Brake reviews

[anthony94114]

Regardless of size, great brakes help avoid accidents. I got curiously nerdy and checked some braking numbers to compare the smart against (all numbers are from 60mph -0) and I just picked cars I was curious about and listed them in no particular order...

smart fortwo: 130'
Toyota Prius: 135'
Toyota Yaris sedan: 129'
Toyota Camry Hybrid:136'
Lexus LS460: 143' (wow! That's bad!)
Saab 9-5 wagon: 117'
VW Rabbit: 127'
MINI Cooper: 121'
MINI Cooper S: 122'
Honda Civic Hybrid: 140'
Honda Fit Sport: 131'
BMW 335i: 119'
Volvo c30: 122'
Audi A3 quattro S: 130'
Nissan Versa Hatchback: 135'
Chevy Tahoe: 133'
Dodge Caravan: 134'

I wish the smart was had lower numbers.. but inarguably, it's got average to decent brakes (and better than any of the hybrids!).

[randyzimmer]

Gas mileage tires are hard and narrow, don't blame the brakes.

[SmartAzz]

Originally Posted by randyzimmer

Gas mileage tires are hard and narrow, don't blame the brakes.

Good point, every car benefits from good sticky tires IMHO.

Curious where the braking distance figure comes from and if it was using a US spec car? The source matters to me as I've seen some braking distance tests that are a joke where they don't even hit the brakes hard and hold them.

Being so light and with less mass to stop I'd think the Smart would do alright or at least be easy to improve on

[partsrme928]

And did you notice Motorweek didn't even test the brakes, or if they did I did not see them. The show I watched was on Speed.

[pabille]

I'm not sure of the retail source in the US but I understand that EBC makes Greenstuff pads for the front of the 451. I use them on my current vehicles and besides modulation, they improve stopping power.

Anyone know if these may help?

[dbwill]

Breaking distance likely came from Road & Track road test in the March 2008 issue. The distance from 80mph is 230 according to them.

[anthony94114]

Of course there are many variables.. weight of the driver, amount of detritus in the car, even how much gas in the tank -though with a new vehicle, one might assume that it was engineered with high-mileage-biased tires integral to the design. Regardless, I wasn't blaming the engineering, tires, driver or the brakes... merely noting some of the differences.

I think the smart is very well engineered and stops with competitive numbers. This wouldn't inhibit me from buying one (though you can bet I'm not spending $70k on a Lexus with the worst numbers on the list.)

Most of the distances did come from the March '08 Road & Track, though a few came from Edmunds.

[SmartAzz]

Originally Posted by dbwill

The distance from 80mph is 230 according to them.

Its a good thing I won't be driving 80mph on SF streets much then I guess ;)

And the funny thing, Motorweek - who does the worst brake tests (soft stops never stomping it like an emergency) - got the same distance of 130 for a CLK black with its huge brakes

Yeah, it's not the shortest stopping distance I've seen or owned but all around not bad, and I think the nature of the car itself will keep us at a safer distance anyway.

[GHammerly]

Originally Posted by pabille

I'm not sure of the retail source in the US but I understand that EBC makes Greenstuff pads for the front of the 451. I use them on my current vehicles and besides modulation, they improve stopping power.

Anyone know if these may help?

Depends on the ABS tuning, higher friction pads will induce ABS sooner.
Tires can make a huge difference in stoping distances, imagine the smart on Bridgestone RE-01R tires, might do a wheele.

[bumblebee]

Originally Posted by pabille

I'm not sure of the retail source in the US but I understand that EBC makes Greenstuff pads for the front of the 451. I use them on my current vehicles and besides modulation, they improve stopping power.

Anyone know if these may help?

That'll be good if it's available. Not only that it also reduces brake dust.