I found myself thinking about what I'd do if my D1's brakes failed while driving down a mountain road. None of the options seemed that great. So WWYD?
WWYD (if your brakes failed)
- Thread starter ERover82
- Start date
use my EMERGENCY brake! That is why it is called that.
That in addition of low gear choice will help you get down.
That in addition of low gear choice will help you get down.
Yes down shift, but could the little ZF spiral gears handle the load on the coast side? Doesn't it also refuse to downshift if revved too high?
LR refers to the emergency brake as a parking brake and warns that it's not to be used while moving. I wonder if it'd last a while, or just fail immediately.
LR refers to the emergency brake as a parking brake and warns that it's not to be used while moving. I wonder if it'd last a while, or just fail immediately.
Jump 
Gear down and use the e brake and hope there are no sharp bends or sudden stops. In an emergency you can push the side of the vehicle against a guardrail (if there is one) to slow you down, or pick an off road detour that might bring you to a stop without serious injury. Another option is to turn the engine off and run against compression, but then you loose power steering. These are things I was taught in army driving school.
Gear down and use the e brake and hope there are no sharp bends or sudden stops. In an emergency you can push the side of the vehicle against a guardrail (if there is one) to slow you down, or pick an off road detour that might bring you to a stop without serious injury. Another option is to turn the engine off and run against compression, but then you loose power steering. These are things I was taught in army driving school.
1: Immediately direct the vehicle away from others.
2: Select sport mode, if you've got it.
3: Downshift through the gears as quickly as possible.
4: Use the emergency brake very gently to slow the vehicle to a stop.
Cheers,
Kennith
2: Select sport mode, if you've got it.
3: Downshift through the gears as quickly as possible.
4: Use the emergency brake very gently to slow the vehicle to a stop.
Cheers,
Kennith
EricTyrrell said:
It'll take it, so long as it's all in good shape and you use it properly, but you need to slow as much as possible before you touch that lever. Do not yank the hell out of it. It's all about finesse.
Cheers,
Kennith
Knowing what to do is one thing.. Being able to actually do it in an emergency is another!
Im a firm believer that the US needs stricter licensing regulations.
Most drivers on the road have no idea what a car/truck feels like when its in a skid or loss of brakes. .... That scares me!
Im a firm believer that the US needs stricter licensing regulations.
Most drivers on the road have no idea what a car/truck feels like when its in a skid or loss of brakes. .... That scares me!
I will tell you what NOT to do,
Earlier this year in Utah there was an Idaho man driving his P38 down the canyon from Logan to Brigham City, and his brakes failed (after the rear brake pad backing plate ground completely through the surface of the rotor..... maybe should have check out what that loud grinding noise was everytime you pressed on the brake pedal for the last 5000 miles....). Instead of trying any of the above suggestions, the guy decided to call the Highway Patrol to tell them he was out of control, they suggested downshifting the transmission but he said he didnt want to ruin the transmission. He ended up crashing into the canyon bottom, totaling his Range Rover. What really bugs me about it is that the entire time he was out of control and ON THE PHONE with UHP, he didn't ever decide to put his damn seat belt on! He was ejected from the car in the crash.
Earlier this year in Utah there was an Idaho man driving his P38 down the canyon from Logan to Brigham City, and his brakes failed (after the rear brake pad backing plate ground completely through the surface of the rotor..... maybe should have check out what that loud grinding noise was everytime you pressed on the brake pedal for the last 5000 miles....). Instead of trying any of the above suggestions, the guy decided to call the Highway Patrol to tell them he was out of control, they suggested downshifting the transmission but he said he didnt want to ruin the transmission. He ended up crashing into the canyon bottom, totaling his Range Rover. What really bugs me about it is that the entire time he was out of control and ON THE PHONE with UHP, he didn't ever decide to put his damn seat belt on! He was ejected from the car in the crash.
K-rover said:
As valid of a concern as that is, I'd be happy if people just left their cell phones alone while they were driving.
As for licensing, I think it's a bizarre set of priorities that as a nation we've decided it's okay for 16-year olds to take the controls of a potentially lethal tool yet they have to wait until they are 18 to vote and 21 to drink legally.
