Well, I always thought I had anti-lock brakes until I had an accident a while ago. I was on the highway when some d!ck hit me off the road, and it was the highway too.

I layed on my brakes and I slowed down, thinking it was all ok. But then I all of a sudden my car locked up and I fish tailed across the interstate over to the other safety lane.

I have been thinking off and on ever since, if my car really has anti-lock brakes..I believe I asked the previous owner when I first got it and I think he said yes, it's a '95 SE...my friend with a '95 SE 5spd doesn't have them, and with my accident I have my doubts.

Is it really dangerous NOT to have anti-lock brakes? My mom told me a story of how she recently was on the highway in her grand caravan and looked down, looked back up and had to slam on the brakes. She said she felt the bump bump bump of the anti-lock system, and if the brakes were not anti-lock, she woulda plowed into the car in front of her.

So, are we in any grave danger here? The 4-wheel disc brakes are quite good, and stop well above average...its the locking up idea I don't like.

 

Not if you know how to apply them. Personally I feel when you drive your car, you really need to be in tune with the way it performs and its capabitlies. After I put my Stillen brakes on, I've locked up my brakes when I got into situations but I put myself in tune with my brakes and how to apply them. If they lock up, I release them. If you know wht your doing, you can stop your car just as efficiently as a car with ABS. As a professional driver, I can say can be done.

 

No, it's not dangerous. It's pretty much standard on any car high teens and up, but it's still an expensive option on lower-priced cars. I've only needed them once in 50 months on the road. The other times I activated them just fooling around to make sure they were still there. Would I want a car without them, of course not. Just like everytime I think of dropping collision and comp to save $500/year I don't. Rational? Not really, but willing to pay for the security blankie. That blankie makes insurance co fat and happy. That's two more things than what they really are, useless.

 

For someone that knows how to drive they are a restraint. I like cars better without ABS because you have much more control, and there are less things to go wrong.

 

If I would have had ABS on my 95 I would not have had bambi fur in my grille last year

Deer ran out, all I had time to do was hit the brakes and as soon as I did, the wheels locked and the car cocked sideways and I hit the deer on the driver side light and grille area.

ABS is nice to have in my opinion!

JCR

 

That kinda happened to me. I had a 96 maxima bout 2 yrs ago, didnt know much about them. I bought it a few years old from Nissan dealer. The salesman told me the car had anti-lock brakes. Well, it snowed alot and it slid off the road and hit a tree. F**KED up my front end. I got it fixed and 3 months later got hit by a drunk driver. BYE BYE Maxima, it went to heaven, it got totalled. So I bought a I30.

 

it's kinda scary. it's been raining frequently in my area. i've already caught myself in a situation where my front tires understeer and i find myself not turning. i end up hitting the brakes only to lock up with no steering response. the only thing i could do is hold on and modulate the brakes. i guess the best safety mechanism isn't mechanical, but in your gray matter.

 

That's exactly it.

 

People remember,

ABS doesn't shorten your braking distance, it allows for a controlled stop. You can learn to stop your vehicle safely without ABS.

 

Your safety depends on YOU.

Most of the cars I've owned are not equipped with ABS. I've been in situations where idiots would cut me off in the rain and slam the brakes in front of me. I haven't been in an accident (when I'm behind the wheel) yet.

Go to a large parking lot and practice how to modulate your brakes. When you feel the brakes begin to lock up let go of the pedal slightly and press the pedal in a linear but firm fashion until it does it again.

I practice everytime I do something different to my car, whether it be new tires or new pads. When you familiarize yourself with your car you will be better prepared and will less likely panic-stab the brake pedal and grind your tires to shreds (or skid) in emergency-type situations like most people.

 

I'm going to the Dodge racing school sometime this summer, and it teaches you how to control your car, do 360's, all that fun stuff, and I get to drive a 6-speed VIPER!

 

That's what you call a truism. When we were younger we all belived in them as well as Santy Clause. The Little Train That Could if you will.

 

lucky

 

Craig, pity you didn't live up north where we have winters.

You could practise your braking during winter in a BIG empty parking lot. Lots of chances to lock up & spin & correct.

 

I got into an incident today. I've never been cut-off so bad in my life. I was traveling 50 MPH on the second lane, in a 50 MPH zone with very light traffic. An old white buick pulls out in front of me into the right lane. He's doing about 20 MPH and is about 3 car lengths ahead of me when he changes into my lane without signaling. I smack the brakes and I knew that I was going to hit him, so I took the right lane and just passed him up. I was probably at 35 MPH and he was probably hitting 30. In front of me is a "MEN AT WORK" sign , I freak out and slammed the brakes and 1.5 seconds later I plow into 4 large orange cones. Right when I hit the cones, the Buick passed me up and kept on going. I'm still going about 20 MPH when I hit the curb and the men at work were on the sidewalk fixing a controller box. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS KILLED OR INJURED.

3 of the workers were shocked at what I had done, and one of them patted me on the back saying that he saw the whole thing and was amazed that I didn't hit the Buick or run up the curb. I've never been in an accident and this is by far, the scariest thing that's happened in my 6 years of driving.

As for my car, I have a 32mm offset so the front passanger-side SSR Integral took a bonk at 20MPH. Luckily with my offset, no body or fender damage. The cones were plowed by my Stillen front lip and so no real damage to the body, but 50% of my paint from the lip flew off. I thought my suspension was jacked, but it turned out that the bonking noises I heard later was the combination of my bumper lense hitting the bumper and the sound of dragging two orange cones under my car. I made a right turn and the cones came right out. Tomorrow, I'm going to take a better look at the car. In hindsight, I really feel like there was nothing I could do. I couldn't pass the guy up and I couldn't have stopped in time. The left lane was occupied, so I couldn't go that way.

 

You know what's the worst driver? A SLOW driver. No, not a fast speed racer, but a slow croaking granny going 20mph under the speed limit..they become road hazards, p!ss everyone off and force people to move around them.

Happy to hear your ok, and your story makes me angry at the unaware boob.

 

Go out to the car and put the key in and turn the key to start it and when your lights come on(oil,seat belt,etc)and one says ABS then you have it

 

Damn

Looks like my brakes are fully lockable

 

Exactly. You want stronger brakes, get biggere rotors and multiple piston calipers. ABS helps you to control your car in hard braking situations.

DW

 

i know my ABS has saved my front end a couple times...both in the rain. both times i turned my head for a second, and had to slam on the brakes. my brakes started doing their thing, and i was able to not hit the car in front of me, if only by about a foot or so. the tires didnt even squeal. i was

 

I can say for certain that ABS has saved my a$$ once or twice.