Wrecked my front just too early for the 3.0 upgrade...

[hcsharp]

May I assume that you aren't a RS owner? Because I totally get where you're coming from, as any car I've ever driven (and those are quite a lot) had predictable brakes.

However (as is documented in numerous other threads) the RS-brakes are known to be unpredictable. I myself have had at least 2 moments where it took the brakes more than 2 mere seconds to lock on. It was as if nothing happened. This is exactly what the video shows.

Now I wasn't there, nor were you. So both of us could be right and probably Chillout is the only one who can tell us whether or not the brakes played a role in the accident, or that it was solely that he was taken off-guard looking at the other lane and the sun in his eyes. But to say that it's unfair to blame the car, I'd say that no-one is blaming, it is speculation, but I (and probably quite a bunch of RS-drivers with me) would not be surprised if the brakes (unfortunately) didn't perform as one might normally expect.

I agree. You can't make too many assumptions based on the video if you know about stock Roadster brakes. You especially can't draw conclusions about when brakes were applied based on when the front of the RS dropped. I can leg press several times my weight and I had all of it on my brake pedal one time when somebody pulled out in front of me. But there was nothing for at least a full second while the pads were grinding rust off the rotors. I almost had heart failure. I don't know why I didn't hit that car. With my brake upgrades those problems are gone.

Chillout I'm glad you are OK and I hope you get your RS looking new again soon. Don't worry about the harsh posts that will make people hesitate before posting their stories. I'm really glad you shared this experience. Thank you.

- - - Updated - - -

No I believe the roadster was completely stopped and the van backed up at high speed and hit the roadster.

Hate it when that happens.
:smile:

 

[Chillout]

Bad news... I just heard that the damage is €33K

 

[spaceballs]

Bad news... I just heard that the damage is €33K

From the photos you showed, that seems excessive.

 

[nsxpert]

:cursing: does that mean it's going to be fixed, or totaled?

Bad news... I just heard that the damage is €33K

 

[ecarfan]

Sorry to hear that Chillout. What does your insurer say?

 

[hcsharp]

Bad news... I just heard that the damage is €33K

Does that include the van?

 

[Mark77a]

Bad news... I just heard that the damage is €33K

Ouch, That seems very high - do you have a cost breakdown of the 33K ? ..maybe the front and wings cost 15,000 euro (as new Items).... ?

Is there an opportunity for you ? (at least there might be an option in UK .. but I'm not sure about NL) ie get the car economically 'written off' as not economical to repair (but otherwise mechanically safe),
negotiate a payout say 30K euro, and then have a plastics repairer, repair the parts .. at a much lower cost. As the front is an ABS or PU type material, this could be done by the kind of repairer who does motor bike fairings, boats, as well as fibreglass/ABS/Carbon cars parts. Someone inside the motor/bodywork trade would be a great helper/adviser. Even the finish is not so critical now wrapping is common place and affordable.

 

[Chillout]

yeah, it looks like 33K is pretty excessive... Haven't seen a cost breakdown yet. I'll keep you guys up to date on the progress

 

[Stefan T]

I hope you get it repared

 

[m0rph]

First of all: Wow 33k is way above my expectations! But it certainly isn't a write off, the car is worth double. I hope you have a good insurance on it.

Based on the footage: This is normal (defensive) driving in our region. The reaction looks like too late, but I also had some cases where the car just didn't brake at all. So I believe Chillout if he says he was applying brakes way before we see the nose dive. As many treads here mention, the standard brakes of a roadster are not reliable at all. We all should go for brake upgrades, they can save our cars and even lives if it comes down to it. I just came back from a 4000km trip to Spain and back, in my younger brothers 2008 Opel Astra diesel car that is worth about 5k, and when I took the roadster out for the first time, I couldn't believe just how bad it brakes. I need to install my upgrade parts asap, but I will first make a comparison movie between the 2 cars. It will be shocking.

About not moving to the right lane due to the blind spot in our mirrors: I installed the wide angle mirrors from RLS and opted for the anti-glare glass: http://www.reallylightstuff.com/chassis/rls-extendview-side-mirrors/ - this is another item all roadster owners should have imho!

I hope all turns out well for the OP and his beautiful roadster!

 

[Stefan T]

First of all: Wow 33k is way above my expectations! But it certainly isn't a write off, the car is worth double. I hope you have a good insurance on it.

Based on the footage: This is normal (defensive) driving in our region. The reaction looks like too late, but I also had some cases where the car just didn't brake at all. So I believe Chillout if he says he was applying brakes way before we see the nose dive. As many treads here mention, the standard brakes of a roadster are not reliable at all. We all should go for brake upgrades, they can save our cars and even lives if it comes down to it. I just came back from a 4000km trip to Spain and back, in my younger brothers 2008 Opel Astra diesel car that is worth about 5k, and when I took the roadster out for the first time, I couldn't believe just how bad it brakes. I need to install my upgrade parts asap, but I will first make a comparison movie between the 2 cars. It will be shocking.

