The ABS discussion thread!!

[meenakshi]

On ABS attachment has to necessarily come with the company fitment or Genuine parts. I don't think and recommend aftermarket fitment ABS as it affects performance. ABS measurements / effect is condition based. Not it directly helps in sudden brake..its going to help during a wet condition. i would believe that ABS effective in snow roads and slippery roads etc., Its not going to be useful for India. Its all time better to think of Airbags in India in place of ABS ! ABS has to have controller programmed which could give inputs to have better controls ! Invented by Bosch. Others like Delphi, denso has stake on it.

[HotChillyPepper]

ABS work in different ways as per the implementation. And moreover the original technology is patented and to avoid paying royalty, every manufacturer will make minute differences in their mechanism. Most of the implementations follows a method in which they will not only exactly stop wheels from locking up, but analyze each wheel speed with individual sensors and find out the difference in speed. And re-distribute the braking force eventually by engaging and releasing the brake shoes to the disk very fast (ranging 60 - 600 times in a sec) . The duration of engagement depends on the difference in speeds between the wheels ( and of course the amount of pressure applied to the brake pedal by the user). This mechanism make sure that deceleration of all wheels are uniform hence no skidding to sides.
-HCP

[Thad E Ginathom]

There's another gadget, I forget what it is called, that somehow analyses a sudden hard braking, comes to the conclusion Wow! This is for REAL! and applies much more pressure to the brakes than you can with your foot.
Given that maximum braking efficiency is at the point just before the wheels lock up. The purpose of ABS is to maintain the braking at that point, as well as to allow some steering control while braking.

So a combination of these two gadgets, along with the one that distributes braking force among the wheels, is probably the winner.

It's not that ABS doesn't reduce your stopping distance. Keeping your braking at max efficiency may well do that --- it is just that every road surface and circumstance may differ, and there are situations (like loose gravel?) in which it will not, and may lengthen it.

But is is good for people to be dubious about this! Misplaced confidence in the system could be a dangerous thing.

Please also try to think that it is not only your own life that you are trying to save, so I can't accept the ABS versus Airbags comparison.

What shocks me is the attitude of the Indian car market that sees such things as luxury extras! But I guess that's another topic entirely....

[Ram]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

There's another gadget, I forget what it is called, that somehow analyses a sudden hard braking, comes to the conclusion Wow! This is for REAL! and applies much more pressure to the brakes than you can with your foot.
Given that maximum braking efficiency is at the point just before the wheels lock up. The purpose of ABS is to maintain the braking at that point, as well as to allow some steering control while braking.

So a combination of these two gadgets, along with the one that distributes braking force among the wheels, is probably the winner.

It's not that ABS doesn't reduce your stopping distance. Keeping your braking at max efficiency may well do that --- it is just that every road surface and circumstance may differ, and there are situations (like loose gravel?) in which it will not, and may lengthen it.

But is is good for people to be dubious about this! Misplaced confidence in the system could be a dangerous thing.

Please also try to think that it is not only your own life that you are trying to save, so I can't accept the ABS versus Airbags comparison.

What shocks me is the attitude of the Indian car market that sees such things as luxury extras! But I guess that's another topic entirely....

Maybe you're thinking of Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD).
This modulates the force applied to each of the four brake pads or brake shoes, based on road conditions, speed, load, etc. to maximize stopping power. It usually works in conjunction with ABS and stablilizes the car under heavy braking and reduces nose dive.

[Thad E Ginathom]

No, it is something else... something that applies a lot more force all round to the breaks (though EBD may control its distribution).

This is like an extra foot, and a real big one, on the pedal.

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by ram

India being full of bad roads, I feel ABS is a recipe for disaster.
There should be an electric defeat-switch to turn off ABS for the experienced driver and for the bad loose surfaced road.

I am also about to go for the Ford Fiesta and I will definitely not buy the ABS option.

even if you have ABS fitted and you dont want to use it simply open the fuse box and remove the ABS fuse. ABS will stop working...

[csentil]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

even if you have ABS fitted and you dont want to use it simply open the fuse box and remove the ABS fuse. ABS will stop working...

Now is that a sound advice you would want to give someone? .

I don't agree to ABS being removed or having an option of switching off ABS, unless you are into some sort of motorsport....

There are many misconceptions about ABS, Airbags and we don't want people to believe them and start switching these life saving devices off.

[dadu]

And you dont know how your brakes would react to this mod, dont ever try it, it might be dangerous.

Originally Posted by csentil

Now is that a sound advice you would want to give someone? .

I don't agree to ABS being removed or having an option of switching off ABS, unless you are into some sort of motorsport....

There are many misconceptions about ABS, Airbags and we don't want people to believe them and start switching these life saving devices off.

[kpzen]

This is how the airbag setup of Elantra looks from inside

Steering wheel



Inside the Dashboard for the Front passenger

[cyneverdie]

four wheel disks - abs with EBD
i dont have it , you got to love it

I think its disgusting that we dont have it as standard in majority of indian cars

heads would have rolled abroad

SUE!SUE!SUE!

disgusted
cy

[Firebird]

I may sound stupid but would ABS be complemented by use of Traction Control System (TCS).

[suman]

Originally Posted by neo_trace

i have seen that while in 4x4 mode ABS doesnt work

....where did you see that? How would the ABS be disengaged for 4x4 mode.

Also, how much of your overall usage would be on 4x4 mode?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by neo_trace

i have seen that while in 4x4 mode ABS doesnt work

Now this is a good example of an oxymoron. The main advantage of ABS is that it allows you to turn while braking. But when you are in 4x4 mode (I don't mean AWD), you are not supposed to turn the steering.

ABS is useful in good roads at higher speeds, while 4x4 mode is used off road at crawling speeds. I would be glad if ABS doesn't work in 4x4 mode, what a racket it would create. Anybody who has used their ABS brakes in a slow slushy road would know what I mean.

[suman]

Samurai, we could be going OT here so I'll stop after this one - ABS prevents a wheel lock-up & it is not necessarily only under turning conditions so I'm not sure I understood.

Also, in 4H mode, you can (and are allowed) to accelerate a fair bit; you could also be engaging it on tarmac (though not recommended for long stretches) so why wouldn't ABS work - or why would it make more of a racket ? Yes, in 4L you would be crawling but 4H?

In any case, I'm still not sure how NeoT could determine that ABS doesn't work when 4x4 is engaged on the VX? AFAIK, it does (irrespective of whether that's good or bad)

[Samurai]

Just googled for 4WD and ABS, and found these links. It is indeed a good thing ABS doesn't work with 4x4.

http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/ABS_parttime.html
http://www.4x4abc.com/4WD101/ABS_offroad.html