Abs - Snow

[T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.]

My Aygo didn't want to stop in the snow (glad I was taking it easy). ABS was certainly no magic solution. I was relieved to shut the car in the garage.

[PaulT]

My Aygo didn't want to stop in the snow (glad I was taking it easy). ABS was certainly no magic solution. I was relieved to shut the car in the garage.

Yep, one of the few times when it is a good idea to use engine braking. I thought that otherwise my basic Aygo coped pretty well with the snow. Stayed on line ok, no surprises

Paul.

[matty_aygo]

yea, u can hear the ABS trying to stop the wheels lockings, but it just cant do anything about it. kinda makes a grinding noise. you just have to take it really easy.

matty.

[jay dh]

thats cos abs doesnt control the breaking, it stops the wheels from skidding which then makes it easier and quicker to stop.

it can get hairy in the snow, the worst part is other moronic drivers i recon. i always check my mirror to ensure the driver behind has stopped

[T V O R]

thats cos abs doesnt control the breaking, it stops the wheels from skidding which then makes it easier and quicker to stop.

ABS stops the wheels from locking up so you don’t lose control, but I know what you mean!

:D

[T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.]

I suppose ABS is a bigger help on ice then

[T V O R]

It’s a bigger help in any situation when you brake and your wheels want to lock up, you will still have control of your car while having maximum braking.

A locked wheel isn’t a gripping wheel. A locked wheel = crash!

[matty_aygo]

Does the aygo have that EBD thing.. break distrabution thing, and does it break on all 4 wheels or does it just break on the front two wheels?

[PaulT]

Does the aygo have that EBD thing.. break distrabution thing, and does it break on all 4 wheels or does it just break on the front two wheels?

Apparently it has some kind of stability control system on the front wheels, but it doesn't seem to be mentioned in the manuals. It's probably EBD or similar, so only works under braking.

The back brakes, being drums, don't have a lot of stopping power compared to the front discs anyway.

Paul.

[Jan van de Wouw]

EBD is Electronic Brakeforce Distribution

ESP is Electronic Stability Program

ALL wheels have brakes on them, but the majority of braking froce comes from

the fronts due to the shifting of weight to the front of the car when braking

The amount of braking force the rears can give is dependant on the load

over the rear wheels; more load means more force. EBD is a system that

regulates the brakes depending on the load of the car.

AFAIK all wheels brake at the same time all the time.

ESP is the system that uses a bunch of sensors to monitor what's happening

to the car and can individually brake the wheels to keep it on course.

The Aygo is equipped with EBD, which makes sense,

as on a 800kg car there's an enormous difference

between one or 4 occupants in regards to weight...

[AyGOTH]

i took my aygo to the tops of the hills near me for a good skidding session in the ice, i always do it

1 its fun

2 it helps me control the car by getting a feel of how it reacts

3 its still fun

4 gets me used to the car when the weather is crappy

needles to say i still take it easy in the bad weather, its just if my car slips in the snow i want to know, if i move the wheel this way how will it react, ive done it in 6cars now and they are all different.

it rocks! try it

[BadBoyVTEC]

no comment

[Red Yaris 54]

i took my aygo to the tops of the hills near me for a good skidding session in the ice, i always do it

1 its fun

2 it helps me control the car by getting a feel of how it reacts

3 its still fun

4 gets me used to the car when the weather is crappy

needles to say i still take it easy in the bad weather, its just if my car slips in the snow i want to know, if i move the wheel this way how will it react, ive done it in 6cars now and they are all different.

it rocks! try it

Would it not be better to use skis???

[matty_aygo]

doesnt that sort of thing put the wheels out of alinement..?

[Lauren]

doesnt that sort of thing put the wheels out of alinement..?

No. it will not put the wheels out of alignment.

[matty_aygo]

but still im sure i cant be too good for the car

[jay dh]

I suppose ABS is a bigger help on ice then

ice is the same problem as snow, once the wheels stop skidding, there is still little traction on the road. ABS is best for hard breaking/emergency stops on dry or wet roads

for snow and ice, there isnt a lot of engineering that can help, its more a good set of tyres or snow chains.

[T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.]

i took my aygo to the tops of the hills near me for a good skidding session in the ice, i always do it

1 its fun

2 it helps me control the car by getting a feel of how it reacts

3 its still fun

4 gets me used to the car when the weather is crappy

needles to say i still take it easy in the bad weather, its just if my car slips in the snow i want to know, if i move the wheel this way how will it react, ive done it in 6cars now and they are all different.

it rocks! try it

I suppose this sort of practice could be worthwhile to prepare for such conditions but I'd have to go somewhere where I am certain that no one is going to drive up and spoil the party.

[J Russell]

ABS can actually make braking harder in snow. Becuase it stops the wheels from locking you don't get a build up of snow in front of the wheels. Its like the people in big 4x4's who don't know how to drive - they think becuase they've got 4 wheel drive they'll have no problem in the snow - they actually are harder to stop if they do start sliding because of the high centre of gravity and extra weight.

I took the Aygo out in the snow and it was great becuase it's got narrow tyres and very little power so it can be controlled really easily - had to take my Lexus out at the end of the day and it took over half an hour just to get it out of my drive - its got snow settings/abs/esc etc etc but it just slithers everywhere on snow!

[T.F.S.B.I.G.W.S.]

ABS can actually make braking harder in snow. Becuase it stops the wheels from locking you don't get a build up of snow in front of the wheels. Its like the people in big 4x4's who don't know how to drive - they think becuase they've got 4 wheel drive they'll have no problem in the snow - they actually are harder to stop if they do start sliding because of the high centre of gravity and extra weight.

I took the Aygo out in the snow and it was great becuase it's got narrow tyres and very little power so it can be controlled really easily - had to take my Lexus out at the end of the day and it took over half an hour just to get it out of my drive - its got snow settings/abs/esc etc etc but it just slithers everywhere on snow!

I remember a Ford Focus Advert, years ago, in which Ford boasted that the ABS could be switched off when driving through freshly fallen snow - for the very reason you state.