i will control the brakes thank you!

ABS will stop you faster on roads with uneven traction. You can't brake four wheels independently with one brake pedal.

A few people are talking about late 90's/early 2000's ABS. It's come a long way since then. The newer generations are faster and smarter. They pulse the brakes faster, so it's closer to actually modulating the brakes as opposed to on/off. They are programmed to let the wheels lock up a little on snow so it packs in front of the tire. And they are less likely to activate unintentionally or in the wrong mode (like thinking you're on ice when you hit a bump while braking).

Additionally there's stability control (VSC) which uses the ABS system to keep you pointed in the direction you're pointing the wheel. Just today it helped me changing lanes through the slush that builds up between lanes on the highway. VSC kicked in briefly. I wouldn't have spun out without it, but it kept me from fishtailing a bit.

 

nobody calls me Francis.. and i dont like nobody touching my stuff !. They call me Psycho .. STRIPES 1981

 

Flintstones they had it figured lol

 

My eyeballs are too tired to read all the previous posts, but here's how I use anti-lock brakes. I do not simply stomp on the brake pedal and make 2 or more tires activate the anti-lock brakes. Instead, I modulate pressure on the brake pedal by trying to use only as much pedal pressure as possible to AVOID activating the anti-lock brakes. If one tire locks up, I may release just a bit of pressure, but not release all the pressure as in pumping the brakes. It seems to me, that a wheel not locked up, but on the verge of locking up, provides the shortest stopping distance in virtually all road conditions. Most of the videos I have seen online compare holding the brake pedal so hard that cars without anti-lock breaks lock up all 4 wheels, and cars with anti-lock brake systems activate all 4 wheels. Both of those techniques are very poor driving techniques and will extend stopping distance.

In reality, how I use anti-lock brakes will vary depending on road conditions. For example, on hard pavement, if someone runs a stop sign directly in front of me, and turning is just as important as stopping, I will brake hard enough to activate front anti-lock brakes and turn at the same time. Without anti-lock brakes, hard braking which locks up front tires, prevents making the truck turn, because locked up front wheels just slide straight, regardless if you turn the steering wheel or not. One situation that anti-lock brakes are the worst, is really slippery on road or off road conditions such as snow or hard pack dirt with loose sand on top, or small stutter bumps in the road where tire traction is significantly reduced. Combined those conditions with activated anti-lock brakes, which also reduces tire traction, and it seems to me the car looses all braking force and dramatically extends stopping distance. So back to rule one, modulate brake pedal pressure to AVOID activating the anti-lock brakes in really slippery conditions.

I had a Ford Ranger back in the 90's/2000's (I can't remember exact year) that had rear only anti-lock brakes with rear drum brakes. When those rear drum brake shoes wore down and needed adjusting, the rear brakes just quit working when anti-lock brakes started pulsating. I have not had my 2023 TRD OR long enough to see if that will be a problem. For those who do not know, the rear drum brakes are supposed to tighten up to compensate for wear when you stop after backing up. If you tend to roll to a stop (without a firm brake pedal push) after backing up, your rear brake shoes will loosen up, and not work effectively.

Moral of the story, learn how to use electronic modes such as anti-lock braking in various road conditions to your best advantage. If I ever go off road again and slide the truck around, I will definitely shut off the traction control, anti-lock brakes etc.

 

As far as I can tell from the 2 tacomas I have owned you cannot shut off ABS, only traction and stability control has a button along with the fake AUTO LSD that is not really a limited slip differential. My 94 Ranger 2WD had real limited slip differential and needed no snow tires as long as you had some extra weight in the bed.

 

EDIT I deleted my previous post about removing fuse to shut off anti-lock brakes. Probably not a good idea to do that, you might throw a trouble code that needs code reader to remove, and I have no idea what else is tied to the ABS fuse.

 

i appreciate the time you took to write this . in the end i know how to drive . almost 50 years now .. my old runner was a death trap with the anti lock and i have slide thru stop signs in the city , so its a personal thing for me to have the option including the offroad on FSR, some hills going down i will do the pumping of the brakes .. trust me more than once on slippery roads i have saved myself ..