ABS??

[TJ Baker]

Across the web I come across posts where owners have pulled the fuse for the ABS system for one reason or another. Most often seems to be they are unable or unwilling to repair it.

I wonder how many have experienced a full on, stand on the brake pedal emergency stop situation where there is undeniably no way they would have avoided impact without the computerized system.

I learned to drive long before there were ABS systems so I'm quite familiar with techniques for emergency stops without ABS. I also have experienced a single event where I needed the ABS to avoid a collision. In my case it was a moonless night in New Mexico in open range country at 65 mph. Tooling along when you get that first glimpse ahead in the distance. Cattle. Totally black cattle. Nail the brakes, the instinct is to start playing the pedal to not stay locked up, but just as suddenly I realized the system is made for this. Stand on that pedal and let it work!! The truck made a good deal of noise but it wasn't the usual tire squeal, indeed the next day in the light I could scarcely find the skid marks. I came to a stop less than 2 foot from the group that were crossing the 2 lane highway. They didn't even look my way.

After that experience there is no way I am ever disabling an ABS system. Of course tires make a difference as well. I run Michelins on my personal vehicles. The cattle event was in a rental pickup. Just a few thousand miles on it. Either a Ford F250 or equivalent Dodge Ram.

Comments/thoughts?

 

[Jason in DLH]

Interestingly enough I just did a post regarding this with thoughts on how to disable it. Low and behold I will be pulling the fuse to disable it tonight as I’ve had quite opposite results with ABS during snowy roads here in MN where I simply needed the wheels to lock and they didn’t. I personally want to be able to lock the wheels and relieve brake pressure a bit when needed to regain steering again. I like having full control.

 

[Doubeleive]

abs works as it was designed, it can also handicap you in certain situations

 

[TJ Baker]

Interestingly enough I just did a post regarding this with thoughts on how to disable it. Low and behold I will be pulling the fuse to disable it tonight as I’ve had quite opposite results with ABS during snowy roads here in MN where I simply needed the wheels to lock and they didn’t. I personally want to be able to lock the wheels and relieve brake pressure a bit when needed to regain steering again. I like having full control.

This is exactly what I was looking for. I wasn't considering snowy conditions. Before getting my 02 TrailBlazer and then my 05 Yukon, my vehicles were,,, 67 Mustangs (3), an 82, an 86 and an 87 Trans Am. These were in the suburbs of NYC where travel in snow was commonplace. I used to carry a couple hundred pounds of sand bags in the rear so I could get anywhere at all in those sleds.

 

[TJ Baker]

abs works as it was designed, it can also handicap you in certain situations

I guess all things are a compromise of sorts.

In the event I described there would have meat on the highway for sure.

I remember reading about how Stabilitrak was supposed to work and thinking I would rather handle those situations myself.

 

[Jason in DLH]

I just remembered another reason I want the wheels to lock....to throw it in reverse and pound the gas. This technique saved me from running into something once!

 

[drakon543]

I just remembered another reason I want the wheels to lock....to throw it in reverse and pound the gas. This technique saved me from running into something once!

haha only in vehicles I didn't care about and i was trying to smoke the tires. smoked the transmission instead. ive never run into a situation where locking the wheels up was a good choice. opting to allow the vehicle lose control so you can feel more in control just sounds counter productive to me. however im a firm believer that people should be able to do what they want to thier vehicles. well some things are just completely unsafe but thats a different discussion. good defensive driving and not being distracted are your best methods of avoidance. unless everything is just a sheet of ice my abs is never used because i always leave enough distance for reaction.

 

[TJ Baker]

haha only in vehicles I didn't care about and i was trying to smoke the tires. smoked the transmission instead. ive never run into a situation where locking the wheels up was a good choice. opting to allow the vehicle lose control so you can feel more in control just sounds counter productive to me. however im a firm believer that people should be able to do what they want to thier vehicles. well some things are just completely unsafe but thats a different discussion. good defensive driving and not being distracted are your best methods of avoidance. unless everything is just a sheet of ice my abs is never used because i always leave enough distance for reaction.

Agreed. In the cattle event I should have been travelling a little slower. I knew the area and where the cattle generally crossed although I usually traversed there in daylight hours. My single passenger and I were both keeping a sharp eye out but my speed really should have been a bit less that the posted limit.

If I were ever to consider an ABS disable it would have to be enabled by default with a switch or button of sorts to disable for a short timeframe only.

 

[drakon543]

Agreed. In the cattle event I should have been travelling a little slower. I knew the area and where the cattle generally crossed although I usually traversed there in daylight hours. My single passenger and I were both keeping a sharp eye out but my speed really should have been a bit less that the posted limit.

If I were ever to consider an ABS disable it would have to be enabled by default with a switch or button of sorts to disable for a short timeframe only.

technically you could do that but i dont think most abs systems would appreciate being turned on and off like that.

