In the past year I've experienced just about every brake combo I can think
of. Jensen's all disc. Wife's Audi A4's all disc ABS. Now sold Grand
Cherokee's disc/drum ABS. Land-Rover's all drum. B disc/drum. Each has a
distinct feel. More disc the better. Jensen has spongy feel, but hauls it's
4K pounds down quickly. Jeep was firm, but with less stopping power. I keep
an appropriate distance between me and everyone else when I'm in the Landy,
those drums work well enough, but drums seem prone to binding and fading (if
you drove a Land-Rover that hard).
Bs have good brakes, but not great brakes. Pedal effort is higher, but to
me the 'feel' is good. Most important is to keep the front pads in good
shape, otherwise the braking bias can shift to the almost never wearout rear
drums and that ol' demon binding/fading comes into play. Of course, a B is
so nimble, that evasion is often preferable to braking.
ABS is the best thing ever for those who don't know how to drive, or even
those who do when confronted with patchy traction. But on ice. . .like no
brakes at all.
Michael, New Bern, NC
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