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Subaru Forester Brake Questions

113 messages,  Last post on Mar 06, 2013 at 10:45 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Maintenance & Repair Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Brakes, Wagon

Messages Page 8 of 12

#71 of 113 Re: 01 Forester won't stop on ice or snowpack. [smus] by once_for_all

Jan 19, 2007 (4:00 pm)

Replying to: smus (Jan 19, 2007 3:33 pm)
in my opinion, if it it road conditions that affect your braking, the primary issue is the tires on your car. The fact that "weight" is not being shifted to the front means that the tires have no grip.
 
John

#72 of 113 Try by paisan

Jan 19, 2007 (7:16 pm)

Slowing down, it helps, ABS, traction control, etc are only AIDS for driving, not replacements for common sense.
 
I'd start with the tires and work my way up from there.
 
-mike

#73 of 113 Re: 01 Forester won't stop on ice or snowpack. [once_for_all] by smus

Jan 21, 2007 (10:40 am)

Replying to: once_for_all (Jan 19, 2007 4:00 pm)
These are relatively new tires and were highly rated for M+S. The weight shifts to the front of the car during braking because most of the braking is done by the front brakes. That's done by design -- the front brakes pads are much larger than the rears.
 
I also have a 94 Mitz Galant with old tires and no ABS and it stops much better on the same road surface.

#74 of 113 Re: Try [paisan] by smus

Jan 21, 2007 (10:46 am)

Replying to: paisan (Jan 19, 2007 7:16 pm)
See my response to John. I am beyond these suggestions. I believe the problem is internal to the car's braking system, or the traction control. I can also easily put this car into a skid while turning, something which Subaru's 4 wheel drive system should minimize.

#75 of 113 Re: Try [smus] by paisan

Jan 21, 2007 (7:33 pm)

Replying to: smus (Jan 21, 2007 10:46 am)
Its fairly well known that ABS + Snow does not work real well on ANY vehicle. When was the last time the brakes were flushed? As for "putting it into a skid while turning" I'm not sure of the situation, but again I'd go back to the tires on all these issues.
 
They may be "rated" well for M&S but to be honest I don't believe any ratings. If the tires aren't working for your situation change em out.
 
-mike

#76 of 113 Re: Try [paisan] by wallydeb

May 11, 2007 (6:14 am)

Replying to: paisan (Jan 21, 2007 7:33 pm)
OK -- I'm new to this forum and absolutely mechanically-challenged, BUT - my question is re: my 2004 Forester 25XT. At the end of this past winter, when I braked in slippery/snowy conditions, the brake pedal actually vibrated intensely, actually pushing my foot back upwards. This happened whether I slowed way down before braking, or if I braked gradually from about 25 mph. It was pretty scary; the car wouldn't stop and luckily it happened in spots where I was going "in-town" slowly and no one was going through the intersections. The dealer told me that it's "normal" to have this happen and suggested that it was my tires, which were down to 2/32nd inch (he said 1/32nd inch was illegal). So - because I don't want to die -- I replaced all 4 tires. But -- is this correct? Possible? My feeling is that, if winter hits and this happens again, bye-bye Subaru...

#77 of 113 Re: Try [wallydeb] by paisan

May 11, 2007 (6:19 am)

Replying to: wallydeb (May 11, 2007 6:14 am)
That is fairly normal for ABS + Bad tires. Essentially what happens is that if you hit the brakes, and the tires slip, the ABS will release and re-apply the brakes so as to prevent the wheels from locking up. With better tires they won't be locking up and the ABS won't kick in as easily. The idea is that if you are sliding a rotating wheel will allow you to steer around the danger rather than slide straight into it.
 
-mike

#78 of 113 Re: Try [paisan] by xwesx

May 11, 2007 (10:09 am)

Replying to: paisan (May 11, 2007 6:19 am)
Yes, the and the brake pedal will pulsate quite rapidly. If you are pressing firmly on the pedal, it will not feel so intense. If ABS was engaging under light pressure, those tires were darn near the death of you! It is never a good idea to use highly worn all-seasons during the winter months. Their effectiveness in snow/ice conditions drops off dramatically after about 50% treadwear, at least in my experience.
 
If you want to test whether the car is behaving normally before winter strikes again, find yourself a gravel road somewhere and jam the brakes with authority. That should illicit the same sensation in the brake pedal.

#79 of 113 Re: Try [xwesx] by wallydeb

May 12, 2007 (8:35 am)

Replying to: xwesx (May 11, 2007 10:09 am)
Thanks to both of you for the insights -- at least I don't feel as if I spent money on an unnecessary repair... But -- it leads me to another question: when we bought this car, ABS (we thought) was an assett, a "better", safer, brake system. From reading this forum and our experience, now I'm thinking one needs to be specially trained in order to use them properly, which isn't necessarily better. Is ABS a good system, or maybe does Subaru need to improve their version?

#80 of 113 Re: Try [wallydeb] by paisan

May 13, 2007 (3:14 pm)

Replying to: wallydeb (May 12, 2007 8:35 am)
ABS is better if you know how to use it. Just push hard on the brakes and STEER around the problem. In the past w/o ABS the idea was to pump the brakes and steer around the issue, however you can't pump them as fast as the ABS system can pump em. The idea isn't that ABS stops you any faster, it allows you to steer around the danger instead of sliding into it (when you have a locked wheel you can't steer)
 
-mike

Messages Page 8 of 12

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