ABS or no ABS?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Thatman
  • 123 comments
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ABS or no ABS?

  • ABS?! Yes please!

    Votes: 43 59.7%

  • ABS? No thanks!

    Votes: 9 12.5%

  • ABS? Meh...

    Votes: 20 27.8%
  • Total voters
    72
Thatman

Thatman

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Thatmanthere
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A Zany Husky
While reading the manual vs auto thread It kind of got into its own thing about ABS.

Simply put, I HATE it with a passion on any loose surface.(snow,gravel)
Since it always activates when it shouldn't.

That being said its good for asphalt.And when your not expecting to stop. ;)

So I'm indifferent.:)
 
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I don't drive on loose surfaces very often, and even then it's rare for me to drive with much gusto (powersliding a Mustang through snow does have its charm, though :))

I live in the worst state in America to drive because of all the crappy roads and crappier drivers so panic braking is always a possilbilty.

I've got to recommend ABS for my life, but if I were a race car driver (on road, or off) I'd go without it.
 
No thanks. Our drivers ed teaches us how to drive without, as well as how to make the best out of it if car has it. But, since I've driven around eight years with cars that don't have said gadget, I can survive without it.
 
I personally want it in my car, but have never relied on it. It so rarely kicks in that it really makes no difference to me. I think it kicked in twice in the past few years. I even wondered whether it was working at one point! This includes driving on snow.

But when It does kick in, 9 out of 10 times you need it. Because otherwise you'd have locked up. Drive and brake properly, you'll hardly know it's there.
 
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Given that the average member of the public in australia cant drive for ****... I say yes definitely to ABS. That being said, I prefer without for myself
 
My car doesn't have ABS.

I keep ABS on 1 in GT5 though. I play with the DS3 and it's too hard to avoid locking up.
 
Leonidae@MFT
No thanks. Our drivers ed teaches us how to drive without, as well as how to make the best out of it if car has it. But, since I've driven around eight years with cars that don't have said gadget, I can survive without it.
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That's not fair. Your driver's ed system is way more comprehensive than the "education" we get in America, which basically goes like this: Drive around for a while and try not to kill anyone. No casualties? Have a license.

Anyway, I've had cars with and without it. It's nice to have, but my current ride is really easy to control without ABS.
 
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12thgear
America: Drive around for a while and try not to kill anyone. No casualties? Have a license.
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👍 I got a laugh from that one. Very accurate lol
 
I've only ever locked my brakes twice in the two years and a bit I've had my Escort with no ABS; once on accident (braked too hard in the rain) and once on purpose (tried to find the limit in an empty parking lot when I took the car in deep snow for the first time). Even in panic situations, I know where the threshold is. So while ABS isn't necessarily a bad thing, I've found I don't really need it.
 
I disable it in my personal cars. Whether it's pulling a fuse or unplugging a sensor, I've been disabling the ABS in my cars for over a decade.

Why? It's terrible. A wet leaf or painted road stripe will cause it to go into a tizzy. So instead of stopping...you...well...don't. ABS might be ok if you're prone to slamming on the brakes while making a turn, but aside from that, I hate it.

I use good tires in the warmer months. Snow tires when it gets frosty and the only accidents I've ever gotten into in slippery weather were people plowing into the back of my car. Most of the cars I've owned have also been RWD. Never been stuck in Chicago snow or have needed a tow. The only scary time in snow I've had was a freak snow storm in October and I was caught out on the road with Victoracers...that was interesting.

I can't speak for everyone, but I hate ABS. Seeing that idiot light glowing on the dash doesn't bother me one bit.
 
Its there for the times you mess up, its a safety net. You guys remind me of some guy that tracked his street car and turned abs off because racecar just to lock the tires up and park it in a wall.
 
ABS can be a pain on loose surfaces, as mentioned, but if you think that you can stop as quick or quicker without it on dry tarmac you're kidding yourself. Look at early Viper 60-0 distances for proof.
 
Meh, people claiming they prefer no ABS... too much BS, bravado and overstatement of driving ability.

ABS doesn't work on loose surfaces/snow, but in every other surface/situation you're better off with it.

If you think you can cadence brake better than a modern ABS system you're fooling yourself.
 
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Civic has it, MR2 doesn't. The Civic's ABS system is overly touchy, slightly above average brake pressure over some broken asphalt will trigger it. Besides that, I don't have any issues with it. Its almost non-existent in autocross with sticky tires unless you find loose spot.

The MR2 will lock the front tires way earlier than the rears, on any surface. It would benefit from a little more rear brake balance first, then ABS.

If I could pick whether my cars had it, I'd choose yes.
 
