ABS brakes / Would you buy a Yaris without them?

[RedRide]

I'm a bit confused when some say that their brake pedels pulsate, etc when mine doesn't exhibit any of these problems.
Perhaps some have ABS that is not working properly?

BTW......when the ABS brakes do lock up, they will intermittently unlock and lock a few times a second and maby this is what some are interpeting as "pedel pulsating".

[10peep]

Originally Posted by RedRide

..........some say that their brake pedels pulsate, etc when mine doesn't exhibit any of these problems.
Perhaps some have ABS that is not working properly?........

Lol, on every single vehicle that Ive ever owned with ABS (Ive owned 28 vehicles in the last 4 years, MOST of them with ABS), the pedal pulsates when ABS engages. Heres a couple SMALL excerpts from articles that I found on the subject...

"Expect noise and vibration in the brake pedal when your anti-lock brakes are in use. These sensations tell you the ABS system is working properly."

"ABS - Antilocking Braking System prevents the wheels from locking causing the vehicle to either slide or skid out. The system pulsates the pads or shoes of the brakes providing the wheels to still rotate at a slowing rate, maintaining traction and steering control during hard braking.
During hard braking the break pedal with pulsate rapidly - that is the ABS activating. Just keep firm pressure on the pedal and the car with stop in an reasonable stopping distance."

Etc...it goes on and on and on. Not trying to be a jerk, but perhaps it is YOU that have ABS that is not functioning properly, lol.

[carnageehw]

I'm a driving instructor, and I can promise you that in my 113,000 kms I've braked more with the ABS on than anyone else here. In fact, with every student we practice slamming on the brakes at 60 and 80 kms/hour. That's a LOT of braking.

A few things:

The Pedal WILL PULSATE back at you when you slam on the brakes. But so what? It's not a big deal when you know what that what the ABS does.

In good conditions the abs will only come on with hard braking at about 60km/h, or 40-ishmph. Drive well and you likely never need the abs to come on.

In the snow, I can see ABS being annoying. ABS brakes won't work as well on loose surfaces, and the extra control might be nice.

Other than that one area, I wouldn't want a car without ABS. They work great and studies show they stop you sooner on a dry road. Yes, you can pulse your brakes (threashold braking) but in a real emergency, I'd rather focus on where I need to move the car to and not waste time and energy thinking about not locking the brakes.

I don't really think ABD is a "nanny" any more than power steering is a "nanny".