 

[Jason in DLH]

haha only in vehicles I didn't care about and i was trying to smoke the tires. smoked the transmission instead. ive never run into a situation where locking the wheels up was a good choice. opting to allow the vehicle lose control so you can feel more in control just sounds counter productive to me. however im a firm believer that people should be able to do what they want to thier vehicles. well some things are just completely unsafe but thats a different discussion. good defensive driving and not being distracted are your best methods of avoidance. unless everything is just a sheet of ice my abs is never used because i always leave enough distance for reaction.

Just curious if you’ve ever driven on icy or snowy roads with the addition of hills?

 

[Jason in DLH]

I remember reading about how Stabilitrak was supposed to work and thinking I would rather handle those situations myself.

StabiliTrac...I dislike it it immensely! Last winter I forgot to turn it off during a snow storm and the road out of our neighborhood is a 45mph. The traffic was probably going 30 due to the storm and I had plenty of time to enter knowing that my tires would spin and I would dig through to the pavement to catch more traction. That darn stabiliTrac slowed me way down and couldn’t spin the tires and I was basically sitting there on the hwy barely moving watching the cars get closer and closer. Through some rather slow thinking on my part I found the button to turn it off then got going spinning the tires like it should and away I went!

I’ll be looking at pulling that fuse this winter as well!

 

[drakon543]

Just curious if you’ve ever driven on icy or snowy roads with the addition of hills?

i live in Pennsylvania so absolutely. we dont get the snowfall as the more northern states but everything regularly turns to a sheet of ice and pendot generally fails miserably and doesn't do anything until its already too late. outside of going into an argument about my snow conditions are worse than yours ice is ice. i do alot of driving yearly well beyond the typical avg and have been incident free for quite some time. the amount of time i spend on the roads every day has led me to be extra vigilant. actually enjoy using it to annoy my wife. i will have already seen something about to unfold and have started to prepare for it long before she notices and she will grab the OS handles and brace herself. meanwhile i let out this pathetic fake half hearted OOOHHH NOOO. then when we come to a smooth stop way behind whatever she just panicked about i slowly look at her "wow we almost died". not suggesting im some sort of driving guru ive had my incidents in the past but ive found a solid set of driving habits for myself that have kept me incident free for quite some time now.

 

[swathdiver]

I wonder how many have experienced a full on, stand on the brake pedal emergency stop situation where there is undeniably no way they would have avoided impact without the computerized system.

Earlier this year my daughter was driving us home on the highway, yakking away with her sister as girls do. She also has a lead foot. Her response to the vehicles slowing down up ahead and into a curve was to change lanes to maintain speed. Well, just as she did that and came through the turn there was a foolish policeman who stepped into the road to allow to firemen to cross. I've never seen the truck stop so fast, probably less than the stated 133 feet, it took less than two road stripes according to the dash cam. That guy was lucky, so was my daughter, so were we! Things would have been a whole lot different if the truck didn't have ABS that night.

I read Jason's and other accounts on here of guys trying to drive with it in the snow, thankfully we don't have that problem where I live. But now know how to disable traction and stability control at least when you want to spin the wheels with power behind them.

 

[TJ Baker]

Unrelated to ABS but I was once headed home after work on a snowy day in New York, driving my 1986 Trans Am. The local residential road was a 30 mph zone with a long radiused 60 degree turn just at the start of a quarter mile uphill. No way to get up enough speed to carry you up the hill. The first two attempts left me at a near standstill maybe fifty yards from the crest. The third time I was making very slow progress towards the hilltop when I saw lights in the distance behind me. As the vehicle got closer I saw there was only a single light. Figured they had a burnt out headlight. Moments later I was passed by a snowmobile.

 

[swathdiver]

Unrelated to ABS but I was once headed home after work on a snowy day in New York, driving my 1986 Trans Am.

Fun car! I have an uncle who bought it new and still drives his '88 Formula WS-6 305 with the 5-speed. My buddy had an '84 T/A that we raised cane in back in the day too! Fun stuff!

 

[Jason in DLH]

I’ve been wanting to drive those cars for a long time now. Great style to them!

with regards to ABS I’m thinking wiring in a toggle switch (mentioned in a similar post I created) is the way to go so that someone can turn it off for the snowy/icey days and turn it back on for all other days all within the comfort of the seat.

With regards to stabiliTrac...that simply needs to go. It’s great for people who have little to no experience in slippery conditions (my wife). Now that I think of it...this might be why I zoom past literally everyone (including AWD suvs) on moderate inclines during a snow storm. Their traction control must be preventing them from spinning their tires and slowing them way down (we’re talking complete stand still sometimes).

 

[drakon543]

Fun car! I have an uncle who bought it new and still drives his '88 Formula WS-6 305 with the 5-speed. My buddy had an '84 T/A that we raised cane in back in the day too! Fun stuff!

i had a 91 rs camaro a while back due to life complications i ended up driving it for a whole winter..... i had to find the one road that had 100ft of ice and slush on a downhill s turn. managed to keep it between the ditches but hell...
i stopped a ways up the road on a straight stretch had to get out of the car and collect myself..... and check my pants lol. sold the car a while later for something more feasible for rear round driving sadly.