Someone on another post asked a question that was never answered and I find intriguing: are the rear brakes only used for quick and or panic stops? If the Leaf uses mostly regen breaking and regen braking is done by the electric motor through the front wheels, to me that indicates that rear wheel breaking is not normally used. Modern breaking systems have gone to great pains to equalize front and rear breaking to maintain vehicle stability and dynamic traction control (or whatever Nissan calls it) is based on it. I am guessing that in order to maximize regen braking rear wheel brakes are only used in quick stops or when regen disengages. Comment anyone?
Regen and Rear Brakes
- Thread starter AP1
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Don't know. This much is clear, from the service manual, pages BR-214/215: brake fluid gets pressurized in the master cylinder via brake pedal action and electric pump booster, then flows to the ABS control unit, which distributes hydraulic pressure to brakes at four corners. The distribution of brake pressure to each wheel is probably controlled by the ABS control unit, in conjunction with the "electrically-driven intelligent brake unit", which most likely also control front/rear brake bias. (There is not a separate front/rear brake proportioning mechanism, mechanical or not.)AP1 said:
The "electrically-driven intelligent brake unit" also coordinates the amount of brake boost in relation to regen braking force and brake pedal travel.
I don't think the rear brakes would need any special consideration, regardless of how and/or how much regen braking is involved. The ABS controller can simply direct a fixed proportion of hydraulic pressure at the rear brakes; if that happens to be too much pressure and locks up the rear brakes (which I would think is unlikely under normal circumstances), the ABS controller can then reduces hydraulic pressure to the rear brakes until the rear wheels start turning again.AP1 said: