BMW 2001 325CI, Manual

Page: 128 / 215

128 n
Winter operation
Brakes
Winter road conditions substantially
reduce the amount of traction available
between the tires and the road surface;
the resulting increase in braking
distance is considerable and should
always be kept in mind.
ABS is intended to prevent the wheels
from locking during brake applications,
thus helping to maintain vehicle stability
and steering response.
If the ABS does not respond in a critical
braking situation and the wheels lock:
reduce the pressure on the brake pedal
until the wheels just start to roll again
while still maintaining enough force to
continue braking.
Then increase the pressure, reduce the
pressure when the wheels lock, reapply
pressure etc.
This staggered braking procedure will
reduce stopping distances while
helping you maintain steering control.
You can then attempt to steer around
hazards after you have reduced pres-
sure on the brake pedal.
Do not shift down on slick road
surfaces. Doing so could cause
the rear wheels to lose traction and
skid, that could result in the loss of
vehicle control.
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Depress the clutch during hard
braking on road surfaces that
provide only poor or uneven traction.
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Skid control
Depress the clutch and let up on the
accelerator pedal, or place the selector
lever for the automatic transmission in
the "Neutral" position. Countersteer
carefully and attempt to regain control
of the vehicle.
Parking
Engage 1st or reverse gear. If your
vehicle is equipped with an automatic
transmission, place the selector lever in
"Park." On vehicles with manual trans-
mission, also apply the parking brake
when parking on inclined surfaces. In
order to prevent the parking brake pads
from locking due to frost or corrosion,
dry them by gently applying the parking
brake as the vehicle is coming to a
stop. Make sure that following traffic is
not endangered.
The brake lamps do not come
on when the parking brake is
applied.
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