deerhunter42

Does any one else think ABS are dangerous. I just had an incidence here in Texas in which I am sure I am going to get a ticket for running a red light and was lucky my wife and I weren't killed.

I was approaching a stoplight in Victoria, Texas. I saw it had a camera on it, and I had slowed down to make sure I didn't run it. Sure enough the yellow came on at the worst time. I am sure you have all had this happen, and you have to make a quick decision whether to stop or go through the yellow. I might add the road was wet.

I decided to stop because of the camera and I thought it would be no problem. I have had 50 years of driving in the worst conditions, mostly without ABS and was sure it would be no problem. So I lightly touch the brakes as I have a thousand times without ABS. Of course that is a big mistake. The ABS takes over to keep you from sliding though it slowed me down, it actually pulled me across throough the red light. Now I know I could have easily stopped any vehicle that I ever owned without ABS. I probably could have stopped if I slammed on the brakes and let the ABS do it's job, but that is not how I learned to drive all those years.

So am sure I will be getting a letter with a ticket in the mail soon. I just hope it isn't for 400 bucks like my sister got for a similar situation in Oregon.

This isn't mechanical failure either, I had an Explorer that would do the same thing. I drove that vehicle until the ABS went out and that was the best thing that could happen. I could stop that car easy without having some computer trying to do it for me. This is a 2012 F-150 4x4 with good tires.

luv2hike27

I am an EVO instructor have been for over 18 years. ABS is designed to allow people to steer around an object while panic braking. Vehicles can only steer with rolling friction, therefore in a skid, you slide right into what your trying not to hit. Threshold braking is maximum braking pressure just short of lock up. Threshold breaking will stop you a few feet shorter than abs, as that is momentary lock ups. Lot of training videos to back this up. Best thing to do is always look at least 12 seconds ahead relative to your speed and keep your eyes moving. If a light has been green for a while as you approach, be prepared for it to turn yellow. Also, some automatic signals with road sensors that actually work, will trigger a yellow when a vehicles magnetic signature triggers the light ( ussually not a fast trigger during rush hours). Hesitation kills, if the lights are a delayed signal meaning you get a red and cross traffic gets a green a couple seconds later, then its safer to clear the intersection and not stop in it, so you dont get wacked. Hope that helps. Google "Smith system of Emergency driving" for more

Also, around here yellow light means clear the intersection not fill it, so if your momentum carries you through it and when your truck is out of the intersection when the light is red thats not a violation. Just my 2 cents worth from 27+ years of traffic enforcement

deerhunter42

Threshold braking is exactly what I was trying to do. Just enough pressure on the brakes to avoid skidding. However, the ABS still took over and pulled me through the light.

I have driven over 2 million miles in my 45 years of doing service work. I never had an accident during all that time. We drove in all kinds of weather in Ohio including the famous blizzard of 78. We had to get to our job site because we were dealing with live poultry that had to be destroyed if we couldn't get our service done.

I know about stopping on wet and slick pavement. I know I could have stopped any vehicle without ABS in this situation. I was careful, I was watching the light, I had slowed down and yes I could have went through on yellow probably okay. But this is the danger with those stupid cameras. They cause more accidents and are just there for revenue in most cases.
They can also change whether you decide to go through the yellow or stop quickly.

luv2hike27

Combo of tire type/ wear and wet pavement?

I personally dont like the red light cameras and glad we dont use them around here. Now they do make a camera that mounts ontop of poles thats not a red light violation cam, but it sees traffic and adjusts the lights accordingly, we had one here for a while as a stop gap measure at a new light, prior to installing the road sensors.

I drove my 2012 4x4 on ice and snow last week and intentionally broke hard to see when the abs would kick in, it took a lot to kick mine in. My 1990 Bronco I had SUCKED on ice, but most of that problem was the tire that was on it. Only abs it had was rear tires. Could your brake pads be glazed over a bit? The only things I see when teaching drivers is: driver error and or too much pedal pressure. You have to be sure to have your heel planted on the floor as a reference point of how much pressure/resistance you have, kind of like waving your foot left to right between pedals. If a driver doesnt have that heel planted they tend to lift completely off the gas move over to brake, and depress it. All the while there vehicle has traveling at 35mph and it took 1 second to start braking, they travel over 51 feet. So the split second up split second over and split second down adds up fast in an intersection. Easy way I teach this is, I push on there arm in the car, it is hard to tell how much they are resisting my pressure, but if my right arm or elbow is against the passenger door and I push against them again, I now have a known reference point.

The mechanical factors I see while instructing are: roadway surface condition, rain, snow, sand or salt in intersections from spreaders that accumulates from cars not driving in those areas alot (turns and corners in front of medians), wet leaves, grass clippings, grain in farm areas, oils from vehicles stopping, At intersections as a vehicle stops gravity flings it off the underside, then it drips while stopped, worn tires, worn or glazed brakes, air in the brake lines, also the wash board effect from heavy trucks stopping on asphalt, washboard will kick in abs ALOT as the tires bounce up, less resistance, abs lock. Worn shocks and struts add to that too. I have been driving over 32 years, and teaching it for over 25, and driver distraction tops the list IMHO , be safe and let the non drivers crash

deerhunter42

Agree with most of what you say. My truck has good tires and has never give me any trouble with braking before.

It still gets down to two facts. No ABS, I stop with no problem. ABS and it kicked in, and actually pulled me across the intersection under power.

I don't see why I need to change my driving habits that were successful for all these years just because of ABS. In fact, I can't, too many miles under my belt to suddenly change what I have to do in a split second.

I would really like to disconnect the ABS but I suppose that would be illegal.

Subduedracer

My Tahoe before the F150 was great when I bought with braking. Once it had 25k miles on it the braking was changing. It would brake normally on light load. Once you where going over 70% braking power it would take more feet to stop that under 50%. The rotors had glazed over and though it wasn't vibrating and shuttering, they had reduced braking. After replacing them and install a better set of pads, the braking was back up to par.

Centexguy

You must have hit a bump or something to kick the abs in. If I slowly apply pressure to the brakes I don't have any issues with ABS. If I slam on them then it kicks in. Unless I hit a bump while I'm braking hard. Then it'll kick in and scare the crap out of you. ABS was never designed to reduce stopping distance. It was designed so you could maintain control.

deerhunter42

If all you have to do is hit a bump to lose control of your braking, then I don't want it. I lost control over my ability to brake. All I could do was hang on to the wheel and pray nobody was coming.

deerhunter42

I might add I went through that stop light at around 5mph, but it wouldn't stop. It was under power and the wheels pulled me through.

dsg2003mach1

I dunno what its like around you, but some of the roads around here can be like sheets of ice when it rains when it hasnt for a while, all the oil etc...Ive had some intersections where I could barely touch the throttle and it spins pretty bad, perhaps there was something on the pavement you couldn't see making it slick.