Silverado 4X4 2002 Brake Problem on Ice, Need Advice

It's called ABS (Anti-Lock Braking).

Doc

I have two other vehicles with Anit-lock brakes and they do not behave like this on ice. With the volume of the sound and brake pedal feedback, it is just hard for me to believe it is normal.

clark

It really is ABS, and it really is "normal", well "normal" for GM (trucks and autos, my mom's Cad and Park Avenue both chattered and vibrated, scared the heck out of her on gravel). If you search the many GM Truck forums there have been many tales of the woeful GM truck ABS brakes, some have even gone so far as to disable them, and to put aftermarket discs (like Praise Dyno). I almost hit someone because the ABS on DRY pavement felt like I was braking on ice, and I was just going 25mph - truck just kept going and going. It seemed the one wheel was anti-locking but the others weren't braking at all.

behave

I have such mixed feelings on ABS. The only vehicle I've driven with it that worked was my mother's 99 Malibu, but they chew up pads (and usually rotors) every 25K. Now the ABS has gone out. But most of the time, if your really abusing a vehicle the ABS just gets you in trouble. It is my opinnion that it will be a good many years (20 or so) before a computer can make better decisions than me (in my opininion) on the other hand, there are people who need the handicap.

-The Lonely Grease Monkey

"Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, then he who believes what is a wrong." - Thomas Jefferson

But most of the

I definitely agree with that...

I like to give my vehicles a good spankin' now and then.

ABS works "good" on dry asphalt... "okay" in the rain...

But I HATE it in ice or snow. I don't like that "Oh **** my brakes just went out" feeling. The vehicle would stop SO much shorter if the wheels were allowed to lock and pile up snow in front of them.

I've been thinking about wiring up a switch, but don't know about any legal issues. : \

-marc

Even the 99' Malibu got me in trouble. I didn't think it was too bad, but the guy in the passenger seat thought we were going to flip. RPM limiters, guvna's, ABS, etc... all a pain in the ass. Again, I think the only time this crap will actually work is when the car is trusted to drive it's self. For example, I can't think of a single auto trans that can tell your about to make a turn, and can act accordingly.

Ice, snow, I like to keep my wheels roling. I'd rather plow into a ditch/tree than any car. Either way I pay for my truck to be fixed, but I don't have to pay for a tree. Leaving my wheels rolling alows me to decide it's gone too far, it's time to hit something, and drive off the road.

-The Lonely Grease Monkey

"Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, then he who believes what is a wrong." - Thomas Jefferson