Why ON/OFF for antilock brakes????

[imran_hodekar]

if antilock brakes and many other safety systems are meant for safety purpose then what is the need of ON/OFF switch for them in the car?????

what i know is that they consume power from engine only when they act and they act only when there is serious need of it or it may result in an serious accident(correct me if i m wrong).... Then why to switch OFF these systems

[Bryce1821]

Antilock brakes are not always the most effective means for braking on different road surfaces. For instance, on gravel or other lose surfaces the stopping distance with antilock brakes turned off is actually shorter than with the system turned on. You'd be surprised to experience that antilock brakes are not even always more effective on pavement given the surface conditions, as I have learned during some driving courses.

[bruxell]

Also, many drivers prefer to do their own braking, using the feel offered through the pedal to modulate the braking forces for themselves. A switch allows the ABS system to be turned on for adverse conditions, or normal driving and then switched out for increased involvement when driving for enjoyment.

[MadMax13]

We dont have any On/Off switch in our cars, in fact ive NEVER seen an On/Off switch for ABS in ANY car is been in, is it a new thing???...

[revetec]

Bryce1821 is correct.

I have attended an ABS training course. You can actually stop faster without ABS on any surface if you can control the pedal to the conditions. It is used in vehicles as a safety item for the reasons of such things as unexpected emergency stops when you are not prepared, drivers who are not as skilled as others in an unexpected hard stop and braking over surfaces that have unexpected lack of friction such as braking in the wet and hitting an unseen oil patch etc.

Personally I don't like it and other than the course and testing faults in vehicles, I have never had it operate in my own vehicle.

BTW. I hate traction control also. I have had many times experienced a situation of having to take off fast across an intersection where there has been gravel, and the engine has lost power half way through the intersection with cars coming straight at me. I always turn it off in my car.

[NSXType-R]

I've never seen a turn off switch for traction control and ABS, but then again I've only driven 3 cars in my life.

All pre-1995. So....

[revetec]

I can't turn mine off either. Ive never seen one you can turn off. I can turn my traction control off.

[NSXType-R]

Originally Posted by revetec

I can't turn mine off either. Ive never seen one you can turn off. I can turn my traction control off.

Traction control and ABS doesn't exist on the cars I drove. I kinda don't have a choice. Maybe it's better for me, so I can learn how to drive without computer intervention.

[pimento]

I can't turn off the ABS in my car, but on the flip side the traction control doesn't seem to be very effective. Certainly doesn't stop me spinning the wheels accidently...

[Matra et Alpine]

ABS doesn't "take power" from the engine, so it's a no-brainer for day-to-day driving.
As already stated, often you don't want it .... eg if left foot braking to get a FWD to tuck in Or if wheels on different surfaces. Howveer, it takes a well practised driver and maintained car before you can be certain to "beat" the ABS Leave it on. Many cars the only way to turn off the ABS is to remove the fuse !

Traction control is another that's good to have on for the "normal" driving, but take it off when being "spirited" The RX-8s traction control is particularly awful as the engine really drops power and can bog down badly. But again, liek the ABS with a car that can be "tail happy", the driver needs to be 100% on the ball before switching it off. Mine spends daily drive with it on and the occasional drive home through the twisties with it off and always off for the RX-8 meets

[revetec]

So has anyone here actually felt ABS? It feels like you're braking over very rough/large gravel or rocks. You certainly know when it's operating.

Here is a good video on the Bosch ABS

[Ferrer]

Originally Posted by revetec

So has anyone here actually felt ABS? It feels like you're braking over very rough/large gravel or rocks. You certainly know when it's operating.

Yes it's like that, like if the pedal was scratching the ground or something.

Regarding TC I'm basically with Matra. Especially in RWD cars.

[Matra et Alpine]

Part of the ProDrive track day with the PZ was them convincing you that they had the geometry and the brakes set up
80mph, hands off the wheel and just hit the brakes ---- pulled up straight as a die
I did a run with the ABS off to test myself and was 10 feet longer

The pulsing on the pedal is not as bad as it used to be !!

[Kozy]

I haven;t had ABS in any of my cars and I've only ever locked in seriously shitty conditions. I brake late and very hard. Late at night when the road is damp and there's noone around, I will often salm on the brakes forcing a lock up so I can learn to regulate it. Highly irresponsible I know, but it;s a skill you don;t get to practice very much in day to day driving.

[nota]

Originally Posted by revetec

So has anyone here actually felt ABS? It feels like you're braking over very rough/large gravel or rocks. You certainly know when it's operating.

Brad I had recent cause to experience my first-ever 'ABS moment' in the $3k budget-special

In a 'sheer panic' event like this, the pedal pulsations are barely noticeable but the groaning noises were quite apparent - like driving on those audible serrated-top paint strips on the freeway lane-edge. Anyway an incident like this made me very grateful that my old bomb is ABS equipped for these wild and unscripted random moments - and to see that genuine safety features like these are now filtering down into even the cheapest of cars

I agree with you that traction-control can be a mixed bag, for the times you need to dig down through the gravel to get traction. But for ABS, gee if I was in any of my previous old Valiants or Falcons I would have been far too busy trying to control the rear lock-up and resultant tail-slide to have any chance of missing that cow