Quick question, when you were experiencing the control issues with your ABS, did your light ever come on during this?
Disable ABS
Today was the first snowfall of 2012 where I live. The roads were icy and compact snow and generally awful conditions. Once again the ABS on my 2003 Rav4 was DECREASING my stopping time especially downhill and I feel no control of the vehicle.
When I got home I pulled the 40a fuse under the hood. Went out and tested it and what a difference. I can actually stop when I want to even on hills.
I don't mind the abs in rain and wet weather but in snowy conditions and gravel forest roads it really is ineffective.
When I got home I pulled the 40a fuse under the hood. Went out and tested it and what a difference. I can actually stop when I want to even on hills.
I don't mind the abs in rain and wet weather but in snowy conditions and gravel forest roads it really is ineffective.
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The light has never come on.
It is on now that I pulled the fuse.
It is on now that I pulled the fuse.
Ok. I was just curious if maybe your problems stemmed from low brake fluid or a bad sensor. I've never tried it before, but I haven't ever driven a car where the ABS increased my braking distance. I've slid on ice before and ABS doesn't help in this condition (nor does anything else lol) but I don't feel like it's a good idea to disable it all together. Idk, maybe it's just me...
ABS has been awful since we've had the vehicle. Fluid is fine and to the best of my knowledge sensors are fine. I like the ABS in wet/dry conditions but absolutely not on snow, ice, gravel or mud.Ok. I was just curious if maybe your problems stemmed from low brake fluid or a bad sensor. I've never tried it before, but I haven't ever driven a car where the ABS increased my braking distance. I've slid on ice before and ABS doesn't help in this condition (nor does anything else lol) but I don't feel like it's a good idea to disable it all together. Idk, maybe it's just me...
I used to be able to stop faster in a Ford Mustang and Dodge K car than my rav4 with ABS!
So I guess you meant to say your stopping time was INCREASING?
Since you pulled the 40a fuse and have driven for a month how would you rate the braking ability of your Rav4 now? Is the light still on on the dash? Have you noticed any other issues?Today was the first snowfall of 2012 where I live. The roads were icy and compact snow and generally awful conditions. Once again the ABS on my 2003 Rav4 was DECREASING my stopping time especially downhill and I feel no control of the vehicle.
When I got home I pulled the 40a fuse under the hood. Went out and tested it and what a difference. I can actually stop when I want to even on hills.
I don't mind the abs in rain and wet weather but in snowy conditions and gravel forest roads it really is ineffective.
Braking ability is good. I've never had a problem with rav braking except when ABS is involved. The light stays on as long as the fuse is pulled and goes off after it's back in. There are no other issues caused by pulling the fuse as far as I can tell.Since you pulled the 40a fuse and have driven for a month how would you rate the braking ability of your Rav4 now? Is the light still on on the dash? Have you noticed any other issues?
We had some crummy conditions (icy roads) here few days ago and I had the fuse in. Almost went through an intersection as I was coming to a SLOW stop down hill the rav just wouldn't stop because the wheels would sense skidding and just keep going and pumping...very unnerving. After popping the fuse it was no problem to stop anymore even on slick stuff and downhills.
The Rav4 is my wife's car and I don't drive it often. My car (not a Toyota) stops really good (I trust it's ABS but rarely need it) in the snow and ice. But a couple days ago I was driving the Rav4 at night, there was just an inch of fresh crunchy snow on the street, it's cold and dry and not icy, I was going slow making a turn, braked and the ABS kicked in half way in the turn, the car locks on an angle, and slowly the car heads to the stop sign at the corner, not slowing down at all, not turning, and just before we hit the curb and stop sign I let off the brake (just the opposite of what you feel like you should do) and the car stopped sliding and proceeded to turn. I have had my doubts about this car's ABS before and now I know I do not like it. The ABS did not seem to slow the car down in the slide at all. It seemed like the brakes were locked up all the time even the the ABS felt like it was kicking in and out. It's very odd. I have driven through 45 western NY winters and I know this is just not the way the car should handle in these conditions.
Why don't you just leave the fuse out???
Why don't you just leave the fuse out???
This is not a Rav4 problem but a technical limitation of all ABS. On very slick surfaces ABS is not as effective as threshold braking. This is a point well known by rally drivers and off road enthusiasts. The road right outside my house is pack ice and cinders and I experience the ABS slide.
