Disabling ABS temporarily for safety

[miller]

On the way home from town this morning in the Airtrek whose ABS isnt working i decided to test back to back which stops quicker? Locking wheels or 'pulsing' the brakes.

I was amazed at how quick 'pulsing' the brakes stopped it compared to locking them up. Plus i had some directional control during 'pulsing' whereas i was a mere sledge passenger whilst wheels where locked up. All this on a snow covered road, maybe inch thick snow?

[psbarham]

disconnect it, go for it, but please let us know how you get on with the insurance when you do crash. which you probably will do when you end up panicking and stamping on the brakes, which will lock up, probably stalling the engine in the process(don't say it won't, the systems on the sprinter which is infinity more hi-tech than a vr4 cause this quite often) and then slide off the road with no steering because of the locked wheels and the lack of assistance.
if you have no traction in the snow, then fit winter tyres, if you have have no traction in the ice, then hey, join everyone else

[Turbo_Steve]

If wheels have locked you want traction and ability to steer but hope to stop before hitting something...

Simple: you release the pedal to steer, you press it to stop.

This is driving 101 TBH.

[TAR]

And it's not an MOT failure if it's not an MOT.

I think you have missed the point.

If your car is in a condition such that it would fail an MOT, at any time, it is not roadworthy. Should you have an accident, your insurance company may not look favorably on your claim.

[chris g]

Looks like I should be enrolling for Driving 101 then to get the pedal/steering relationship sorted

The thought that I will take into first class:
...try to avoid braking in snows to maintain steering control

and I will not be considering disabling ABS so as to aid my driving in snow

and anyone who hits me in snow may be asked...

..have you been daft enough to disable your ABS...?

[Turbo_Steve]

So what about the Clio cup owners who don't have ABS to start with?

[miller]

So what about the Clio cup owners who don't have ABS to start with?

and they are worried about ABS why? they chose french they chose a stripped out race prepped car and you worry about their lack of ABS

[chris g]

if you have it and want to disable it then that's your choice...

I might be pissed off if doing that contributed to you hitting my car

if you don't have it to disable then I would just be angry that you hit my car

My MR2 does not have ABS but I never think of hey, lock the wheels when driving in the snow to get better braking...

I have a view about this, other people have a different view...

[GalantOnly]

Tried Legnum without ABS just couple of minutes downhill last winter. IT'S A PURE SUICIDE! In the same moment wheel locked (very soon), the rear of the car started overtaking the front. And, of course, steering rear axle back in the place was completely impossible, so I should release brakes FULLY and steer it back = zero braking for a while. Then touch brake pedal again to let the back of the car start overtaking again...

I will never pull this fuse out again, no no...

[Turbo_Steve]

Do you have aftermarket calipers fitted: it shouldn't do that.

[GalantOnly]

Do you have aftermarket calipers fitted: it shouldn't do that.

No, it really shouldn't. In theory... The front wheels must lock first on all cars to prevent things like this to happend. But if rear wheels also locks, just right after the front do, the back of the car will slide away. And ASC will not help anymore...

[elnevio]

As if prophesised, my ABS, TCL and ASC all disabled themselves this evening! Think it was when I got all four wheels spinning when reversing up a hill!

[orionn2o]

I have to say the ABS last night on the ice was rubbish. There were times where skidding at low speed would have been far more effective!

[sharkie]

Hi to all ,had exactly the same problem ,bracked wheels locked ,unlocked ,locked again ,slowly tapped the brakes and stopped thank God no-one was coming !
I thought great all wheel drive great on snow and ice but no effective braking ,****.
Now I use my handbrake first ,steer and slowly engage the front brakes ,it,s not brilliant but it works !
The real only answer is snow tyres or chains .
I know there is amember living in Finland ,if anyone knows him maybe he can tell us what he does

[steelie600]

I think all the nay sayers are being poofs, i want all my driver aids off, i have no control drifting my leggie, the abs is just goddam awful in this stuff the stability control randomly applies brakes when im PURPOSELY sliding my car round corners, i dont want that, i want the ayc to lock the rear diff fully, and traction control i have a switch for. I dont care about insurance and mot as for mot purposes, "An mot certificate is representaion of the vehicles condition at time of test ONLY!" Insurance wise what they dont know wont harm them. I used to be in the Raf Regiment and as such did 2 years in Norway, THIS IS NOT REAL SNOW!!!! In the forces you are taught to drive in arctic conditions if posted in Norway, and that includes drifting correctly. So I WANT to be in control of MY car not an inaminate computer. Yes in the dry doing 100mph plus the driver aids have a use and a good one at that but at 25mph sideways in snow they serve no purpose at all.

[chris g]

Is that your idea of 'get a grip, 'man up'....

We may differ about use of driver aids but I don't think it was suggested that disabling them was to aid drifting at 25mph whilst drivng around your town or village...

And you think you are in control whilst drifting in snow on the high street...?

[foxdie]

but at 25mph sideways in snow they serve no purpose at all.

Funny you should say that

ABS, TCL and AYC are now my #1 enemies, coming into a downhill corner at somewhere between 5-10 MPH, I tried to brake gently and couldn't slow the car down (ABS kicking in), back end then slid out (AYC trying to correct for me steering)..

I'm now going 45' round this corner and there's nothing I can do about it, in my "proposed path by gravity" there's a stationary Renault people carrier, I tried to floor it to hopefully get some traction and get out of the way, TCL kicked in and cut all power (because there was no traction and I'm going sideways), but by this time it's too late, I beep my horn praying he's in gear to pull away, nope.. Prang.



Guy was in his car at the time, we exchanged insurance details, he's hopefully going to let me sort it privately.

The damage is just superficial, I just need a front N/S quarter panel, he just needs a new bumper, but as for the emotional side I'm seriously pissed off to the point of considering fixing up the car and just selling it on and getting something smaller (safer).

[miller]

I dont care about insurance and mot as for mot purposes, "An mot certificate is representaion of the vehicles condition at time of test ONLY!" Insurance wise what they dont know wont harm them.

says the man who values his car near £10k thats a very blase attitude to insurance and i for one only hope i dont log in here one day and read a sob story from your good self!

As regards to the MOT comment, the MOT is there for everyones safety not 'another TAX to try and dodge' syndrome.

[foxdie]

As an attendum to my post above, guys just got back to me, £500 to repair the other guys car

[elnevio]

Gutted for you Jase. You sure they're not taking the mick?