Electricfan
Active Member
Interesting. Well, I've never noticed it, but I'll pay some attention the next time it rains and see if I do. Thanks.
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Interesting. Well, I've never noticed it, but I'll pay some attention the next time it rains and see if I do. Thanks.
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Particularly if you drove through a puddle, what you'll notice is that for about 2-4 seconds or so, if you apply the same brake force you normally do, you'll start braking more slowly than usual. But this effect wears off quickly with disc brakes.
As I described previously, it definitely was a different behavior as when you leave e.g. the car-wash with wet tires and one experiences exactly what you described...
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Right, I'm not saying that's what happened in your case--this was more a comment triggered by responses to your original post.
3s-a-charm
Active Member
I also notice that when I exit a car wash the brakes require an enormous amount of force to stop the car - more so than other vehicles I've driven out of a car wash.
Oh, and to the OP - call Tesla and stop driving - sounds like you have a brake issue. Forum will not help solve this issue though - just expedites the fear-mongering and excites the trolls.
Oh, and to the OP - call Tesla and stop driving - sounds like you have a brake issue. Forum will not help solve this issue though - just expedites the fear-mongering and excites the trolls.
green1
Active Member
Could this be because in every other car you arrived at the car wash with hot brakes due to using them, whereas the Tesla brakes get very little use (due to regenerative braking) and therefore are not very warm, and don't dry off as quickly?
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Model S's brake rotors/pads are likely more exposed to spray from the sides due to the open wheels than other cars, perhaps. Plus the car is heavy.
Model S's Rotors ar big!
Big rotors and wet weather or worse freezing weather can lead to brakes not braking for a while. It seems since we generally do not use our brakes on the Model S, this effect is relatively bigger on the Tesla compared to other cars.
It should be noted that this is not a Tesla Specific problem though. A quick search on big rotor braking problems on google and you can find other examples, such as :
STi brake problem...
I always have to share this brake story -
I was driving to the mall in my Dodge Ram truck. I pressed the brake pedal and it basically would not stop quickly. There was lots of chattering like the ABS was kicking in. Mind you, this was on a 70 degree sunny day. Clean dry asphalt. Thought I was going to hit other cars first time. Should have stopped, but was only a mile from destination so slowed down significantly and it happened several times again.
Never happened before.
Why was I driving to the mall? To replace an iPhone that was going crazy. Very high battery drain, very low bars, dropped connectivity constantly.
Replaced the phone.
Carefully drove home. Never had the problem again.
I was driving to the mall in my Dodge Ram truck. I pressed the brake pedal and it basically would not stop quickly. There was lots of chattering like the ABS was kicking in. Mind you, this was on a 70 degree sunny day. Clean dry asphalt. Thought I was going to hit other cars first time. Should have stopped, but was only a mile from destination so slowed down significantly and it happened several times again.
Never happened before.
Why was I driving to the mall? To replace an iPhone that was going crazy. Very high battery drain, very low bars, dropped connectivity constantly.
Replaced the phone.
Carefully drove home. Never had the problem again.
Electricfan
Active Member
Spooky!
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What do you mean by "enormous"? Like both feet on the brake pressing as hard as you can? Or just one foot pushing as hard as you can? Or just twice normal pressure? Also, when you say "exit a car wash", do you mean after you've gotten back on the road and then hit a stop light? Or literally after you roll off the car wash line you have a big problem stopping the car to keep from running over other cars in the car wash parking lot?
I'm anxious for it to rain, so I can check this.
Chrisizzle
Member
Was anyone else just contacted by Tesla to schedule a brake check?
I don't think it's a coincidence because I have been contacted by Tesla staff before about my posts on this forum.
I don't think it's a coincidence because I have been contacted by Tesla staff before about my posts on this forum.
3s-a-charm
Active Member
Good point (about Tesla not using breaks much so rotors not being warm).
To clarify for those who asked... I go to the local hand wash, spray the car down (no brush) and get in to exit. I exit the bay, turn right towards the street and when I get to the first intersection to the busy street it surprises me how much force is needed to stop - I would say 2x - 3x the pressure is needed. I press a "typical amount" then keep pushing harder and harder until the car finally stops. Freaked me out the first time when I thought I was going to end up in traffic. Now I am used to it and compensate by approaching slowly and braking early. It does this again (soft breaks) the next 1-2 times I break then it seems okay and I've never had any break issues in daily driving.
I like the warm/cold rotor theory.
Electricfan
Active Member
Ok, I'm sure I've never experienced this. not 2x, much less 3x. I have "unlimited monthly washes" at a car wash near my house, and this has never happened to me on exiting or on stopping at the first light nearby. BUT, I usually don't even use the brakes at a red-light. I regen until I get to the light and might tap the brake to come to a complete stop. So, maybe our driving habits are just too different. And by the time I do ever need to hit the brakes, maybe they are dry. But I've never had to press down on the pedal 2x normal to get the car to stop. That would definitely freak me out.
garygid
Member
In using the car wash, are you possibly leaving some soap film on the rotors,
on the calipers, or between the rotors and calipers?
on the calipers, or between the rotors and calipers?
PaulS
Member
Do you know what that simple fix was? We just had this occur in wet weather... just missed having an accident. Vancouver Service is looking into it, but hasn't got back to me with a solution yet.
Thanks,
Paul.
If this is in rain or after driving thru water, it's perfectly normal for all cars with exposed brakes. Hydroplaning.
Don85D
Member
Power brake assist used to come from the vacuum produced by an ICE but on an EV that assist needs to be electrically generated. This issue sounds like a simple loss of assist and it needs to be taken to Tesla for repair. The water on rotors explanation doesn't make sense to me.
Strange. I well remember going from drum brakes, which were hugely susceptible to reduced braking efficiency when driving through deep puddles, to disc brakes. Virtually all cars I’ve driven with disc brakes seem pretty much immune to this issue...including my 2017 Tesla S.
The OP’s issue doesn’t seem to me, based on lots of driving on disc brake cars, to being anything related to disc brakes per se, unless the disc brakes used on his Tesla are different than any car I’ve driven. The loss of power assist, possible in virtually any car, seems more plausible.
Of course I’m not talking about hydroplaning which is not related to the drum vs disc brake discussion.
The OP’s issue doesn’t seem to me, based on lots of driving on disc brake cars, to being anything related to disc brakes per se, unless the disc brakes used on his Tesla are different than any car I’ve driven. The loss of power assist, possible in virtually any car, seems more plausible.
Of course I’m not talking about hydroplaning which is not related to the drum vs disc brake discussion.
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