[cranky]

Most cars that have a stiffer suspension setup do feel a little jiggly at lower speeds, making up for the mild inconvenience when you do push the car around.

The Vento is sprung for medium speed and therefore does not feel jiggly at low speed, and has a decent ride at decent speeds. Only when you start bullying it does it show a slight step down from absolute composure. The official reviews here seem to corroborate it, but for most users under most conditions there are absolutely no issues.

The downer in the Vento for me is the steering (actually all EPS units are a little vague specially at high speeds). The suspension is not a problem. And the car rounds it off with a fantastic engine. Nothing to not like, really.

[StarrySky]

An article I found in another forum:

Massa on track at Interlagos

From the article:

“I had a lot of fun today,” said Felipe. “It’s been ten years since I last drove a Touring car, dating back to 2001 when I raced an Alfa Romeo 155, so I thought I might struggle a bit, so sixth best time in the second session is not that bad. I could have been quicker but I hit the chicane when I went out on new tyres, which damaged the front suspension, so the steering felt very heavy. I have to say the Trofeo Linea is very interesting to drive: it’s stable and the sequential change works very well. This sort of racing could definitely be an option when the day comes that I decide to leave Formula 1.

[Sivasankar]

Guys, I recently visited a Fiat - Tata showroom and was surprised to see a Linea T-Jet base version sporting Apollo Accelere tyres. Isn't Fiat fitting the T-Jet with Good Year tyres anymore?

[cranky]

There was a rumor this would happen, back when I was buying mine. I ensured mine weren't fitted with the Aceleres. Dunno if that was a good decision or not, but I took my chances. 16" tyres are quite expen$ive.

[madhukar_n]

tjet from first came with both good years and acceleres.
it's your luck, which you will get.

Acceleres are ok i guess. Good year's side will is not that strong. I have the Good year's and I had driven about 2-3 kms on a tyre which was getting flat, the side wall is damaged. so i cant use that on the front and is now a spare tyre.

[vinay_ss]

One of the strong points and capabilities of the tjet on all reviews has been the braking capabilities being superior. however, my experience of the braking has been average. In fact there have been instances where i have actually misjudged the braking capability and have hit unmarked speedbreakers.

I have the sensation that the tyres dont get locked and the car moves, inspite of the brakes being applied. At the very last moment, i hear a groan or vibration kind of feel in the pedal which is fully pressed. I got this checked with the dealership a week ago and he says this is due to the "ABS breaking" and under hard braking situations, one gets a "push back' kind of resistance on the brake pedal. For all the niceties explaining the technology, i somehow dont seem to be happy with the braking, compared to all other cars i have driven so far (all non ABS).

has anyone experienced what i am saying and is the dealer right in what he is explaiing ?

cheers
vinay

[amit_mechengg]

^^ Hi Vinay, yes the dealer is right in what he is explaining. in a ABS car on hard braking when the wheel get locked you get a pulsating vibrations in your foot on the brake.

on other side i think there must be some problem with your brakes. the TJET is one of the best braking cars. i have a MJD which has disc brakes only in front.

whenever there has been a need to stop the car urgently and whenever i have braked her very hard Linea stops as if someone threw a 100tons anchor to stop.

with the kind of weight + high speeds the braking is just extraordinary.

and while saying all this above and driven the tjet many times as well i would say Tjet braking is leagues ahead of my MJD.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by vinay_ss

One of the strong points and capabilities of the tjet on all reviews has been the braking capabilities being superior. however, my experience of the braking has been average. In fact there have been instances where i have actually misjudged the braking capability and have hit unmarked speedbreakers.

I have the sensation that the tyres dont get locked and the car moves, inspite of the brakes being applied. At the very last moment, i hear a groan or vibration kind of feel in the pedal which is fully pressed. I got this checked with the dealership a week ago and he says this is due to the "ABS breaking" and under hard braking situations, one gets a "push back' kind of resistance on the brake pedal. For all the niceties explaining the technology, i somehow dont seem to be happy with the braking, compared to all other cars i have driven so far (all non ABS).

has anyone experienced what i am saying and is the dealer right in what he is explaiing ?

cheers
vinay

I think may be you are a bit used to cars not having ABS, and are finding it a bit strange when the car behaves differently under ABS control.

I am saying this heavily based on one small phrase you used. You said " tyres dont get locked". The tyres locking up under hard braking, you would have felt in almost all other cars. The ABS is supposed to prevent exactly that, that is tyres from getting locked.

In your case, its just your mind getting adjusted to a vehicle with ABS and getting confidence in the braking ability.

