ABS or no ABS

[tednelson83]

I want to get people's opinion on this..

I've had ABS on other cars but find it annoying. I learned to drive / brake in Winter conditions where you learn to steer into the skid without stomping on the brakes, I've found that when I use these skills with ABS I have less control (and the grinding brake pedal is not natural to me).

I notice that professional drivers do not use them either. That may be due to cost, increased weight or skill.. I'm not sure.

I dont have them on my Celi, but just wanted to see if others liked or disliked them. given the choice between a car with abs and a car with out what would you choose, and why?

Let me know what you think.

[AdamVIP]

Get abs. It only really gets used in emergencys and it lowers your insurance

[combatc87]

Yeah, it's not noob tech like an auto trans, it can be a godsend in the right situation (street or racing).

[Gas-n-Grease]

i started off with a car without ABS back in high school. learned how to drive without the use of ABS. My GT doesnt seem like it has ABS, however, on paper it says it came equipped with ABS.

[StEaLtHbLkZeRo]

if you use it as a daily driver, keep ABS, if you are serious about racing or autox, DROP THET SHYT LIKE 3RD PERIOD FRENCH (Oceans 11)

[imp]

I don't like ABS. When I'm on the brakes,I want them to work, not gradually slow me down

[tednelson83]

i learned on a car with out them, and i have never had a problem. niether of my fieros had it, and i got out of most situations, though i wonder if it would have gotten me out of the crash i had... hmm, how much is the insurance break? so long as the system doesnt interfear with every day use, than im cool.

[2003celicagt]

i started off with a car without ABS back in high school. learned how to drive without the use of ABS. My GT doesnt seem like it has ABS, however, on paper it says it came equipped with ABS.

I have a 2003 GT, and mine says on paper that it has it, butit doesnt seem like mine has ABS either, does anyone know if they dont have it or is it just really crappy

[CeliAngel]

My papers for my 00 GT also said it came with ABS, but doesnt seem like I have them. The dealership told me a few months ago that I do not have ABS....

[2kbluegts]

i dont have abs

[2way]

I don't like ABS. When I'm on the brakes,I want them to work, not gradually slow me down

I have to concur with this... I have ABS on my current Avalon.... and it only seems to make braking take longer in normal weather. I actually rear ended someone on an emergency stop.... that any other car would have stopped in plenty of time. I was so disappointed with the braking in that thing... I put TRD pads up front and slotteds on all 4.... while it stops much better now.... it still could be better. It just means that the darn ABS kicks in much sooner...

The plus side to ABS is in rain & possibly snow/ice..... and that is that it keeps the car in a straight line when braking. However, it also requires you to set aside all that you learned about pulsing brakes on cars w/o ABS.... as doing this with a car with ABS... defeats the purpose.... you have to push & hold instead.

I was quite pleased to discover that my GT-S does not have the optional ABS brakes. In dry weather.... when I slam on the brakes... I want to lock-em up & stop...... squealing tires & all... with ABS.... it ain't gonna happen.... and, I think, your much more likely to hit something because the braking distance is increased. You do have much more control of your car w/o ABS.... you are in control of the brakes... not a computer.

If you've learned to pulse and steer into the skid... you will find the ABS annoying, at the least. If you've always had ABS... you slam the brakes... hold the wheel straight and pray you stop in time...

JMO

[Chiznarles]

i dont have abs

i have abs, but they are under a layer of fat.

[recneps]

i debated with this a while ago. remember theres a fuse you can pull to disable your ABS.

but i mean if youve got good tires you should never really engage the ABS unless your in a panic, about to rear end somebody.

and i mean ABS should only engage if your tires loose traction, so keep it and get some r compunds.

the reason most racers take it out of race cars is because its generally less reliable.

[2way]

but i mean if youve got good tires you should never really engage the ABS unless your in a panic, about to rear end somebody.

and i mean ABS should only engage if your tires loose traction, so keep it and get some r compunds.
It's not traction... per GM... its wheel lock up:
"If the computer senses that a wheel is approaching lock up, it sends a signal to the hydraulic modulator to reduce, then to reapply, brake pressure several times a second for as long as you maintain firm pressure on the brake pedal."

Therefore (IMO), on dry pavement... it will increase your stopping distance.

From the Used Car Dealers of Canada:
"Is the stopping distance shorter with ABS?

No! From early commercials, it may have looked like you could stop on a dime. That instantaneous stop is not realistic. When braking on dry or wet roads your stopping distance will be about the same as with conventional brakes.

You should allow for a longer stopping distance with ABS than for conventional brakes when driving on gravel, slush, and snow. This is because the rotating tire will stay on top of this low traction road surface covering, and effectively "float" on this boundary layer.

A non ABS braked vehicle can lock its tires and create a snow plow effect in front of the tires which helps slow the vehicle. These locked tires can often find more traction below this boundary layer."

"about the same as with conventional brakes"..... that's like saying 120' is about the same as 110'.... unless a semi-truck happens to be at the 115' mark. When I rear ended the guy (and it caused him no damage... that's how lightly I hit him) if I had locked up... I never would have touched him.... and that was on dry pavement @ 3:40 in the afternoon.

I sorta knew about the snowplow effect... but never really gave it a thought. Nice to learn something new every day:-)

Also from the Canadian site: "However, cars with anti-lock brakes are up to 65% more likely to be in fatal crashes than cars without them, says a new US study."

That's food for thought....

What ABS does... is prevent wheel lock ups... and allows you to maintain a certain amount of steering. When your wheels are locked... you have little steering control. On dry pavement.... slamming-em on to avoid hitting the guy in front of me... I'd prefer to lock-em up.... let the tires do their traction job. But that's me. Had the same thing happen on ice.... thought I was going to wind up in the middle of an intersection.... ABS fired continously for well over 200'...... when ABS is firing... you aren't maximizing the coefficient of friction of the tires... your rolling (thats how steering is maintained). Granted... I stayed in a straight line.... fortunately I stopped right at the stop line....

[Vroom_Vroom]

I have a 2003 GT, and mine says on paper that it has it, butit doesnt seem like mine has ABS either, does anyone know if they dont have it or is it just really crappy

to find out if your GT has ABS (some are equipped but very rare) turn the key all the way to the last click before it starts and if your ABS light lights up then you have ABS if not well then you dont.

[renfield90]

While it's true that on some cars ABS will increase the stopping distance, it should be noted that a locked wheel can lose up to 40% of its gripping power. A car with ABS will usually stop faster than a car that has locked its wheels.

Higher end ABS systems can actually improve stopping distance rather than impeding it, as a computer can handle braking at the traction limit better than a human could. This is why ABS is banned in most racing leagues, along with traction control, otherwise races would be nothing more than a mixture of wildly mashing the gas and brake at the appropriate times.

[tednelson83]

This is why ABS is banned in most racing leagues, along with traction control, otherwise races would be nothing more than a mixture of wildly mashing the gas and brake at the appropriate times.
um... you mean thats not all there is to racing? hmmm...