Why do our damn brakes lock up so easy???

[Chrisbgft]

I have lots of snow where i am. I drive a long ways to work. On my way, my brakes would lock up with just the slightest bit of break pressure. I absolutely hate it. Some one help me out.

[BlasTech]

when you get a chance, take it to the dealer and ask them to check out the ABS. It might not be working, and you think it'd be chattering away.

[JSIR]

the crappy stock tires probably have something to do with it, low grip causes them to lock up easily. Unless you've switched to better winter tires. At least the ABS will help you out if its working properly.

[chunky]

Originally posted by JSIR
the crappy stock tires probably have something to do with it, low grip causes them to lock up easily. Unless you've switched to better winter tires. At least the ABS will help you out if its working properly.

we have a winner!

i've got a pretty grippy tire combo now, and the ABS is a lot harder to trigger now - even in the rain! for instance, on my way home today, just for shits, I slammed on the brakes going 40mph on a seculded streets. It's been raining like hell all day long, so the roads are really shitty. With stock tires, the ABS would have been tripping all the way - but this time, the ABS tripped initially, but once the weight shifted forwards, the abs shut off, and the car came to a nice tight stop. :D

I should mention that I also have upgraded front pads, and I recently bled the brakes with valvoline synthetic brake fluid, so my braking system is in top notch shape.

[S800Racer]

Suspension mods make a difference as well. With stock suspension, you can easily trigger the ABS when braking and turning due to the body lean and weight transfer away from the inside wheel. Stiffer, lower springs keep the weight more evenly distributed.
For the same reasons, they also improve launch traction tremedously. I use to chirp the front tires in first gear when I was not even trying to do anything but normal driving! With Progress springs ("2.0 drop), the same stock wheels and tires launch much better and I never chirp the tires unintentionally.