[KickBacks]

The Nissan Kicks for the India launch at least comes equipped with Dynamic Brake Control and Active Engine Brake.

Does anyone know what that is because I sure don't...?

 

[Kicker]

I found a description of the Dynamic Brake Control from BMW:

When, in an emergency, you apply the brake pedal quickly and with force but without really further increasing brake pressure, Dynamic Brake Control (DBC) instantly builds up maximum brake pressure, bringing your BMW more quickly to a halt.

As for Active Engine Brake, I assume it just reacts better to your foot lifting off the gas pedal.

 

[ontherun]

that's going to take some getting used to since most of us are coming from an era where a lot of our driving comes from feeling, now systems are being developed to take away that feeling. can't wait to try it out for myself.

 

[KickBacks]

An active engine brake sounds confusing to me and I'll definitely need to try it out to see how it reacts. Reducing speed faster when you're off on the accelerator pedal or something. That would increase jerkiness wouldn't it?

 

[ontherun]

An active engine brake sounds confusing to me and I'll definitely need to try it out to see how it reacts. Reducing speed faster when you're off on the accelerator pedal or something. That would increase jerkiness wouldn't it?

Jerkiness depends on how they program it to work and that's definitely not a characteristic wanted here nor is it required for sufficient braking. Actually quite the contrary, this system is primarily for smooth braking. Do some research and you'll see.

 

[Kicker]

Engine braking is nothing new and your current vehicle probably has it too, but maybe not as effective as BMW's Active Engine Brake system. Shouldn't be jerky at all compared to DBC.

 

[KickBacks]

Here's a video from 2012 that outlines essentially what it does and it does seem helpful but obviously much like all of these assists, unnecessary. I don't brake the way that they depict people braking without the system as once you get an average for your brakes, you really don't get off and on constantly when coming to a stop. At least I don't.

 

[ontherun]

Not easy for some people to manage since it factors in more observation than they're used to but clearly this stuff is more for what will be a self-driving feature. When applied to that extent it will be far more efficient than any efficient human attempting the same thing.

 

[KickBacks]

That is true, and all of these technologies out there are meant to feed into the bigger picture. Lane keep assist, ACC (adaptive cruise control), etc. All minor segments of the overall picture that is autonomous driving.

Technology will always be more efficient than anyone one person can ever be and the earliest form that we can think of was the automatic transmission. Capable of shifting gears faster than any human can row.

 

[Kicker]

That's an odd way to brake unless you're a new driver. Braking should be a gentle and ongoing depression of the pedal and how much you depress is by feel. And engine braking has been around for a long time, so I can't imagine anyone needed to stomp on it a few times to make one stop.

 

[KickBacks]

Unless you have some sort of defective or malfunctioning brake booster or a leak somewhere... really don't need to stomp on it a few times.

Once you've made 2 or 3 stops in the car, every stop after that should feel naturally, one smooth motion, no jerkiness, and pretty bang on averaged.

 

[ontherun]

Bedding the brakes might be needed to get the pads to be consistent in their braking power. Not always is this done during PDI or when installing new pads. Usually independent shops will do it or tech's installing higher performance pads.

Bedding + about 10-15 minutes of using the brakes sets you up nicely.

 

[Kicker]

I don't think the brakes on a Nissan Kicks warrants specific bedding procedure, just drive and brake like normal and it'll be fine. It's more down to the driver learning where the brake point is and how far the pedal needs to be depressed. Every time I drive anew car my braking is a bit jerky the first few times until I get a feel of it.

 

[KickBacks]

Thats exactly it. Cars don't typically come with bedding procedures from factory and they really don't need it. You'll find that more with the motorcycle crowd.

When you install aftermarket brake equipment, then yes, they have a break-in procedure (depending on what kind of brakes) but even that isn't much at all. Regular driving and getting a feel of the pedal is all you have to do to eliminate the jerkiness of the brakes. The jerkiness comes from you, not the car.

 

[Kicker]

I think this is just a marketing gimmick for those who aren't too familiar with how most brakes on cars work and then they're wiling to pay a bit more. That's where forums like these come in handy, t be better educated on a model before heading to the dealership.

 

[KickBacks]

If it comes as a standard feature, it's alright, but not something I would spend a dime on to have in place. But even at that, I doubt this would be a stand alone option, it'll probably be part of a complete driver convenience package though.

 

[Kicker]

Aftermarket brakes should be fine without bedding them in if you're just changing out the pad and not the whole unit. But I won't be changing the OEM set until they're worn down.

 

[ontherun]

Actually yeah you're right, its more about when the rotors are replaced that bedding is required. But some people I know still like to do a quick break in of their pads before braking in real world situations.

 

[KickBacks]

Brake pads need to be worn in as well even if your maintaining oem rotors. Via Stoptech:

1. Read through the procedure and find a suitable, safe and legal area to perform the necessary stops.

2. BEFORE starting the break-in procedure, drive with gentle braking. Do not use brakes aggressively until completing the break-in procedure.

3. Make a series of 15 stops from 50 to 5-10 MPH. At the end of each stop, immediately accelerate to 50 again for the next stop. Run all stops continuously in one cycle. (For Track use you can replace the recommended stops with 10 stops from 60 to 5-10).

4. During the 50 (60) to 5-10 MPH series of stops, the exact speed is not critical. Accelerate to approximately 50 (60) and begin the braking cycle. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD AND APPROXIMATE YOUR SPEED AT THE END OF EACH CYCLE.

5. A moderate braking effort is needed to properly bed-in the rotors and pads. A stopping force of approximately 0.8G’s, or just short of ABS intervention is the level of pedal effort you are trying to attain.

NOTE: BEFORE COMPLETING THE BREAK-IN, DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHILE THE PADS AND ROTORS ARE VERY HOT! THIS WILL TRANSFFER PAD MATERIAL NON-UNIFORMLY ONTO THE ROTOR, CAUSING A VIBRATION DURING FUTURE USE.

 

[Kicker]

Does that apply to performance brake pads or all pads? AutoAnything has a similar method but at different speeds.

Accelerate to 35 mph and apply moderate brake pressure to reduce your speed to 5-10 MPH

Repeat this process 3-4 times, the goal is to warm up your brake pads

Now turn up the heat even more by increasing your speed to 45 mph and braking down to 10 mph

Repeat this process 3-4 times

Pro Tip: It’s important to avoid coming to a complete stop during this stage as it’s possible to melt brake pads against hot rotors.