New Favorite Feature: Brakes!

[breading]

I have been loving the relentless acceleration, excellent handling, and smooth ride of my Model S.

But, yesterday I noticed traffic backing up on the interstate and decided to take an exit to avoid a backup. After making the split second decision to follow the car in front of me on the exit, I realized nearly too late that a line of cars ahead of me had the same idea as us and had stopped on the off ramp. I slammed on the brakes and braced for impact, then breathed a sigh of relief when I stopped with a few car lengths to go. If I had been in my old truck, I would have been picking Lexus parts out of my grill.

Now, I really love the brakes and that life-saving 108 feet of 60-0 braking distance! I never considered stopping distance when purchasing this car; but, this is a world class distance and arguably more important than the incredible 0-60 time. Thank you Tesla for making a car that is not only a blast to drive but keeps us safe while doing so!

 

[jeffro01]

I-35 construction get ya?

Jeff

 

[breading]

Sure did! Almost...

 

[raptorweb]

As I have narrowly avoided hits with a turkey crossing the road twice this week I fully agree with you.

 

[neroden]

Now, I really love the brakes and that life-saving 108 feet of 60-0 braking distance! I never considered stopping distance when purchasing this car; but, this is a world class distance and arguably more important than the incredible 0-60 time. Thank you Tesla for making a car that is not only a blast to drive but keeps us safe while doing so!

The stopping distance is astounding, isn't it? I haven't really needed to use it, but a couple of times I've braked when I thought someone was about to cut me off... and the car just stops. It's brilliant.

Wait -- on second thought, I did need to use the braking power once. When I hit *ice* going *downhill* at *45 mph*. The front end started to fishtail... but the car stopped. In a very short distance. and before I left my *lane*. Not only are the brakes excellent, so is the ABS and the traction control.

It is actually dangerous to go back to driving another car after getting used to a Model S. There is nothing like driving it.

 

[brianman]

@all
Be careful of the cars behind you that have weaker braking.

 

[NigelM]

And a very good reason to regularly check that your rotors are clean.

 

[I=V/R]

@all
Be careful of the cars behind you that have weaker braking.

Great point. I always try to use all of the space I have even if my car could stop faster - that gives the car behind you the best chance of stopping before hitting you!

 

[highfalutintodd]

Great point. I always try to use all of the space I have even if my car could stop faster - that gives the car behind you the best chance of stopping before hitting you!

Amen to that. Got rear ended in high school for that exact reason - someone in front of me did something stupid, I slammed on the brakes and avoided them, but the person behind me didn't react in time.

Ever since whenever I'm in an emergency stop situation I'm usually looking behind me in the rear view mirror at least as much as I'm looking forward. And once I'm certain I'm going to avoid the issue in front, I'm giving the person behind me as much room to stop as possible.

 

[contaygious]

The brakes rock! Sometimes I go back to other cars and it almost feels scary stopping in them because I'm used to accerlerating a lot and braking easily.

 

[Todd Burch]

Of course, the ultimate solution to this is to increase your following distance. This will give you much more time to brake gradually for any sudden stop of the vehicle ahead of you.

Glad the Brembo's saved some Model S damage!

 

[ToddRLockwood]

The automatic brake lights are my favorite feature. By the way, you can see them in action if you press the Tesla logo at the top of the touch screen.

The stopping distance is nothing short of amazing, especially given the weight of the Model S. And with so little nose dive too!

 

[dave]

The brakes seem fine to me in this car.

However, I've had to be very careful balancing the braking with the acceleration of the car. Something in my brain makes me think it's like a video game and the braking will have the same level of improvement as the acceleration compared to my old car. I don't know why I think this, but I have had to remind myself that even though this car can accelerate way faster than my old rides, the braking distance is about the same.

Accelerating is way too easy. I'm still having to reign it back for safety reasons.

 

[kinddog]

if you've ever done a full-on brake check from 60mph, the g-forces generated will make you seriously dizzy.

i've done it for a couple friends and they were almost as impressed with the braking power as the acceleration.

 

[Todd Burch]

The automatic brake lights are my favorite feature. By the way, you can see them in action if you press the Tesla logo at the top of the touch screen.

The stopping distance is nothing short of amazing, especially given the weight of the Model S. And with so little nose dive too!

I (think I)'d love the option of a small red "light" that appears on the driver's console that indicates when the brake lights are engaged.

 

[jomo25]

@all
Be careful of the cars behind you that have weaker braking.

This. I do it in my other cars also. But even more so in the MS.