Traction control and/or anti-lock brakes scared the hell out of me

[JEDI]

2015 mazda3i

I've never owned a car w/antilock brakes or traction control.
but with ESC being mandatory for all cars starting in 2012, I now have them.

last nite's ice caused either the anti-lock brakes or traction control to activate and it scared the heck out of me.

wtf brakes pulsating/grinding?!
and I was only slowing down from 20mph to stop at a red light.

I assuming that's how traction control feels like since I didn't hit my brakes harder than usual.
(and thus didn't activate the anti-lock?)

 

[NutBucket]

That's the ABS you were feeling. It doesn't matter how hard you hit the brakes, if the wheels are rotating at different speeds ABS will activate.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Do yourself a favor and find an icy parking lot. Try both slowing to a stop and jamming the brakes full on. Anti-lock brakes function on their own when a wheel spins.

 

[zerocool84]

Yup like said above, that's ABS and yes it scared the crap out of me the first time it went off but it's pretty damn effective.

 

[master_shake_]

generally abs is there to stop you straighter not sooner.

 

[JEDI]

Do yourself a favor and find an icy parking lot. Try both slowing to a stop and jamming the brakes full on. Anti-lock brakes function on their own when a wheel spins.

so if I hit the brakes softly like coming to a red light, the tires are still moving albeit somewhat restricted.
so when one moves at a different rotation, anti-lock kicks in?

so what happens if I jam on the brakes and all 4 wheels lock hard and there's ice?
how will the computer know I'm on ice if the wheels aren't moving?

 

[Auric]

Anti-lock braking provides tactile feedback on purpose whereas traction control may provide visual feedback.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

so if I hit the brakes softly like coming to a red light, the tires are still moving albeit somewhat restricted.
so when one moves at a different rotation, anti-lock kicks in?

so what happens if I jam on the brakes and all 4 wheels lock hard and there's ice?
how will the computer know I'm on ice if the wheels aren't moving?

Anti-lock brakes won't allow all four tires to lock at the same time. Try it in the parking lot.

 

[pauldun170]

generally abs is there to stop you straighter not sooner.

3
A properly balanced braking system will allow you to stop straighter. ABS is not required to help you stop "straighter"

You are correct that ABS will not help you stop sooner. Even on ice.

The purpose of ABS is to allow you to maintain control (steering) under hard braking by preventing complete lock up of the wheels.

 

[Midwayman]

3
A properly balanced braking system will allow you to stop straighter. ABS is not required to help you stop "straighter"

You are correct that ABS will not help you stop sooner. Even on ice.

The purpose of ABS is to allow you to maintain control (steering) under hard braking by preventing complete lock up of the wheels.

And to compensate for people who have no idea what threshold braking is...

 

[pcgeek11]

Vehicle Stability Control Systems uses the ABS System to control the brakes which assist the driver in maintaining control and steerage.

 

[NutBucket]

And all cars as of 2012 or so have stability control as standard equipment.

 

[sontakke]

And to compensate for people who have no idea what threshold braking is...

And the people who always threshold brake, their ABS never kicks in!

 

[Pacfanweb]

You've never owned a car with antilock brakes?

So....you're saying that until now, you've never owned a car that wasn't built in the 80's or earlier? Because nearly everything from at worst the mid-90's had at least rear anti locks. Even late 80's.

 

[sontakke]

Seriously, it means the road conditions were lot worse than what you assumed. Remember if the roads are icy, then you have very little grip.

 

[pauldun170]

You've never owned a car with antilock brakes?

So....you're saying that until now, you've never owned a car that wasn't built in the 80's or earlier? Because nearly everything from at worst the mid-90's had at least rear anti locks. Even late 80's.

My 2002 Camry doesn't have anti-lock brakes.

 

[jlee]

3
A properly balanced braking system will allow you to stop straighter. ABS is not required to help you stop "straighter"

You are correct that ABS will not help you stop sooner. Even on ice.

The purpose of ABS is to allow you to maintain control (steering) under hard braking by preventing complete lock up of the wheels.

A grip differential between left/right sides of the car will impact braking, and an ABS-assisted stop will be faster than stopping with wheels locked.

