Think I've been misled

[TW]Fox · 5 Dec 2006 at 12:52

triggerthat said:
Not aware of any. Enlighten me please.

1996-1999 Mondeo 2.0 16v Ghia X for starters.

GlacierMint · 5 Dec 2006 at 12:57

triggerthat said:
Not aware of any. Enlighten me please.

2001 build Ford Fiesta Zetec S has both ABS and rear drums.

Firestar_3x · 5 Dec 2006 at 12:59

2004 renault Clio Dynamique - LOAD of cars have Drums and ABS, what about drums would mean an abs system wouldn't work :confused:

ShiWarrior · 5 Dec 2006 at 13:02

Dogbreath said:
If the ABS has kicked in then the chances are high that you were driving too quickly for the conditions or simply not paying attention, so hardly surprising it doesn't go hand in hand with a good experience. A lot of people think they can do better than ABS; on some surfaces (snow/gravel etc.) they probably can, but on very slippery surfaces where the ABS appears to kick in almost straight away, the fact is that there is so little grip available that nothing short of a road anchor (or hitting something) is going to make the car stop quickly.

One area where no driver can beat ABS is that (modern variants at least) can control each wheel separately. No matter how good a driver you are, if one to two wheels lock you will have to release pressure to all four wheels to get them gripping again, losing braking distance in the process.

my ABS is odd.
if dry and someone pulls out in front of me, so i have to stop VERY quicly, it will kick in like its supposed to, however in the WET and driving at sat 5 MPH it will kick in more often than not, when i just lightly tap the brake

Conscript · 5 Dec 2006 at 14:19

triggerthat said:
Not aware of any. Enlighten me please.

X-reg Fiesta Zetec-S. Friend of mine has one, ABS and drums on the rear.

Brok · 5 Dec 2006 at 15:15

Thanks for all the feedback so far, I'll have a look under the bonnet tomorrow morning and if I cant spot anything with ABS in big letters I'll take a piccie (I'm a numpty when it comes to cars

)

fwiw it has drums at the back, not discs.

Ukadder · 5 Dec 2006 at 17:02

As others have said loads of cars with drums have ABS, my J reg 2.0 8v Calibra did as well.

dirtydog · 5 Dec 2006 at 17:42

Ukadder said:
As others have said loads of cars with drums have ABS, my J reg 2.0 8v Calibra did as well.

Didn't it have discs all round? I thought all 2.0 Cavaliers had discs all round (a Calibra being a Cavalier underneath of course), though perhaps it was just the SRi and GSi then... dunno.

Nor · 5 Dec 2006 at 22:15

NickXX said:
As echoed above. Do you really think you can pump your brakes 15 times a second, as well as being able to brake each wheel individually?

Didn't think so.

Was there a desperate need for you to act like that? A couple of the other responses are in the same vein. Talk about jumping to conclusions and going for the 'juggler'.

I've had ABS come on on a few different circumstances. 1. In the snow, it's absolute murder. 2. Braking and going over a little bump in the road (near my house), been over the same bump in a non-ABS car and I just slowed down as per. Over the bump in the ABS car and it sets off the ABS and the car seems to run away from you.

Not having a fondness for ABS has nothing to do with trying to be manly Fox. Obviously there are circumstances where ABS will present you with a huge advantage over manual brakes. All I'm saying is that the experiences I've had in driving both cars with ABS, and cars without, I've felt on a couple of ocassions that the ABS wasn't a help, and seemed to add an 'unknown element' into braking which wasn't there otherwise.

NickXX · 5 Dec 2006 at 22:40

Nor said:
I've had ABS come on on a few different circumstances. 1. In the snow, it's absolute murder. 2. Braking and going over a little bump in the road (near my house), been over the same bump in a non-ABS car and I just slowed down as per. Over the bump in the ABS car and it sets off the ABS and the car seems to run away from you.

Not having a fondness for ABS has nothing to do with trying to be manly Fox. Obviously there are circumstances where ABS will present you with a huge advantage over manual brakes. All I'm saying is that the experiences I've had in driving both cars with ABS, and cars without, I've felt on a couple of ocassions that the ABS wasn't a help, and seemed to add an 'unknown element' into braking which wasn't there otherwise.

I'm sorry I wasn't aiming at you in particular, I'm just irritated with 'driving-hero' style posts where driver aids are slated simply because it's not how things were done 'back in t'day'.

I agree that ABS is totally useless in some situations but in the vast majority of instances where it will activate, it will prove to be a lot more effective than an unaided system. For instance on a wet motorway where you're travelling at 60 and ever metre counts - that is where ABS will possibly save you life. This is a situation you could be faced with all year round.

With snow where ABS may be at a disadvantage, you're likely to be travelling a lot slower and a lot more cautiously - so the chance of having a serious accident are greatly reduced. Besides, locking up on sheet ice ABS or not, is not going to be much fun either way.

Yes, ABS might be irritating when you brake over that little bump in the road - but where it matters it could, and likely will greatly increase your chances of survival in a brown trouser moment.

Defcon5 · 5 Dec 2006 at 23:22

triggerthat said:
Not aware of any. Enlighten me please.

Mine does, corsa c. (innit)

Dogbreath · 6 Dec 2006 at 00:47

Nor said:
Was there a desperate need for you to act like that? A couple of the other responses are in the same vein. Talk about jumping to conclusions and going for the 'juggler'.

The annoying buggers deserve it though

Shimmyhill · 6 Dec 2006 at 09:22

[TW]Fox said:
A month after buying it after putting anything up to 1000 miles on it? It is NOT that simple..

It is.

I had the same exact issue with a car i bought from a dealer. I got to the point where i could have my money back plus money for the car i traded in. I settled for a cash settlement with them that was the cost to add ABS as a new option.

However i could prove it was advertised with ABS as i had printed out the advert, with this proof i was completly within my rights. I had left it a little while as t is the wifes car and she had not noticed.

Brok · 6 Dec 2006 at 10:31

OK I had a look under the bonnet, couldnt see anything with ABS written on it. Unofortunately the picture I took came out all blurry so no point posting it but I'm getting more sure that the car doesnt have it.

I didnt print out the advert, but it was advertised on Auto trader's website. Any idea if they retain an archive of their adverts?

I've only done 250 miles in it btw.

Dr Jack · 6 Dec 2006 at 10:41

Brok said:
I didnt print out the advert, but it was advertised on Auto trader's website. Any idea if they retain an archive of their adverts?

Have you tried contacting the dealer yet? Your first bet should be simply contacting them and complaining. If you hit problems, it's time to look for evidence.

v0n · 6 Dec 2006 at 11:30

See if there is ABS connector in rear wheel arch with cable going all the way to the spindle (disconnected on the pic).

Pug · 6 Dec 2006 at 11:37

ABS isnt just about stopping quicker, its about being able to control the car better under heavy breaking, and in some RARE cases its a slight disadvantage. On the whole, i'd choose it over not.