Putting ABS on a Mustang

[GreyStang]

Well, ABS certainly isn't "pointless".. but Jfsram and 67mustang302 both are making totally valid points, just from different perspectives. Yes a good driver can definitely stop a regular car just as fast "sometimes faster" than another good driver trying to stop an identical car that has ABS.. I think yeah the VAST majority of drivers could really improve their skills by taking a driving coarse, but you know as well as I do hardly any of those people will ever do that.. so,, ABS to the rescue It isn't a perfect solution but it's better than nothing. One of the really interesting statistics I once heard.. you would think that accident & collision rates would have went DOWN after the invent of ABS because more people should be able to stop in time OR steer around the problem & avoid the crash... it didn't. It seems like more people were actually driving their cars harder because they assumed their new fangled super brakes would save the day.. In some ways "yes" ABS was able to assist in crash avoidance but stupid drivers canceled the advantage by driving even more stupid...

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[Derf00]

Actually Volvo did the testing in germany. They were trying to show that safer cars made for fewer accidents. They ended up with egg on their face after they found the complete opposite for just the reason you stated. As cars get safer, people get more careless and distracted so accidents actually went UP.

Teens especially get over confident and zealous because they get an invincible feeling when driving.

[yamanx]

Thank you guys for the input some completely pointless others not. I live in Oklahoma and the roads are not the best by any means out here and driving conditions change by the mile so ABS is always a plus and I just want it on there because if you ask me ABS is better than not.

[67mustang302]

I guarantee if we went out in the rain at the same speed and stopped I would stop faster. It happens ALL the time when I drive in rain and snow...people next to me slam on the brakes, engage the ABS and stop in a longer distance.

You have to remember how ABS works, if the tire locks, it releases some braking pressure to unlock the tire then reapplies the break pressure...until it locks again, then releases brake pressure and reapplies etc. That's what causes the pedal pulsation under ABS braking, it's a series of locking-unlocking cycles. That means under ABS braking at some points the tire is locked and not stopping the car, at some points the brakes aren't quite engaged hard enough and not stopping the car effectively, and most of the time it's close to optimal. But that means there's a portion of time where the brakes aren't doing you any good. You also have to remember BRAKES DON'T STOP THE CAR...TIRES stop the car....brakes just stop the wheel from rotating. ABS just tries to keep the tires from skidding the entire time, since a locked wheel is neither stopping nor steering the car.

ABS is nice if you don't know how to drive. If all you want to do is slam on the brakes and hack away at the steering wheel to try and avoid hitting things, then ABS is for you. If you actually want to be safer, then you're much better off without ABS and learning how to actually drive.

You should also realize that ABS only mostly works on dry pavement, and sometimes on wet. Many ABS systems compare the speed of different wheels to function. So on rain soaked roads, or gravel, ice etc if you hit the brakes hard and all the tires lock at once, the ABS will be unable to determine locked wheel speed vs rolling wheel speed and it will not function, and all the tires will remain locked. That's why you see a lot of ABS equipped cars getting smashed up in bad weather and the driver says "my car has ABS, but I never felt it engage!"

I can tell you, working as a vehicle test driver, that ABS is a nice function and takes a lot of the "thinking" out of driving(ie it's easier to just hold the pedal down than to threshold brake), but a non ABS car driven properly will outperform an ABS car, especially when it comes to turning under braking. ABS and turning creates a lot of understeer, and while the car will turn you have to REALLY turn the wheel to get good steering response, but threshold braking without ABS while turning will still maintain full steering response.

If you really want to have safer driving, then take a driving course, seriously. You would be amazed at what you can get a non ABS non traction control car to do. You'll learn to stop better and avoid hazards that you simply would not be able to using ABS. ABS is simply there for someone who drives like an idiot, panics and slams on the brakes at the last minute, and then tries to swerve around something. Vehicle components are not what make for safer driving, YOU are what makes for safer driving, and you have to remember that. All the technological gadgetry in the world is of no use if you drive the car into a situation that it can't be driven out of.

[chronos]

It's unfortunate that the government with all their stupid laws and regulations has never mandated that people have to take a REAL driving course. Not drivers ed (which is a joke and not offered in most places any more) not traffic school, not some silly sitting at a desk and being lectured to, but a real hands on driving course. The worse part is, that most people get their license and they actually believe they are good drivers. They may not know jack about driving, but they have a certificate that says they can drive, so they MUST be good drivers. I don't know about other states, but here in California you don't even need to know English. You can pass the written in any language you want. So how the heck are you going to read the STOP sign, or the NO LEFT TURN, or any other non symbol sign? I hate it but the fact is old fashioned defensive driving is what will save you life time and time again and not some fancy machinery. I get pissed of at many drivers every day, but at least I have the solace in knowing I didn't have to deal with being involved in an accident.

[GreyStang]

Going back to the original question.. it would cost a fortune to add ABS to your car. Especially if you aren't handy with tools and needed to pay a garage to do the work.

it's pretty much the same advice I give to guys who buy a 6'r and wanna swap in a V8. Or,,

guys who buy an automatic & wanna swap in a 5-speed...

All this is do-able but the cost of doing the swap would probably be higher than the cost of just selling the car & buying another one that already has what you want.

[yamanx]

Ya I know my way around a wrench was just wondering what components I would need to get and if anyone knew of any problems that came with the addition of it.