Scout Breaks

[mlp]

No it doesn't. I meant this topic is about Scout brakes. ahem

6 months and 10,000 miles on I have been pretty happy with our new Scout (2.0 CR, Anthracite, Polished Proteus). It is a very very good car.

However,

If there is one niggle it would be the brakes.

They are not bad but I do find that brake assist kicks in far too soon when hitting the brakes hard. Scenario, country B road, 65 MPH, blind corner, horse with rider. etc etc. Its not dangerous but I do miss my old Audi A6 brakes sometimes. that car was 10 years old when I sold it

The Scout will be up for its first service within the next few months so two questions:

- is this what everybody else is experiencing?

- is it possible to upgrade the brakes and at what costs?

thanks as always,

Edited 26 January, 2012 by mlp

[gregoir]

What is this problem that you hint of?

Brake assist is meant to put the brakes hard on in an emergency situation.

And avoids you hitting something .

How has it failed to achieve that?

The alternative is to drive slower and use the brakes in a non emergency manner.

Edited 26 January, 2012 by gregoir

[Stuart_J]

If the ABS cuts in it means your tyres are starting to loose grip. Upgrading the brakes wont help, grippier tyres might help.

In the Scout you are sat higher than in the Audi so less impression of speed so you might be actually travelling faster than you were in the Audi.

Im more than impressed with the brakes on our Scout, certainly not as good as the toys we have but pretty impresive for a stock car

[Neily03]

Brakes.

[mlp]

Brakes.

thanks. ahem.

[silver1011]

When you refer to 'brake assist' are you talking about the ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)?

Edited 26 January, 2012 by silver1011

[mlp]

What is this problem that you hint of?

Brake assist is meant to put the brakes hard on in an emergency situation.

And avoids you hitting something .

How has it failed to achieve that?

The alternative is to drive slower and use the brakes in a non emergency manner.

I suppose i am saying that I am suprised how quickly the system judges it to be an emergency situation.

And yes it might be that I am underestimating my speed but I do generally drive quite civilised. kids in the back etc

Better tires on country roads - yes probably a good idea but still I do wonder if the set up could be upgraded?

[mlp]

When you refer to 'brake assist' are you talking about the ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)?

exactly

[Stuart_J]

I suppose i am saying that I am suprised how quickly the system judges it to be an emergency situation.

And yes it might be that I am underestimating my speed but I do generally drive quite civilised. kids in the back etc

Better tires on country roads - yes probably a good idea but still I do wonder if the set up could be upgraded?

Brakes can be upgraded but generally upgrades are only needed where you drive hard & heat build up becomes a problem causing fading / fluid boiling. If your wheels are trying to lock IMO you have adequate brakes or just possibly an ABS fault although I would guess highly unlikely on a new car but nevertheless possible. A good test would be to borrow another identical car & see how that feels

If you want to improve the actual brakes the first stage is to fit better pads & change the fluid for one that has a higher boiling point, say dot 5.1 BUT be warned performance pads are generally aimed to offer better performance for high speed driving & require a little heat to work, hence when used from cold & this can be after a few miles on the motorway they sometimes react slowly initially.

If you want some bedtime reading ( & you will need a while) this explains more about brakes & what they do , http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/brake-system-and-upgrade-selection its aimed at discusing upgrades but gives a pretty good insight into what your brakes do

If all that is totally clear to you have a go at this http://dev.stoptech.com/docs/media-center-documents/the-physics-of-braking-systems.pdf

Edited 26 January, 2012 by Stuart_J

[scottishscout]

There is brake assist feature on Scout (most Octavia I believe) that when it detects rapid braking it increases servo help to counter the fact that most people do not use enough pedal pressure quickly enough. It is designed for the type of scenario where you come up on stationary traffic on a Motorway at 70 mph and need to emergency stop. I think the only way to know it has been activated is it also triggers the hazard lights to flash.

Personally I try not to brake as its bad for economy

[gregoir]

So it is the ABS that is being maligned rather than the Brake Assist (something quite different as explained above).

If the ABS kicks in it may be that the roads are indeed very slippery, the tyres are not very grippy or are new and need bedding in.

Try to drive within your and the roads limits and keep the ABS up your sleeve for real emergencies.

[Stuart_J]

I think the only way to know it has been activated is it also triggers the hazard lights to flash.

So it has that feature, Memo to self , test this feature next time Im out We have it on the Abarth & I seem to be able to get that on at will but never managed it on the Scout.

Edited 26 January, 2012 by Stuart_J

[silver1011]

One thing I have noticed on my Scout is that the front suspension is very heavily sprung.

Driving over a very slow speed level crossing near my house I often forget I'm in the Scout (wife's car) and as the front wheels drop into the first dip it really bangs, once enough to pop open the lid of the storage compartment on the dash!

I drive a lot of cars and non bang anywhere near as much as the Scout over this same crossing (at the same speed).

