had an oh crap moment today.

Yup, 4x4 helps get you going but doesn't help you stop or turn. I'm not sure hitting the e-brake is a good idea. I suspect it would lock up the rear tires, the ABS would sense a mismatch in wheel speed and pulse the front tires, you would be able to steer the front but the rear end would go downhill with the crown/slant of the road. Despite its name I'm not a fan of using a hard to modulate brake that only brakes the rear tires. Parking on a hill yes, panic situation it's not for me.

I suspect in your situation that all four wheels came to a complete stop after the ABS pulsed them for a bit. This has happened to me many times on that damn greasy slush crap. When all four tires stop at the same time the ABS assumes you are at a complete stop, they won't pulse any more unless you release the brake to get things rolling again and then get back on them.

ABS only pulses the brakes when it senses one or more tires slowing down at a different speed then the rest. It pulses the wheel that is trying to lockup. A locked up wheel will skid and at this point the vehicle may want to spin out of control. ABS does its best to keep all tires slowing you down but still spinning. This allows you to be hard on the brakes but still have some control over turning at the same time.

If all four tires have equal traction under hard braking it is possible to lock them all up. I've done it a few times in several vehicles I have owned. I've developed a reaction of modulating brake pressure when ABS starts to buzz. I try my best to brake my hardest without locking things up. I rely on ABS to let me know when I'm making a mistake and to keep me from going sideways.

Is there a design flaw in our trucks? I really have no idea. Do I wish there was a factory button to turn it off? Heck Yes! For now there is TacomaWorld to the rescue with other ways to disable ABS if you so choose.

 

When I'm in snow or ice and the ABS kicks in I always end up pulsing the brakes myself for the exact reason you described above. ^^

 

You can also pull the fuse in the fuse block under the hood and do it that way too, that way crud doesn't contaminate the wheel sensor plug. You can also do one of the mods in this form to install a switch so you can turn it on and off at will.

I believe there is significant confusion about electronic traction controls in the truck. A little off topic here but VSC is not BS IMO. It is an amazing piece of life saving technology, really. And I'd venture to say that few people in this forum have truly experienced it. I have at highway speeds, and it saved my life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPxt6Pw00yA

 

I think anybody who lives with snow has probably experienced the VSC. Its easy to purposely trigger it on snowy roads. Just make a turn fast and try to skid. It will instantly kick on. You will hear fast beeping, and abs noise. It immediately corrects the skid and gets you going in a straight line again. It has worked awesome everytime for me. Everytime has been on purpose so far, but I can definitely see it avoiding an accident or saving a life.

 

Mine saved my ass once, I hit a patch of black ice on the highway in my '09 and the ass end swung out directly into the path of an oncoming semi truck. The VSC kicked in and straightened me out with nothing but an elevated heart rate to show for it.

 

Mine has tried to kill me more often than save me

 

The VSC on my wife's Mitsubishi Outlander saved our lives. The VSC on my work Tacoma is always trying to kill me. I'm glad my 2008 is void of said E-Nanny.

 

Same here! VSC FTW!

 

Where is this mod? I'm intrigued. Not because I don't trust my Taco's ABS (yet?), but because I don't like ABS at all anyway.

 

Here is a good place to start: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...kill-switch-mod-05-offroad-easy-way-pics.html

 

Why do these ABS threads always turn into what seems like a religious debate?

 

If you are downshifting to gain speed on a hill it is one thing, but if you are downshifting to slow the truck, it is essentially using the clutch disc as a brake pad. Seems pretty obvious to me.

 

No, you are using the engine as a brake. You rev match by blipping the throttle and put it down a gear. This is very common.

Driving 101

 

So has your squeaky suspension, no?

 

Yes, you are also putting undue strain on the engine. Automotive Technology I, and yes, that is the actual class where I learned this.

 

wut

 

Didn't you almost run yourself over trying to record your truck while in motion, for a squeak?

 

So I'm curious , when you plan to come to a stop from 5th , how do you approach that ? You push in the clutch and brake to a stop ? You put it in neutral and brake to a stop ? or what

 

Clutch in, brake on.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/downshifting-bad-car