Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice

Brake Assist — How does it work

Here’s brake assist does and how it works to keep you safe

Brake Assist (BA), (also called BAS) is a safety system that applies maximum braking force when during a driver’s panic or emergency braking. Brake assist applies your brakes at full strength to reduce your braking distance so you can stop faster and sooner in the event of an emergency.

How brake assist works

The BA system monitors how hard the driver presses on the brake pedal. It does this by measuring the speed of the press, along with the force. If you slam on the brakes fast enough and with enough pressure, an emergency is detected. The system responds by applying full braking pressure. If the wheels lock up during the stop, the anti lock braking system (ABS) takes over to prevent the wheels from locking. Older system use a mechanical method to determine when you’re in an emergency braking situation, but all late model vehicles use electronic brake assist systems.

Other systems kick in during an emergency stop

In addition to the ABS system kicking in to prevent wheel lockup, other systems like traction control and stability control also engage to prevent the vehicle from skidding off the intended path.

These other systems may also kick in, depending on the vehicle:

• Electronic differential locking — Uses wheel sensors to determine if one wheel is spinning faster than the others. If so, it applies braking to balance traction needs, especially when accelerating or hill climbing when one of your wheels has reduced traction.
• Electronic brakeforce distribution — Changes the amount of braking power sent to each wheel during the braking process to maintain driver control and shorten stopping distances when the rear wheels are carrying a large load.

Brake Assist is different than Automatic Emergency Braking

Automatic emergency braking (AEB), is an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) system that automatically applies the brakes based on vehicle speed and distance to an obstruction like a stopped or slower-moving vehicle. This ADAS feature is a distinctly different system from brake assist because it’s automatic. BA is driver actuated.

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Posted on by Rick Muscoplat



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