is it they are not quick enough on the pedal action to pull-off the steep hill manuever? Better brush up on your heel-toe skills and truly live up to your uber manual shifter prowess, eh? (...or just admit that you are not Mario Andretti at the wheel, and join the rest of us mere mortal drivers who have no issue whatsoever piloting an automatic :p )

In a car with properly designed controls instead of the parking brake being an afterthought, it's not problem at all. Any serious driver's car with a manual transmission has a hand operated parking brake - no matter how good someone is with three pedals, an extra measure of control is prudent.

Hmmm, pretty sure my G37 has a handbrake. Don't know what carguy622 is on about?

Just be glad that modern muscle cars have anti-lock brakes. :D

Auto G37/G35s have a foot operated parking brake, manual versions have a handbrake.

So this two tonne porker doesn't even have a proper handbrake.

The Challenger RT is equipped with "Hill Start Assist" which makes the handbrake unnecessary. When stopped facing uphill, the car holds the brake on for 2 seconds so you can move your foot from the brake to the gas without rolling backwards.

I am not a fan at all of footbrakes. I'd gladly take a handbrake tucked somewhere into that large center console. I never use my handbrake on a hill though, I just use the normal brake and it works fine.

Here's the thing, if from a performance/engineering stand point it makes sense for the brake to be on the floor, fine. However, if they placed it on the floor for some other reason, it’s just lame. People will do stupid things and have certain preferences regardless of where the brake is, but from an ascetics point of view (looking at the Camaro, Mustang, Audi TT, etc) the handbrake MUST be by the stick.
PS: Why the heck is the handbrake on the passenger side of the Camaro?

Automatic G37's have a foot activated parking brake from what I understand. At least that's how it is on my co-workers '08.

I don't use a hand brake to have fun with the car, although I occasionally use it when on a steep hill as cwc1 mentioned. I don't care if it's an automatic or a manual having the hand brake on the console is more convenient. You're supposed to use it every time the car is parked regardless of transmission, and I find the foot activated one inconvenient. I thought only cars with bench seats needed a brake like that.

"The Challenger RT is equipped with "Hill Start Assist" which makes the handbrake unnecessary. When stopped facing uphill, the car holds the brake on for 2 seconds so you can move your foot from the brake to the gas without rolling backwards."

Correct. The Challenger has a hill brake in the 6-speeds.

Guess they're just being true to the original. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember a handbrake on a Chrysler product any time during the '60's or '70's until the 1978 Omni/Horizon. And even its replacement went back to having it on the floor.

From a safety standpoint, though, a handbrake is accessible to the passenger in the event of a medical emergency, so I vote for a handbrake. No hill system allows for passenger use if needed.

"PS: Why the heck is the handbrake on the passenger side of the Camaro?"

Possibly because it's Australian, and they drive on the left down under. My RX-8 has it on the passenger side as well. Maybe it was too difficult to move it to the other side, so the engineers/designers just left it in place.

Alright, just to summarize. The handbrake is for:

1) Hooligan fun.
2) Hill starting.
3) Medical emergencies.

Lets address this one at a time shall we?

1) Hooligan fun. The 2009 Dodge Challenger RT is powered by a 5.7-liter Hemi capable of 376 horsepower and 410 lb/ft of torque. If you ever desire to achieve a simulated handbrake pull, all you need to do is disable stability control, drop a gear, and wood it around a corner. Tire shredding hooligan fun achieved. No need for a handbrake.

2) Hill starting. This has already been addressed both with regards to the hill start system on the Challenger and with comments about heel/toeing the start. Either will work.

3) Medical emergencies. Really? So if your driver has a heart attack at 75mph on an LA freeway, you're going to pray the wheels are straight and yank the handbrake? Cause if they're not straight, you're probaby going to cause a 29 car pileup with your nice shiny $40,000 Challenger on the bottom. In fact, this might be the reason they moved it in the first place.

MMMMMM, RETRO... in all the wrong ways.

Another vote for the hand operated e-brake. How about this one, I like to use the parking brake and take my foot off the brake pedal when I'm waiting in a drive through or at a long stop light. Call it laziness, but the hand-operated e-brake is better. Or say you want to rev your engine to impress a girl or challenge a punk in the next lane at a stop light. Wouldn't a hand brake be better for that?

fadetoblackii, you make 3 good points and I agree with you, but it would make me feel better to have a real handbrake, and I guess I cant give a good reason other than foot brakes are for minivans and trucks. It even looks like that rectangular cubby was made to house one!

fadetoblackii

Hand brakes are far better for emergencies. You can control the amount of braking with a hand brake while foot brakes are either all on or all off. No need to "yank the handbrake". Just push the button and pull as needed.

The reason for foot brakes has always been bench seats.

fadetoblackii,

Not quite a medical emergency, but when I was sitting in the passenger seat of a parked car and looked up to see it was rolling forward, I appreciated having a handbrake instead of a foot-operated parking brake.