our ABS brakes..

[enigM@]

i have another car with ABS.. but for our cars it seems a bit too "rough".. i don't know how to describe it. I was on 5th approaching a U-Turn and i slammed on the brakes.. the ABS kinda felt "crunchy" is that normal?

 

[Togan]

its one the mazda standards i guess..

 

[Turbo Matty P]

If you feel the abs going into a U-turn in fifth gear then you have bigger problems to worry about.....like, why the hell you drive too fast into a turn like that.

per your question about ABS feel: BOth the 6s and P5 I've driven both had "crunchy" abs. but damn if they don't stop fast.

 

[Replica]

The first time mine worked i thought i broke something. My last car didn't have ABS. Dunno if i like it or not...

 

[chuyler1]

The other morning I was pulling up to a stop sign rather fast. I didn't notice that there was ice for about 30ft on the right hand side just before the stop. That part of the road was in the shade and a puddle had formed from melting snow. As I slowed down I could feel the ABS kick in on the right side. I was stopping pretty quickly when it happened but the car just kept going straight with no correction on my part...that is why I love ABS.

 

[Khoifather]

The other morning I was pulling up to a stop sign rather fast. I didn't notice that there was ice for about 30ft on the right hand side just before the stop. That part of the road was in the shade and a puddle had formed from melting snow. As I slowed down I could feel the ABS kick in on the right side. I was stopping pretty quickly when it happened but the car just kept going straight with no correction on my part...that is why I love ABS.

How do you know if the 5 has ABS? I know it isn't a standard option on every 5.

 

[Micah]

The other morning I was pulling up to a stop sign rather fast. I didn't notice that there was ice for about 30ft on the right hand side just before the stop. That part of the road was in the shade and a puddle had formed from melting snow. As I slowed down I could feel the ABS kick in on the right side. I was stopping pretty quickly when it happened but the car just kept going straight with no correction on my part...that is why I love ABS.

Yeah, same thing here on my way to my weekday job there is a small downhill section where the road would get frozen alot in the winter. I must have slid down that section of road at least a dozen times while getting that sweet little foot massage from my mazda.

The ABS definitely works.

 

[mcstark]

Khoi - ABS came with side-airbags as part of a package. If you have side-airbags there will be a yellow sticker inside the driver's side door jamb -- it's a warning sticker. Your seats should also have a label on the outside edge of the seat-back.

 

[enigM@]

If you feel the abs going into a U-turn in fifth gear then you have bigger problems to worry about.....like, why the hell you drive too fast into a turn like that.

i wasn't paying attention (stupid me) and i almost missed the U-Turn/exit.. so i was on 5th and i slammed on the brakes then put it in neutral.. when i was at about 30-40mph or so then i felt the abs kick in.. wehhh

 

[Turbo Matty P]

[i wasn't paying attention (stupid me) and i almost missed the U-Turn/exit.. so i was on 5th and i slammed on the brakes then put it in neutral.. when i was at about 30-40mph or so then i felt the abs kick in.. wehhh

thats better. I was hoping you weren't trying to do some awesome drift stunts to impress the local rice crowd.

 

[Khoifather]

Khoi - ABS came with side-airbags as part of a package. If you have side-airbags there will be a yellow sticker inside the driver's side door jamb -- it's a warning sticker. Your seats should also have a label on the outside edge of the seat-back.

KewL, i have the warning sticket so I have ABS, wooohoooo!!!! Wait, you guys with ABS brakes, when you turn on the car, does an ABS light turn on in your front panel?

 

[Patmine]

KewL, i have the warning sticket so I have ABS, wooohoooo!!!! Wait, you guys with ABS brakes, when you turn on the car, does an ABS light turn on in your front panel?

I have an 02 protege5, does my car have abs? I was under the impression that there was no abs on the p5s

 

[Action Jackson]

I found the ABS to be very annoying and useless in the winter. Disabling that system helped. When summer rolls around I'll have to wait and see.

