[vitriol]

Hi Guys:

Have a new honda city for about a year... My problem is that in panic stops the brakes just lock up and the entire car skids quite freely. Nearly missed a couple of accidents... and even had a fender bender because of this.

Mine is a stock car -- no mods; Bridgestone S322 tubeless tires.

Any suggestions?

Am I the only one that is facing this problem?

Is it a flaw in the car or in my driving style? (Never have this problem on my Accent though)

(Somehow my driver doesnt seem to have this issue... though I guess he uses engine breaking mostly )

Cheers,
V

[Shan2nu]

Somehow my driver doesnt seem to have this issue... though I guess he uses engine breaking mostly

That's your problem. Always use engine braking, never go all out on the middle pedal, especially on a car without ABS. The moment you feel the tyres are gonna lock up, let go of the brake pedal and press them again. Get into the habit of pumping the brakes, it'll save u a lot of trouble.

The thing is that the NHC has very powerful brakes and the tyres aren't very grippy. Upgrading to 185 or 195 will surely improve it's braking capabilities.

Shan2nu

[RX135]

Looks like he drives too close to other vehicles. Engine breaking is recommended but in case of extreme panick, it is simply not possible to break, shift down, break etc.

I suggest rather cautious driving assuming all others, on the road, are there to get you

[Shan2nu]

Engine breaking is recommended but in case of extreme panick, it is simply not possible to break, shift down, break etc.

For people who are not used to it, yes. But for a person, who's been doing this for years will automatically do it.

Sometimes i watch the best motoring guys do the toe-heel braking and wonder.....how do they manage to do it so easily and quickly, but with time, it does happen.

Shan2nu

[RX135]

Wish I could do it I can do it if I get just enough time to think and react, but if it's very sudden, chances are that I'll break it hard. So, I prefer to maintain safe distance.

[Shan2nu]

Found a good article on "How to stop a non ABS car in an emergency".

From the website - "threshold braking", and is the fastest and safest way to stop a car.

This is an important braking tech which we overlooked.

Shan2nu

[iceman91]

it could also be because you said its a new car...so u havent drive it much and the honda's have the shaarpest braking in the market today ...gotta get used to it..

[Shan2nu]

Actually if you practice threshold braking from 60, 80 and 100kmph on a safe, lonely and straight stretch of tarmac, you will improve a lot, when it comes to emergency braking.

Shan2nu

[speedsatya]

hey vitriol,
check the air in your tires.if its more then also u san get less traction.try filling 2-3 psi less.and the fact that u have to do panic stops means that either you drive too fast for comfort or you drive too close to others.
try to change your driving.

[Shan2nu]

check the air in your tires.if its more then also u san get less traction.try filling 2-3 psi less.

I don't think that's a good idea. It's ok to reduce 2-3 psi provided the pressure is 2-3 psi more than the company recomended pressure.

Ideal pressure however is 29 psi. Anything below that will actually reduce traction. So a tyre with 25-26 psi will lose traction faster.

I fill 30-31 in the front tyres and 29 at the back, this helps provide traction to the front wheels, making the car take corners much faster with reduced understeer.

Shan2nu

[.anshuman]

maybe ur driving two different cars of different brake response,otherwise nhc has nice brakes ,maybe your tyres are too overinflated,try upsizing to 205 size you'll forget locks

[Shan2nu]

try upsizing to 205 size you'll forget locks

Man with 205 on that car, you can forget everything. 205 is just too much for the NHC to handle. 195 is as high as you can go, unless you modify it's engine.

Shan2nu

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by iceman91

it could also be because you said its a new car...so u havent drive it much and the honda's have the shaarpest braking in the market today ...gotta get used to it..

Exactly what i was gonna say......especially since you say your other car is an accent! (if its the old 1.5 accent) then the brake pedal sensitivity of the two cars is literally two worlds apart.

Also, make sure your tires are inflated to the reccomended pressure as speedsatya said.

If this still causes problems, get back to us and we can go on to the next stage of what might be wrong with ur braking system.

cya
R

[Rehaan]

For people who are not used to it, yes. But for a person, who's been doing this for years will automatically do it.

I would love to believe that, but sadly its not true....
In absolute panic situations your foot hits the brakes so quick and so hard that theres no question of even having time to think of downshifting.

R

[ajmat]

ditch the bridgetones- they are made of hard rubber for fuel conomy and durability. I put goodyear NCT's on my Vtec and braking is a lot more controlled