221
Driving and operation
Brake system
The b ra kes are an important factor for
traffic sa fety.
To improve effectiveness, do not b ra ke
unnecessarily hard for the first 120 miles
(200 km) after new brake pads have been
fitted.
Brake pad wear must not exceed a sp eci-
fied limit. Reg ular maintenance a s detailed
in the Service Booklet is therefore of the
utmost importanc e for traffic safety.
Hav e worn brak e pa ds replaced by a
workshop.
Tested and approved pa ds give optim um
braking p erformance.
Brake pads worn to the minimum lev el
cause g rinding noises. You m ay continue
to drive but have the p ads replaced as
soon as possible. To change the pads, con-
tact a workshop.
Picture no: 17206t.tif
Brake assist
If the brak e p edal is operated with a pow-
erful push, the vehic le is automatically
braked at full braking power in order to
achieve the shortest possible braking dis-
tanc e when full-on b ra king occurs (brak ing
assista nt).
Mainta in steady p ressure on the brake
pedal for a s long a s full-on braking is to
continue. When the brak e pedal is
relea sed, the maxim um brake forc e am pli-
fica tion is taken away.
Adaptive brake light
3
During full-on braking, all three b ra ke
lig hts flash for the duration of ABS control.
Foot bra ke
The foot brak e comprises two independent
brak e circuits.
If one brake c ircuit fails, the vehicle can still
be braked with the other brake circuit.
However the brak ing effect will occur at a
lower ped al position and considerably
more forc e is required. The braking dis-
tance is longer. Contact a workshop before
continuing to d riv e.
To ensure the full peda l travel can be
utilized, especially in case of a fault in one
of the b ra ke circuits, there m ust be no ma ts
in the vicinity of the pedals – see page 199.
When the engine is not running, the sup-
port of the brake servo unit disa ppears
once the brake pedal has been depressed
once or twice. Braking effect is not
reduc ed, but braking requires signific antly
greater force. This is especially im portant
to bear in mind w hen towing .
Summary of Contents for 2010 Astra
Page 1: ...A ST R A ASTRA Operation Safety and Maintenance Owner s Manual ...
Page 2: ...VAUXHALL Astra Operation Safety Maintenance ...
Page 12: ...8 In Brief ...
Page 364: ...360 Index ...
Page 365: ...361 Index ...
Page 366: ...362 Index ...