Comments on: Anti-Lock Brakes

By: LIsa Wilson

LIsa Wilson — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:10:20 +0000

So, it turns out I am NOT crazy! RickCrain, you are having the same freakishness I am…less than 10 mph, coming to a very slow stop while parallel parking in DRY conditions and the brake pedal pulsates wildly while my Chevy Tahoe feels like it’s going to lurch forward. Very scary. I hate ABS and want my little Hyundai back! If you figure out a way to disable, do share! My ABS kicks in more than it doesn’t; it hasn’t snowed in weeks and the roads are dry, dry dry!

By: RickCrain

RickCrain — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:55:18 +0000

Born in MI near Detroit, live in MN since before I learned to drive more than 30 years ago. I practice on frozen lakes so I know how my vehicle will respond.

I have a 2000 Chev Silverado 4×4. The ABS has long pissed me off with its over sensitive setting. About a month ago it started going off as I come to a stop light, on dry pavement, going less than 10 mph and medium to light peddle pressure. This almost caused a crash in a parking lot because I had trouble getting it to stop before hitting the car in the slot in front of me. I probably should have it looked at, but would rather figure out how to disable the ABS with out FUBARing the breaks all together.

I know when ABS is working properly, it will stop a vehicle sooner than a human can, but my truck is not right even though the dealer said some time back, it was all with in spec.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:15:42 +0000

Joel - I completely agree. We have an 2004 Highlander with Blizzaks and If you can keep the abs from coming on you stop WAY FASTER on icy conditions. Very noticeable when going down a hill. I'm sick of them.

null: We both think the ABS is inferior on snow packed and/or icy roads, when compared to our reflexive non-ABS stopping skills. I finally decided to compare the difference in my own personal vehicle (Forester) by pulling the ABS fuse … HUGE improvement! I am able to stop again when our steep and curvy road is snow packed and slippery.

By: Joel

Joel — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:04:57 +0000

I learned to drive in the mountains of Colorado. My wife and I now live in the mountains of northern New Mexico and daily drive three miles of steep dirt road, complete with several switchbacks to and from work. We both think the ABS is inferior on snow packed and/or icy roads, when compared to our reflexive non-ABS stopping skills. I finally decided to compare the difference in my own personal vehicle (Forester) by pulling the ABS fuse … HUGE improvement! I am able to stop again when our steep and curvy road is snow packed and slippery. I think the design engineers need to expand their test parameters and do more comparative analysis. I don’t doubt that ABS will help stop a car more quickly when it is going in a straight line and stopping a panic situation where the brakes are locked up on a dry or just wet road surface. But this is not the case on snow packed roads. I have found that I can actually improve the performance of the ABS on snowy roads by pumping the brakes, even on level roadways. Sometimes the public is “sold” a product that is over-hyped … think: Swine Flu Vaccine and Global Warming. I will probably reinstall the ABS fuse on my car, but only after there is no chance of snowfall. And I am going to pull the fuse on my wife’s Toyota as well. She is a good driver and I am now confident her report will mirror mine. Pulling the ABS fuses will just be a part of winterizing our vehicles from now on. Thanks for opening this topic up to discussion. Now I know that if I am a nut, I’m not the only one!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:57:51 +0000

I just got my first car with ABS about two months ago, and am finally realizing that what I thought was damage to my new car is actually the ABS system kicking in. Scared the hell out of me each of the three times it’s happened, and I don’t like that it takes far greater distances to come to a stop. I drove with regular brakes for years in ice and snow and never had a wheel lock up … now three times in two months. I found this page by trying to research if that “crunching” noise and violent pedal jumping were indications of brake damage. I guess I have no choice but to get used to it … intellectually, I suppose the system brakes better than I can, but … yeah, I really hate ‘em.

By: Laura

Laura — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:42:43 +0000

I’ve never been able to stop my car on a snowy, icy, or even wet leaves condition! I can’t stand the anti lock breaks and don’t understand why they were ever invented! I just called the dealership to see if there was a recall on my car and they are charging me 95.00 just to look at my car. Came across this thread to realize that’s just how anti lock breaks work. I’m going to die in this car because I CAN’T STOP IT IN WINTER CONDITIONS!

