ABS DIY?

[Alwin]

Does anyone know if you can buy and install the ABS system yourself if you bought a yaris without it? Here in the US, Option Package B is all I want, but it doesn't come with ABS.

-Alwin

[eTiMaGo]

it's probably a lot more complicated than it sounds, it would be much better to learn to use your own ABS system (modulating the brakes)...

[joey1320]

i think it will cost a lot to get the ABS pump and all of the pipes plus if you need some kind of reflash for your ecu.

too complicated in my opinion. i also wanted the ABS but didn't wanna spend the $2000 to get it plus all the other crap you were gonna get with the package.

now i'm just very carefull when driving.

[Black Yaris]

that is funny... I made sure mine did not have ABS, I want control over my braking... plus it is one more part to go bad down the road

[joey1320]

Originally Posted by Black Yaris

that is funny... I made sure mine did not have ABS, I want control over my braking... plus it is one more part to go bad down the road

the only thing is that with the snow up here i'll like to have abs but i ended up not getting it and i drove this past winter with no problems.

[BokChoi]

i dont know if my car has abs or not how do i find out?

[forpinks]

The Yaris is too light for the ABS to be useful.

Just do what the Initial D peeps do and disable the ABS and practice "brake pulsing", this technic is more reliable than ABS on dry pavement... ; )


good luck!

[FlyingDevil]

ya i think ABS is not very helfpul...especially in the winter with the snow...

[ozmdd]

Resurrecting an old thread here - has anyone ever determined how much needs to be retrofitted to put ABS on a non-ABS LB? I've found the pump/control modules for affordable prices, but wondering how much else has to be added, or if the entire braking system is different? Was this a strictly-factory option, or added at the port-of-entry?

[bearda]

Definitely a factory option. Usually there are a number of sensors that go along with the system for feedback you'd also have to get.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by ozmdd

Resurrecting an old thread here - has anyone ever determined how much needs to be retrofitted to put ABS on a non-ABS LB? I've found the pump/control modules for affordable prices, but wondering how much else has to be added, or if the entire braking system is different? Was this a strictly-factory option, or added at the port-of-entry?

It would require the 4 wheel speed sensors (and wiring), the ABS ECU, the Brake Actuator Assembly, a new cluster (if you want the indicator).

I don't think the ECM needs to be changed or reflashed. The reason I say that is that the EPC doesn't specifically indicate a different ECM for ABS.

[bearda]

I've always been surprised at the negative reactions to ABS, as well. Personally I would much rather have a car equipped with ABS than one without, mostly because I realize the limits of my own ability. I'm a frequent autoxer and would like to think that I am at least an average driver. I know that there's a difference between threshold braking around a cone course where I'm looking ahead and anticipating each corner and when someone stops dead in the middle of a freeway, though. I also know that having one brake pedal means a 4-channel ABS system can deal with a situation where I've got two tires on an ice slick and two on wet pavement better than I can.

[PhilD424]

If someone needs ABS to stop correctly then they shouldn't be driving. People who don't know how to drive and just slam on their brakes thinking they are going to stop are the ones who need ABS. If you know how to drive and know how much brake can be applyed for whatever road condition you encounter, ABS is only going to make you have an accident. And for people who say its better in snow, ice etc thats BS. If your skidding in snow and there is nothing you can do about it snow will pile up in front of your tires slowing you down better then a car with ABS. In some conditions stopping distances are worse with ABS. Now with Ice which is almost impossible to stop on, your screwed both ways. You shouldn't be driving so fast and leave so little room that you can't stop in time in icey conditions. ABS can't defy the laws of physics. Just my 2 cents.

[Sir A.Y. Atoyot]

I live in a small city that's on a hillside - the roads are all up and down. It doesn't snow too often, but it can get icy when it does.

Last winter, shortly after I got the car, there was snow. There was also black ice at the foot of the steep street I live on. The surface was perfectly slippery, but didn't look it. I was driving very slowly and carefully, but skidded at the stop sign anyway. If I hadn't had the ABS on my Yaris, I would have been creamed by an SUV. Under the circumstances, even the most self-righteous opponent of ABS would not have been able to stop with "superior" driving skill.

If the car cost extra for ABS, it paid for itself right then and there.

By the way, when the ABS is working, it makes horrible noises. This is normal. Don't freak out and take your foot off the brake!

[Altitude]

So what is it about ABS that people dislike so much? My car came with it and to be honest I don't really care about it one way or the other. The thing is, I don't think it has ever engaged. Which is why I ask the question... if you have ABS but drive properly it won't engage, so why all the hate?

[Sir A.Y. Atoyot]

Originally Posted by Altitude

So what is it about ABS that people dislike so much? My car came with it and to be honest I don't really care about it one way or the other. The thing is, I don't think it has ever engaged. Which is why I ask the question... if you have ABS but drive properly it won't engage, so why all the hate?

The essential point is that ABS only works in emergencies, when the chips are really well and truly down. In normal driving, it might as well not be installed. Of course, you could say the same about any of the safety equipment in the Yaris - air bags, seat belt retractors, and so on. The car might go (over a period of years or even decades) from the dealer's lot to the junk yard without ever needing any of them. Personally, I'd rather have them in place for the times when they're needed.

I hope yours will never engage (and mine will never engage again.)

[Altitude]

Originally Posted by Sir A.Y. Atoyot

The essential point is that ABS only works in emergencies, when the chips are really well and truly down. In normal driving, it might as well not be installed. Of course, you could say the same about any of the safety equipment in the Yaris - air bags, seat belt retractors, and so on. The car might go (over a period of years or even decades) from the dealer's lot to the junk yard without ever needing any of them. Personally, I'd rather have them in place for the times when they're needed.

I hope yours will never engage (and mine will never engage again.)

Yes, I understand when it is supposed to engage, which further begs the question why people hate it so much. Are there that many people who routinely find themselves in such an emergency?

Come to think of it, I just might go about and test it just to know what to expect if I ever do find it kicking in.

[ozmdd]

"If someone needs ABS to stop correctly then they shouldn't be driving. People who don't know how to drive and just slam on their brakes thinking they are going to stop are the ones who need ABS. If you know how to drive and know how much brake can be applyed for whatever road condition you encounter, ABS is only going to make you have an accident. And for people who say its better in snow, ice etc thats BS. If your skidding in snow and there is nothing you can do about it snow will pile up in front of your tires slowing you down better then a car with ABS. In some conditions stopping distances are worse with ABS. Now with Ice which is almost impossible to stop on, your screwed both ways. You shouldn't be driving so fast and leave so little room that you can't stop in time in icey conditions. ABS can't defy the laws of physics. Just my 2 cents."

Thanks for the 2cents, but I agree with Altitude that there are an awful lot of vehement anti-abs folks who seem overzealous to knock it. Fine with me if you don't want it, but the argument lacks merit, empirically. Repeated testing validates the effectiveness of ABS brakes in reducing stopping distances and maintaining control of the vehicle. Opinions are fine, but they lose to facts.
It is true that you can modulate effectively in many situations, but you will never be as fast as the computer.
Another point about ABS is that most track and autox enthusiasts swear by it.
More love, less hate! :)