I remember reading about brake assist when Mercedes first implemented it. The xD is my first vehicle that has brake assist, and since I have VSC, it is the electronic form. Well, last night I was cresting a hill just before getting home and there was a raccoon in the middle of the road. I guess I triggered the system just right, because it applied the braked quite forcefully, but at the same time it was smoother than I expected. The ABS did not seem to go off.. at least I didn't feel it if it did. The raccoon lives to see another day!

You've gotta love the technology packed into these cars!

 

I was in a similar situation, and had to brake really hard coming into a blind corner. there was a lot of gravel on the road too but..abs kicked in, and i felt the pedal vibrate, and being my first time it scared me haha. but..i realized it did its job, and i was extremely thankful for that (my xD was only a month old...) its great to have complete control of your vehicle while hard braking..wooo! haha

 

Yeah, I hear ya. I think every 16 year old needs to be taken out on a track and taught what to expect from their car. A classroom doesn't do much for teaching how to recover from a skid. A lot of people just don't know what their car can do and what it can't do. Things like ABS, BA, VSC, etc. really do make a difference.

 

i believe that empty icey parking lots are the classrooms for young drivers. i went to one with my xD the first ice we had, just to see what i should expect for my car in irregular driving conditions. this is my first car with ABS and i was shocked at how smooth it was and how fast it stoped the car, even on ice.

 

abs would be A+ if it didn't vibrate so violently

 

agreed with mcbrew...i think every driver should learn at least how ABS feels, so it doesn't shock them at first. but i also agree about icey roads. ive never driven one, living in So. Cal., so i honestly have no idea what its like. i do fine in the rain but rain doesnt give black ice..or even ice.....lol oh well...guess if the time ever comes, ill practice before driving out in the snow/ice

 

yeah, it almost feels like gears grinding trough the brake pedal sometimes.

 

ttrrrruuuueeee that!

 

yea it certainly does its job. I engaged it on an off ramp when i first got the car trying to adjust to the feel of the brakes (coming from a non abs rwd car). The normal resistance of the brake pedal gives and lets you go down further and the car halts.

ABS on any car is going to do that, if it didn't I'd be more concerned as far as people braking with the abs enganging and not even adjusting their driving pattern to prevent it cause they feel their driving normal

 

That is ACTION! I like that feling because it lets me know that I am in the RED zone!

We get plently of ice here and the vibration lets me know that the car is aware of the situation even if I am not.

 

Disable ABS for the win. I like to be in control of my car. Tapping the brakes and pressing down the clutch is an unconscious effort to me. I didn't even realize the xD has ABS until I tryed to slide into a parking spot.

 

until you get into a situation where you have to slam hard on the brakes, and lose control of your steering because your wheels lock...ABS isn't necessarily being "out of control" of your car, in a situation for which ABS is made for, you ARE in control

 

How about you just never slam on your brakes? lol. I guess I've just been driving for too long and having only driven on older cars. Some days I think I'm made for driving, and then others I stall out at a red light I guess you can't really decide until you're in a situation where you're scared ____less and see how you actually react. Like a deer running in front of you or hitting a patch of black ice

 

exactly...you never know until you find out. try saying "how about never slamming on the brakes" when youre going down a mountain road and you hit a patch of loose gravel that you didnt see that sends you skidding out towards the side of the mountain (either the wall, or OFF the cliff) and THEN try and talk about ABS control.

 

i'm glad i read this thread, i was always scared my breaks were slipping or something when i felt that vibration. i've gotten it a few times in the snow, i just thought it had something to do with poor traction...shows what i know

 

Well... it does! If your ABS is activating, that means it detected wheel lockup (loss of traction). Driving in snow can activate the ABS quite easily... for obvious reasons.

 

i agree, when i was driving around in the snow/slush the other day, the ABS kicked in every other stop, and before this it has never activated.

on the same note, if the engine is off, and you press on the break after a couple times, nothing will happen, and the break peddle will become rock solid. i found this out while stuck in traffic, facing downhill and no gas left, tried to conserve gas by turn the engine off, but then i couldn't break. e-break = life saver.

 

I think some people lost the point of the thread and a mixed up between the brake booster and ABS

 

agreed...haha but its all good. the point is, our braking systems are more than capable to keep us safe. its all about the decisions you make as a driver.

 

I think some people get mixed up between a brake booster and brake assist!