Man Am I Stupid lol.....its ABS

[ApexIt]

Long Version: So I'm getting ready for work today and notice its snowing. I go outside to warm up the car and get the snow off. I know that the main roads are plowed but the residential streets like mine arent yet. Theres about a centimeter of unplowed snow on the street. I decide to take it easy. As soon as I pull up to the first stop sign, I notice a problem. I eased onto the breaks and the car kept sliding ( I couldnt have been going faster the 5mph, maybe 10). The weird part was that the brake pedal in the car was jumping a little and the ESP light was not flashing . I couldnt press it all the way down (or half way down for that matter). It didnt feel good at all. The even weirder thing is that this happened only on the snow. When I got onto the main roads where all the snow was melted, it was fine. I checked the brake fluid when I go to work and noticed that it was fine. I took a glance at the rotors to see if maybe there was something stuck between the rotor and brake pad and saw nothing. Im beginning to think it might be something with the ESP (the light has been randomly coming on for the past half year or so). Any suggestions guys? TIA.

Short Version: Car slid, brake pedal felt coarse, ABS kicked in. ABS aint got s*** on Quattro!

[ApexIt]

I forgot to mention I drive a FWD, not a quattro. FWD FTL!

[gtimart]

Sounds a lot like ABS doing its job...

[jackitorslamit]

its BRAKES

[SilverBullets]

i agree.... its ABS working just fine

[ApexIt]

The reason I dont think its abs is because the brake pedal inside the car was moving up and down a fair bit. Ive driven this car in the snow before and have never experienced this.

[ApexIt]

its BRAKES

Damn it! Im usually a good speller. Im trying to write this real qucik so my boss doesnt see me doing it lol

[lotusgardener]

You were skidding, welcome to winter.

[NvrFllw]

the brake pedal will feel like that with ABS everyones first instinct is there is something wrong with the brakes there isnt tho. Just keeping pressing down on the pedal the car might slide a little but you will stop unless your on solid ice not so easy

[ApexIt]

the brake pedal will feel like that with ABS everyones first instinct is there is something wrong with the brakes there isnt tho. Just keeping pressing down on the pedal the car might slide a little but you will stop unless your on solid ice not so easy

Yeah, first time ive experienced ABS. Ive driven on snow other times but i guess it never kicked in back then.

[NvrFllw]

and as you approach a stop start to slow down way before you would have if the roads were clear..

[Stone825]

Yep it's just the ABS doing its job. The rule of thumb is when ABS kicks in just press the brake pedal as hard as you can :)

[Rockclimbersh]

I will again reference my fake thread.

[A4_Mike]

ABS-related threads have been popular for the past few weeks...

[widgget]

great for a morning chuckle.....

[Rockclimbersh]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=258860

[b6onboost]

Bottom line...you tried to stop too fast. You hit the brakes too hard and locked the wheels invoking ABS to bail you out. It snowed here this morning and i layed on the brakes to make sure my ABS is still kickin. However aside from that 'test' ABS never came on. You have to stop slowly and give plenty of room.

I notice way too many people stopping and turning like they're on dry pavement. It seems everyone knows to be gentle on the gas, but has no idea that you shouldn't turn or stop as abruptly.

Quattro owns all. i love modulating a skid with the gas. just a quick throttle jab and the car tucks in line and goes. i will not be doing donuts as too many have blown their PS pump lately.

[FORCE_FED_DUB]

The rule of thumb is when ABS kicks in just press the brake pedal as hard as you can :)

not quite. when abs engages, modulate the brake so ABS stops doing it's job, you will stop faster than just letting ABS do it's thing.

[widgget]

not quite. when abs engages, modulate the brake so ABS stops doing it's job, you will stop faster than just letting ABS do it's thing.

this is correct. of course if your driving in the snow "safely" they they should not be activating...... but i'm not one to be preaching slow driving, i like having the car sideways on my drive to work

[ApexIt]

Bottom line...you tried to stop too fast. You hit the brakes too hard and locked the wheels invoking ABS to bail you out. It snowed here this morning and i layed on the brakes to make sure my ABS is still kickin. However aside from that 'test' ABS never came on. You have to stop slowly and give plenty of room.

I notice way too many people stopping and turning like they're on dry pavement. It seems everyone knows to be gentle on the gas, but has no idea that you shouldn't turn or stop as abruptly.

Quattro owns all. i love modulating a skid with the gas. just a quick throttle jab and the car tucks in line and goes. i will not be doing donuts as too many have blown their PS pump lately.

I guess I just wasnt prepared to stop then. I was going fairly slow and I feel like i started braking earlier than usual but I guess I just wasnt used to it. I definately kew that the car wouldnt stop like it does on dry pavement so I knew to give myself some more space. Now im considering doing a Quattro swap like the other guy on here

Thanks to all for helping out with my ignorance lol

[Rockclimbersh]

Quattro will not help you stop faster. All A4's have 4 wheel braking. It's a misconception that cars with 4wd or AWD will stop better. That's a function of your tire choice. If you're worried about stopping faster in snow, grab a set of snow tires. You'll still need to be careful though.

[fitch303]

Our abs systems suck d*ck, they are WAY

[fitch303]

our abs systems blow, they are WAY to sensitive.

[davidx08]

haha. love how u gave us the short and long version on the story.

[ApexIt]

Quattro will not help you stop faster. All A4's have 4 wheel braking. It's a misconception that cars with 4wd or AWD will stop better. That's a function of your tire choice. If you're worried about stopping faster in snow, grab a set of snow tires. You'll still need to be careful though.

I know it wont help it stop faster but it will give better maneuverability. I tried to dick around a little after work today and didnt have much fun (then again, there wasnt really that much snow). I took a ride in my friends RWD jag last week and that was fun. Im sure quattro would be just as much fun.

[Johnnada]

tired sleep time