Re: [Fwd: RT Linked Brakes] - Panic Braking

[Bob Hadden <kbhadden@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well said Tom.  We all will have a situation where we are totally 
surprised, and panic (or react instinctively if you prefer).  To deny 
this is foolish.  This is when ABS is a good thing.  I had one such 
stop on my RS with ABS.  It happened so fast, that I have no idea if 
the ABS kicked in or not.  I did stop in time however.  And I thank BMW 
quality for that.

Bob Hadden '98RS
On Feb 18, 2004, at 11:27 AM, Tom Brown wrote:

> Bob:
>
> I've been driving BMW cars on race tracks since 1979.  I've been 
> teaching
> since 1993.  I've been to the Nurburgring drivers school with the
> International BMW Clubs twice.   I've been to 4 days of track schools 
> on my
> Mille R (no ABS).   I like to think I'm a #1, but sometimes, something
> happens that truly is unexpected, I mean really unexpected.   In that 
> sort
> of situation, the linked servo brake system can really help.  It 
> happened,
> by chance once to me last fall.
>
> The best defense, of course, is to scan, scan, scan and never be 
> surprised
> by what goes on.  You thus avoid actual panic braking.  You may have to
> brake very hard, but you've anticipated and you do the hard stop that 
> you've
> practiced in safe conditions. It doesn't always work out that way and 
> this
> one time, I was caught totally off-guard.  I grabbed both brakes hard. 
>   I'd
> practiced this on an empty road before, but it still felt like I was 
> going
> to go over the bars.   It was over in a second and turned into a 
> non-event.
> The servo linked brakes stop you right now, very hard.
>
> I grant that my old brakes, enhanced with HH pads, were probably a bit 
> more
> "fun", but it's just that.   The new brakes don't slow me down or ruin 
> my
> style in any way.  I'm not able to "feather the rear brake to correct 
> my
> line" like I use to, but high displacement twins like the Oilhead have 
> so
> much engine braking available that the rear brake thing is really the 
> wrong
> way to go about this anyway.  Just keep the revs up and use throttle 
> control
> to adjust your line.
>
> snip
>
> If you think it can't happen to you, well, it can.   There are no #1s 
> on
> public roads, especially when speed limits are being exceeded by a
> significant margin on seemingly ideal roads.  I know no one in this 
> group
> would ever do anything like that.
>
> -TB

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