ABS in my Toyota Tacoma= Question for Airjer

[jltimm]

Airjer, I have a 97 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 with ABS in it and I was wondering if there is any way to eliminate the ABS system in it? I do not like the way they feel spongey when in low traction conditions, and would like to try braking without the help of the ABS system.Is there a easy way to do this?

[Jeremy airjer W]

I know what you mean!! I've never cared for ABS and my Tundra is the first vehicle I have owned with it.

Unfortunately it would be unethical and in poor judgment for me to give any advice on how to disable any "safety" feature on a vehicle. There are also legal ramifications that could result in the event of a serious accident or personal injury. Then there is the legalities involved in the resale of the vehicle if the "safety" systems are disabled.

This system on your vehicle is integrated with several other systems. Disabling any of these could result in the loss of function on one or several other systems.

My advice is grin and bear it no matter how undesireable it may seem. The one advantage of ABS is the ability to steer around a potential obstacle in a poor traction situation without the potential loss of control of the vehicle. If this helps to avoid one undesireable situation then it is well worth it!!

It really is a good question and I'm glad you asked. Hopefully my response won't generate a lot of disagreement from other members, but I think it really is the best answer.

[iffwalleyes]

I too wish I could disable it in my truck. It has almost caused more accidents for me than prevented but I guess I will Grin and Bare it as mentioned.

[Powerstroke]

Poor pedal feel will not be improved by removing the ABS. You're not supposed to have a dexteritous feel through the pedal during low traction braking with ABS. You apply the brakes and let the brakes do the work for you. NOthing is wierder than feeling a pulsing in your foot and hearing a pumping or grinding from the brakes.

I'm not very old, but I'm old enough to have learned how to drive on cars with rear wheel drive, drums brakes and lack of ABS. Now I drive large trucks for work and for the fire dept. We do driver training for winter driving for both and we learn on every piece of equipment. Doesn't matter how well you know your vehicle or how well you think you can brake, ABS is still superior to pumping or even pressure braking. Until you've put a plow truck or fire truck sideways trying to pump the brakes you can't understand the pucker factor. ABS is not going away and will be standard on everything eventually.

My suggestion would be to try some new fluid and make sure your brakes are properly adjusted. Some vehicles just have poor pedal feel. If you disabled your ABS and got in an accident you would probably not even get covered by your own insurance. Even if you only damaged your own car, you're taking a risk by disabling a safety feature.

[jltimm]

Thanks for the answers guys! I'll have to live with it I guess! At least the roads have been good so far this year.It wouldn't be so bad if my other two Toyota trucks didn't have such awesome brakes, that I got used to stopping in hairy situations with ease.

[SCHAAKATTACK]

If this is your 1st vehicle w/ ABS A good thing to try when we get some good ice packed parking lots is do some hard braking to activate the ABS function and get a feel for how the system really works. That way you will be better prepared for such a situation. I believe too many people are not familiar with how ABS works and it's real benefit.

If your brakes feel to soft you may want to have them checked by a service center and see if you may have another issue going on with your brakes.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I think he is referring to the funky pedal that the toyota have when the ABS is enabled. All manufactures are a little different in how the pedal feels when the ABS is working. If I remember correctly I think that GM's have one of the firmest pedals. Toyotas almost feel like the pedal goes away . Unless your use to it, it can be a little shocking.

I agree with the icy parking lot idea. Getting to know how your vehicle behaves in a controlled enviroment where the possibility of hitting anything or damaging the vehicle is extremely low will give you valuable experience. be carefull, you can get a ticket for any number of things like careless/reckless driving . My uncle found out the hard way after the cops pulled him over!!! silly uncle!!

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I too wish I could disable it in my truck. It has almost caused more accidents for me than prevented but I guess I will Grin and Bare it as mentioned.

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I've heard many GM owners complain about the very same thing. Usually the situation involves the towing of a trailer.

[Powerstroke]

Friend of mine recently bought a Chevy Trailblazer. He really wanted the 1/2ton pickup, but he said he hated the brake pedal feel. Saif the Trailblazer was great. He ended up choosing the SUV cause the truck didn't offer anything more spectacular for his needs and he said the driver feel was much better.

[DTro]

I guess if there was something that I wanted disabled, I would look for a relay that could be disconnected

[Random guy]

I frowned on my ABS in the Titan until I really needed it. I never had a truck stop so fast in bad conditions. I had coffe on the floor, sales books flying everywhere and the load of parts I was hauling was packed to the front of the bed like Tetris but I stopped in short order.

Now what gets me gong is the slip protection. When the wheels slip it redirects or cuts power. Fine and dandy if you are on the highway. Now try going across a plowed feild hunting in two wheel. The wheels start to slip and power starts to drop until you are stuck.