How ever I would not want to give up ABS at high speeds on good road conditions. Many serious offroaders install modified relays with a wire going to a switch at the dash so they can turn ABS on and off easily on the fly. This would be nice especially if there were some electronics at the switch.
I would want ABS on by default and then off when switched off with it coming back on as soon as speed is over 30mph and then back off when slowed below 30 if the switch is still off. When I say on by default I mean like the over drive button with an automatic where if it switched off and you restart the car it is on again.
Of course my 2004 has more electronics and is drive drive by wire and has traction control and vsc which use the ABS so it is probably not advisable for 04-05. On other hand if it also turns these off it may be even more useful in a few situations.
How ever I would not want to give up ABS at high speeds on good road conditions. Many serious offroaders install modified relays with a wire going to a switch at the dash so they can turn ABS on and off easily on the fly. This would be nice especially if there were some electronics at the switch.
I would want ABS on by default and then off when switched off with it coming back on as soon as speed is over 30mph and then back off when slowed below 30 if the switch is still off. When I say on by default I mean like the over drive button with an automatic where if it switched off and you restart the car it is on again.
Of course my 2004 has more electronics and is drive drive by wire and has traction control and vsc which use the ABS so it is probably not advisable for 04-05. On other hand if it also turns these off it may be even more useful in a few situations.
On the 4.2, will removing the fuse disable VSC , ABS ,and traction control?
As I stated - my car's ABS works very good on ice and snow. But it is a 2011 vehicle and I believe the technology has improved. I did ask my wife how she reacts to slippery conditions with the Rav4 and she says she pumps the brakes. :shrug:This is not a Rav4 problem but a technical limitation of all ABS. On very slick surfaces ABS is not as effective as threshold braking.
You are not supposed to pump the brakes with ABS. Just press the brakes as hard as you can.
That being said, there is slush and snow in the roads today.
I was driving 50 km/h and decided to brake for the red lights and the car would not stop, but hear the ABS kick in!!! I finally decided to just accelerate through the intersection!
So ABS was of no help today.
ABS did prevent an accident 2 weeks ago as it still allows the driver to control the car; i was able to get the RAV in a 45 degree angle; just enough so as not to hit the guy who was stopped at a red light in front of me.
Hard to say if I hate ABS
That being said, there is slush and snow in the roads today.
I was driving 50 km/h and decided to brake for the red lights and the car would not stop, but hear the ABS kick in!!! I finally decided to just accelerate through the intersection!
So ABS was of no help today.
ABS did prevent an accident 2 weeks ago as it still allows the driver to control the car; i was able to get the RAV in a 45 degree angle; just enough so as not to hit the guy who was stopped at a red light in front of me.
Hard to say if I hate ABS
I am still wondering why not just leave the fuse out during the winter?
Larry: I don't leave it out all winter because our weather is variable and I don't mind the abs as long as there is not snow/ice. Usually it's above freezing. A switch would be ideal.
Vanib: I have done the intersection thing more than once with slick conditions...very bad feeling. Even coming to a dead slow stop, especially downhills, with abs you can glide 20 feet or more.
My 2003 does not have vsc/traction control or at least not lights for them.
Vanib: I have done the intersection thing more than once with slick conditions...very bad feeling. Even coming to a dead slow stop, especially downhills, with abs you can glide 20 feet or more.
My 2003 does not have vsc/traction control or at least not lights for them.
50a.
The 30a powers the ABS module itself and the 50a powers the pump. Be aware that pulling the 50a will also disable VSC
The 30a powers the ABS module itself and the 50a powers the pump. Be aware that pulling the 50a will also disable VSC
Disable ABS? – Bad Idea
I don’t know whether you know this, but ABS is not supposed to improve / reduce your stopping distance.
When your wheels lock up, the car skids, then you lose the ability to stop and to steer.
It is supposed to allow you to continue to steer under hard braking. It is an electronic implementation of Cadence Braking.
ABS prevents the wheels locking up – when the rotation stops, the brake is released – wheel starts rotating again, the brake is applied. This cycle continues as long as the brake is applied – this is what causes the drumming sound and feeling in the brake pedal.
Because of what ABS does, it will worsen / increase your stopping distance.
If you want to make a stop in the shortest possible distance, then you need to use Threshold braking this is perfectly possible in a car equipped with ABS.
Because of this, the last thing you should do in icy conditions, when you need to make an emergency stop, is stomp on the brakes as hard as you can and hope for the best.
By all means, stomp on the brakes as hard as you can, but then you need to steer around the obstacle.
You want to disable the ABS? Really bad idea.
