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ABS – All for One, None for All!

Even though there is a major surge towards safety of city cars with the installation of an anti-lock braking system (ABS) taking the lead, it is important to note that not all safety features are in actuality “safe” for ALL types of vehicles. For example, an ABS is not recommended for vehicles like the Hummer that are meant for off-road activities.

The concept of an anti-lock braking system is simple. It keeps the wheels of a car from locking up. The anti-lock brakes use four wheel-speed sensors to monitor the speed at which each wheel of the car is turning. This data is shared with the vehicle's powertrain control module (PCM) computer. If the PCM detects that one of the wheels is about to lock-up during braking, it takes control and avoids locking, therefore providing the driver with the maximum available braking capacity of the car and also allowing the driver to maintain steering control. In normal clip-like brakes the wheels get locked up, but the car cannot stop the momentum or speed of the vehicle that goes straight to the object it wants to avoid. Therefore, an ABS is a boon during city driving!

However, off-road drives are a completely different scenario. When regular brakes are applied on most irregular road surfaces, all wheels get locked causing gravel-type roads to act like a speed arrester and the friction between the tyre and the ground causes the car to slow down completely. The ABS, on the other hand, employs a completely opposite technology compared to regular brakes. Since the ABS does not allow the wheels to lock, braking does not cause the wheels to generate traction using the irregular road surface. Therefore, the braking distance is much longer.

For an SUV like Hummer, ABS is great within city limits, but it is preferable that the ABS comes with an option that allows the driver to switch it off during off-road driving. Also, another point to note regarding a Hummer is that it usually comes with a two-wheel-drive (2WD) configuration and a four-wheel-drive (4WD) configuration option. If the SUV is equipped with part time 4WD, the ABS fails to switch between the two modes quickly and therefore does not work efficiently for either drive modes. Therefore, it is best to find out from the closest mechanic or Internet resource whether to install an ABS or not, depending on the daily requirements of a vehicle.