Thomas Strandtoft wrote:

> Buzzardous Cross wrote:
>
>> a. in daily driving, your need for traction/grip is greatest when you
>> have to slam your brakes in an emergency - and that requires most grip
>> in the front...otherwise you'll have less braking force before your
>> ABS kicks in
>
> Try thinking this way:
>
> The lesser grip, the sooner the wheel will lose traction and lock
> up if you apply the brake (forget about ABS for the moment*). You,
> being an Alfa driver, I feel confident that you have more than
> once tried braking late and having the front wheels locks. It
> squeels a bit, but no major panic as the car continues to drive
> straight and as soon as the wheels start turning again you can
> continue steering.. On the other hand, if you jam on the handbrake
> and lock the rear wheels, the car will start spinning and you will
> have your hands full trying to counter the movement..

I remember the first time I tried that. In a straight line, they just lock
up, and you carry on in a straight line. Of course, this all changes if
you do it while turning, which is fun in an empty car park on snow

However, in real world situations I do agree that oversteer from front
wheels loosing traction is much easier to control than the rear breaking
away. Why that is, I wouldn't like to say, but it's my experience, such as
it is.

> Since a front wheel lock up is way easier to control than a rear
> wheel lock up, you should always make sure that the front wheels
> lock before the rear wheels let go. Actually all cars are fitted
> with a system that reduces the brake pressure to the rear wheels
> for exactly that reason.

Not sure about that, old chap. I understood that the reason that front
brakes are more powerful than rears was simply because when you brake, the
weight of your vehicle shifts forwards, reducing the donwforce on the rear
wheels. You learn about this in a hurry when biking.

There is simply no point in having more powerful brakes on the rear since
they will always lock before the fronts (in a straight line of course)

However, I may have misunderstood / not explained very well. But I do have
an excuse for the latter: It's my birthday and I'm rather well down this
rather good bottle of wine


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