Forrester 2001 noisy and weak brakes

[DonWare]

Hi,

I have a 2001 Forrester and since the original front brake pads have been
replaced they tend to squeal. But worse is that the brakes have always
been weak. It contributed to my getting into an accident.

I noticed in advertising for the 2002 models that they mentioned improved
brakes.

Does anybody have any experience like this ?

 

[Edward Hayes]

My 200 forester has very good brakes and I am at 72,000 miles on original
pads and rotors. Weak brakes?? I think not

 

[Henry Paul]

You can request a high-friction brake pad when you get your brakes done.
They wear out quicker, but they stop you quicker as well.

 

[Sparky Polastri]

Hi,

I have a 2001 Forrester and since the original front brake pads have been
replaced they tend to squeal. But worse is that the brakes have always
been weak. It contributed to my getting into an accident.

I noticed in advertising for the 2002 models that they mentioned improved
brakes.

Does anybody have any experience like this ?

Remember, ABS allows control during breaking, but will increase stopping
distance.

(Though you probably would feel it if ABS was engaged.)

My Outback has what I would describe as "hard" pads... i.e. the "stick"
curve is longer and shallower than I like. It still stops, but light
preasure on the pedal does less than I would like it to do.

 

[Henry Paul]

ABS is designed to engage/disengage brakes under conditions where the wheels
are likely to lock. (such as snow or rain) The idea is the computer can
control the brakes faster than a human resulting in _reduced_ stopping
distance and better control during extreme braking conditions.

The actual savings in stopping distance is ~3ft.

 

[David]

ABS is designed to engage/disengage brakes under conditions where the wheels
are likely to lock. (such as snow or rain) The idea is the computer can
control the brakes faster than a human resulting in _reduced_ stopping
distance and better control during extreme braking conditions.

The actual savings in stopping distance is ~3ft.

ABS often extends stopping distances, and I find the ABS on my Forester seems
more prone to cut the braking than the ABS on my other car. On this NG I've
read this complaint about Impreza ABS in general. I've even had the Forester
ABS kick in over potholes a couple of times. In my Maxima it only kicks in
for slippery stops.

 

[Jim Lofgren]

Just had some visitors from California and they traded in their Forester for
the same reason. They said that they couldn't stop the car quickly even in
a panic stop. It scared them to the point that they traded it in for a CRV.
They spent a lot of time at the dealer over it.
Good luck...thay was the first I'd heard of it....Jim in Redmond, WA

 

[Henry Paul]

Is that on an automatic transmission? There is an AWD variant on Subarus,
not sure which models though, that utilizes 4-wheel traction control. It
involves not just power distribution, but also employs braking pulses to
each individual wheel as well to maintain control. This could explain the
behavior over potholes that you describe. It could cause a certain wheel to
slip momentarily and then pulse the brakes to restore traction.

 

[Subbies Two]

x-no-archive: yes

Hi,

I have a 2001 Forrester and since the original front brake pads have been
replaced they tend to squeal. But worse is that the brakes have always
been weak. It contributed to my getting into an accident.

I noticed in advertising for the 2002 models that they mentioned improved
brakes.

Does anybody have any experience like this ?

No. I have a 2001 Forester and the brakes work great. It stops quick,
straight and true, every time. The brakes are totally silent.

Your car has a problem. You need to get it checked out by a competent
Subaru mechanic.

 

[CompUser]

ABS is designed to engage/disengage brakes under conditions where the wheels
are likely to lock. (such as snow or rain) The idea is the computer can
control the brakes faster than a human resulting in _reduced_ stopping
distance and better control during extreme braking conditions.

The actual savings in stopping distance is ~3ft.

That's incorrect.

ABS's sole purpose is to improve *control* of
vehicle during hard/panic braking.

ABS is generally recognized as NOT contributing
to shorter stopping distances, but rather,
longer, but more controlled, stops.

