Is there any adjustment to change the sensitivity of ABS on snow? My ABS turns on almost instantly in snow making the truck seem like it will never stop. If I shift to a lower gear it digs right in and slows down indicating it does have traction. Everything works fine on dry roads. We are talking about a 2000 F150 4WD all disk brakes.

 

No, sometimes I just pull the fuse in my truck because it kicks in too easily especially at speeds under 10mph it will pulse the crap out of them and send you right into an intersection!

 

What good id the ABS if it lets you go right on thru the intersection in the snow. Seems kinda useless to me!!
Jimmy

 

I've always thought that, without ABS you slide into the back of someone, with ABS you drive into the back of 'em.

 

ummm

Study after study after study says other wise.

It's a proven FACT that ABS saves more lives, compared to conventional non abs systems.....no matter how much you pump your non-abs brakes.

If every single manunfacter from motorcycles to OTR trucks has decided to make vehicles with ABS, I guess their engineers are just plain dumb.

You should be glad its working that well, for you'd definately plow into someone if it didn't work at all.

No offense meant, but I find this a bit upsetting, and very scary.

I find it pretty ignorant to blame your brake system, rather than the tires you are running.....Mud tires for example, are worthless in snow no matter how sophisticated your brake system is.




Super....one disapointed engineer

 

Yes it is very scary when you are almost to a stop and your abs pumps the hell outta the brakes and you just keep on rollin'. I like abs, its saved my *** a couple of times in a different vehicle, but it just is a little over kill sometimes in super slick stuff. Its good for rain, not snow and ice. If its my "mud tires" you are referring to, then no, I had Fords tires on there last year when I had to pull the fuse. I didn't have to yet this year so I think my tires area working better than the OEs.

On ice and slick snow once you break traction its very difficlut to regain it again. Abs pulses the crap outta the wheels trying to let them grip again and it just won't happen because the coefficient of friction is so low on the ice. So when you probably (i've experimented) would have slid to a stop it just lets you keep on rolling no matter what you do. I've had to jam my parking brake or slam the truck into park or turn the key off to stop sometimes. Scary indeed.

 

guy's remember, engineer's deal with percentages and statistics, overall abs is safer, plus the one thing to remember, with abs you can STEER around/away from an accident!!!

 

If it is a tire problem then down shifting would be useless

 

superrangerman2002- studies have shown that a skilled driver consistently stops in a much shorter distance on snow or ice without ABS brakes. I know I can definatlely stop in less distance without ABS on ice, and sometimes it is super annoying when you are going like 5 miles an hour and the brakes wont stop pulsing... hit the e-brake and you stop instantly.

It's basically a more idiot-proof system. On dry pavement and in most other conditions, ABS will stop faster even if you are a good driver. In snow or ice though it just can't modulate the brakes properly.

I've considered wiring up a switch to turn my ABS on and off at will. Leave it on normally, turn it off if it's slippery out.

 

Really?

News to me, I guess you have better tests and info than the government and and all the other manufacturers. Especially since ABS was designed for low traction situations.

If ABS was so bad on ice, don't you think that there would a disclaimer on your drivers side visor right along with the 4x4 disclaimer?


Here's two direct quote parts from the following site.....

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/anti-lock-brake.htm

"Stopping a car in a hurry on a slippery road can be very challenging. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS) take a lot of the challenge out of this sometimes nerve-wracking event. In fact, on slippery surfaces, even professional drivers can't stop as quickly without ABS as an average driver can with ABS. "


"Should I pump the brake pedal when stopping in slippery conditions?
You absolutely should not pump the brake pedal in a car with ABS. Pumping the brakes is a technique that is sometimes used in slippery conditions to allow the wheels to unlock so that the vehicle stays somewhat straight during a stop. In a car with ABS the wheels should never lock in the first place, so pumping the brakes will just make you take longer to stop.
In an emergency stop in a car with ABS, you should apply the brake pedal firmly and hold it while the ABS does all the work. You will feel a pulsing in the pedal that may be quite violent, but this is normal so don't let off the brake. "

 

If i had the time I would find the info.

