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2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
panic stops....
so Saturday night, we were driving in weekend early evening traffic over the dreaded Highway 17, heading up to San Francisco to catch a jazz show at SFJazz.... 17 is a narrow 4 lane mountain highway with an alarmingly high accident rate.
Was coming down the east side in fairly heavy traffic moving along at 55 or 60 (the speed limit is 50 but everyone goes over that).
was behind a dark pickup truck, I got distracted for a second looking at the GPS (Android Auto showing Google Maps), looked up just as the emergency alarm went off BEEPBEEPBEEP and I slammed on the brakes. car came to a FAST stop within a foot of the bumper of the truck in front of me. wife screamed, both of us thought for sure we were going to smash into it. I could not BELIEVE how fast that car stopped, downhill, narrow lane, sharp corner, bad pavement. BMW X something behind me had to go wide to avoid my back end (but he did). i was glad I had good tires, thats for sure (Michelin Pilot AS4 with maybe 5000 miles, the stock 17" 245/45R17 XL).
You should feel what happens in a car with multi-contour seats. All the seat bags inflate in less than a second, and push you up right up. The car did it too me during an avoidance maneuver, thinking I was going to have an accident.
I'm glad you avoided that incident. Mercedes-Benz makes great brakes as well but as you said before tires are also an equally important factor in terms of stopping. I hope you and other members never have a similar situation as I can imagine how scary it should have been. Kudos to pre safe warning system as well
Safe and Happy Driving
Left Coast Geek, glad you and your significant other are ok. I can tell you for a fact that my E Class and ML brakes are more responsive than Porsche Cayenne brakes.
Happy to read you avoided an accident. It reminds me...
...that I have a (huge) empty cardboard box from a 55" flat screen TV stored in my garage... Sometime I intend to place it in the road in front of my suburban home to test the auto-stop capabilities of the 258 COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS. Maybe I'll get around to doing this soon. I need to coordinate with my daughter so she can record video with my Smartphone.
2016 E350 Sport; Mom Wrecked the 2008 E350; sold the 2002 C320
I had an incident like this recently in my W212. Cruising around 55-60mph when lady in an SUV turned right on a red right in front of me. I immediately swerved into the left lane and she proceeded to do the same at maybe 25mph.
Collision seemed unavoidable as I had the full weight of my body on the brake pedal. I swear my car steered itself out of the way back into the right lane in an almost fishtail maneuver and straightened itself right back.
BA brake assist was added to MB E class options I believe in 1998. I drove my W210 for several years and never experienced it, but when finally I did, I was really happy I had it.
Enjoy.
Just a reminder how much technology we do have and don't even know till the time comes.
Happy to read you avoided an accident. It reminds me...
...that I have a (huge) empty cardboard box from a 55" flat screen TV stored in my garage... Sometime I intend to place it in the road in front of my suburban home to test the auto-stop capabilities of the 258 COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS. Maybe I'll get around to doing this soon. I need to coordinate with my daughter so she can record video with my Smartphone.
Since so many "liked" this post I assume I should follow-up...
I set up the flat screen TV box in the street, then charged at it with my 2016 W212. The plan was to apply the brakes when the warning lights and bells alerted me of the obstacle, apply the brakes quickly, then observe as the system takes over. But nothing happened, and I had to stop manually (with a foot to spare). I attempted this twice.
As I understand in reading the manual, the system should alert at any stationary object, from 4mph up to 37mph or so. There is only 100 yards from the turn onto my street to the box, but I think I was driving about 30-35mph, within the speed range specified. No bells or whistles.
The box is easily more than the size of a child on a bicycle (37" wide x 50" tall), so I think its size should be sufficient. The box is a dark maroon color, so maybe the camera didn't see it? The box was in the sunlight...
I did drive the car earlier in the day with this experiment in mind, intending to warm-up the system so that "pre-safe" would be operational. But the seatbelt did not tighten any more than the bells and whistles sound.
