The Feel of ABS Braking seems wrong

[trojannate]

About a week ago, I had a somewhat uncomfortable incident occur in my 2001 Audi TT Quattro. I was coming around a sharp corner at night only to meet two vehicles stranded in the middle of the road.

I instantly hit the brakes pretty hard, and felt them start to stop the car - then suddenly I felt a grinding, pulsating resistance from the brake peddle and lost an enormous amount of braking power. I was able to steer clear of the two vehicles, but if the other lane had been occupied I would have struck them.

I know in describing this, it sounds like the way standard ABS brakes operate, but I remember having to hit the brakes one other time like this (before I put on new brake pads two months ago) and the car stopped rapidly and without any violent grinding noise.

After inspecting the brakes myself, I took them to a mechanic who also found nothing mechanically wrong with them. It makes me wonder if there is something specifically wrong with the ABS system itself.

I no longer feel the brakes are capable of preventing a close-call accident due to this slipping, grinding problem. Has anyone had a similar problem, or know of a possible cause. Am I just being paranoid?

[mavala]

A couple of points here:
New brake pads have a glazing on them that needs a bit of time to remove 2-300 miles.
New brake pads also need to bed in; this means taking up any distortion, wear un-even parts that already exist in the disks.
Now for the boring old man (Driving Instructor) telling you a bit of his experience:
You should be able to stop your car in half the distance you can see (if somebody comes around a corner and goes at the same speed as you, you should both be able to stop in the distance left between your car and that corner).
If you ever need a good read, buy "Roadcraft" which is the manual that police drivers use to keep them on the ball.
Or even better, go to an advanced driving course to improve your driving skills.
It is not "How fast you drive" but " How you drive fast " that may one day save your life os somebody elses for that matter

[trojannate]

Thanks for your suggestions on this one. I'm taking it easy braking for another month to see if the pads "bed in." The driving tips are great. Thanks!