Braking Question

[svoman]

I hate to change the subject but thought it might be good to switch gears for a moment.

 

I am going to hit another nerve(sorry) but for the sake of clarification.

I have read all the road test's and personal driving experiences on the Edge and still don't have a good handle on the final word on this topic. I understand that you have a 4,000 lb. + vehicle to start with which puts you at a disadvantage but, a VW Toureg tops out somewhere around 5,000 lbs. + and gets the job done.

 

Are the Edge' s 4-wheel disc-brakes vented? If not, would they make a huge difference under "normal" conditions? Are they the same ones used on the fusion (Much lighter vehicle)? Many pesonal driving accounts stated the brakes seemed fine however, most official track tests showed 60-0 distanances around 150 ft which is not good. There seems to be a big rift between the two accounts?

 

My question is, do they drive these vehicles so hard before testing 60-0 times that they perform poorly (fade) because they overheat them ? If so, track testing would have little bearing in real world conditions unless towing a yacht, NYC cab driver, driving through the continental divide or, racing it on weekends?

 

How does the stability control system influence this, since it has some control over braking pressure on each wheel indepentently?

 

I don't want to stir negative press but, would like someone (with experience) provide clearity to these issues before giving them a bad rap, unless it is warranted.

[sranger]

It is just a guess, but I think the problem is:

 

1) Too much weight.... ( It never helps... )

 

2) Cheap Hard tires. Good for wear, but bad for traction...

 

3) Bad suspension tuning and Overly agressive ABS tuning. This can also be an issue when the car nose dives in a stop. If the Front suspension is too soft, all the weight shifts to the front and this causes the rears tires to loose grip. As a result, the ABS computer eases up on the front brakes to keep the rear tires from locking...

 

By the way, I saw an Edge the other day and it had vented rotors on the front and rear. When I drove it, I did not do a panic stop, but I did notice that the front dives dramatically when braking a little harder than normal...

 

I also wanted to add the the 2007 and earlier Escapes/Mariners all seemed to do the 60-0 in about 130-140ft ( Even the year models with rear drums ). However, the new 2008 Escape in Edmunds full test did the same long 150ft stop. They even recorded a hair raising 161ft stop?

 

There is certianly somthing very wrong at Ford to produce two new vehicles with this type of pathetic stopping distances. If I was a Ford engineering manager, I would be in Super Sluth mode to find the problems...

[svoman]

Thanks for the comments !! They are all usefull. I was under the impression that the brakes were not vented on the Edge because they don't list on any spec sheets unless it was one of the "Changes" they made pre-production vehicles ? I was wondering if that minor change accounted for some of the discrepancy

between early road tests and owner "tests" that have been coming in lately. To be fair to everyone, I don't think personal road test's reflect rigorous "Track Testing" methods but, I thought if the brakes were not vented and they ran the vehicle "hard" so as to overheat the brakes, that might account for part of the poor stopping distances. I suspect that more likely it is a little bit of all these factors, and your comment on suspension tuning(it is no secret that the vehicle was tuned for ride dynamics over handling) makes a lot of sense.

[Canadasvt]

Are the Edge' s 4-wheel disc-brakes vented?

 

Yep, all four discs are vented.

[svoman]

Yep, all four discs are vented.

 

 

Thanks for the confirmation, that rules out that being the cause. I have heard no negative comments on the brakes from new owners, I will stay tuned as people get to drive them more and will see what they say!

[sntmods]

I have driven a FWD edge and I have to say that I dont feel like the braking is as bad as the press makes it out to be. It definitely could be better though, it almost feels like the ABS isnt aggressive enough as the wheels spin to a stop.

 

The braking power is pretty much only within the braking system components and definitely not the tires. The brake lines could be made using a better material to help reduce ballooning. The front calipers and brake pads could use extra large calipers and a higher friction compound for the pads. This would in turn cause a need for a longer lasting disk.

 

They cant do much for weight besides moving the distribution a bit more to the rear to help reduce nose diving.

 

When I was done with my tough drive I would have not thought anything negative about the braking if I hadnt read any reviews of it's performance.

 

-Dan

[sjsutton]

Can anyone confirm why Ford decided not to use EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) on their ABS brakes?

[svoman]

I was under the impression that they did use EBD????? Maybe someone can confirm this.

[r0n1n]

This whole braking issue is very disconcerting to potential buyers. In fact, I had already made the decision to wait for at least the 2008 model to hope things get straightened out. It just doesn't make any sense that the braking is (reportedly) as bad as it is (compared to other vehicles in the same class) and that Ford has been mum on the topic.

 

Oh well, let's hope that they get this taken care of in short order! Maybe by then the new Sync option will be available and I can get everything I'd like to get in this potentially awesome crossover.