By: Anti-Lock Brakes, And Why I Hate Them « The Brain of Shawn

Anti-Lock Brakes, And Why I Hate Them « The Brain of Shawn — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:32:06 +0000

[...] isn’t the first time I’ve ranted about Anti-Lock Brakes. Last time, my post sparked lots of discussion in IRC, IM, [...]

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:06:46 +0000

Still doing fine without ABS, I haven’t noticed any sliding when I brake. I drive more cautiously on snow/ice anyways, rather than pretend it’s summer and assume technology will save me.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:29:53 +0000

I have 2 vehicles, both with ABS. I also grew up learning to drive without them. Living in Indiana, we had our share of ice and snow during the winter. I have not had so many ‘close calls’ as I have had with these ‘braking systems’. I had better control of my vehicle w/o the car doing the work for me. I CAN’T STAND these braking systems. I dread seeing snow/ice…not b/c I am not capable of driving on it, but I am not comfortable with how ‘my car’ drives on it. Thank god for technology!!!!!!!!!

By: debi

debi — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:20:18 +0000

the abs on my 2001 dodge 1500 don’t fucking stop you ,they slide you right into what ever’s in front of you, I FUCKING HATE THEM

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 01:31:53 +0000

I was driving on snowy roads today when I tried to brake. The car was fine until I was almost at a stop, then the brakes made a rub, rub, rub sound while the car sort of stuttered, bumped to a stop scaring me half to death that the car was not going to stop. It happened 3 or 4 times on the way home. Is this my antilock brake system or is something wrong with my brakes. I appreciate any help you can offer.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:01:32 +0000

I’ve a 2000 Sunfire, and a couple of weeks ago the Abs light came on. I thought at first a weight sensor had kicked in to tell me to start working off my added holiday pounds, but it was the brake system. Rear hub sensor $300-350 to replace. That repair is not in my budget now, so I’ll try driving old school for a while – watch the conditions, keep my distance, pump the brakes if I slide. We do have a lot of snow here in Ottawa Ontario but I learned to drive 46 years ago up north – going fine so far.

By: Brad

Brad — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:35:51 +0000

I have noticed that it all depends on the car. I used to have a Chrysler Concord that had great antilock brakes. They would only kick in hard if I was mashing the pedal.

My girlfriends car (2000 Sunfire) is the exact opposite. Her brakes don’t seem to pulse much if you need to stop hard. If your just trying to take an snowy corner at low speed they lock up and you slide off the road.

My trusty beater 94 Shadow has no antilock brakes. The brakes are also bad since I don’t change things on my car till they break. I just keep a few car lengths back drive at a reasonable speed.

By: MOM

MOM — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:24:59 +0000

I live in Northern Michigan too. I learned to drive almost before paved roads in a suberb of Detroit. (I don’t really remember when there wern’t paved roads), any way MY new car has antilock brakes and on a couple occasions I have put the (brake) peddle to the mettle hoping the thing really did know what it was doing as I find it very hard to believe if I had had control I would have nearly slid out into oncoming traffic, even my husband said they, the anti lock brakes do it faster and more effeciently than a person could. As I said I have doubts. I tell myself, you better go slower cause whether you or it really do or could do it better, I can’t override them and I only just made the first payment. I like the car and I think it’s only icy winter roads we’ll have this issue.

By: MWT

MWT — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:53:45 +0000

I learned to drive in Indiana, but don’t believe I’ve ever driven a car with antilock brakes (or at least, if there was ever a rental car with them, there was never a situation where they needed to engage). Therefore my opinion would be useless.

My favorite story of a car backing into me: we were at a red light, and he saw a friend on the sidewalk he wanted to talk to – so he tried to back up to them, not realizing that I was right behind him and therefore in the way. Turned out that he was a cop, and we were in front of the police office. I bet he didn’t hear the end of that one for a while.