GTR1400MAN wrote:I've had the EBA (Emergency Brake Assist) on my Civic activate when not required. I was braking quickly/firmly for a dog that ran into the road. The violent braking that ensued surprised/startled me ... and the car behind me! He was a reasonable distance behind (luckily) but still locked up as I came to an almost standstill. I'd not experienced it in action before despite having tried out the ABS. The difference was, I admit, I stabbed at the pedal, When I tested the ABS I used a smooth increasing pressure push.
EBA was designed by Lucas (originally - this is going back quite a few years when Lucas did ABS as well as the magic smoke that kept electrics working in 'old' cars) because the problem was that people would react (the sharp stab) to the hazard but not brake firmly enough. So if the system detected a rate of application above a threshold it would collapse the servo and give full ABS, whether you wanted it or not.
It was tested on the proving ground using the company secretaries. When they drove over a pressure line, a polystyrene dummy was fired out from between two walls. Most did exactly what was required. One drove straight through. Her reasoning? It was just polystyrene and rather than panic and have a crash I knew I could safely go strait through it. That's quality thinking.