Pre-drive Checks.

[trashbat]

The former, habitually.

The latter is a better way of diagnosing or determining the condition of your brakes, or indeed just the braking characteristics of the car, but I wouldn't build it into any kind of frequent process. And, if you actually had doubts about the brakes, would you really want to get to 40mph?

[onlinegenie]

Moving brake test - I was taught to take the car up to 30 MPH in third or fourth gear, brake down to 10 MPH, and change down to second before proceeding. The point is to make sure the brakes don't pull to one side. When I was observing I always told associates to make sure there was nothing behind (they wouldn't be expecting us to brake) and no oncoming traffic or pedestrians (in case the brakes pulled to one side).

[GJD]

What is the approved rolling brake test?

I always do the first and occasionally the second.

Views?

What do you want to learn from your rolling brake test?

[7db]

I find a rolling brake test increases my confidence in the car and allows me to free up and drive my drive. I have a play with all the controls to find out more about how they are calibrated, but knowing the brakes are all there really lets me settle psychologically.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

I always try to remember at least one brake test in an unfamiliar car. Brakes are one of the things that differ very markedly between different manufacturers and since you use them only infrequently, you don't want to wait until several minutes into the drive to find out how sensitive, powerful or well-balanced they are. You also want to know how they react to gentle braking, how gentle your foot has to be to be smooth, as well as how they react when really needed - just how much can they be relied on - is it a big heavy car that will need earlier braking when travelling at pace. So two tests are sometimes necessary to determine this.

[TR4ffic]

...Brakes are one of the things that differ very markedly between different manufacturers ... you don't want to wait until several minutes into the drive to find out how sensitive, powerful or well-balanced they are.

Mmm... Anyone familiar with some (older?) models of Citroen with their high pressure/hydraulic braking systems? - I learnt to drive in the 80's in my Dad's. A rolling brake test would definately be a good idea...

Do current Citroens still have the same system?

[gannet]

...Brakes are one of the things that differ very markedly between different manufacturers ... you don't want to wait until several minutes into the drive to find out how sensitive, powerful or well-balanced they are.

Mmm... Anyone familiar with some (older?) models of Citroen with their high pressure/hydraulic braking systems? - I learnt to drive in the 80's in my Dad's. A rolling brake test would definately be a good idea...

Do current Citroens still have the same system?

no experience of older citroens, but I do know that my DS3 is very sharp with the brakes coming on almost immediately you touch the pedal.

Makes moving between that and our other car (Mazda 2 Sport) tricky sometimes given that the mazda has 1 - 1.5 inch worth of travel before anything meaningful happens

[fungus]

My old 1.9 tdi Ibiza had very sensitive brakes, but you could stamp on the brakes and the ABS only activated if you realy hit the pedal very hard. My Fiestas brakes are less sensitive, but the ABS activates with less pedal presure.

[TheInsanity1234]

My old 1.9 tdi Ibiza had very sensitive brakes, but you could stamp on the brakes and the ABS only activated if you realy hit the pedal very hard. My Fiestas brakes are less sensitive, but the ABS activates with less pedal presure.

I've been told that BMW's and Seats have really good ABS systems, and they only come in when you are in real trouble.

[michael769]

IIRC both BMW and VAg use the same top of the range Bosch system for ABS.

As I am the only driver of my car a full cockpit drill is usually superfluous. I do do one in an unfamiliar car, or when I get the car back from the garage.

[zadocbrown]

I don't think pre-drive checks or cockpit drill are a waste of time. I do think it's important to understand the purpose of them and keep a sense of proportionality.

For example I don't think it wise to spend 15 minutes at the start of an IAM course getting all anal about how to start the car. Bigger fish to fry, and it's liable to be a turn-off.

However I do advocate powdery and 'proper' start up drill once driving basics are covered. In my view it is only by adopting a regular routine that we can eliminate embarrassing mistakes like driving off without adjusting the mirrors first. With a modest investment of time initially we can largely eradicate this risk for those occasions we are driving an unfamiliar vehicle.

It isn't enough to say we will do it when we need to - in my experience you won't remember in the heat of the moment unless you practise it regularly. Once we master it we actually save a lot of bother as a well rehearsed routine is quicker than an ad hoc one.

Ps. Cockpit drill shouldn't be required on test as it is assumed the candidate will already have done that before setting off for the meeting point. However the examiner could reasonably request a demonstration or explanation.

[TheInsanity1234]

IIRC both BMW and VAg use the same top of the range Bosch system for ABS.

As I am the only driver of my car a full cockpit drill is usually superfluous. I do do one in an unfamiliar car, or when I get the car back from the garage.

About the getting the car back from the garage, I seem to recall Jeremy Clarkson saying that when he had his Mercedes serviced at a Mercedes dealer, it came back with a little card on the driver's chair saying "The chair may have been moved during the service, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."

I wonder if that is just Mercedes' attempt at being English, or whether it's the result of an incredibly pompous customer threatening to sue Mercedes for not telling him that his chair might've been moved during the service.

[jont]

IIRC both BMW and VAg use the same top of the range Bosch system for ABS.

Calibration is completely different though. We have both VAG (Skoda) and BMW, albeit of slightly different vintage, and while both stop very well, the Skoda is far more "grabby". Porsche brakes work seem to work very nicely (as you'd expect), but I've yet to find anything else quite as nice to modulate as the (unservoed, un ABS'd) Elise.

[Graham Wright]

My old 1.9 tdi Ibiza had very sensitive brakes, but you could stamp on the brakes and the ABS only activated if you realy hit the pedal very hard. My Fiestas brakes are less sensitive, but the ABS activates with less pedal presure.

I thought ABS only becomes involved if the (any) wheel(s) lock up.

[TheInsanity1234]

IIRC both BMW and VAg use the same top of the range Bosch system for ABS.

Calibration is completely different though. We have both VAG (Skoda) and BMW, albeit of slightly different vintage, and while both stop very well, the Skoda is far more "grabby". Porsche brakes work seem to work very nicely (as you'd expect), but I've yet to find anything else quite as nice to modulate as the (unservoed, un ABS'd) Elise.

To put it simply, when you put something technological between the control and the object, you will always loose some of the 'feel'.
That's why cars without power-steering would give you much better feedback through the steering wheel than a car with power-steering, because the power-steering system 'dampens' the tiny little bits of information that help you to decide if you can get a bit more power on, or maybe tap the brakes slightly.