I tried my Rav on snow today.Not much snow & wasnt very slippery.What l did find was from going from dry to a snow -packed road,the Rav really grabbed & l felt the brake pulsing(grabbing a lot).Is this becauce of abs brakes? As lve never had them b4.Ive got Long Trail 16" radials.Older tires,but good tread.
97 Rav4 with awd & auto [abs question]
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My ol' '98 Rav had ABS and I was glad to have it for the times my wife was driving, as I'm sure in a panic stop she would mash the brakes and hopefully steer around any problems. I appreciated having it in the rain when individual tires would lose traction under braking and not lock up.
In heavy snow it's better not to have ABS because snow packs up in front of the tires when they are locked up, slowing you quicker........but! you can still get sideways if you don't get off the brakes and correct steering..... I would like to have had a switch to turn it off in some snow conditions.
Keep in mind that ABS is a "trade off"........experienced drivers that really know their vehicles limits can usually out perform it, BUT there are not a whole lot of those drivers of there. So for the average person, that doesn't do a lot of highway driving, it is a real benefit.....it allows them to brake hard while allowing them to still make small adjustments to steering to avoid objects at the same time. Locking up brakes totally removes the option of steering, ....your just along for the ride...... :shock:
I had to replace two ABS wheel sensors at about 100k kms......as the ABS warning light came on, and it becomes non-ABS at that point.
Enjoying the early snow out west??? :lol:
In heavy snow it's better not to have ABS because snow packs up in front of the tires when they are locked up, slowing you quicker........but! you can still get sideways if you don't get off the brakes and correct steering..... I would like to have had a switch to turn it off in some snow conditions.
Keep in mind that ABS is a "trade off"........experienced drivers that really know their vehicles limits can usually out perform it, BUT there are not a whole lot of those drivers of there. So for the average person, that doesn't do a lot of highway driving, it is a real benefit.....it allows them to brake hard while allowing them to still make small adjustments to steering to avoid objects at the same time. Locking up brakes totally removes the option of steering, ....your just along for the ride...... :shock:
I had to replace two ABS wheel sensors at about 100k kms......as the ABS warning light came on, and it becomes non-ABS at that point.
Enjoying the early snow out west??? :lol:
Down in Jackson, we've only seen a dusting of snow so far. (a hallelujah icon would be great right here). So we've been lucky. I know that ABS is great for the unseasoned driver, but damn, teach people how to drive and we won't need stupid contraptions like this that cost oodles of noodles to have repaired. My other favorite is traction control. I've been in vehicle where it will actually take over steering trying to correct the traction loss. Only a minute amount, but enough to get you killed if it goes off at the wrong moment, because you cannot steer while its activated. (Oldsmobile Alero BTW)
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