ABS Brakes: WABS Brakes: What do they do

Trying to stop your car when you don’t have a lot of traction is not easy. It’s very dangerous a nerve-racking. If you’re on a slippery or icy road and need to stop suddenly, you could be in danger if your car doesn’t stop or if it starts to slide all over the place.

This is where the ABS comes in. ABS stands for the anti-lock braking system, and it is designed to help your car stop when it doesn’t have good traction.

In the past not all cars had ABS, but it quickly became the standard because of the amazing safety benefits. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about ABS brakes.

I-ABS MAIN COMPONENTS

ABS has four components that make them function properly. Those components are speed sensors, valves, the pump, and the controller.

The speed sensors detect how fast the wheels are going and when they are about to lock up. There are multiple valves, in the brake line of each brake that is controlled by the ABS. The valves either block the line to keep pressure from rising or they release pressure from the line.

The pump helps to regain pressure after the valve has released it. And finally, the controller is basically a computer that controls the valves and monitors speed.  To make sure your ABS is working properly you’ll need ABS scanners to monitor your car.

II-TYPES OF ABS BRAKES

There are different types of ABS brakes, four-sensor ABS, three-sensor ABS, or one-sensor ABS. A four-sensor ABS has sensors on all four tires and monitors each one separately.

A three-sensor ABS has sensors on both front tires and one sensor for both back tires. And finally, a one-sensor ABS has only one sensor to monitor both of the rear wheels.

III-HOW DO THE ABS BRAKES WORK?

The ABS, designed to help you get better control over your, is an important function. This allows you to prevent your car from sliding and running off the road or into other cars.

The sliding is caused when the tire’s contact patch is sliding relative to the road and therefore doesn’t have a good grip on the road. If you’re driving over ice and don’t have traction, your wheels will spin but you won’t go anywhere. The ABS helps bring the speed of the tire back down so that it can get better traction.

The ABS is constantly monitoring the car wheels and speed sensors. When it detects that the wheels are about to lock up, which it can detect by rapid decelerations in the wheel which are not normal. After it senses this, it will communicate with the valves to release the pressure to the brake until it starts to detect acceleration again.

Once it notices the acceleration happening, it tells the pump to increase the pressure in the brakes again. All of this happens very quickly, even before a change in tire speed is noticed. All of this helps your car brake more efficiently on slippery surfaces.

Engaging the ABS causes a pulsing sensation to occur. This is because the valves are opening and closing very quickly. This happens much faster than you would be able to pump the brakes yourself and it’s why ABS brakes are so efficient.

IV- WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN THE ABS TAKE OVER?

Many people wonder what they should do when the ABS takes over. Because the ABS works automatically, you don’t need to do anything to engage the system.

Also, many people wonder if they should pump the brakes while ABS is active. The answer is no when the ABS is engaged, simply hold down the brake pedal and let the ABS perform its function.

Then you can let off the brake when you regain control over the car. If for some reason there is an issue with the ABS, your check engine light will come on. Then you can use ABS scanners to read the error message and find out what’s going on.

V- CONCLUSION

ABS brakes are very efficient at helping you regain control of your car after your wheels start to lose traction. There are many situations which would be very dangerous if it weren’t for ABS. Now you know more about how ABS brakes work, what they do and how to operate them.

Author Bio

I’m Tim Miller, an automotive mechanic and blogger from Denver, Colorado. I’m the founder of obdadvisor.com, an automotive blog about OBD2 scan tools. My fanpage is facebook.com/autozikcom.

I’ve had over 10 years’ experience in auto repair and using OBD scanners.

Some of my review articles about car diagnostic tools can be found on my own website obdadvisor.com.