[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by maybach

Hey Rehaan thanx for the info.. but the NHC is not equipped with power brakes.. just checked it out in the Car Service Book of Honda, it has hydraulic braking.. which is terrible..

Hey Maybach,

As i said before, ALL cars sold in India have hydraulic braking systems and all those cars have "power brakes". Which is basically another way of saying the car has a brake booster which uses engine vaccum to add to the braking force.
Its just the fact that maruti has tried to make it a USP whereas honda has not bothered to mention it as it is the norm.

Read about brake boosters & power brakes here>
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/power-brake.htm

cya
R

[Rtech]

hey maybach, its like seatbelts. There was a time when manufacturers used to make it a point to advertise that their car had seatbelts! it's not advertised anymore is it? that's because it is a given.

Same thing with power brakes in today's times.

[maybach]

Originally Posted by Rtech

hey maybach, its like seatbelts. There was a time when manufacturers used to make it a point to advertise that their car had seatbelts! it's not advertised anymore is it? that's because it is a given.

Same thing with power brakes in today's times.

Thank you very much i was not aware of it but ill check out the brake system anywayz and let you know

[Beemer]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Good to know that you guys are safe.
i think that having ABS would have helped however as one can always do something to save himself.
How about some pictures if you have any.
Always wear seatbelts.

Well , Guys i do ve some pictures but they are in my mob , i dont knw how to paste them here (i think it must be a long procedure)
& as far as i know about ABS , no matter how much clean , untidy , dry , wet the tarmac is , a car equipped with ABS will always help and have the advantage compared to a non-ABS car (though , i m not a technical person) !!!

[cream]

with ABS, the next level is EBD - electronic brake force distribution.

this i presume is some way of applying relative braking pressure to different tyres as per the requirement - depending on whethre you are turning or back wheels are skidding etc - the combination of EBD and ABS is a given standard for safety in braking today.

btw, when i first drove my esteem in 2001, did not know about power brakes (my previous car was the omni) - so i switched the engine to slide down the slope to save fuel like 'a cool dude'.

for once the tables were turned - i gave the autorickshaw guy grief rather than the other way round

the top of the line palio 'elx sp' has abs, ebd and driver side airbags - not bad eh?

[Beemer]

But i wonder how many people really go for it and understand the importance of these safety features !!!!

[Gordon]

A car with ABS will have less stopping distance than a non-ABS car. In an emergency, you would press the brake pedal completely. The ABS applies brakes to the maximum, but also avoids locking. This ensures that the car is under max braking without any locking. Moreover, it also works on concrete roads, and other slippery surfaces.

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by Gordon

A car with ABS will have less stopping distance than a non-ABS car.

That need not necessarily be true. In theory, perhaps, but there are various less-than-ideal conditions in which most ABS equipped cars will not stop in a shorter distance than a well driven non-ABS car

Originally Posted by Gordon

The ABS applies brakes to the maximum, but also avoids locking. This ensures that the car is under max braking without any locking.

That is precisely why on wet, snow-covered, icy and gravel-covered roads an ABS equipped car will probably NOT stop in a shorter distance. A non-ABS car will probably lock-up and dig down into the "muck" which creates resistance and therefore assists in stopping sooner. An ABS-equipped car in these conditions will skim-over the surface, preventing lock-up and also taking longer to stop.

Originally Posted by Gordon

Moreover, it also works on concrete roads, and other slippery surfaces.

Yes, it does work, no question, but it may not do a very good job under these conditions and may even make the situation more tricky because of the lower rate of retardation.

[Gordon]

That is precisely why on wet, snow-covered, icy and gravel-covered roads an ABS equipped car will probably NOT stop in a shorter distance. A non-ABS car will probably lock-up and dig down into the "muck" which creates resistance and therefore assists in stopping sooner. An ABS-equipped car in these conditions will skim-over the surface, preventing lock-up and also taking longer to stop.

"snow-covered, icy and gravel-covered roads" when you say this, remember that the snow, ice or gravel completely covering the road. What you say is completely true. On surfaces like gravel or snow, ABS will of course lengthen the distance. But these are conditions where one would not speed, but drive carefully and slowly. On roads like wet roads, light gravel-covered roads, light snow-covered roads, concrete, etc. ABS will do wonders.

In the case of Beemer, it could've saved his car and any trouble caused to him and his friend. This is due to the fact that the conditions were ideal.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Gordon

In the case of Beemer, it could've saved his car and any trouble caused to him and his friend. This is due to the fact that the conditions were ideal.

