SharpLikeStump

My salesman made a big point of my 04 1/2 having ABS on all 4 wheels, and I was thinking (hoping) Dodge got it down better than GM did on our 99 Jimmy, but not so......
We live on a gravel road and I swear that once the ABS kicks in, it takes 2 to 3 times the distance to get this truck stopped than if I modulate myself, or even if I just lock em up. I know about the latter, as I removed the #6 fuse and tried it. My questions are these: How is it that there has not been a massive class-action law suit yet, and any good ideas on cancelling out the ABS and BRAKE lights, other than removing the bulbs? (like a different fuse). The 40 amp fuse I removed is stated to be for the "ABS Pump".
I am convinced that both systems I have mentioned are really only beneficial on flat, hard dry surfaces, and that practically any moron can stop sooner without this "technology", especially on a bumpy gravel decent.
Imput please.

Geico266

I guess I come from the old school. There is no way (in my mind) you can stop faster with ABS than locking up the tires. You may be able to steer around the problem with ABS, but I just can't get used to it. I want the tires to lock up. IF I want brake fade I'd shut the trailer brakes off!


My "57" Chevy didn't have ABS and I survived.

I know...... I know..... I'm a fossil.

and I like rock & roll too!

BigBlue

ABS is designed only to help you avoid a situation. It's not supposed to make you stop faster.

AK RAM

Given that I drive on solid ice at least 7 months out of the year, I have grown to love the ABS on my 03. I think the ticket may be understanding how it works. For example, on ice anyway, the harder you step on the brake pedal, the more imperative ABS knows that it has to get you stopped. Mash it lightly and ABS just assumes you need to slow down easy, hence the length between pulses it provides. Mash the brake to the floor, even on solid ice, and I'm here to tell you, it will stop you faster than you could ever possibly stop this behemoth yourself. You may just need to be more assertive in how you tell it to act when it counts. It will stop me on a dime, and give me 9 cents change, verses my 95 12 valve that would only give me about $.04.

boarbuster

if you really don't like ABS then pull the #35 fuse.

side effects: no speedometer, overhead thing is inaccurate, and you also lose about 20hp(educated guess)

Squidward

I'm no fan of ABS either, try braking hard (or even not so hard) while going over a bump, next thing you know ABS is kicking in and you're just along for the ride, or at least it seems that way.

My (former) brother in law(a world-class Doofus) had an AWD Chevy Astro Van with ABS, he figured it would go anywhere, and stop on a dime under any conditions, he once nearly killed us both going down a twisty gravel slope, when the ABS kicked in on the gravel, there was no stopping that POS!

My sister got rid of both him and the Van shortly after (but not because of) that incident, so there you have it, an ABS story with a happy ending.

Ramtough

I took it off my jeep when i changed the axles and i pulled a fuse and a relay. Be carefull though as you still want to leave one in there from what i remember. In my jeep (98) there was something about pulling the wrong one and your brakes could fail ( ithink it had to do with the pump motor and staying primed). Anyhow, learning to drive on abs made it difficult to unlearn the mash and hold technique. ABS has always had it worse on lockup in gravel and sand because the material builds under the tire when its locked. however depending on your ability to do threshhold braking, the abs could stop better on dry pavement too. Thats on a case to case basis though.

handymantim

That's interesting about the ABS being worse on sand/gravel. I've always been a big believer in ABS but it seems it has a soft underbelly.

Ramtough has a good idea about the sand/gravel building under the tire when locked.

joel

Sorry, but simple physics says your dead wrong on this one (pun intended). Locked up tires have far LESS friction - on any surface - than rolling tires. You absolutely do not want your tires locked up to stop quicker. You WILL stop in a shorter distance with ABS.

Look at aircraft. Large aircraft have ABS very similar to what our trucks have. In my plane in the Navy, you get max braking by landing with your feet pressing the brakes fully with "Anti-Lock" engaged.

Of course, we also have something that it seems our trucks don't have and that's a failsafe. First, the system doesn't work at less than 15KTS and if it senses one wheel locked and can't let it go, it turns off the system and you're on your own.

Perhaps the industry should look into a system that can monitor slow speed stuff and disable (with a light or something to tell us it's off) ABS in situations like washboard roads.

Personally, I've never had any problems with it and I know in several instances where I've been cut off that ABS has kept me from hitting the deserving idiot in front of me.

Well, it IS supposed to make you stop in a shorter distance... maybe semantics, but to me, that means faster. And in the process, it will help you avoid situations by preserving your steering ability, which locked wheels totally forfiets.

Interestingly, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that ABS cars are more likely to be in an accident fatal to the occupents than non-ABS cars. Lots of reasons they speculate... most have been addressed here already: pumping the brakes because "you can do better", releasing the pedal when you get the ABS feedback. Or "other" factors... like disabling the system?
Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.hwysafety.org/news%5Frele...6/pr121096.htm. Oh, and they say ABS isn't designed to make you stop on a dime.... Not sure how that jibes with the stopping in the shortest distance possible school of thought.