ABS - worth it ?

Greg McBain · Post by **Greg McBain** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 9:18 pm

Hi, everyone

Long time listener, first time caller as the ad goes.

Quick question for you ( especially Series 2 drivers) ... is ABS worth it ??
Am looking at getting into an RS spec 1998 / 1999 ... some have it, some
don't. Thoughts ?

Regards,
Greg

Lou Girardin · Post by **Lou Girardin** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 7:29 am

The short answer is yes, for most drivers. The only downside is that the ABS
pedal feel is not as nice as the standard system. Personally, I can live
without it, I've had three ABS equipped cars and only activated it twice in
anger.
Lou

Simon Lord · Post by **Simon Lord** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 7:51 am

Hi Greg

I don't have ABS on my 97, but my other family wagons (Subaru Legacy and
Mitsi Chariot) do. Like Lou, my wife and I have only activated the ABS a
couple of times in anger but when we did we were very glad we had it. I must
admit if I'd had a choice at the time of buying the MX5 I would have gone
for the one with the ABS.

When I was writing an article on the Ford Advanced Driver Training business
a couple of years ago I spent a day down at Pukekohe going through the
course. It was interesting to see the practical difference between cars of
similar model and age fitted with ABS and those without. In general, you
stand a LOT more chance of avoiding an accident with ABS than without for
all the obvious reasons. While the Schumachers of this world may be able to
judge a car's balance so finely that they can avoid locking up under most
circumstances (and even they make mistakes), for the rest of us ABS is a
huge benefit.

I suspect that it is even more valuable in a light car such as the MX5.

One thing with ABS is that to stop as fast as possible you need to stamp on
the brakes very hard - the opposite of a non-ABS car when to do so would
lock you up straight away. It lets you stop faster and steer out of
accidents. The only problem is that you have to remember whether the car you
are driving has it or not if you regularly drive different vehicles. Having
once tried to depress the clutch on the automatic Legacy, after getting back
into it when I had been driving the MX5 for a long time, I like to remember
that none of us is perfect...

Simon
97 SR Ltd

EricW · Post by **EricW** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 8:43 am

While my MX 5 does not have ABS, both my other cars do, and when you need it
it is great to have it. However the Diamante which is an import, has the ABS
set up for the, mostly concrete and wet, Japanese roads and does not like
gravel at all. The ABS kicks in far too easily, and can leave you without
brakes, because it just won't allow you to apply them, it just interprets it
as a very slippery road and becomes most disconcerting. Fortunately, turning
off the traction control also switches off ABS, so I simply do that on a
gravel surface. It's fine on tarmac.

My mechanic tells me that this is a common problem with ex Japanese ABS, but
cars which are NZ new have a far harder program, to accomodate rougher road
surfaces. I have never enquired if it is possible to re-program the ABS,
perhaps one of you can wax lyrical on that subject?

If you are going to do a lot of driving on loose surfaces, I would check out
how the ABS handles it before committing to having it, I don't know that it
is necessary on something as light as an MX5

Eric

my2cta · Post by **my2cta** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 9:12 am

Having only ever managed to activate it once on either of my ABS equipped
cars I suspect it is like air bags. It's worth the extra money when it helps
to save your life, but you hope you'll never need it. If its available get
it, but I wouldn't avoid buying a car that didn't have it. My 2000 NB
doesn't have it. I've had to brake in anger once in that to avoid hitting a
turkey - the Christmas dinner kind, not the kind that gets in your way - and
managed to get smoke off the tyres in the process. The turkey survived. I've
never stopped any other car in such a short distance and still can't believe
how rapidly a non-ABS MX5 can stop when it needs to. As I understand it, ABS
doesn't stop you faster necessarily, but it does help you steer around the
accident whilst still braking hard and that is it's real benefit. I also
understand that below certain speeds a locked wheel stops faster than ABS
can manage.

Tim Dutton
MY2CTA

redney · Post by **redney** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:39 pm

That is one disadvantage of ABS - fewer turkey dinners and less road kill in general.

That aside, having experienced vehicles with and without ABS, I think ABS is a good thing. It only works when braking is extreme and let's face it the MX5 is a great car with or without ABS!

R

[...]

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 1:16 pm

I would prefer to have a car with ABS but wish it could be switched off in
some conditions. My Isuzu Bighorn has ABS which I wish could be switched off
when on steep downhill or on gravel roads. It tends to activate as soon as
there is any sign of slip on any wheel. On gravel it needs to be set to come
on later to allow some slip so that a small wedge of dirt and gravel can
build up in front of the slipping wheel. It does mean that when descending
steep hills that I am slower than I would otherwise be (probably a good
thing). It's quite scary to brake and feel the ABS release the wheel so that
you feel as if you are accelerating! I see the Aussies for their 4WD
Commodore and Falcon derivatives have set the ABS to come on with much more
slip than is normal for other countries.
My Honda Odyssey has ABS as well but it has never been activated. It is
normally used on paved roads only.
The MX5 does not and I haven't been in a situation that needed it
fortunately. It's great on gravel roads as it is as well!
Did a skid training session a few years ago and it was a revelation how
effective ABS is. It definitely stops a car in a much shorter distance than
a non equipped one. The only way to get close to the ABS distance without
ABS was to very rapidly stomp on and off the brake pedal. Do this as hard
and fast as you can and the car almost matches an ABS equipped one. Hard to
do though if you don't have thechance to practise beforehand. Most of us
will just stomp hard on the pedal and lock up all wheels. This happens and
you have lost all control of the vehicle until the wheels are unlocked so
can rotate and get grip again.
Buy a car with it but hope you don't need it.
Grant in sunny (at last) Blenheim.

EricW · Post by **EricW** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:42 pm

Hi Grant,
Do you have any form of traction control on the Bighorn, a quick ask round
the office showed that all of our ABS/ Traction Control equipped vehicles
disable ABS with TCL off, so that may be a general rule. I agree, it's
frightening when it lets go at an awkward moment!

Eric

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 5:35 pm

Mines a 1996 short wheelbase 3 door 3.1 turbo Diesel. No traction control;
too old for that I suspect. It's auto as well, so not quite the engine
braking for the downhill sections as a manual transmission has, although not
too bad in low ratio. The auto makes it a much more controllable vehicle on
the very rough bits though. You don't have the sudden acceleration effect of
the foot bouncing up and down on the throttle when clambering over rocks
that I have many memories of in manual 4WD's over the last 35 years,
especially early Landrovers (when not snapping back axles!).
At the rate the km are adding up (more 83000 since October, 1992) it won't
be too long before I will have to get another one so will know to check the
ABS and traction control if any first.

Grant.

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