Hi my mate just bought a 1998 VT Calais and we were giving it a run the other night. He wanted to test the ABS brakes so he got it up to about 40-45km/hr and hit the brakes. It came to squealing stop. I was under the impression that if your car has abs the tyres will not squeal when u slam on the brakes because the computer allows the tyres to slip whenever it feels the traction is about to slip. Or something along those lines. I know that my 2003 advance does not squeal when braking at 40-45 and it also has the recognisable grinding feeling associated with ABS. The calais did not have this grinding feeling either. Does it sound like his car is not equipped with abs? or is it faulty or something like that? He is convinced his abs is working fine and that everything I have stated above is not true about ABS brakes. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Matt

the abs in my TJ now that it has new brakes on it when i jump on it hard locks up for a split second then releases and repeats the process...

before the new pads and rotors etc... it would not do this cos it didnt have the power to lock up..


i would say your mates car is fne providing the wheels werent constantly locked up...

would it be a constant squeal till the car stopped?

45km/h isn't a real good test. You'd want to be doing at least 60, and even then you'd wipe off a fair bit of your speed before the ABS even realises it needs to activate. Infact I've got a feeling in some cars it won't activate at all below a certain speed (don't quote me on that).

My experience is the same as what andrewd mentioned, the brakes will lock for a split second, then ABS kicks in and releases them.

A VT calais should definetly have come with ABS from the factory (I know for a fact that VR SS's did). Anyway, if your mate thinks his ABS is working fine, despite what you have described then unfortunately he falls into the category of most commodore drivers lol

It's a Commodore.

:D

Does the ABS actually really exist and is functional? Is it broken and warning light removed?
As BB said, it might require higher speed in Dunnydoor. Magna ABS works at lower speeds ok. Rattles like hell - don't really like them (ABS).

Try it in the wet. And as for speeds they start working, I had mine kick in at 40km/hr. It
really depends on the road surface, tyre grip, brake wear etc. If its not locking up, its fine.

There was a roll over yesterday on the Brisbane / Gold coast Motorway at the Logan Rd exit, I was 4 cars behind this incident travellin at about 100k ish... Trust me the ABS definatly kicked in petty damn quickly and pulled up quite nicely... As for the familyoffourdoor, I cant really say too much as I have never had too apply brakes that hard in one

ABS in a VT Commodore (like most cars) will prevent the wheels from screeching continuously if its braking in a straight line (u can still induce squeeling in an ABS car if ur braking while the car is slipping sideways...but if thats case ... look out for the telephone pole), at any speed.

like andrewd said.... when functioning properly... the ABS will engage before u can even get to the squealing stage... and will constantly readjust the brakes until the car regains constant traction... in a VT the accelerator pedal will also shake and the system makes the car feel & sound like its travelling through very thick gravel.

also the VT will have an ABS designated fuse on the fuse box under the bonnet. (should be labelled on the fuse box lid). u can (but shouldnt) take this out, and u will get a ABS error message on the dash display, then the ABS wont work.

and for the luddites... ABS is better these days in all condtions, unless ur some godly driver who can magically maintain the maximum braking pressure, yet never go that little bit too far and cause the tyres to lock up. try it in an ABS car with/without the fuse and see.

side note: for at least the last 7 years or so... the toyota tarago has been able to massively outbrake a commodore! (apparnetly its weight distrib and suspension setups makes it squat under brakes really well.)

I was gonna say, take it to a 100km/h and step on breaks in a corner. if you make the corner, it works, if you keep going straight, even thought your front wheels are turning, then your abs doesnt work. Which is ok, coz you might as well leave it in the ditch. hahaha

Seriously though. 40km/h is not fast enought. Take it to 60 or 80 and try is again.

40 is fast enough. I've thrown a VY around on a wet skid pan and the ABS kicks in at nearly any speed, you really can't lock up a wheel and you should definately feel it through the padel. If you suddenly stab the magnas brakes you can get a tyre to chirp before the abs kicks in, but I have only managed that from high speeds.

Does anyone find the TL's EBD far too intrusive? It seems in the wet if I brake just a little to late to give way at a roundabout while slightly steering I'll always get the grinding feeling from the front outside wheel, but the braking force definately doesnt seem like it's about to lock up a wheel.

and for the luddites... ABS is better these days in all condtions, unless ur some godly driver who can magically maintain the maximum braking pressure, yet never go that little bit too far and cause the tyres to lock up. try it in an ABS car with/without the fuse and see.

13 yrs of driving in snow without ABS - didn't have those in Ford Escort :shock: Conditions like that teaches one to use brakes carefully and keep head cool (well, in -20 C u would too!). See, if it's gonna hit, it will hit, so try to do something but lock the wheels and avoid the hit by any means. Obvioulsy ABS negates that principle. But I still don't really like ABS.
What is "luddities"?

I noticed the ABS behaviour changed when I upgraded to the ralliart/awd twinpots. When mashing the pedal at high speeds, theres a on/off squeal rather than the thump-thump noise. Im guess this has something do with the twinpots being much more powerful, maybe ABS is triggering differently to before.

ABS can theoretically (but not in practice) lead to longer stop distances (as it does release break pressure...in minutely small amounts).
but its biggest advantage is that it will let you continue to steer no matter how hard u break... coz it prevents the wheels locking up and loosing traction... ie good in slippery conditions like snow (like u sed).... so it takes care of the 'cool head' and 'pedal control' better than a human could ever do.

luddite: (noun)
1. any opponent of technological progress

luddite: (noun)
1.any opponent of technological progress

Glad to see u know me so well!!!! :shock: Take it back dude.

Far from it. But - not all technical improvements are necessarily good or comfortable.
I guess it's fact vs prerence. But I personally I dislike being put in to a box.
And I still don't like ABS. Many other technical improvements yes, but not ABS.

Well ABS has saved me from being in an accident a couple times. There are times when you don't have time to think, in an emergency situation when things happen so quick all you have time for it to jump on the brakes, let alone decide how hard to modulate the brake pressure. In these situations ABS is a life saver.

ABS can theoretically (but not in practice) lead to longer stop distances (as it does release break pressure...in minutely small amounts).
but its biggest advantage is that it will let you continue to steer no matter how hard u break... coz it prevents the wheels locking up and loosing traction... ie good in slippery conditions like snow (like u sed).... so it takes care of the 'cool head' and 'pedal control' better than a human could ever do.

luddite: (noun)
1. any opponent of technological progress

I think you'll find ABS reduces stopping distance... the short release of the brakes is nothing compared to a trye with no traction skidding accross the road.

I think you'll find ABS reduces stopping distance... the short release of the brakes is nothing compared to a trye with no traction skidding accross the road.


it's a well known fact that on a gravel road abs has a longer braking distance than a non abs car...

on wet tarmac.... 99% of drivers would proably stop shorter with abs.... and the stig lol might pull up 2cm shorter

99% of drivers would proably stop shorter with abs.... and the stig lol might pull up 2cm shorter

... exactly... on any tarmac.

it's a well known fact that on a gravel road abs has a longer braking distance than a non abs car...

on wet tarmac.... 99% of drivers would proably stop shorter with abs.... and the stig lol might pull up 2cm shorter

ABS fails on gravel because the skidding of non-ABS wheels actually causes it to dig in and
pile up the gravel in front of it where as ABS ones will just skim along on top of it.