I just bought a 2009 Fit Sport M/T and I am very pleased with it. However, I live in Alaska, and ABS on ice is quite possibly one of the worst things I have ever experienced. I have been up here for a little over two years and have not had ABS at all. Even at a small stop light by my house the ABS kicks in violently only an inch down the pedal. This drastically increases my stopping distances, almost dragging me in to traffic at speeds as low as 5mph.

I have been told I can disable the ABS by simply removing the fuse. Looking at the owner's manual I notice there are 3 fuses for the ABS. Two of which are located in the interior fuse box. One is simply labeled "ABS/VSA" the other is "ABS/VSA FSR" what is FSR? And finally, the third is in the under-hood box containing the fuse for the motor.


Do I need to remove all of these in order to disable the ABS safely? I do not want to remove the motor, as I would probably like to have it back in the dry season. Will this cause any damage to the vehicle? Can it be recognized once I put the fuses back in (warranty voided)?

 

this should help explain how abs helps keep the car under better control.
Anti-lock braking system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
i would just get studded tires for the winter and a differant set of tires for the summer. disabling the abs is not the best solution for stopping quicker.

 

Anti-lock braking system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have done my homework, and I wish to safely disable ABS on my vehicle. If I could "tune" the ABS to activate farther down the pedal as to only kick in during panic stops, that would probably work as well. The feedback is also incredibly violent, if I had any snow on my boot and was pressing firmly on the pedal as it kicked back it would certainly knock me off the pedal.

 

trial and error is the best way to find out. try pulling one and go for a little drive and test it until the car brakes how you want. sorry i skimmed the wiki page and it seemed right to answer your question. i dont know what VSA stands for though but i think FSR is force sensing resistor but dont quote me on it.

 

I'm sure trial and error would work, but I'd like to know if disabling one or another could do permanent damage to the ABS motor, or even the vehicle. I'd also like to know if it can be detected once I put the fuses back in place, as I have no interest in voiding my warranty.

As for VSA, that's for the stability assist, it's only in the models w/ navigation (which I don't have) so I'm assuming it doesn't apply to me.

 

i have a gd3 so i dont have it. its just a fuse so it cuts power to the abs. i would bet alot of money on the fact that if you took it out honda would have no idea you did anything. i do think the abs light on your dash would turn on though. im not sure how the car will react with the abs shut off. try and find out then post for th rest of us.

 

Just to clarify, as noted in the Wiki, the primary intent of ABS is not necessarily to decrease stopping distances. It is to allow the driver to steer and brake simultaneously on slippery surfaces.

I think you'd gain more of what you are looking for by mounting some Blizzaks or the like on your car. Some of the modern dedicated snow tires are really good. If I lived in an area with your conditions, they'd be on my car in a second. Probably more benefit to this approach than defeating ABS, really. Blizzak WS-60 or LM-25 depending on what size you need. I'll take a car with top of the line snows and ABS over a car with standard tires and no ABS. Just my 2c.

www.tirerack.com

 

ABS doesn't kick in by "pedal pressure". It measures speed from each wheel and activates AFTER the wheel has already begun to skid. Actually in certain cases when the wheel stops skidding between pulses the stopping distance is decreased because of the use of static friction instead of kinetic, which is usually less than half as effective.

Even better, it's 3 channel, so if the front left skids and the front right does not, only the front left wheel gets pulsing brake pressure. More typically you can push a certain amount and the fronts will be pulsing but the rears will not. Push harder, and all will until you let up on the pedal.

Quite simply, you need tires more suited for ice because without the ABS not only would you stop in the same distance as now you'd be off the road as well.

 

Alright, I will try to get some decent snow tires before I decide to proceed. I have had severe difficulty finding good winter tires in 185/55/r16 up here.

Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 are all I can really find at the moment, and I can't find them locally. Does anyone have experience with these? I've never used studless snow tires before, I always had studs. How effective are these next to studded tires?

 

You can run 15" (and I think even 14") snow tires on your car... I can't believe people that far north even attempt to run without snows. I wouldn't dream of running without them and I'm a hell of a lot further south than you...

 

Are you sure it is 3-channel? If so, very antiquated. Most systems are 4-channel. I'd guess it would have to be 4 on a VSA car.

 

Can you order from TireRack where you are? I find them to be very competitive price wise, at least down here. I've heard very positive reviews on the Blizzak line.

 

I would rather disable the ABS =) stoppping with the tire locked up is more fun and effective. That's why I got rear-ended by a Mercedes S-class in the snow last year. ABS is designed to keep you "in control" while slowing down and making a turn, but in terms of stopping in a straight line, i found it better to do without it.

 

Check out the Blizzak WS-60 if you go to 15" rims.

I wonder what would happen if it was discovered that your ABS was disabled and you got into an accident? Your insurance company could refuse coverage or the police could possibly fine you for that.

 

I think your driving maybe to blame for why you suck on ice. I have an 08 fit with Hakkapeliitta studs and have never had an issue. Granted its not as rock solid on ice as my Ridgeline, I still do better than most other drivers.



Also, this makes 5 people from Alaska, can we get a damn community yet?

 

Contrary to popular belief, Alaska is part of the U.S. and Fed-Ex, UPS and the USPS do come here.

This is not where everyone lives.

 

As a brave soul, I went and took the fuse out (#11) for the ABS. It indeed brings on the ABS light but also disable the power steering, which defeat my way to stop quicker through hard steering......

I put the fuse back in and everything comes normal again.

Seriously, I've tried stopping on ice tonight at 50km/h and it took a distance of two lamp posts. I just heard from a colleague today that the ABS almost got him into an accident, which he had avoid by driving onto the curb. What's the best technique of stopping with ABS activated?

Now I seriously wonder if airbags really save lives =)

 

I assumed the GD3 is a 3-channel system based on its behavior (and past Honda abs systems) but it may be four. It's hard to tell without a shop manual.

I believe you're right with the GE8 VSA, it would be more effective with 4-channel, but once again need the shop manual to be certain.

IMO even the 16-year old 3-channel setup Honda has still works better than any Detroit car I've driven so either way it's not a detriment.

Best way to stop with an ABS car is to push the pedal only far enough to NOT activate the ABS. That will stop you the quickest. A good way to tell is the sound of it (so don't have the radio on 15!). You can typically hear when the tire of weakest traction just starts to slip, the ABS pump pulses just a little bit, so I let up just a touch, and if I can I'll push a little more until the pump tries to kick on, then let a little pressure off. It's all very subtle. However don't be mr. pulse blaster on the brake pedal or the computer might get confused-- keep your cool and modulate it smoothly.

That, or just jab the brakes and ride it out until the end, but usually that means changing underbritches afterwards

 

Why would anyone need that much velcro? These guys sell it by the roll http://www.liangdianup.com/miscellaneous_1.htm and is
hook and look and velcro the same thing?

 

Am I the only person who smells FAIL here? lol Especially to the house on the far center right. It has a 25 ft 2x4 holding the house up lol.