JohnKos Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I searched the forum on this and didn't seem to get a definative answer. Does ABS suck on the 97 Legacy? i got a rude awakening the first time I slid thru a stop sign going at a speed I could easy have stopped at in my 87 GL. I know the book says it will increase the stopping distance but 2-1/2 to 3 times the distance is a little extreme. Is this a common thing? I just installed new brakes and rotors on the car 2 weeks ago when I bought it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 no, there is something else wrong. most likely the tires are not great. they could be cheap tires or just old, time doesn't do good things to the rubber compounds. was the system actuating, like pulsating or didn't do anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivantruckman Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 ABS sucks, i pulled thge fuse out of my 96 legacy. i can stop way faster with out Abs, last time i did some dash light bulbs i took out the abs indicator light on the dash, what a waste of money. unless you dont know how to drive in the snow or ice , (most of uss do) there useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I think ABS is a great. Technically you should drive slower with conditions, and snow tires are a must. Atleast with ABS you can steer without loosing control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnKos Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Tires are brand new and if i drove any slower there wouldn't be any need for ABS. I've driven a jeep with ABS and the vehicle STOPPED it didn't fight my brake foot for control of car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellow65 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 +1 for pulling the abs fuse. abs is for people that don't understand why their brakes are locked up and can't turn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Tires are brand new and if i drove any slower there wouldn't be any need for ABS. I've driven a jeep with ABS and the vehicle STOPPED it didn't fight my brake foot for control of car. What kind of tires? nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnKos Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Mud & snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Mud & snow.that really doesn't mean anything. how old, how many miles, what brand, etc? ABS isn't for everyone i will admit, i complain about it too - but it does work quite well regardless of all the heavily biased replies you're seeing here. there are plenty of 1997 soobs with excellent working ABS, yours has a problem. i have a 1997 impreza OBS and just bought a friend a 1997 Legacy, the ABS works great in both of them. i HATED ABS in the impreza until i got new tires. the tires were good tires with lots of tread left, i suspect they were just dry or the rubber was compromised for some reason. were you having problem in the snow, ice, or rain? were you on flat or steep grade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnKos Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 I said above they were brand new. its too damn cold out to look at the brand but they are "A" rated for heat and traction. The ABS kicks in even in the flat and going relatively slow in the snow. The brakes get hard as a rock and pulse. Ive even had it kick in while stopping at an interesection and hitting some gravel. Its a little disturbing not knowing if your car will slow even during a routine stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 going relatively slow in the snow. okay, that's what you didn't mention before. snow can really throw things off. if it's doing that, then pull the fuse for the winter. ABS can be dangerous if it's not operating properly and in the snow particularly. at this point it's not operating properly and i've owned a vehicle that did the same thing. like i already mentioned it went away when i got new tires. the old ones weren't that "old" and had tons of tread left. you can even find my old thread, they did the exact same thing in the snow, couldnt' even stop on a steep mountain grade like we have here in the mountains. i was freaking out that the thing would not physically come to a stop without pulling the e-brake. new tires fixed it. there is absolutely no substitute for good tires too. bridgestone Blizzacs, Nokian, etc. the ABS sensors may need cleaned off, they're magnetic and after 10 years they need cleaning of debris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 okay, that's what you didn't mention before. snow can really throw things off. if it's doing that, then pull the fuse for the winter. ABS can be dangerous if it's not operating properly and in the snow particularly. at this point it's not operating properly and i've owned a vehicle that did the same thing. like i already mentioned it went away when i got new tires. the old ones weren't that "old" and had tons of tread left. you can even find my old thread, they did the exact same thing in the snow, couldnt' even stop on a steep mountain grade like we have here in the mountains. i was freaking out that the thing would not physically come to a stop without pulling the e-brake. new tires fixed it. there is absolutely no substitute for good tires too. bridgestone Blizzacs, Nokian, etc. the ABS sensors may need cleaned off, they're magnetic and after 10 years they need cleaning of debris. On my '03 with about 60Kmiles with brand-new dunlop graspic DS-2 snows, my ABS sucks. Everything underneath clean as a whistle. Just tossing that out as a data point. The ABS is designed as way too sensitive. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 interesting indeed. i've had a wide range of experiences too and have no answers, though i thought it was tires. mine got an order of magnitude better, i was assuming due to new tires, but maybe that wasn't it. i actually bought two new front sensors from Subaru for mine and was going to disable the system - but never installed them and the ABS works great now for some reason for the past year. i installed new dual pot front calipers, rotors, and pads. not sure how that would affect the ABS though. it's worked great even in the snow this year, a world of difference from a winter or two ago when it literally would not stop on a hill. the mystery continues i guess..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 ABS = fail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnKos Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 ABS = fail Not quite the four letter word I would use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 interesting indeed. i've had a wide range of experiences too and have no answers, though i thought it was tires. mine got an order of magnitude better, i was assuming due to new tires, but maybe that wasn't it. i actually bought two new front sensors from Subaru for mine and was going to disable the system - but never installed them and the ABS works great now for some reason for the past year. i installed new dual pot front calipers, rotors, and pads. not sure how that would affect the ABS though. it's worked great even in the snow this year, a world of difference from a winter or two ago when it literally would not stop on a hill. the mystery continues i guess..... If you installed calipers with a different piston area, that would quite effictively alter the calibration of the ABS system, IMHO. Larger piston area would provide more clamping force for a given line pressure, and I'd guess the ABS is designed to dump/block a certain amount of line pressure (via strobing the relevant valves just so) , and you're maintaining more clamping force for the periods where the ABS is active. Interesting... Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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