Since u mentioned "beemer", though not as the car but as the person, i was reminded of this article in BusinessWeek that mentioned some safety features of the BMW 3 series that were interesting.
1. In wet conditions, brakes dry themselves every 60 seconds
2. A system that prepares the car for braking when u suddenly lift ur foot off the gas. It does so by bringing the brake pads closer.

Here is the complete article:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...3144_mz070.htm

Sorry if this was a bit

[RX135]

Originally Posted by amitoj

1. In wet conditions, brakes dry themselves every 60 seconds
2. A system that prepares the car for braking when u suddenly lift ur foot off the gas. It does so by bringing the brake pads closer.

It is things like this that separate from a Merc or a BMW from the rest. And this is where, that huge price difference walks in. But for most people, why the hell does an E-class costs so much more than Skoda Superb?

[Beemer]

Originally Posted by Gordon

"
In the case of Beemer, it could've saved his car and any trouble caused to him and his friend. This is due to the fact that the conditions were ideal.

You are spot on "Gordon" . i know ,(as i ve mentioned in my other posts as well) had my car been equipped with ABS it would ve certainly helped me to get out of the danger , i am preety sure for this as i had ample of time to break hard(compared to the other accidents , which happen's suddenly) it was me who was driving the car and no one can explain better about the situation we were in , better than me !

I again repeat guys , always go for the cars EQUIPPED WITH ABS , IT CAN REALLY BE YOUR LIFE AND CAR SAVER , dont hesitate to spend that little extra , who knows on odd days , it could really save you much much more then what you had actually spent on it !!!

[RJK]

Beemer,

Man thank your lucky stars that you are alive & writing this post! Driving w/o seatbelts at 140kmph on a highway..what were you thinking? or you were testing the crash worthiness of a Skoda Ever noticed how its written SRS Airbag? Which means its a Supplementary Restraint System..the Primary being Seat belts. Just imagine a situation where your car had not been equipped with Airbags. Sends a shiver down the spine..doesn't it? Remember, first come seatbelts & then everything else. I'm sorry if I sound a little harsh but it just gets to my gut when educated people behave/act no better than illiterate villagers.

[RJK]

Originally Posted by Beemer

But i wonder how many people really go for it and understand the importance of these safety features !!!!

As much as the others understand the importance of seatbelts.

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by cream

btw, when i first drove my esteem in 2001, did not know about power brakes (my previous car was the omni) - so i switched the engine to slide down the slope to save fuel like 'a cool dude'.

thats not a very good idea. unburnt and unexpelled gases build up in the cylinder, and upon re-ignition, in extreme cases, have been known to explode, frying the valves and exhaust system. happens often enough in bikes.

Originally Posted by amitoj

some safety features of the BMW 3 series that were interesting.
1. In wet conditions, brakes dry themselves every 60 seconds
2. A system that prepares the car for braking when u suddenly lift ur foot off the gas. It does so by bringing the brake pads closer.

all disc brakes are self cleaning! there is always a slight brushing contact or drag between the brake pad and the disc rotor. which is why you never see a dirty rotor on a cbz or pulsar et al.

its very interesting: most ppl in the '70s would specifically order the mustang v8s, which could be almost infinitely customized, with drums all around, because they feared (falsely) that the slight but constant contact would detract from the 1/4 mile performance of their steeds. there is always some contact between the pad and the disc.

i'm surprised to read some myths about abs here. under almost any conditions (certainly ALL indian tarmac conditions), proper use of abs will be far, FAR better than normal brakes.

with tyre rubber and brakes, the maximum grip, and thus braking, occurs in the micro-instants just before the wheels/brakes lock. what abs does is detect the impending lock up in these micro seconds before, and let go of the brakes. then the brakes automatically engage again. this loop continues until the brake pedal is released. this ensures that the brakes are constantly in a position of being micro-seconds ahead of locking, and thus the best braking traction is achieved.

it's a fact that rolling tyres have much better braking capabilities than locked tyres. locked tyres are basically gliding on a layer of liquid (molten) rubber.

infact, i drove the accent gtx with abs, and simulated a panic stop at 120, on a dusty road (a nightmare with regular brakes). every time you hear the ssshhh of the car beginning to skid, the brakes unlocked. the system works brilliantly. but the tyres (crappy bridgestone potenzas) can't handle the load, and squeal like molested cats.

cheers

viper