ABS, ESP, EBD & Airbag - What Value Do They Add?


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I was helping one of my friend to pick his hatch back for the last 1 week. He is concerned about security and I had advised him to go for Figo Titanium. Today I got a shocking mail from him:

Executive said that as per expert opinion ABS really works at the speed above 100km. Here we can not drive more than 70km/hr. Now the police is very strict. There is no service available in Kerala for AIR bag. It need to be serviced every 6 months to ensure cylinder full and no leak on airbag. In this case spending 35k is worthless.
Well there are lot of things to be discussed on these couple of lines. How ever, I just thought to put some information here which I had passed to him as well.

ABS (Anti-lock braking system) prevents the wheels from locking up (or ceasing to rotate) while braking. Though the pressure applied on the brakes are dependent on the speed of the vehicle, the technology is not bound to any speed higher/lower limit. Making such a technology will be just ridiculous, isn't it? Modern ABS systems are always used with EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) which makes it much more secure by locking the wheels from possible slips and skids.

With a ABS, it might take a car 5 seconds to stop from 60 mph ( 96.6 kph ) under ideal conditions, but a wheel that locks up could stop spinning in less than a second (that is where EBD comes into play as it ensures that the vehicle is steady during braking).

When the vehicle speed goes below 19.31 km/h (12 mph), the ABS turns off. If the collision happens at about /more than 12 mph (19.31 kph), Airbags will be activated.

Bottom line is , ABS, EBD & Airbags are in action if the vehicle is above 19.4 km/h

Take a look at the following links for detailed information:

How Airbags works

How Anti-lock brake (ABS) works

How Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) works

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)

Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)

Electronic Stability Control (ESP)


Having said this, how easy it is to maintain ABS and Airbag? Ideally, all authorized workshops should be able to carry out the service, right? You guys have any experience?
 
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there is no maintainence at all for ABS & airbags.

i really dont know about what "expert opinion" your friend is talking about & who is that expert. i would call him a dumb fool instead.

a cyclist who suddenly swerved was saved from crushing under my scorpio just because my car had ABS. and yes, i was at 30-40 kmph & not above 100 kmph.

i would say challenge the "expert" by asking him to just prove as to what he claimed or ask him to provide some concrete facts.

for me, safety features are never useless & they do add value to your life, if not to your car. spending on your own safety is your choice, these so-called experts dont care a damn about your or your family's lives.
 
Thread Starter #3
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there is no maintainence at all for ABS & airbags.

i really dont know about what "expert opinion" your friend is talking about & who is that expert. i would call him a dumb fool instead.
I completely agree with you Raj. It is really pathetic that the car manufactures don't even take a single minute to make their executives aware of the technologies being used and its benefits. I have personally experienced with when I went to test drive Swift ZXi in Indus, Calicut. The executive told me that there ABS and Airbags are not worth for the extra cost and their accessories department has good Alloy Wheels if I want Alloy wheels :lol!:. More over, saying that ABS and Airbags maintenance is tough and costlier conveys a total different pictures to the potential buyers.
 
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Its high time these manufacturers conduct some training programs at their dealerships.
@Shynish- ask that "EXPERT" to regularly visit tai so that he can train himself about the features of the vehicle he sells.
 

350Z

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Usually most of the dealer will always point you towards the car/model where they benefit more, which can be in terms of commission etc. So it is always best to listen your heart than anything else and speaking specifically about safety features like ABS and Airbags. They are must-have and should not be taken for granted. I completely agree with the following statement by Shynish which he posted in another thread:

ABS & EBD is a must to have feature any day! I feel it as an essential security measure especially during sudden braking (both wet and dry conditions). I don't have to explain you the use of Air Bags. Majority of people thinks, these 2 essential security features as unnecessary add-ons available in the top model. Instead they spends 20K to 40K easily on ICE, another 15K to 25K on alloy wheels, 6 to 14K on leather seat covers, etc. No one realizes the fact that safety comes first and style next! All these 'fun to drive' factors holds good only if you and you are family are secure inside the car!
Also, we have had a thread on similar subject: http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...e/1550-should-airbags-abs-made-mandatory.html

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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@Shynish- ask that "EXPERT" to regularly visit tai so that he can train himself about the features of the vehicle he sells.
Yes mate, Ideally all automobile delears should have account in TAI. At least they will realize that buyres do their homework here before stepping into the dealers [;)]

Should we merge the thread ?
 

350Z

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Nope, we can continue with this thread for tech. discussions about ABS and Airbags.

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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Many factors to consider. heaviest vehicle you can afford to buy and operate to be safest in an accident. An accident can happen to you, so be prepared. Air bags should be mandatory for any vehicle, have both front and side impact air bags. The smaller the vehicle, the more your life depends on the Abs and air bags to protect you (as well as the seat belts).
 
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"on certain surfaces,on breaking hard, the non ABS car will take less time & travels less distance after braking over ABS equipped car " -Dzire owners manual

then how should a sudden braked ABS car will save the others from collision ?
 
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@ VVK: ABS equipped cars never claim that the car will stop sooner than a non-ABS car. it claims that your car will be in control under emergency braking.

to be precise, in a ABS equipped car, you can steer away your car from danger, under emergency braking. but in a non-ABS car, trying to steer would only cause the car to skid.
 
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"on certain surfaces,on breaking hard, the non ABS car will take less time & travels less distance after braking over ABS equipped car " -Dzire owners manual

then how should a sudden braked ABS car will save the others from collision ?
The main difference between ABS & Non-ABS car is ABS one's:Pumps 30 times/sec, where as Non-ABS one's pumps only one time/sec.

And ABS works only under panic braking.

And not as regular one's like pressing & depressing the brake pedal.

Yes its a boon as stopping distance will be less compared to normal one's.

And as said by raj it helps in steering in the desired direction, there by ensuring skidless driving manouverability.
 
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Its is true that stopping distance depends lot on the surface as well. On a very slippery surface (eg: ice / snow) stopping distance may be slightly higher for an ABS-EBD equiped vehicle. This is becuase EBD controls the wheel locking in such a way that the vechicle is still stable. However the wheels may be locked even if the vehicle is moving forward. This is completely acceptable becuase the ultimate aim of the ABS-EBD is to protect the occupents. The driver will always have to control over the vehicle. This is waht Raj has pointed out above. I have wtnessed this here during winter. It is fun to watch buses braking in the winter. On a normal surface (like dry road), breaking system gets additional support from the surface in the form of friction. This makes the braking dustance to be shorter than that of a non-ABS equiped vehicle.
 
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Lately few cars such as Ford Ecosport, Grand i10 etc have equipped with ABS but lacked EBD. The theory says EBD is a must in panic situations.

So, How safe are these cars without EBD?
 
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