Hi guys. I have recently purchased a mk1 VRS. I have trouble when breaking harsh. If I'm travelling at speed it normally and brake hard or try an emergency stop, my brakes start to slip and grind and my car continues forwards. The pedal goes very loose then hard then loose then hard rapidly. I have had all 4 brake pads and brake discs changed but it has made no difference. Please please please help as I have lots of work to do to my car but don't want it any faster if I cant stop. Lol thank you x

@Daz9399 - This sounds like the ABS is working correctly. It's not a definitive test, but when the car does this, does it also trigger the hazard lights?

 

Also, what make of tyres is it running, and are they correctly inflated?

@KenONeillThanks so much for the reply. They are running Pirelli at the moment and I always stay on top of PSI. And no the light doesn' come on. Any idea what it might be or how I can' get it checked? Thanks once again 

9 minutes ago, Daz9399 said:

@KenONeillAny idea what it might be

I agree with KenONeill that the ABS is operating - when you say " The pedal goes very loose then hard then loose then hard rapidly" that's the ABS pulsing the brake pedal as it releases and reapplies the brake on a skidding wheel, which is a sign that you are braking hard enough for the tyres to loose grip on the road which triggers the ABS to regain control.

 

You say you're running Pirellis - how old are they, how much tread do they have left, was this on a cold day when the road was wet or icy? All of those would reduce the grip and trigger the ABS earlier than usual.

Edited 6 April, 20188 yr by SWBoy

@SWBoy The tyres are 2 weeks old. The first time this occurred was on dry surface and it happens in any weather condition. Whether it is as dry as the dessert or as wet as my ex. The car will slip and grind and will just continue to hurtle forwards. I thought getting my brakes changed would helped but it made no difference. I have read around that it could possibly be my ABS sensor but I wasn't too sure. 

@Daz9399 - You appear to have a misunderstanding of what the ABS light does. It's there to illuminate when/if you have an ABS fault rather than when the ABS activates.

 

The reason for asking about the hazard lights is that some cars do trigger them when the ABS is activated, as a warning to following drivers that the car in front is braking hard.

 

In the absence of an ABS warning light (or a traction control warning), the only things you can do are get the fault codes read with VCDS or simply stop braking as hard.