About not moving to the right lane due to the blind spot in our mirrors: I installed the wide angle mirrors from RLS and opted for the anti-glare glass: http://www.reallylightstuff.com/chassis/rls-extendview-side-mirrors/ - this is another item all roadster owners should have imho!

I hope all turns out well for the OP and his beautiful roadster!

I can se same problems with my brakes
I have a peugoet 207 CC HDI from 2007 and the the brakes are mutch better on that than on the roadster.
I get the feeling that the servo don't work but it do
That is even easyer to brake my Oldsmobile Cutlass 1966 with upgrade brakes (disc front and rear) with hot cam shaft and small servo

 

[GVTesla]

...We all should go for brake upgrades, they can save our cars and even lives if it comes down to it.

Totally agree, however, I haven't been able to find Carbotech's here in Europe. Now I think I remember you saying in some earlier post that you had been able to acquired a pair somehow. Could you please elaborate a bit on that?

It will be shocking.

^
|
|
that

 

[ecarfan]

As many treads here mention, the standard brakes of a roadster are not reliable at all... I installed the wide angle mirrors from RLS and opted for the anti-glare glass: http://www.reallylightstuff.com/chassis/rls-extendview-side-mirrors/ - this is another item all roadster owners should have imho!

I agree with you about the aftermarket mirrors, which are awesome, but disagree about the brakes. The stock brakes on my Roadster seem as good as the brakes on my Model S in terms of stopping distance, but I admit that I have not actually measured the distances. There has been so much discussion about how poor the Roadster brakes are that I may be near the point of "resistance is futile" and I will give up objecting and have a shop put the Carbotech pads on. I know it is claimed to be easy but I won't do safety-critical repairs myself, I leave that to experienced experts. [emoji3]

 

[m0rph]

Totally agree, however, I haven't been able to find Carbotech's here in Europe. Now I think I remember you saying in some earlier post that you had been able to acquired a pair somehow. Could you please elaborate a bit on that?

I bought them together with the brake discs from the groupbuy, but I am sure the Carbon Lorraine pads are just as good. I always had these on my racing bikes and they are simply awesome..

 

[GVTesla]

... but I am sure the Carbon Lorraine pads are just as good. I always had these on my racing bikes and they are simply awesome..

Thanks, I'm going to check those out!

--edit--

Found these in the catalog:

Rear

Front

 

[7racer]

I agree with you about the aftermarket mirrors, which are awesome, but disagree about the brakes. The stock brakes on my Roadster seem as good as the brakes on my Model S in terms of stopping distance, but I admit that I have not actually measured the distances. There has been so much discussion about how poor the Roadster brakes are that I may be near the point of "resistance is futile" and I will give up objecting and have a shop put the Carbotech pads on. I know it is claimed to be easy but I won't do safety-critical repairs myself, I leave that to experienced experts. [emoji3]

I tracked the Roadster at a BMWCCA event. The brakes are definitely NOT up to par.

 

[frequencydip]

I agree. You can't make too many assumptions based on the video if you know about stock Roadster brakes. You especially can't draw conclusions about when brakes were applied based on when the front of the RS dropped. I can leg press several times my weight and I had all of it on my brake pedal one time when somebody pulled out in front of me. But there was nothing for at least a full second while the pads were grinding rust off the rotors. I almost had heart failure. I don't know why I didn't hit that car. With my brake upgrades those problems are gone.

Chillout I'm glad you are OK and I hope you get your RS looking new again soon. Don't worry about the harsh posts that will make people hesitate before posting their stories. I'm really glad you shared this experience. Thank you.

Having taken the Roadster to AutoX events and driven plenty of BMWs, Porsches, Hondas etc around the same course and then taking the Roadster I can confirm the Roadster comes in dead last in breaking performance. It has a combination of several issues at play, rotors are likely to have more crud on them that have to be worn off, breaks take longer to heat up to operating temperature due to regen, and weight distribution -not sufficient weight on front tires where most of the breaking force happens.

The car is absolutely part to blame, the roadster does not do panic stops well with cold breaks.

 

[7racer]

I know the owner of Racing Brake. He did mention that he could make a caliper for the roadster. That would probably fix the issue but the sales volume would be low for such an item.

 

[ecarfan]

I can leg press several times my weight and I had all of it on my brake pedal one time when somebody pulled out in front of me. But there was nothing for at least a full second while the pads were grinding rust off the rotors

I have made a habit of every time I take the freeway exit ramp near my house when returning home from work -- meaning two to four times a week -- from 65mph I do a very hard brake to almost a full stop to keep my rotors clean. And Henry I've been lifting weights weekly for 30 years so I have pretty good leg strength. Maybe that explains why I feel that my Roadster brakes work fairly well? Or maybe I simply have no idea how well they can work with the Carbotech pads, and I need to experience some hard braking in a properly equipped Roadster. I am open to invitations from Bay Area Roadster owners with Carobtechs for a tryout in their cars!

 

[Andrew Wolfe]

We can definitely work something out. PM me.