Well I was driving westbound on Highway 90 (65-70mph) , and the Transguide warning signs said 'minor accident I-35 ramp, 1 mile'. So I was prepared for the usual bumper to bumper routine that goes on during collisions. I go all the way to the left lane, and slow to about 55-60 mph, and there was only one car in front of me, about 4 lengths ahead. All of a sudden, a huge 18-wheeler jumps from the right entrance ramp lanes (which were slowing to a crawl) to the lane on our right. This scares the guy in front of me, and the driver in front of me slams on his brakes, I mean really slammed on them, to a full stop. My first reaction was to slam on mine, which was a good thing, 'cause if I didn't do maximum sustained braking, I would've smashed into the guy. I think ABS definitely saved my butt today. I came to within half a car length of his rear bumper. The ABS system didn't make any noise or pulled or anything. It just stopped the truck with no drama. Kudos to SVT for a brake system that works in emergencies! I need a smoke now...

 

Nice save glad you are alright and the L is untouched!!!
Good time to check the brakes and switch to the ceramic pads!!
Last time I slamed on my brakes that hard I had to replace the pads soon after, don't know why but had to so I went to the ceramic pads now no brake dust and more agressive braking power!! Well good luck just had to throw in my 2 cents worth!!

 

The brakes might have saved your life but the smoking wont!

 

I have to admit,the thing that impresses me most about my truck is the brakes. They are awesome!!

Andy G

 

Yeah the brakes on our L have saved us a few times as well. The only down side is brake fade...

 

I've had to slam the brakes to the floor before too from about 70, a few months after i got it, kind of amazed me. Kinda feels like the front dives down so much its about ready to scrape the ground

 

I've noticed the fade, too. Even if you put aftermarkets calipers, pads, and rotors, does that lessen the fading?

Has anyone upgraded the plumbing (for lack of a better word) on their L's brakes? Does that reduce the fading?

 

you said the ABS basically saved the day...

That means your braking exceeded 100% of available traction. You would've stopped a little better & faster by not engaging the ABS - better known as maximum effort braking.

I saw where you were in a pickle, but, that's really only traceable to the nut behind the wheel don't follow so close...

Not trying to criticize, even though it sounds like I am, even to me, but just take a couple lessons away from this, if nothing else...

Glad you're ok !

 

Smurfslayer,

Oh I definitely got some lessons from this experience...mainly that there are so many idiots out on the road! Being a pretty experienced motorcycler/sportbiker, I'm usually pretty good about leaving some distance between me and the car/vehicle in front. It's really a bike's first line of defense in a situation like this. I had about four car lengths in front of me, which even to a motorcyclist, is a pretty safe follwing distance (in good weather and road conditions). But that four car lengths can get used up pretty quick, especially when the one in front of you panic stops (remember factoring in reaction time). The car in front of me was diving so bad that he was probably at full braking too. I'm not sure what the L would've done without the ABS, but to me, it helped out.

When SVT published the braking ability of the L, which I think is 136 ft at 60 mph, were they using ABS? Additionally, has anyone tried to best that distance by maximum braking without the ABS kicking in? I'm sure there are road racers out there who could do it, but these are guys who spend a lot of time perfecting their braking techniques, and probably use racing pads, etc. I really don't practice panic stops on a daily basis (especially in a 4700 lb truck), so in the situation I was in, using full ABS was probably the best decision at the time being. There was just no room for error or experimenting. I know I might get flamed for this, but this topic of ABS vs non ABS has been discussed ad-nauseum at viperclub, and there are as many believers as there are non-believers.

Panic stopping on a sportbike is a different animal, in my opinion. High performance bike brakes deliver awesome stopping power, and your 'feel' at the brake lever is better (most would agree that your hands are a little more coordinated and sensitive than your leg/foot...try to sign your name with your feet sometime). Again, I don't practice panic stops very often on bikes either, since I'm not a road racer. But those on bikes know that your braking skills on a bike can mean the difference between life and death/serious injury, and we tend to hone those to a higher degree over time. I'm not sure how I would've fared if I were on a bike, but I probably would've reacted a little bit quicker, and made the tires 'howl' to nearly the point of lock-up. Most sportbikes, with a good driver, can brake as well as the best sports cars (of course in the rain, I'd rather be on four wheels though). So far, ABS has not been popular with bikes.

Anyway, most cars are being built with ABS, so someone thinks they are of value. Could it be pressure from the insurance companies? Could it be that the car companies want to make a fast buck by adding it on?

L's are awesome!