 

[Henry Paul]

-- ABS Questions

a.. Should I pump the brake pedal when stopping in slippery conditions?
You absolutely should not pump the brake pedal in a car with ABS. Pumping
the brakes is a technique that is sometimes used in slippery conditions to
allow the wheels to unlock so that the vehicle stays somewhat straight
during a stop. In a car with ABS the wheels should never lock in the first
place, so pumping the brakes will just make you take longer to stop.
In an emergency stop in a car with ABS, you should apply the brake pedal
firmly and hold it while the ABS does all the work. You will feel a pulsing
in the pedal that may be quite violent, but this is normal so don't let off
the brake.


b.. Do anti-lock brakes really work?
Anti-lock brakes really do help you stop better. They prevent wheels from
locking up and provide the shortest stopping distance on slippery surfaces.
But do they really prevent accidents? This is the true measure of the
effectiveness of ABS systems.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has conducted several
studies trying to determine if cars equipped with ABS are involved in more
or fewer fatal accidents. It turns out that in a 1996 study, vehicles
equipped with ABS were overall no less likely to be involved in fatal
accidents than vehicles without. The study actually stated that although
cars with ABS were less likely to be involved in accidents fatal to the
occupants of other cars, they are more likely to be involved in accidents
fatal to the occupants of the ABS car, especially single-vehicle accidents.

There is much speculation about the reason for this. Some people think
that drivers of ABS-equipped cars use the ABS incorrectly, either by pumping
the brakes or by releasing the brakes when they feel the system pulsing.
Some people think that since ABS allows you to steer during a panic stop,
more people run off the road and crash.

Some more recent information may indicate that the accident rate for ABS
cars is improving, but there is still no evidence to show that ABS improves
overall safety.


http://auto.howstuffworks.com/anti-lock-brake1.htm (page 4)


Having done a side-by-side comparison of 2 vehicles identically configured
one having ABS and one with normal brakes, the vehicle with ABS was able
stop much quicker on an ice covered road than the vehicle without.

Henry Paul

 

[Todd H.]

That's incorrect.

ABS's sole purpose is to improve *control* of
vehicle during hard/panic braking.

ABS is generally recognized as NOT contributing to shorter stopping
distances, but rather, longer, but more controlled, stops.

The truth of this matter depends on the driver. Pick 100 people off
the street, send em off in identical cars, one with ABS the other
without with no other instructions, it'd be interesting to see how the
sets do when confronted with hardpack snow and ice and need to stop.
ABS's benefits can be undermined with a silly driver who wants to pump
or finesse the brakes rather than just standing on them and lettin ght
esystem do what it does really well--adatively adjust braking pressure
to eliminate lockup skidding. Cus, as we all remember from that
physics class in high school, the static coefficient of friction
(which applies to a non-skidding tire) is always higher than dynamic
coefficient of friction (as in a skidding tire).

For a non-professional driver who knows enough to just stand on teh
brake pedal because they know their car has ABS...and in a panic
braking situation ABS on average will certainly stop shorter cus the
wheels won't skid.

Now, you put pro drivers knowing what to expect behind two otherwise
identical cars, yeah, it's certainly possible the pro driver will
yield a shorter stopping distance in a non-ABS car than the pro driver
standing on an ABS set of brakes.

Myself, in Chicago, I'm happy to have ABS. In a panic situation, I'm
rather confident ABS will do me more harm than good.

Best Regards,

 

[Florian Feuser /FFF/]

Myself, in Chicago, I'm happy to have ABS. In a panic situation,
I'm rather confident ABS will do me more harm than good.

???
Not sure if I understand people from Chicago...



BTW: I believe neither of the race car drivers would notice a difference, since ABS would
not affect brake performance at all unless sustained wheel lockup occurs. Which would be a
fatal mistake on a race course - a second of skidding along can put a nice flat spot into
a tyre...

...wop wop wop


Florian

 

[Todd H.]

???

Doh! I wrote that sentence exactly backwards.

I'm confident ABS will do me more good than harm I meant to say.

 

[Henry Paul]

Having good brake shoes and tires are also contributing factors.