 

[pauldun170]

A grip differential between left/right sides of the car will impact braking, and an ABS-assisted stop will be faster than stopping with wheels locked.

Screw that
If grip balance is wonky and the tires are screeching, I want to be doing a 360.
Crashing in style

 

[Meghan54]

You've never owned a car with antilock brakes?

So....you're saying that until now, you've never owned a car that wasn't built in the 80's or earlier? Because nearly everything from at worst the mid-90's had at least rear anti locks. Even late 80's.

I do believe you are incorrect, looking at sales records and market share of vehicles sold with ABS since 1986.

By the mid-1990s, ABS was standard or a popular option on a wide variety of cars comprising the principal manufacturers. Figure 1-1 shows that from 1994 onwards at least 55 percent of new passenger cars have been equipped with ABS each model year.

In general, ABS has usually been standard on the larger and the more expensive cars, optional and not too frequently sold on small economy cars, and standard or a popular option on the mid-size cars with high sales.

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811182.PDF (Pg. 5)


So, if the OP drove smaller cars during the 1990's, there is a very good chance that he never got a car with ABS, since in 1994 only 55% of vehicles sold has ABS installed.

So, while it's true ABS has been around for a long time, ABS has NOT been on nearly every car built since 1990---far from it.

 

[sontakke]

My 2002 Camry doesn't have anti-lock brakes.

I am having hard time believing this. My 1999 Camry LE has standard anti-lock brakes.

 

[DaTT]

so if I hit the brakes softly like coming to a red light, the tires are still moving albeit somewhat restricted.
so when one moves at a different rotation, anti-lock kicks in?

so what happens if I jam on the brakes and all 4 wheels lock hard and there's ice?
how will the computer know I'm on ice if the wheels aren't moving?

The computer will sense that 1, 2 or all 4 wheels have undergone braking. The instant one or more of the wheels stops moving, or locks up, ABS will kick in.

What ABS does is essentially pump your brakes at a very high rate of speed. So when it releases it will sense wheel movement again and apply the brakes again....again at a very high rate of speed, and, as long as your foot is on the brake pedal.

Remember that pulsating feeling you got in your brake pedal? That is how fast it is applying and releasing your brakes.

 

[Meghan54]

I am having hard time believing this. My 1999 Camry LE has standard anti-lock brakes.

Why are you disbelieving it? In 1999, for instance, only the LE V6 and XLE models had ABS as standard. The CE and 4 cyl. LE models had ABS as an option.

BTW....ABS was standard across the Camry lineup in 1997, but became an option in 1998, standard only on select models, as noted above with the 1999 model year.

This continued well past 2002 (in 2002, the LE models did not have ABS as standard--you had to move to the SE, SLE or XLE models to get ABS standard), so it's very plausible that he has a Camry without ABS.

 

[pauldun170]

I am having hard time believing this. My 1999 Camry LE has standard anti-lock brakes.

I take you already went ahead and confirmed in a google search that in 2002, ABS was a $300 option on the LE and SE?

Surprised me too when I found out a month or 2 later after buying it.
I'm the second owner. Purchased it with 38K on the odo back in 2008.
First owner was apparently a cheap bastard. It looks like they skimped on the ABS to nab some of that sweet optional keyless entry all the kids were talking about in 2002.

Made the same assumption as you that all those 21st century cars have ABS.

Not really a big deal to me.

 

[pauldun170]

Why are you disbelieving it? In 1999, for instance, only the LE V6 and XLE models had ABS as standard. The CE and 4 cyl. LE models had ABS as an option.

BTW....ABS was standard across the Camry lineup in 1997, but became an option in 1998, standard only on select models, as noted above with the 1999 model year.

This continued well past 2002 (in 2002, the LE models did not have ABS as standard--you had to move to the SE, SLE or XLE models to get ABS standard), so it's very plausible that he has a Camry without ABS.

Not only does my Camry lack ABS I think I'm the only Camry owner in the region that lacks an automatic transmission

I sign autographs on Tuesdays.
People come far and wide to see the stick shift Camry.
When I take it any shop the mechanic always does a double take.
"Didn't know they sold these with a stick"

 

[NutBucket]

That's not something to be proud of LOL