What does a functioning Mk3's ABS feel like?

[Gaz mr-s]

A 2003 Facelift....if the abs is working properly, what sort of sensation should you get through the pedal?

I haven't experienced loads of cars systems, but a few, & know there are differences. I've felt a thump from the pedal back at one's foot, a pedal that that goes soft under the foot, & a system that worked best if you released the pedal & re-applied it.

I've had my car a few months, done perhaps 1500 miles, mostly in the dry. On one narrow single-track road I got caught out by a blind corner & locked-up at perhaps 15-20mph on the wet/muddy surface.  The abs did not seem to do it's stuff.  In hindsight I should have got it checked.

Tonight I crashed rear-end first into a traffic island. I was going faster than ideal approching a roundabout on a damp surface. It's a mistake I've made before on the same piece of road, but I've always got whichever car under control, until tonight. If it hadn't had abs I think I would managed.

So I'm looking for a description to the question in the top line please.

[shnazzle]

Like a mini machine gun going off under your foot.
You and car ok?

[Gaz mr-s]

Like a mini machine gun going off under your foot.
You and car ok?

So it pulses back, Shnazzle?

I'm 100% ok.....difficult to see full extent of damage. A few £100 I suspect.

[Treboeth]

Like a mini machine gun going off under your foot.
You and car ok?

So it pulses back, Shnazzle?

I'm 100% ok.....difficult to see full extent of damage. A few £100 I suspect.

Never a nice feeling when ABS kicks in, hope shes not too badly damaged   s:( s:(

[Gaz mr-s]

The abs didn't work as Shnazzle's suggested.....the pedal went a bit soft & the car didn't slow anywhere near it should have done.

[shnazzle]

Unfortunately I encounter it a lot. Especially after putting the coilovers on. Depending on the  settings I use and the roads travelled

It's more a ticking than a pulsing. But it's very obvious regardless

[Treboeth]

The abs didn't work as Shnazzle's suggested.....the pedal went a bit soft & the car didn't slow anywhere near it should have done.

Have a read on this
 m https://www.carwow.co.uk/guides/glossary/what-is-abs m

tells you a bit more about ABS, it`s more about control rather than stopping distance, sorry if you already knew.

[Gaz mr-s]

Thanks for replies chaps. Before I read anything....when the Mk3's abs works does it retard the car, - ie does it do what it's supposed to. Because mine didn't.

[shnazzle]

Pedal suddenly going soft is more a symptom of very bad air bubbles in your fluid or in the worst case, a leak.

I would check your brake fluid as a matter of urgency and maybe take it to a trusted mechanic for a brake check. A lot of places will do this for free now.

[Treboeth]

Thanks for replies chaps. Before I read anything....when the Mk3's abs works does it retard the car, - ie does it do what it's supposed to. Because mine didn't.

Read the link and youtube a few videos, or go on a skid pan day, it`s all a revelation.
I don`t drive too fast in my 2 but have felt it kick in a few times, snow and ice can be fun feeling the ABS kicking in.

[Gaz mr-s]

I'm 57, so not a novice, but a recent buyer, so no background experience. The brakes normally work very well.....great to use compared to heavier cars. Braking hard in the dry is no problem. I don't mean pedal went really soft, but after abs activated there was little retardation, & cadence braking didn't make any difference.

Does the MR2's abs lock & release the brakes/wheel depending on grip available from each tyre....ie modulate the braking effect?

[Treboeth]

I'm 57, so not a novice, but a recent buyer, so no background experience. The brakes normally work very well.....great to use compared to heavier cars. Braking hard in the dry is no problem. I don't mean pedal went really soft, but after abs activated there was little retardation, & cadence braking didn't make any difference.

Does the MR2's abs lock & release the brakes/wheel depending on grip available from each tyre....ie modulate the braking effect?

Someone else more knowledgeable will answer this for you I think.
One of the questions will be what tyres do you have on and what`s the age and condition of them?
Also what`s the mileage of the car and what are the shockers like?
I ask these purely so the other people can give you better answers than me.
To be honest when you first drive a 2 it takes a bit of getting used to, my last RWD was a MK2 Escort   s:D s:D

[Gaz mr-s]

The car was bought from a moderator.  Approx 88,000 mls, original shocks, & Tein progressive's.  Toyo T1R's all round. I don't think they're great in the wet, but that's with reference to cornering. The car didn't brake in a near straight line. I was probably a hundred yards before the roundabout before I started braking, & it was in the initial few yards of braking that the retardation reduced.  

I'll say again....if it didn't have an abs system I think I would have stopped it.

[Treboeth]

Good information and it will help you get a better answer.
Are you close to any other members for you to compare if possible?
I only use Toyos for summer now as I managed to get a spare set of wheels to put winter tyres on, just a thought for the future.
As I said hope shes not too badly hurt and you are okay which is always good.

[Gaz mr-s]

No-one I know close. Have a distant friend though.  The written info on here should be enough.....& then need to know what the fault is....abs pump?