I'm amazed that I survived my teens with the stupid stuff I did in cars. And that was just as a passenger (didn't get my license until I was 21).
I suppose in 20 years I'll be saying "I'm surprised I survived my 30s with the stupid stuff I did in cars. Those damned Land Rovers were nearly the death of me!"
Tugela said:
:rofl:
That's why you shouldn't yank the hell out of it. There is a difference between performance driving and attempting to safely bring a malfunctioning Land Rover to a stop.
As for the movie, and movies in general...
Using a handbrake in order to cause a repeatable and controlled over-steer condition still requires a polished technique. You'll commonly find the ratchet mechanism missing from vehicles regularly used in such capacity, in order to more effectively facilitate variable engagement.
Used properly, it's an effective way to kill the under-steer in a poorly balanced front wheel drive vehicle when there isn't enough room for a pendulum-inducing flick.
It's also a hell of a lot of fun.
On the car-chase note, when watching Alcatraz, I realized about a quarter way into a car chase that they were recreating the chase scene from Bullitt. Once I saw the second green Beetle, it was an amusing giveaway.
Cheers,
Kennith
K-rover said:
One must apply theory to training and training to action.
The first step to accomplish this is achieving a state of calm in stressful situations; removing one's instinct of panic while retaining the improved performance it gives. If this is to be achieved, such calm must be cultivated in daily life, through training and discipline.
Most people will never reach such a state, and therefore will never be able to act effectively in an emergency.
Their minds are not predisposed to discipline, and as such will require excessive training. They will not allow the time in their lives for that training, so removing panic from their lives is impossible.
Short-term physical training will not remove panic. The same idiots will cause the same collisions, no matter what you do with them beforehand.
If you are very lucky, you might redirect someone's panic, and that is the goal of advanced driving education. Police officers receive such education, and most of them remain damnable fools behind the wheel.
Still, it's not a bad idea to encourage education on the matter. You'll help a few people.
As for distraction, it is not a factor in the manner many assume. The telephone is irrelevant. It requires no more concentration than a conversation with a passenger. I use a telephone when I drive. I've never been involved in a collision.
Most people will remain distracted no matter what they are doing, even if they are only driving.
Cheers,
Kennith
Shift the CDL on and the slowly apply the driveline brake.
Either that or just shift into neutral let it go completley out of control and see if will actually go the advertised 135 mph.
Either that or just shift into neutral let it go completley out of control and see if will actually go the advertised 135 mph.
I HATE PONIES said:
The problem with CDL and low range is unreliability. It's hard enough to get the damned thing to work in perfect circumstances. It would be a very effective brake, but I wouldn't reach for it unless I was damned sure I had plenty of room for error. The last thing I would want is to get it stuck in neutral.
I'm not sure about a D1, but my DII is factory limited to 120mph. I don't see the point, though, as the atmosphere would limit it before 125mph. The drag was insane pulling from 115 to 120mph. It's funny how it stacks up all of a sudden when you near the aerodynamic limit of an engine-vehicle combination.
Cheers,
Kennith
Having had a D1 brake line failure and the pedal push right to the floor while going down a slight hill, I think I did the following steps:
1) Pinch the seat cushion (optional & purely involuntary)
2) Engage the parking brake by 2 clicks
3) Downshift without matching revs
4) Modulate the brake lever with the release button engaged
5) Repeat 3 & 4
I was traveling at about 45mph when it happened. For some reason I always test my brakes when I leave the house before I REALLY need them. This time they failed, but I had plenty of time & space to scrub speed before entering the busy 2-lane highway at the end of my road.
Those of you in the rust belt, CHECK YOUR BRAKE LINES!!
1) Pinch the seat cushion (optional & purely involuntary)
2) Engage the parking brake by 2 clicks
3) Downshift without matching revs
4) Modulate the brake lever with the release button engaged
5) Repeat 3 & 4
I was traveling at about 45mph when it happened. For some reason I always test my brakes when I leave the house before I REALLY need them. This time they failed, but I had plenty of time & space to scrub speed before entering the busy 2-lane highway at the end of my road.
Those of you in the rust belt, CHECK YOUR BRAKE LINES!!
