How important is ABS?

[ducklet]

Any opinions? I know you get an insurance discount with ABS. I know I've used it a few times when stopping quickly. Any ideas?

[bobwill]

Hey, long time no see. I think it's currently one of the most cost effective safety options on cars.

[ducklet]

Hey, Bobwill !!!

Yes, I agree with you based on what I've experienced and read ...

[bobwill]

So, how's life, and the ducks?

[eRic 02sc2]

ABS? we don't need no stinkin' ABS
anyhow I recall there was an insurance study a while back that showed that cars with ABS were involved in MORE crashes because people wrongly assumed that ABS would save them from rear-ending the car in front of them when they were following too closely. ABS keeps the brakes from locking so you can -steer- around obstacles. if you're one car length behind someone going 55 mph and they stop suddenly, you'll probably hit them, ABS or not. not that antilock brakes are bad, but you still need to leave room in front of your car for braking... and steering. none of my Saturn had ABS, but I did rear disc conversions on two of them. the third one is coming soon. I learned threshold braking.

[jmettee]

I've never had ABS, also never thought I needed them. From what I hear, you can't "feel" how you're braking during a hard stop with ABS. With standard brakes, you can feel the braking power & can also easily modify how hard you're pressing the pedal down.

But, without ever driving a car without ABS, I can't give a full comparison.....just that I feel safe without them, knowing that I can properly brake under most conditions (rain, snow, etc) without the car thinking for me.

J

[eRic 02sc2]

Oh I've driven a 2002 SC2 with ABS before I got my 2002 SC2 without ABS. with the ABS you basically stomp and hold the pedal down you'll feel some chatter or pulses in your foot. everyone with the anti-lock brake system needs to go out in an empty, wet parking lot sometime and see what it feels like so they don't freak out when the the ABS kicks in.

[Zorak]

saved my life several times. abs = a +

[lone_wolf]

My cavalier had abs, and I hated it.. It was always kicking in too soon, made winter driving a major pita.. My Ion doesn't have ABS and I love it..

[tenn734]

its more $$$ to add as an option, service and more things to go wrong... but from a safety standpoint...its priceless, but only if you know its benefits, limitations and know how to use it properly.

[tenn734]

oh yeah concerning abs...b4 i realized i needed glasses for night driving i was getting off a 15 mph exit going 45-50 (saw the exit sign at the last sec but never saw the yellow MPH sign), at the last fraction of a second when i realized what i was doing i slammed on the brakes hard, and turned the wheel hard right.

since i dont have ABS i went skidding straight (despite my wheels being turned), over the curb of the exit, and came to rest on the divider, thank god nothing was there.

i try to analyze what would of happened if i had ABS, and i figure i would of had control of the steering, which would of allowed me to turn off the exit but because of the speed and sharpeness of the turn would of probably ended up skidding and careening off into oncoming traffic or on the sidewalk

who knows what would of been better but i guess it was just luck and happenstance (knock on wood)

[bobwill]

Originally Posted by lone_wolf

My cavalier had abs, and I hated it.. It was always kicking in too soon, made winter driving a major pita.. My Ion doesn't have ABS and I love it..

What were you doing that you ended up locking your wheels up on a routine basis???

[Exalt]

Originally Posted by bobwill

What were you doing that you ended up locking your wheels up on a routine basis???

I wish my ION had ABS it sucks in the winter without having it. not that it helps sterring on ice.

[dieseljack]

Either you know how to drive on snow and ice or you don't. ABS is an expensive alternative to correct braking procedures that should be a part of any driver's discipline, and becomes another profit center for the manufacturers. It complicates what has always been a simple, reliable system, and opens the door for huge out-of-warranty repair bills. Just thinking about the parts cost for the control head gives me the hives.

[golftango]

Originally Posted by ducklet

Any opinions? I know you get an insurance discount with ABS. I know I've used it a few times when stopping quickly. Any ideas?

IMHO, I've had cars with and w/o ABS and I never liked the way ABS felt. I can accomplish the same braking w/o ABS by using the pedal correctly and pumping the brakes. The problem with ABS is that people not use to ABS tend to pump the brakes or let off the brakes when the pulsing sensation begins. This in turn makes the ABS useless and will actually increase your stopping distance. As far as traffic and such, you won't benefit much w/ ABS. ABS is more for accident avoidance on curvy, wet/slippery roads. Since most of Austin is flat, straight and highway, ABS won't be much of a benefit except for a small discount in insurance and an added benefit for resale. Oh, and in the winter when you get the rare, occasional ice storm

[Elsongs]

Originally Posted by golftango

Since most of Austin is flat, straight and highway, ABS won't be much of a benefit except for a small discount in insurance and an added benefit for resale. Oh, and in the winter when you get the rare, occasional ice storm

Yeah, ABS isn't necessary unless you encounter ice or snow. I live in California, closer to the coast than the mountains, so I don't need it. Even my salesman told me it's not really necessary.

[lone_wolf]

Seems to me it's the opposite.. ABS works the best on dry paved area. In the snow it over reacts and it's a pita to get stopped.

[Powerben5000]

I have an interesting story about ABS...

My uncle bought a silverado 4 yrs ago...it worked nicely until last summer when he driving, and then he came to an intersection and began braking. He realized the brakes weren't engaging, so in order to avoid hitting a lady in a cadillac in front of him he slammed it into park. He didn't hit the car, but he pulled off and had the truck towed to the dealer. They analyzed it and told him that the abs sensors were bad or some such and it would be $500 per tire to fix (he was just out of warranty). So he asked what would happen if he just pulled the fuse to the abs, and the tech guy just said he would have regular brakes, but the abs light would stay on. My uncle went for the cheaper option.

Turns out that last month gm issued a recall on that model truck for the brake issue, and he got it fixed for free. Good thing he never paid for it or he'd have had a hell of a time getting his cash back!

Needless to say, his opinion of GM trucks and ABS systems soured immediately. He says his next vehicle either won't have ABS or he'll find a way to safely disable it. And somehow, I wouldn't be suprised if that vehicle is not a GM.

[almost200K]

The main benefit of ABS is that you will have control of the car during emergency manuvers. It will possibly allow you to turn around an obstacle in your path. However, it can not correct for careless driving. If you are following too close to a car or driving too fast no amount of safety equipment will save you from being an idiot.

If you are driving to the point at where the ABS is coming on too frequently, then you *really* need to slow down, and if at all possible stay far away from me.

I'm sure you'll find many websites with information about the system, but here is a brief NHTSA DOT QA: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/proble...absbrakes.html

I feel it should be standard on all cars, despite what people say about being able to modulate the pedal themselves there is no way to compete with a computer pulsing thousands of times a minute.

[cdp326]

Originally Posted by Powerben5000

I
Needless to say, his opinion of GM trucks and ABS systems soured immediately. He says his next vehicle either won't have ABS or he'll find a way to safely disable it. And somehow, I wouldn't be suprised if that vehicle is not a GM.

Eh...Honda's had problems with airbag warning lights malfunctioning lately, Nissan had an issue on the Quest where the pass. airbag may disable no matter what weight a person that is sitting is, and Ford just recently recalled the flaming cruise control switches. Given that the problem here was probably isn't common compared to 100% of ABS-equipped vehicles on the roads and that the feature didn't operate, I wouldn't disable it.