Could this contribute to the lack of grip I wonder?

[Stuart_J]

One thing I have noticed on my Scout is that the front suspension is very heavily sprung.

Driving over a very slow speed level crossing near my house I often forget I'm in the Scout (wife's car) and as the front wheels drop into the first dip it really bangs, once enough to pop open the lid of the storage compartment on the dash!

I drive a lot of cars and non bang anywhere near as much as the Scout over this same crossing (at the same speed).

Could this contribute to the lack of grip I wonder?

Heavily sprung as its a semi offroader, take it a higher speed & it will be less of a bump

[silver1011]

So it has that feature, Memo to self , test this feature next time Im out We have it on the Abarth & I seem to be able to get that on at will but never managed it on the Scout.

Interestingly some Octavia's flash the hazard lights, some flash the brake lights, some do both and others do nothing.

All of this as I understand it (or at least has been claimed on here) is adjustable using VCDS.

I guess my point is that if you try to activate it and the hazards don't flash then it doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't activated...

[mlp]

There is brake assist feature on Scout (most Octavia I believe) that when it detects rapid braking it increases servo help to counter the fact that most people do not use enough pedal pressure quickly enough. It is designed for the type of scenario where you come up on stationary traffic on a Motorway at 70 mph and need to emergency stop. I think the only way to know it has been activated is it also triggers the hazard lights to flash.

Personally I try not to brake as its bad for economy

You might be right that i could be confusing brake assist with the ABS (which is when you get that 'pumping' under your foot (correct??)). I don't recall any situation with hazard lights flashing

If brake assist is meant to shorten the stopping distance, my view is that it isn't that effective compared to my 7 year old Ford Focus 1.6 and my old A6. My wife who drives the Scout most of the time has been saying the same.

Granted - it is a 4x4 on higher suspension with more bulk than a Focus - but I am just not so impressed by it's stopping power. With or without brake assist and/or ABS.

[Web Ferret]

Is your your Scout wearing Dunlops? Plenty of moans about these boots on here.

65mph in a heavy raised Scout with only average grip summer tyres in this chilly weather - I'd say the brakes were fine.

[CEPi]

I have put 312mm VRS brakes on my Scout as the car is heavy, 1,645kg stock, loaded with stuff/kid/etc easy 2 tones.

Made a lot of difference as stock ones feel a bit mushy.

[mlp]

I have put 312mm VRS brakes on my Scout as the car is heavy, 1,645kg stock, loaded with stuff/kid/etc easy 2 tones.

Made a lot of difference as stock ones feel a bit mushy.

With a stage 2 remap i am not surprised that you upgraded but you get what i am talking about.

Do you remember how much it cost and do you think a dealer could do it? I suspect it isn't cheap..

The car is on standard Dunlops and winter tires should help of course but i do not fancy the hassle of changing tires every 6 months. but maybe i should just lump it instead of fiddling with brakes

Edited 27 January, 2012 by mlp

[CEPi]

Breaks with fitting were around 900 quid at JKM. You could find them half price used on Ebay from time to time. But even before any tuning, breaks felt a little not up to the job, they would break, but somehow it didn't feel reassuring.

312mm stoping power is massive, was going to go for 342mm as price for them is not a lot more, but than I couldn't fit 16" steel rims for winters.

[matt_theforce]

No it doesn't. I meant this topic is about Scout brakes. ahem

6 months and 10,000 miles on I have been pretty happy with our new Scout (2.0 CR, Anthracite, Polished Proteus). It is a very very good car.

However,

If there is one niggle it would be the brakes.

They are not bad but I do find that brake assist kicks in far too soon when hitting the brakes hard. Scenario, country B road, 65 MPH, blind corner, horse with rider. etc etc. Its not dangerous but I do miss my old Audi A6 brakes sometimes. that car was 10 years old when I sold it

The Scout will be up for its first service within the next few months so two questions:

- is this what everybody else is experiencing?

- is it possible to upgrade the brakes and at what costs?

thanks as always,

IMO you should try the 312mm upgrade, all you will need are the 312mm carriers/new disc's/pads

Your best bet is to keep and eye on ebay for people selling 312mm kits, they often come with calipers (sometimes handy to have a spare)

Whilst changing your pads you also have the option to keep OEM pads or look to aftermarket pads that will not fade as quick as OEM.

I went for Brembo discs with Tarox Strada pads and the combination is really good from cold and fantastic when towing

[toonfan66]

... Scenario, country B road, 65 MPH, blind corner, ...

... but I do generally drive quite civilised. kids in the back etc ...

Not saying I stick to every speed limit all the time but National speed limit (= 60mph on a B road unless otherwise indicated) is a maximum not a minimum

PS This isn't meant as a dig at you so please don't take it that way, like I said I drift over limits from time to time too, it was just your two posts did contradict a wee bit.