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Old 01-15-2018, 10:13 AM   #1
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Should I be able to lock my brakes?

OK, not that I would really want to, but as a new Class A driver, I feel uncomfortable, because I don’t think I could lock them up even if braking in an emergency situation. Rig is a 2004 Holiday Rambler Admiral 30PDD. Chassis is a 2004 Workhorse P32, 18,000 lb rating, with 8.1L engine, and ABS. Weight of the rig is 17,700lbs on a CAT scale. This engine/chassis uses hydroboost to supply the power brakes. Is the failure to get enough pressure to lock the brakes indicative of a failure in the hydroboost system? Or is the hydraulic system incapable of locking them up- inadequate in this application?
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Old 01-15-2018, 10:24 AM   #2
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You have the ABS that will not let the brakes lock up.
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Old 01-15-2018, 10:25 AM   #3
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Check your owners manual,I think your motorhome is equipped with ASB, (anti-skid brakes), braking system. If so equipped and working properly, you will not be able to lock up the brakes.

One minute too to answer from Mr D.
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Old 01-15-2018, 10:27 AM   #4
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ABS should never allow the brakes to lock up.
That being said, you should be able to make almost everything that's not tied down slide towards the front of your rig on a panic stop!
Your brakes will start to shudder rapidly, pulsing on and off when you reach the lock up stage.
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Old 01-15-2018, 01:54 PM   #5
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I have a 2004 Monaco LaPalma on a Workhorse W22 Chassis with the 8.1 gas engine and Allison 1000 transmission. I bought it brand new in 2004.

I have had three full on mash the brakes pedal to the floor panic stops. Every time the ABS came on, which causes you to feel a vibration on the brake pedal.

I never had any pulling to the right or the left and believe me the coach speed decelerated quickly. As mentioned previously you should have everything in your coach prepared for a sudden stop. I knew that and nothing hit me in the back of the head.

Two of those panic stops were at the same exit going through Sacremento where people decided it would be a good idea to take the exit from the middle lane, never mind that there is a big honking RV in the slow lane. After the second panic sstop at that exit I changed my route through Sacramento.

The third panic stop was for the same reason in Salinas. Someone decided to cut in front of me to take the exit.

If you ABS light is lit all the time then the ABS won't work but your brakes still work. i don't know if they would lock up or not.

Every vehicle I buy I go to a deserted portion of highway and do a panic stop just to know how the vehicle will react. Prefer to find that out in a controlled situation.
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Old 01-15-2018, 11:13 PM   #6
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Should I be able to lock up my brakes-engage the ABS?

OK, I was imprecise in my original question. I know this coach has ABS. I am familiar with the feel of ABS engaging (a thump/thump/thump feel in the brake pedal) from other vehicles. I’m not even getting close to that on this rig. I did replace front rotors and pads, and rear pads, last summer after I bought the rig, in case the pads had overheated and glazed the rotors. I’m suspecting the hydroboost needs replacing, but this is the only Class A I’ve ever driven. So I guess the right question is should I be able to activate the ABS under hard braking?
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Old 01-16-2018, 03:06 AM   #7
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It should come close to lockup on dry roads.

Do you recall how well the brakes stopped before you replaced them ?

Some " long life " brake pads last a long time because they don't grab as well.
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Old 01-16-2018, 04:04 AM   #8
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I'm not sure about your coach - but "generally" ABS systems stop functioning below about 15 mph, so you could lock the brakes at slow speed.
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Old 01-16-2018, 06:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gozierdt View Post
OK, I was imprecise in my original question. I know this coach has ABS. I am familiar with the feel of ABS engaging (a thump/thump/thump feel in the brake pedal) from other vehicles. I’m not even getting close to that on this rig. I did replace front rotors and pads, and rear pads, last summer after I bought the rig, in case the pads had overheated and glazed the rotors. I’m suspecting the hydroboost needs replacing, but this is the only Class A I’ve ever driven. So I guess the right question is should I be able to activate the ABS under hard braking?
It will pretty hard to activate the ABS on your rig on a dry road way. What makes you think you're hydroboost needs replacing ? Your ABS won't pulse if the controller doesn't detect wheel slippage. Be very careful trying to get the pedal to pulse like an automobile does. I had a panic stop with my coach last year running about 50 mph, and I don't think the pedal ever did pulse, but my coach stopped much faster then I ever dreamed it would. You may have to test it on wet or gravel roads to really see if the pedal will pulse.
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Old 01-16-2018, 07:10 PM   #10
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P32’s have notoriously weak brakes, I doubt if you could improve much upon what you currently have. Make sure the system is completely, thoroughly bled and that’s about the best it’s going to get. I seriously doubt even with the ABS offline that you could even get close to a lockup. On a W series I could see it being possible though.
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Old 01-16-2018, 09:03 PM   #11
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Thumbs up

Jon,
Thanks for the reply. When I bought the coach, the brakes were abysmal. I replaced what I did because I thought the original owner might have glazed the front disks. This did improve the braking significantly, but certainly they are “weak” by any definition. I thought this might be a generic problem with the P32 chassis. I love the coach and the engine, but if we stay with a class A, I’ll be looking seriously at a W chassis. I’d also get the Allison tranny as a bonus!
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Old 01-16-2018, 10:15 PM   #12
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I can 2nd the weak brakes on the P32 chassis. Last rig was terrible sad at stopping (P32), now it's like a sports car in comparison with our W24 chassis.
Happy Glamping.
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Old 01-16-2018, 10:21 PM   #13
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Every time I test drive a P32 coach at the shop, I have to remind myself to initiate braking much sooner than normal and if I forget...well, let’s just say I’ve had a couple butt pucker events!!!
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Old 01-23-2018, 02:30 PM   #14
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Put Performance Friction pads on my W24 stops like a sports car. Big improvement!
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