Printable View
I am probably going to cop some flames for this but it won't be the first time.
ABS has it's uses, but it can also be bloody dangerous when you're on a loose surface, you hit the brakes and all you get is a foot massage - sometimes locking the wheels is better than having no brakes at all.
On the BA falcon, is there a way to put the ABS on a switch so I can turn it off when necessary - ideally I'd wire through it an annoying as hell buzzer to remind me that it's off.
If you have to hit the brakes hard enough to activate ABS on a loose surface then may I suggest you are going to fast.
Sure you can suggest it, just don't get upset if he doesn't pay any attention. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by China
The obvious legalities and potential for disqualification of your insurance aside I understand where you are coming from and it switches off with most 4wds when you select off-road mode or 4WD
No idea how you would do it on a Falcon though
Considering the age of the car you may see a considerable improvement in performance if you replace the shock absorbers. If they haven't been previously replaced they'd be pretty shagged by this time.
I suspect that you and I would have very different views on the definition of "too fast"Quote:
Originally Posted by China
I got my licence on my 17th b/day and from 17-21 lived in a suburb of Perth where I was five minutes away from gravel roads that were de-restricted speed zones - de-restricted meaning you can do any speed up to the state limit which in WA is 110kph.
If the conditions are suitable I am very comfortable sitting on 120-130 on gravel.
In this particular situation I was on a country road, 90 zoned, needing to do a u-turn but with a toss-pot 4wd sitting right up my butt - had I braked he would have been in to me.
Getting out of his way BEFORE hitting the brakes was the safest option which is why I chose to hit the gravel at speed.
Ive seen this mod Aaaaallll the time on street machines.
One cannot drive the car properly until certain things are "fixed". Properly can mean many things to many people... :)
My current banger, a 2001 VX HSV, has separate buttons for ABS, traction control and a switch that enables a mapping for "enthusiastic" engine/gearbox mode.
All can be engaged/disengaged at will. Press of a button next to the prindle.
They make a considerable difference. The engaged mapping changes everything and makes the car quite a feral stallion. Its snorts and belches fire with a stupid idle that scares children. Disengaged, it makes it drivable by my grandmother... The ABS and TC switches are mostly used on the track (which I've never done). These combined with the "suspension" thats welded into it would make for a Good Fun Day :)
I'm aware that there are many after market kits available. Essentially mods/chips and a switch that does exactly what OP wants.
I must be missing something, don't worry I have had my licence for 50 years an have driven on many loose surfaces. I have a BF XR6 to cause the ABS to activate you have to lock the wheels, if it is activating at any other time it is faulty.
Its not for the road, but the track. One learns to brake by a system called cadence braking.
Braking - Drivingfast.net
Some racing formulas dont allow ABS on the track. Cadence braking both regains control and stops faster. Its good to learn, especially in icy/slippery conditions.
Permit me to be blunt here :) ... When one wants to do a MONSTER BURNOUT, the ABS and traction control is turned off and the brakes lightly applied. ~70% of the force is applied to the front brakes allowing the rears to skid up rather nicely. Its a balancing technique. This is why you see street hoons loosing control and sliding everywhere - because they simply mash the accelerator and have no control.
With ABS on, this doesn't happen. The rear brakes keep locking up.
It gets worse with stability controls.
Some burnout kings have override switches on the dash so the rear brakes dont work at all. Give it a snort and up they flare..... some even have a type of hand brake setup for the fronts :)
This is from the article....
Quote:
n American study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that ABS increased stopping distances on loose gravel by an average of 22 percent. A locked wheel allows a wedge of gravel to build up in front of the tyre, thus aiding braking.
I'd disagree with speeding up before hitting the gravel was your "safest option".Quote:
Originally Posted by smidsy
You should have been aware that the "toss-pot in the crappy 4WD" was sitting on your butt and accordingly you could have braked early and frequently to get the toss pot to either increase the distance between the vehicles or to reduce their speed so that hard braking when hitting the gravel was not required.
But that said, Woodpixel is on the money,the problem is that of the 20 million or so drivers in Australia, less than 0.5% ever leave the bitumen, so being able to switch ABS off is not an option that is even considered by vehicle manufacturers.Quote:
An American study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that ABS increased stopping distances on loose gravel by an average of 22 percent. A locked wheel allows a wedge of gravel to build up in front of the tyre, thus aiding braking.
ABS isn't there to decrease stopping distances, only really to make it so you can keep control. The weirdest experience I had with ABS was driving on an icy road while on a ski trip. Went to supermarket, police outside attending to a car in a ditch. I quickly understood why. I turned indicator on to pull into supermarket entrance and barely breathed on the brake pedal and it instantly started jack-hammering, and did nothing to slow us down. I came off the pedal and just coasted along the road a bit waiting for a bit more grip and pulled in somewhere else and did a u-turn. Almost the same problem going the other way :doh: You can bet I waited for a looooooooong gap before trying to cross the traffic.
The key is to remain calm and not blow a fuse.