I don’t know whether you know this, but ABS is not supposed to improve / reduce your stopping distance.
When your wheels lock up, the car skids, then you lose the ability to stop and to steer.
It is supposed to allow you to continue to steer under hard braking. It is an electronic implementation of Cadence Braking.
ABS prevents the wheels locking up – when the rotation stops, the brake is released – wheel starts rotating again, the brake is applied. This cycle continues as long as the brake is applied – this is what causes the drumming sound and feeling in the brake pedal.
Because of what ABS does, it will worsen / increase your stopping distance.
If you want to make a stop in the shortest possible distance, then you need to use Threshold braking this is perfectly possible in a car equipped with ABS.
Because of this, the last thing you should do in icy conditions, when you need to make an emergency stop, is stomp on the brakes as hard as you can and hope for the best.
By all means, stomp on the brakes as hard as you can, but then you need to steer around the obstacle.
You want to disable the ABS? Really bad idea.
I completely hear what your saying. However, I've had my vehicle now for 10 years and my ABS absolutely sucks when there is ice, snow, mud etc and always has. MY rav4 stops much easier and safer without it. I have done hours of experimenting with and without on hills, in parking lots with different braking styles and always come to the conclusion the ABS in MY rav4 renders it dangerous.I don’t know whether you know this, but ABS is not supposed to improve / reduce your stopping distance.
When your wheels lock up, the car skids, then you lose the ability to stop and to steer.
It is supposed to allow you to continue to steer under hard braking. It is an electronic implementation of Cadence Braking.
ABS prevents the wheels locking up – when the rotation stops, the brake is released – wheel starts rotating again, the brake is applied. This cycle continues as long as the brake is applied – this is what causes the drumming sound and feeling in the brake pedal.
Because of what ABS does, it will worsen / increase your stopping distance.
If you want to make a stop in the shortest possible distance, then you need to use Threshold braking this is perfectly possible in a car equipped with ABS.
Because of this, the last thing you should do in icy conditions, when you need to make an emergency stop, is stomp on the brakes as hard as you can and hope for the best.
By all means, stomp on the brakes as hard as you can, but then you need to steer around the obstacle.
You want to disable the ABS? Really bad idea.
This is from the Wikipedia article about Cadence Braking:
"Cadence braking (or any other type of braking) will not help much on extremely slippery surfaces such as ice (in theory it would, but in practice the ice can be so slippery that it makes little difference — a winter tyre would make more difference). Also, on very loose surfaces, a quicker stop can be achieved by simply locking the wheels, causing a wedge of loose material to build up ahead of the wheels and create a substantial braking force. This is useful only when stopping in a straight line, because locking the wheels means all steering control would be lost. In such conditions, ABS actually increases the stopping distances. On poor surfaces, in the past, rally drivers timed the pulsing of brake application so as to take advantage of the load transfer as the vehicle pitches forwards and backwards in response to the initial braking effort. With modern overdamped, stiffly sprung suspensions this is less likely to be effective."
I can see this might work in snow and mud - but I'm not sure it would work on ice. But then no braking technique or system works without friction.
I also suspect that disabling the ABS might have consequences for your insurance cover.
The main point was that ABS is supposed to let you keep steering even under heavy braking - no ABS + slippery surfaces + heavy braking = no steering.
I'm lucky - I don't live in a country where we get freezing temperatures any more.
"Cadence braking (or any other type of braking) will not help much on extremely slippery surfaces such as ice (in theory it would, but in practice the ice can be so slippery that it makes little difference — a winter tyre would make more difference). Also, on very loose surfaces, a quicker stop can be achieved by simply locking the wheels, causing a wedge of loose material to build up ahead of the wheels and create a substantial braking force. This is useful only when stopping in a straight line, because locking the wheels means all steering control would be lost. In such conditions, ABS actually increases the stopping distances. On poor surfaces, in the past, rally drivers timed the pulsing of brake application so as to take advantage of the load transfer as the vehicle pitches forwards and backwards in response to the initial braking effort. With modern overdamped, stiffly sprung suspensions this is less likely to be effective."
I can see this might work in snow and mud - but I'm not sure it would work on ice. But then no braking technique or system works without friction.
I also suspect that disabling the ABS might have consequences for your insurance cover.
The main point was that ABS is supposed to let you keep steering even under heavy braking - no ABS + slippery surfaces + heavy braking = no steering.
I'm lucky - I don't live in a country where we get freezing temperatures any more.
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