Maybe I need brake assist ?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Wed 26 Aug 2009 23:23
Maybe I need brake assist ? - henry k
From the front of the queue at a set of traffic lights I set off across my local dual carriage way. A truck in the filling station on my left shot out across my lane causing me to to stop in quite a hurry else I would have " T boned him"
I suspect he responded to a car facing me in the other lane that "flashed" him to come out and he did not check my way.

I thought I had hit the brakes reasonably hard but the ABS did not activate even on a damp road.

Tomorrow I will attempt a really hard crash stop or two to check that the ABS is working.

Perhaps this was a wake up call and I need to refresh crash stops or my next car should have brake assist? ( I am gentle on brakes)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 27 Aug 2009 00:22
Maybe I need brake assist ? - MikeTorque
To cause ABS to work requires a fair bit of force to be used on most cars. Brake Assist systems work by measuring the speed with which the brake pedal is depressed, some systems also take into account the rapidity of which the throttle pedal is released. When emergency braking is detected, the Brake Assist system automatically generates maximum brake boost in order to mitigate a drivers tendency to brake without enough force.
The odds of stopping and avoiding a frontal crash are far greater with Brake Assist than without it.

However, take note, if someone is driving too close to you there is a greater chance they will crash into you if/when Brake Assist is triggered, take note tailgaters !
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 27 Aug 2009 00:28
Maybe I need brake assist ? - Hamsafar
Tyres seem a lot grippier these days, some exceptionally so, especially in the wet. When I started driving, I often used to slide with locked wheels or seemingly gripless wet greasy roads, or clouds of smoke on dry roads. Nowadays, under such a situation, the ABS is not needed for a very short stopping distance except in the snow, or a dirty wet road.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 27 Aug 2009 12:59
Maybe I need brake assist ? - Bill Payer
Perhaps this was a wake up call and I need to refresh crash stops


Obviously others can't assess all the variables in your incident, but the drill with ABS is to absolutely bury the brake pedal into the floor and keep it there, allowing the ABS to do its stuff.

Edited by Bill Payer on 27/08/2009 at 12:59

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide