The AU Falcon Introduction:

Brakes:

With the EL already being an excellent braking vehicle for every day duties, there wasn't much that really needed improving upon for the AU so most of the hardware was carried straight across although in a slightly modified format. Primarily the rotors received a slight change of dimensions to allow for an increased offset, although unfortunately rotor thickness and alloying elements would remain the same.

Importantly, the ABS module was relocated from below the left headlight (EL) to being out of harm's way right on top of the right hand suspension tower helping avoid accident damage. After market DBA discs usually cured the AU's brake wear problems while being thicker as well - allowing more skims before the rotors were undersize and needed changing.

Although this photo is of a heavily modified AU2 XR8 ute, it still shows the new position of the ABS modulator well.

In a major boost for the service industry and anybody who's had to change disc rotors before, the AU made one more important advance - with the rotor finally being cast and machined separate to the wheel hub saving trouble and time without the usual need to clean and re-grease the wheel bearings with the new units now 'sealed for life'. How long that life is still remains to be seen...

Note the red painted sections - the AU's disc rotor was a seperate component to the wheel hub. Here you can also see the ABS sector wheel and sensor mounted behind the main hub.

With the same braking system being fitted to the XR6 & XR8 as was the Forte, many XR owners who pushed their vehicles experienced premature brake fade after repeated use - only made all the more obvious by their vehicles ability to handle corners at much higher speeds than their lower spec'd counterparts. This is in direct contrast to the Falcon's ability to pull you up first time better than most of it's competitors - and while the Commodore brakes didn't seem to fade to the same extent - they never gave you the same feeling of confidence as did the Falcon brakes.

Anti-lock Brake System (ABS):

In a major plus for the customer and as part of Ford's effort to reduce repair bills and therefore insurance premiums, the ABS module was moved from under the left front headlight to just in front of the right hand shocker tower high up and out of harm's way keeping it further away from water and other corrosive agents. Where fitted, the AU Falcon received the Bosch 5.3 ABS module similar to that fitted to the EL Falcon - although in two distinct versions suiting the different suspension options available through-out the Falcon / Fairlane / LTD range. The two versions were:

3 Channel - fitted on all non-traction control equipped vehicles including XR & Fairmont. Operating the same as in previous models, both front wheels are controlled independently of each other while both rear wheels are controlled by the one channel to the rear.
4 Channel - vehicles fitted with a 4 channel system (Fairmont Ghia, Fairlane, LTD) have all the wheels controlled independently of each other during an ABS 'event'. However the basic operation of the modulator and ECU remained similar to the 3 channel version described above. The system also incorporated a traction control system (see below for further details).

Traction Control:

Included standard in Fairmont Ghia, Ford Australia's first foray into the world of traction control began on the right foot shutting the injectors down to retard engine performance in slippery conditions while applying the rear brakes individually through use of the ABS system to provide excellent rear end control for those who find it hard to control the right foot. Due to the lack of injection equipment afforded by the LPG set-up traction control does not work when running on LPG. As such, LPG was not available from the factory on traction control fitted vehicles.

Showing the position of the traction control off/on button on the Fairmont Ghia.

By it's very nature traction control does not replace the function of a LSD (Limited Slip Diff) which keeps it's benefits of getting more power to the ground rather than retarding it. While traction control works to stop the wheels spinning, it is limited in it's capacity to transfer torque to the gripping wheel.

(Back to the AU1 Intro INDEX.)

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