My fact, I stop better on Ice and snow than any ABS equipped vehicle I've driven.

Their fact, nothing is going to stop as well in ICE and snow so use caution.

 

I think that you'll find that ABS can actually INCREASE breaking distance depending on the conditions.

Here's an excerpt from an article on safety features from Varsity Science & Technology (http://varsity.utoronto.ca:16080/arc...ech/trust.html)
----------------------------------------------------------
THE PURPOSE OF A.B.S

Contrary to popular belief, A.B.S. was not designed to shorten stopping distances. As a matter of fact, stopping distance is increased in some situations such as fresh snowfalls and rough gravel surfaces, in comparison to non-A.B.S. equipped vehicles. It was developed to prevent wheel lock up during extreme braking conditions. Anti-lock brakes help you keep control of your car even when you are breaking hard.

When you slam on your brakes in a vehicle equipped with conventional brakes, your wheels can lock in that one position. This locking prevents you from controlling the movement of your wheels (and your steering) if your car starts to swerve or skid. Anti-lock brakes, however, automatically release and reapply your brakes, so you can keep control of your car.
-----------------------------------------------------------
You should also note that the How Stuff Works statement directly contradicts Ford's own ABS statement:
------------------------------------------------------------
Using ABS
In an emergency or when maximum efficiency from the ABS is
required, apply continuous full force on the brake. The ABS will be
activated immediately, thus allowing you to retain full steering controlof your vehicle and, providing there is sufficient space, will enable you to avoid obstacles and bring the vehicle to a controlled stop.
The Anti-Lock system does not decrease the time necessary to apply the brakes OR ALWAYS REDUCE STOPPING DISTANCE.
-------------------------------------------------------------
So, study after study may have shown that cars with ABS are safer than cars without, but they have definitely not shown that cars with ABS stop more quickly.

Whoever said you slide into the car in front of you with normal brakes and you steer into it with ABS was more or less right. Of course, you're actually supposed to steer around the car in front of you if you want to avoid an accident, but what the heck, steer right into 'em if you want.

 

But; the bottom line is: given sufficient stopping distance, ABS will keep the vehicle under control to allow it to stop.

I have definitely noticed an increase in stopping distance while doing a 360 with all four wheels locked.

I really beleive that 99% of drivers are better off with ABS.

 

No, the bottom line is NOT that the ABS keeps you under control so you can stop. It keeps you under control so you can steer and avoid whatever you need to avoid and then stop.

That's a pretty important difference. Don't want someone just smashing down the brake and waiting for the car to come to a screeching halt. That's not what ABS is for. What you want is a vehicle that is undergoing a controlled deceleration to give you the control and the time to avoid the hazzard, not stop before you get to it. ABS is at its best in a situation where it is already too late to stop before you hit something.

I'm not saying ABS is a bad thing - almost everyone panics and tromps the brakes too hard on snow, ice, or even water.

I was just agreeing that there is a special set of circumstances where the ABS becomes the handicap that you have to deal with rather than whatever slippery surface you're on.

Basically when you are going slow and you are on a highly slippery surface, you have to be aware that ABS may allow you to continue to roll where traditional brakes would allow you to lock up and slide. Sometimes the slide might have been better than the continued roll, but I'd rather just know that it might happen and be ready to swerve or use the ebrake.

Not trying to stir the pot, just making what I considered an important distinction.

 

while that article that was in a student union paper is about 50% truth and 50% BS it was still good reading.

The part about stopping on loose gravel is true the the rest....well...

Me I trust the gov't scientists and my engineering brothers and sisters at in the vehicle manufacturing sector.

Again I ask, if the system supossedly took longer to stop, dont' you think that they would never been implemented? how about banned by the Govt?

Straight From the NTSB.http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/proble...ABSBRAKES.html