Overall it's good thing as a safety device, but I could take or leave it. It's kicks in too soon on my car, I miss under-rotating the inside front during spirited driving :D
 
I would have been in a few accidents if it wasnt for ABS, Definitely an important driver aid... I heard if your driving on gravel or snow you could just take the fuse out for the ABS unit temporarily???
 
I don't know why you wouldn't want ABS for snow.
 
Because it doesn't work too well on slippery surfaces. On snow, ice and gravel it will actually make stopping distances longer.
 
Leonidae@MFT
Because it doesn't work too well on slippery surfaces. On snow, ice and gravel it will actually make stopping distances longer.
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In these circumstances you should be ensuring that you have more than enough time to stop, with or without ABS. Always better to have far to much space to stop in that only just not enough.

The only exception being motorsport, which should only be done if you are more than capable of handling a car in dangerous circumstances and certainly not on the open road.

Given the advantages that ABS has the majority of the time, it outweighs the circumstances above.
 
So you can threshold brake on snow...?
 
Studded tyres help with that. Of course, that is something unthinkable for yankees, all that noise and vibrations..
 
Mike0105
In these circumstances you should be ensuring that you have more than enough time to stop, with or without ABS. Always better to have far to much space to stop in that only just not enough.

The only exception being motorsport, which should only be done if you are more than capable of handling a car in dangerous circumstances and certainly not on the open road.

Given the advantages that ABS has the majority of the time, it outweighs the circumstances above.
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Actually with loose surfaces, stopping the tire from rolling allows you to build up a layer of whatever it is your on and "dig in". So you WILL stop quicker without ABS.
 
Thatman
Actually with loose surfaces, stopping the tire from rolling allows you to build up a layer of whatever it is your on and "dig in". So you WILL stop quicker without ABS.
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My point is that in these conditions, the stopping distances you should be leaving should be big enough to allow for plenty of time and space, ABS or not.
 
ABS. It's the one driver aid I basically consider essential.

Yes. I've owned cars without it before and no, I never crashed into anything although I did lock the brakes a few times in each car.

However, I now own a car with ABS, and not so long ago had to emergency brake on the motorway. Had I not had ABS, I would almost certainly have crashed into the car in front as the whole motorway braked to a complete halt. And no, I wasn't following too close, or not watching the traffic, or anything like that. I just got caught behind a line of cars that suddenly decided to emergency brake, at night, on a damp road. ABS was essential for the whole queue in not causing a massive pile up.

Even if that only happens once in my driving life, that's enough times for me to be glad of having ABS. I consider myself a safe driver, but you simply can't make allowances for every scenario and I'd rather have ABS there for the rare occasions I may need it.

And if you have a family, I would think that ABS is essential for peace of mind, if nothing else.

Interesting reading some of the other posts. I'm sure you're all doing great without it. Right up until the point you smash into the back of somebody, then you'll change your mind.
 
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Leonidae@MFT
Studded tyres help with that. Of course, that is something unthinkable for yankees, all that noise and vibrations..
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Unnecessary, rather, to have three sets of tires when a computer module can handle braking for you.

I don't know anybody who even owns winter tires here, since we tend to deal with snow for about 2 weeks of the year. And only the first couple of days are bad enough that my FWD car gets stuck.

stig's helmet
For me ABS: 1
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Your real-life car has ABS settings?!
 
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Eric.
Unnecessary, rather, to have three sets of tires when a computer module can handle braking for you.

I don't know anybody who even owns winter tires here, since we tend to deal with snow for about 2 weeks of the year. And only the first couple of days are bad enough that my FWD car gets stuck.
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here we have only two sets, summer and winter tyres, and owners can freely choose between studded and all seasons that you americans prefer.
 
My current car has no ABS, but I'd prefer a car with ABS.

You simply can't outperform ABS when you need to brake and evade an object, especially in wet/slippery conditions. Even the best drivers get caught by surprise under certain circumstances. ABS can then be the only driver aid to help avoid an accident.
 
Yes, I consider ABS as pretty much essential in any car I drive. My old Metro never had ABS and I only locked the brakes up once, but it would have been brilliant to have had it in that situation. As for driving in snow, I don't do that enough to warrant removing a fuse and if I did the car would probably have a fit and beep at me the entire time.
 
Leonidae@MFT
Studded tyres help with that. Of course, that is something unthinkable for yankees, all that noise and vibrations..
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Those are legal in many areas, and they completely destroy roads. So I'll stay away from them at this point.

They also only help in situations with ice pack, and not with fresh snow or thin glaze ice on a surface.

You really should educate yourself better before making poor assumptions.
 
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