So I got cut off big time in traffic today. So much so that if I didn't slam on my brakes I would have been forced up onto the sidewalk. But when I hit the brakes they locked up and I squeeled to a stop. I thought the ABS was supposed to keep that from happening. The VSA was on. So when it locked up I felt the brake pedal drop almost to the floor. Is that supposed to happen?

I got some aftermarket pads and rotors on the front and they definitely grab harder than the stock brembo setup. Maybe they grab too hard and made the brakes lock up easier? I don't know.

 

When ABS activated the pedal will drop along with the pulsations. The tires can squeal, but that does not mean that they are locked up, but similar to a tire squeal when turning, not a complete loss of traction..

 

How do you know it locked up? Unless you lost steering control and the car tried to slide and there was tire smoke, they didn't lock up. I went from base 5at brakes to 13" Rotoras with a very aggressive pad and my abs still works fine.

The pedal will go to a floor but you have to hit it very hard and very quick. If you just ease into it slowly but very hard it won't go to the floor. Once it hits the floor, the computer is in complete control and the brake pedal is more like an on/off switch.

 

I only thought it locked up because I've never experienced that much tire squeal before. Sometimes my abs will activate when trying to brake over uneven road surfaces and I can feel the pulsation in the pedal. But this was the first time i noticed the pedal going to the floor. I'm pretty sure I skidded a little bit so that's another reAson I thought I locked up. I can't comment on how the steering felt at the time because I stopped going straight. As opposed to my other experiences with the abs this one was more skid and less shudder pulsation. But it sounds to me from you guys that the pedal going to the floor is kinda normal during emergency braking situations.

 

Under an actual "panic" stop situation, sometimes it's hard to tell. You're not fully concentrating on what your brakes are doing; you're worried about wrecking your car.

Later, what you recall might be a little off from what really happened. I know, I've done it.

Go back out and find a bit of road where you can test it - focusing on the car and the brakes/ABS. I'm betting you'll find they work just like you think they should.

 

I always wondered why it felt like I could feel the ground when I braked real hard..