Bottom line... I am not objectively assured that my car's COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS system is working properly. I don't trust any technology to take over driving tasks for me, but this experiment was a bit unnerving. Perhaps I did something wrong, but I can't think of what it was. Thoughts?
I thought the system used a radar or something not a camera. Those radar sensors usually dont detect wood/cardboard type peoducts atleast on other applications. Maybe a tree but not sure. Dry thin cardboard probably not so much.
Just my thoughts so worth every penny....
I thought the system used a radar or something not a camera. Those radar sensors usually dont detect wood/cardboard type peoducts atleast on other applications. Maybe a tree but not sure. Dry thin cardboard probably not so much.
Just my thoughts so worth every penny....
You're right, the cadboard does not bounce enough waves back at the car's short range radar sensors. One on each side of front license plate. Center radar is the long range module.
MB has related videos clips showing a "cardboard pedestrian crossing" are likely sandwiched with aluminum, honeycombs or waterver it takes for the radar to acquire a positive match instead of rejecting bird size objects.
Welpers, I don't intend to experiment with anything that can damage the car. So unless I can figure out how to add "detectability" to the plain cardboard box, this experiment is over.
I do wonder how Mercedes uses an inflatable car as a target successfully... Ima think that a balloon car made of air has less density than a flat, two-sided cardboard box....
BA brake assist was added to MB E class options I believe in 1998. I drove my W210 for several years and never experienced it, but when finally I did, I was really happy I had it.
Enjoy.
Just a reminder how much technology we do have and don't even know till the time comes. Australian Mercedes-Benz S Class commercial - late 80s - YouTube
When I was in high school in the '80s, a family friend fell asleep driving home in his w126, left the highway at 70mph , and hit a concrete bridge abutment. He didn't exactly walk away, but he lived to buy another Mercedes-Benz. Not many 80s cars would allow that. And safety technology has moved along considerably since then.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
circa 1989, I was driving home at 4am after a 48 hour programming marathon getting a critical release out the door, and nodded off on the freeway, ran head on into a concrete railroad abuttment and walked away with just bruised ribs. completely totaled by brand new Volvo 780 Bertone Coupe.
If I had a passenger, they would not have been as lucky.
Welpers, I don't intend to experiment with anything that can damage the car. So unless I can figure out how to add "detectability" to the plain cardboard box, this experiment is over.
I do wonder how Mercedes uses an inflatable car as a target successfully... Ima think that a balloon car made of air has less density than a flat, two-sided cardboard box....
cover the cardboard in aluminum foil.also the balloon car was on a metal trailer.
I've thought about doing exactly this. But the kitchen is the wife's domain (and I like it that way). While I know what drawer the aluminum foil is stored in, I'm not sure I can sneak half a roll needed without the queen noticing.
Plus, I'll need to buy some spray adhesive. So, more thought needed on this... You know I will get around to doing this, eventually.
I've thought about doing exactly this. But the kitchen is the wife's domain (and I like it that way). While I know what drawer the aluminum foil is stored in, I'm not sure I can sneak half a roll needed without the queen noticing.
Plus, I'll need to buy some spray adhesive. So, more thought needed on this... You know I will get around to doing this, eventually.
You probably don't need that much, it's probably not more than 5x3 which is about 15 square feet and a typical roll is 100-200 feet so nowhere close to half a roll. You could always just pick up your own roll. Don't think you need spray adhesive either, probably just scotch tape the corners/edges and that would be enough.
You probably don't need that much, it's probably not more than 5x3 which is about 15 square feet and a typical roll is 100-200 feet so nowhere close to half a roll. You could always just pick up your own roll. Don't think you need spray adhesive either, probably just scotch tape the corners/edges and that would be enough.
I understand completely, I used bleach to kill likens and moss on the roof and deck, two days later I was sent to the store in an emergency to buy bleach! I look forward to hearing how this goes and of course how many neighbors come out to watch you!
Look forward to hearing about the results. Basically it's under $1 for the aluminum foil and this is all being done in the name of science and it's important to publish your results.
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