Disable ABS

If I want to disable the ABS is it necessary to pull both fuses or only one, i.e. would there be any damage running with just the solenoid fuse pulled? The other, the ABS Ignition, is a pain to get to.

Thanks,

Mike

Reply to
Mike G.
Loading thread data ...

"" wrote: > If I want to disable the ABS is it necessary to pull both > fuses or > only one, i.e. would there be any damage running with just the > solenoid fuse > pulled? The other, the ABS Ignition, is a pain to get to. > > Thanks, > > Mike

why do you want to disable the ABS? that is a dangerous thing to do. Even working on the system if you dont know what you are doing could result in serious harm. If you want a car w/o ABS buy one that dosnt have it, dont tamper with on that does.

Reply to
xmirage2kx

There are a couple of reason to disable ABS ESP or other evil's systems. ABS is good on 98% of cases, but on the snow and off-road it's better to disable it. Older European cars had the pushbutton to disable ABS, and today's car have pushbutton to disable ESP and/or TCS.

Reply to
S.C.

I guess I can believe there are situations where ABS causes a problem, but I can't see how snow is one of them. I've used ABS in the snow, and it has helped a lot. It takes the guesswork out of how hard to brake. I just jam the brake pedal down and wait until I've stopped. That is, if no one is close behind me.

Reply to
Tom Reingold

And you claim to be a driver?

Al

Reply to
Al

Hmmm, I live in a snowbelt, and ABS is a lifesaver. This is especially true whhen we also have ice and dry patches.

-John O

Reply to
JohnO

An answer would show off your vast knowledge so much better than condescension.

Reply to
Tom Reingold

Totally agreed; I have been surprised by how effective my 98.5 A4 ABS brakes have been in our western New York winters. I disliked my 95 Passat ABS, though; they didn't seem to work right, but the Audi I'm driving now is totally reliable and predictable.

Reply to
KLS

Could you please describe what your VW did that you didn't like?

Reply to
Tom Reingold

In article , JohnO wrote: (snip)

Mmm, I like ABS in the winter, too. I've not tried it myself, but the situation I've heard that no-ABS is best in is when you're trying to brake on gravel, where the locked wheels allow a mound of gravel to build up ahead of the tires, slowing you down.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Carroll

Yup. Just like there are situations when a seatbelt can kill you. But only a fool would advocate removing them.

Reply to
JD

We own one car with ABS, and one without. I'll take ABS under ANY conditions hands down. They work better in the wet, the dry, the snow and yes, on gravel too; and we have ALL of those conditions where I live.

Reply to
JD

On deep gravel, ABS makes longer stops, cause you won't build up the "gravel wedge" effect.

Reply to
CompUser

Anyone have an answer to the original question, not why but how?

Mike

Reply to
Mike G.

Well, if there aren't a coupla fuses to pull that are obvious - I'd bet some rallyX guys at

formatting link
or
formatting link
would know specifically.

Carl

Mike G. wrote:

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

It's been more than 4 years since I last drove that car, but I remember applying the brakes in a few high speed, wet situations and feeling NOTHING happen, no slowing, nothing, and then releasing the brake foot pedal and depressing it again (in a bit of a panic, admittedly) and only then experiencing actual braking. Very weird, and the VW/Audi mechanic I bought the car from could never find anything wrong.

Reply to
KLS

This on my '02 WRX; pull the ABS fuse located in the fusebox beneath the L. side of the dash. ABS warning light illuminates to remind you. Most who desire this ability will wish to install a switch to dis/enable the ABS as required.

While the ABS found in my pop's newer Caddy is quite good (at least on ice; I was _very_ impressed), the ABS as found on my WRX, and also on my wifes '02 Forester isn't. While it works as advertised on dry pavement, it performs _very_ poorly on extremely low traction surfaces (glare ice; KLUNK, slide, KLUNK-KLUNK, slide some more . . . spooky), and is less than optimum for aggressive driving on dirt or gravel (i.e. rallycross, or just havin' fun in the woods) where it's activation dramatically reduces slowing/stopping distances (It feels like air in the brake lines).

I don't wish to argue the point; if you're happy with the way yours works, don't mess with it. If you drive on bumpy dirt roads (especially if you drive aggressively), or on ice (especially in hilly terrain), try it both ways and see which works better for you; only takes a second to pull/replace the fuse.

ByeBye! S. Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101

Reply to
S

I have never found that. My ABS works just great on gravel, and I can still steer the car while it is stopping.

Reply to
JD

Have you had your ABS checked?

Mine doesn't work _anything_ like you describe. It sounds like yours is broken.

Reply to
Sparky Polastri

Maybe you need better tires. After all, tires are critical for good traction. I use snow tires in the winter, and ABS works better because ABS, of course, still relies on traction. Ain't no magic without friction between tire and surface.

I still haven't seen any convincing arguments in favor of disabling ABS. I gather there are reasons when you are racing, but I don't see any for driving on public roads, trying to get places.

Reply to
Tom Reingold

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.