Brakes

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Gocat

New member
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Messages
3
I've had my BMW i3 just over a year and covered 23000 miles And on the whole I have been very happy with the car . There is just one area that concerns me and I surprised no one else has mentioned what I consider quite a serious issue. That is that I can't get the Brakes to stop the car effectively in an emergency after I have applied the brakes as hard as I can if use the brakes hard again they are more effective and capable of actuating the ABS but not on the first emergency application. This is in the dry reasonable road surface at 55 mph. The last time I tested the the brakes that was at the end of a 120 mile journey . It's a long time since I've owned a car that I couldn't lock the wheel or lately actuate the ABS . Is it me do I have unrealistic expectations . I have requested that my BMW dealer look at this issue but they reported no fault found .I asked my son a advance police drive what he felt the brakes we like he said " The brakes felt very dead no bite and not very inspiring " . I would be very on other Forum users veiws on the brakes
 
For most people the actual brakes don't get used very often. It's a good idea to do an emergency stop every once in awhile to clean the rust off of the rotors when it's safe and nobody's behind you. A layer of rust can act like a lubricant until it is removed. But, a hard press should still work, but may take more force than you're used to until you've cleaned them off. How much rust, and how often, depends not only on how you drive, but also how religiously you use regen and forego use of the actual brakes.
 
This issue has been raised in this forum before, and those of us reporting it have been ridiculed for even doubting the brakes.

http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=40421#p40421

In tests, the brakes are apparently very efficient and pull the car up very quickly. It just appears that for whatever reason, the feel you get back through the pedal is poor and does not inspire much confidence for some of us.
 
I have a 2017 i3 with REX.

My brakes appear to work well.

No anti-lock problems, like the ones that GM had years ago.

I have made several severe stops, all went well.

Tom
 
I have the same concern for the brake. Haven’t found a solution yet.

Although completely anecdotal, my i3 Rex brake doesn’t feel effective either. I’ve driven Volvo cx30 & Toyota Rav 4 and both had much tighter brakes. When I had to brake on highway it always felt that it took longer than ‘Normal’.
 
When the road is clear, just try an emergency stop. The i3 stops quite well. Edmunds tested one and it stopped in 109 feet from 60mph...lots of cars take a lot further. You may not like the pedal feel, but that doesn't account for the fact that the car CAN stop. Just like on any car, if the surface is less than ideal (sandy, oily, gravel, water, ice, snow), the ABS system will not allow the tires to slip (much), and your stopping distance will increase, but it will still allow steering and keep you pointed where you want. In most cases, though, the ABS will stop shorter than you can. THe exceptions are when if the tires were locked up, they dug a furrow, pushing a pile ahead of them. The ABS won't allow that to happen.
 
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