Love those brakes: How my smart car handles on wet roads in the rain

My last (also my first) car was a 1995 Ford Escort Station Wagon named Ruby. I used to dread getting into her when the weather was wet and rainy. I’d think, “Time to get into the old death trap,” and say a small prayer before heading off on my daily commute. I was scared because her brakes weren’t so good in the wet. Even with new tires and new brakes, her performance was hit and miss. There were several occasions on which a person in front of me would come to a dead stop on a damp road, and even though I was going a moderate speed for the conditions, I had to slam down hard on the brakes before they’d get enough traction to stop. The squealing tires caused such a ruckus, and I had so many near misses that way. Of course I Was terrified of driving in the rain!

Ruby was made before the days of the antilock brake system, or ABS. But Roxi, my smart car, comes fully equipped with ABS. And when I tell her to stop, she stops! Lightweight as she is, there’s less centripetal force to fight against, and thus she brakes faster, making her more responsive and nimble in tricky traffic situations.

But how would the smart car’s brakes handle North Carolina’s rainy season (also known as fall)? I found out during our move to Raleigh. On that note, I must apologize for my recent scarcity on the blog. My husband and I have moved from Carrboro back to Raleigh. We had two weeks to prepare the new house for our arrival and move goods into it. Here I have to give a shout out about the smart car’s ability to haul things. Although there really isn’t much space at all in her boot, I did manage to transport my entire reference book collection to the new house in her. She also took all our donations to Goodwill. There really is space back there if you know how to use it. But you’ll have more problems with oddly shaped objects. My huge college arts portfolio, for instance, simply would not go unless I slid it in vertically behind the seats. But I digress!

I would leave the house early in the morning, just in time to catch the Aggressive Soccer Mom SUV Brigade out on patrol! (I don’t understand why you need an SUV in a flat town that only has one day of snow. Sorry, the snark compels me.) It was very damp, and these ladies are always in a hurry to get their kids to school on time. Of course speeding SUVs and wet roads spells trouble for a little car. I had to be super alert to make sure no one would slide into me if they couldn’t reach their brakes in time.

My brakes, on the other hand, were working supremely well, with no noticeable performance difference in the wet than when dry.

Once a driver ahead of me stopped suddenly, and I had to mash down on my brakes. For the first time, I felt the antilock brake system kick in, sending vibrations through the car. I came to a dead stop with space to spare between us. The 4×4 behind me was not so well equipped. It stopped within mere inches of my bumper although the driver had been going the same speed as I had and hadn’t been tailgating.

The same thing occurred later in the week, but this time I could tell the driver wasn’t going to stop in time to miss me, I released the brakes just enough to let the smart car pull us forward a few steps at a time until the driver got their vehicle under control again, something someone had done when I had had troubles with Ruby’s brakes and wasn’t likely to miss them.

I love rainy weather. I love it with some Tchaikovsky and burgundy lipstick. Now I can finally enjoy driving in this beautiful weather instead of dreading it. Thank goodness!

Related posts:

1. Homecoming: A trip to the Blue Ridge mountains with my smart car
2. Fun with snow: Driving my smart car in winter weather