[NoMind]

In Moderate speeds, I would argue that non-abs is better than ABS. I have barely avoided collision many times because abs took a little longer to bring the vehicle to a complete step. But then the steering does not lock up and that is a blessing in emergencies.
I was once driving my car under heavy snow conditions; I needed to brake suddenly going into a corner, the wheels locked up, I had the presence of mind to take my foot off the brake and steer the car away so it impact against a fence side-on...No harm done thankfully other than some scratches and dents to the car body mainly due to the reduced speed I was using already...
The main lesson would be ABS will not save you, it will assist you a little bit to avoid a life threatening situation.
The only thing that will save you is to use what's between the ears to analyze the road conditions and do appropriate speed reduction immediately.

[cranky]

@vinay, indeed the braking is excellent. As a matter of fact it is one of the biggest reasons to choose it over (for example) the ANHC.

Do note a large part of braking performance is due to tyre (compound, tread, pressure etc) and not only the car. A properly inflated tyre will cause less ABS 'action' than one that has insufficient grip.

And it is unnerving to not hear the screech, but you have to trust the car. I've had the ABS save my skin once, on a gravel road with a truck cutting me off rapidly. A car without ABS would be uncontrollable on such a surface under braking, where the T-Jet continued in the direction it was pointed in. And the pedal judders under your feet when the ABS is activated. That is totally normal. Brake hard if you need to and don't worry.

The only possible situation where ABS is problematic is at very low speeds on very loose surfaces. You may need the tyre to lock to provide emergency braking but the braking distance with ABS is longer in such situations. For example, most pathways (once upon a time, they used to be called roads) in Gurgaon are now just slush and gravel, and you still have madmen darting around on any number of wheels between 0 and 6. ABS proves to be very challenging so it's best to keep speeds very low so you have lots of time to react.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by cranky

For example, most pathways (once upon a time, they used to be called roads) in Gurgaon are now just slush and gravel, and you still have madmen darting around on any number of wheels between 0 and 6. ABS proves to be very challenging so it's best to keep speeds very low so you have lots of time to react.

In Gurgaon a little hard braking results into the wheels getting locked. Thanks to sand and gravel allaround. And you are right. Buying an ABS equipped car can lead to longer braking distances on such terrains. There thould be a manual override of the ABS system in cars I believe.

[architect]

I believe that the TJet has excellent braking because of the four discs and not only because of the ABS.

One thing which should be clear in our minds is that ABS is "Anti-Lock Braking System": which means its primary purpose is the prevent wheels from locking. It's primary usefulness is that it increases your level of safety when you are braking with your front wheels turned. If you brake really hard when that truck suddenly appears around the hairpin, it is the ABS that will save you, apart from the powers up there in heaven.

At slower speeds, the ABS may actually slow down braking by preventing lock-ups.

[MAS]

Originally Posted by architect

At slower speeds, the ABS may actually slow down braking by preventing lock-ups.

ABS comes into play only when the wheels are on the verge of locking up. At slower speeds ABS is not activated. Hence the braking is similar as in case of a non-ABS assisted brake.

From Wikipedia.
An anti-lock braking system (ABS, from German: Antiblockiersystem) is a safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to continue interacting tractively with the road surface as directed by driver steering inputs while braking, preventing the wheels from locking up (that is, ceasing rotation) and therefore avoiding skidding.
An ABS generally offers improved vehicle control and decreases stopping distances on dry and slippery surfaces for many drivers; however, on loose surfaces like gravel or snow-covered pavement, an ABS can significantly increase braking distance, although still improving vehicle control.

[vinay_ss]

Thanks everyone for the responses. My only issue however is that under high speed braking, i feel nervous. Let me illustrate. If at speeds of 100 i spotted a speed breaker at about let's say 20-30 feet distance, and i braked hard in my non ABS equipped car, i would be fairly certain how the car would behave. But in my Tjet, i somehow feel nervous, since the juddering in the brake pedal makes me go nervous. The tJet doesn't sweer one bit off track, and goes exactly where pointed, but there have been instances that i have actually hit the breaker. My driving experience tells me that in a non ABS braking scenario, the car may have not hit the breaker, but the Tjet has taken a hit. Guess, i need to relearn the judgment i have

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by vinay_ss

Let me illustrate. If at speeds of 100 i spotted a speed breaker at about let's say 20-30 feet distance,

Man I don't think any car ABS equipped or not will stop in 20-30 feet from 100kmph. Your gonna be flying for sure after hitting that speed breaker.