 

[WRCprotege]

WOW, i guess im from the old school, i hate ABS!! then again i have no problems stopping at any time, just learn to stop a car on slick stuff!!! plus a car without ABS can stop faster and in shorter distances.. ABS is so that you s*** your self, lock up the brakes and cant steer!! my mom just got an 04 WRX wagon and wrecked it with only 324 miles on it, ABS kicked on an the went from stopping to staying the speed in which the ABS engauged, we hit a car in front of us going 4mph or so, the thing that sucks as this happened 15ft away and the car would not stop!!! its good for some cars, but as a performance driver car, no way...

 

[chuyler1]

Please.

The tests have been done...cars stop quicker with ABS...they pay engineers lots of money to figure this out...Your mom would have been going 6-8mph if the ABS hadn't kicked in. And are you trying to say that your Mom is a performance driver?Additionally, ABS allows you to stay in control while you slam on the brakes.

For example lets say its raining (only to dramatize the situation, it could happen on dry ground also) and dog/cat/child/deer/whatever runs out in front of you. So you slam on the brakes by instinct. With ABS you would be able to swerve to one side and avoid hitting the dog/cat/etc. Without ABS your car would make a straight course for the object once the brakes locked up. If you pumped it, you wouldn't be slowing down as fast as you could be and you run the risk of loosing total control once the wheels started rolling again. Why? because most driver's won't realize their front wheels have locked up until they have whipped the wheel a good distance left or right. Once they realize they aren't changing course they let up on the brakes and the car violently turns in the direction they wanted to go a few seconds before. On a SUV this is when the rollover occurs. On a car, it could start to spin out of control.

Don't blame the ABS on your Mom's mishap. She should have left more distance between herself and the car in front of her.

Seriously...who the **** unplugs their air bags in the name of "performance"? ... So who would want to unplug their ABS which plays the same roll in saving your or someone elses life.

 

[IchBinEinMP5]

I would... I already had a more than lengthy discussion on ABS, and how they impede the ability of the snow tires and brakes to do there job in snowy situations. As for ice, just try your stomp and steer theory above 10km/h and you will find you still have no avoidance control. And in every other situation THRESHHOLD BRAKING (not pumping) stops quicker. Over time (and distance) a good driver is less surprised on the road because they pay attention to what is going on around them. Novice drivers have a hard time with that.

 

[Action Jackson]

WOW, i guess im from the old school....

Me too. I'm so used to driving and avoiding accidents without ABS. I'm not better than ABS, but I'm a lot better than most people who are not used to driving without it.

 

[msubullyfan]

I have an 02 protege5, does my car have abs? I was under the impression that there was no abs on the p5s

ABS is packaged as an option with the side air bags. I have a 2003.5 and have that option -- according to edmunds.com, it was also offered on the 2002 models.

 

[grindMARC]

my mom just got an 04 WRX wagon and wrecked it with only 324 miles on it, ABS kicked on an the went from stopping to staying the speed in which the ABS engauged, we hit a car in front of us going 4mph or so, the thing that sucks as this happened 15ft away and the car would not stop!!! its good for some cars, but as a performance driver car, no way...

This is a bad example. The ABS system on the WRX is horrible. There's a class action suit being prepared against SOA for the system. My ABS's come on at least once a day in my WRX. The tinest little bump sets them off. Last night they came on while I was BACKING OUT of my buddy's driveway.

I suspect that you Mom never 'bedded' the brake pads either. Its CRITICAL to braking performance. I test drove a WRX STi on Saturday with 90 miles on it. The second I stepped on the world-famous Brembo brakes I told the sales guy that they sucked. He basically told me I was crazy. Later I found out that the factory does not bed the pads and that you're supposed to do that yourself during the break-in period. Funny, it wasn't in my owners manual.

I'd recommend that Moms 1) bed the OEM pads immediately 2) get some Axxis Utlimate break pads for at least the front. Those pads made such a huge difference on my WRX (and P5). Better tires on the WRX will help too. Those Blowtenza RE92s are horrrrible.

I wish I had a link, but there was a VERY informative thread on here about ABS not too long ago. Someone here is a ABS engineer...