[brettfield999]

Does the ABS light go on and then off when the ignition is switched on?  The reason why I ask is because that means the car has run its checks and is happy the ABS system is functional which makes me concur with Shnazzle that it may be a brake hydraulic fault.

[beavisrules]

All the ABS systems I've used seem to work the same , wheels slip then feels like the pedal is fighting back and vibrating , needing harder pressure to brake.
As you say , modulating your braking effort , via valves and a pump.
Would have thought any problems the ECU would have noticed and kept its error light on, but that would not count if something (pump?) failed mid journey.

The '2 I find is quick to activate the abs if I jam the pedal on quickly, where as starting gently seems to get you stopped much quicker without the abs going off.
Wouldn't trust it to save me braking in a corner , once the back end looses grip abs isn't gonna help.

Would be interested to try a mr2 with traction control one day, that would be handy.

Personally think if the car made you veer off then purely a calliper issue.

[JoeCool]

ABS should feel like a pulsating feedback through the pedal, often accompanied by some 'springing' metallic noises as the valves in the ABS unit open and shut.

ABS is good, but it's a driver aid, it's not magic. When there's no grip, there's no grip. These cars spin easily because the weight is centralised, and so many contributing factors like poor tyres, a wet road, incorrect geometry, and sudden driver inputs can conspire to destablise the car and once that happens the ABS, and the driver, have a losing battle to fight. It's role isn't actually to stop you as quickly as possible (although most ABS systems now beat most drivers in stopping distance), but to allow you to retain directional control when braking.

Remember, it's suddenly just gotten a lot colder and wetter.

Ultimately, if you lost directional control due to excess speed in damp conditions, you're already outside the operating sphere of the ABS system. As a car spins, the wheel speeds are all over the place, and you start to need advanced stability control systems (which the MR2 doesn't have) to deal with that and begin to brake individual wheels to bring the car somewhat under control.

Rather than seek to blame a single system for the collision, I'd be looking at the chain of events and the cumulative mistakes and issues that lead there.

In terms of driver input: Well, you know what happened there. Consider some track time or driver tuition if you can because mid engined cars are unlike anything else - the light handling and responsiveness rapidly becomes unforgiving as you exceed the limits of grip.

In terms of the car, I'd be checking the fitness of the tyres, their compound, age and tread depth as well as pressures.

Once you've had the damage sorted, look at the suspension geometry and also condition: worn bushes or old dampers can lead to nasty handling traits. I had a BMW 328i with a failed rear damper, and it simply tired to kill you whenever you turned left, it tipped into wild oversteer.

Glad you're ok, hope the car is an easy fix, and hope you haven't been put off! I don't think ABS is your primary point of failure here....

[Wabbitkilla]

What tyres are on the car?
Pressures?
Ages?

[1979scotte]

Both Joecool and beavisrules have hit the nail on the head for me.

I find my 2 is very quick to activate ABS but i find i am traveling faster in it than other cars especially round bends.

[Gaz2405]

Thought I'd drag up an old topic after using the search function.

Out in the car tonight with new wheels with worn Toyo Proxes T1R's.

Usually have nankang ns2r's on.

Abs was kicking in under quite light braking, so tested it a little more on some open roads.

It got to the point where the rear was trying to come around.

Road surface was dryish, so I'll put it down to that and potentially tyres.

But when I first got in I thought the brake bias was all shot!

After having a nosey around some old threads on here and on spyder hat I'm a little more releaved now.

I'm booked on at Blyton on the 20th October so may experiment with removing the abs fuse, as I've had cars without abs before.

[Bossworld]

Metallic noises for me, seems to mainly come from the front right (though I guess that's where 90kg of added weight is).

I've got a brand new hub/ABS sensor on that side and the front left is fairly new too.

Doesn't kick in anywhere near as much under hard braking since I swapped to new tyres in the spring, but would echo what others have said about it being easily triggered in comparison to other cars.

[1979scotte]

I agree that the abs does seem to trigger easily.

I was wondering wiether that is because these cars are driven harder on narrower tyres than more normal vehicles.

[Petrus]

I agree that the abs does seem to trigger easily.

I was wondering wiether that is because these cars are driven harder on narrower tyres than more normal vehicles.

Not noticed it acting early.
It pretty much like a typical abs. Perhaps exagerated by the low tyre load.

[Ozzy]

As far as I know though, the main purpose of ABS is to give you steering control whilst braking and somewhat tries to stop car from skidding/locking up. Non ABS cars will not turn whilst braking hard which can be quite scary.

I was always told to manually pump the brake pedal hard under heavy braking/emergency situations as its waay better than ABS doing it, except in newer cars of course which are more advanced and safer. Can be hard remembering to do it in an emergency situation as the first thing you normally think of is stamping your foot down on the brakes hard but doing it yourself stops the car much faster.

My R33 Skyline has no ABS and will lock up and keep sliding but if I pump the brakes, it'll stop in nearly half the distance.