2003 SE1 w/ or w/o abs?

[amidemon]

I have a 2003 GA SE1. I took it out on the snowy roads this week and was messing around. I hit the breaks hard expecting the ABS to activate and was surprised when it didn't. I also checked all the dash lights at startup and there's no ABS light that pops up. I probably should have checked on that when I was buying the car. Just curious, what other models of the GA come w/o ABS. I took it for granted that they would be standard equipment on pretty much all new cars.

brian

[goldfinger]

That's odd, I too would have thought it to be standard. I'm 99.9% sure that it is. I know my 97 has ABS. Heck, even my dad's 90 model F-150 has it. :)

[3 DeeJay]

I don't have it.. :(

[ritzard]

im not totally sure but i think abs is going to be an option on all base model cars.

i think that the only thing that abs dose better than standred breaks is enable you to steer away from an accident you know your not stoping fast enough to avoid as where standred breaks wile holding the break to the floor you have pretty much no control on direction.

[3 DeeJay]

I couldn't get it with mine..

[matts]

i would have thought it was standard too. i mean ABS is a lot better in an accident than air bags lol. those things HURT LIKE A MOFO when the blow up. i can think of times when i didn't want ABS, but i dont remember WHY i didn't want it. oh well, when did it become an option? my gf's 99 has it.

goldfinger does the F150 have it on all 4 corners or just the rear? my 91 silverado has rear ABS.....or maybe it's front. hell, i don't remember other than it's just 2 of the 4 corners lol.

[LoneRangers15]

It's probably just the rear. All automakers have to put ABS on at least the rear wheel of trucks. It has something to do with the payload over the rear wheels.

[sunrunner_pei]

ABS was standard equipment on the Grand Am for several years, but in 2002 or 2003 they made it optional on the SE. Easy way to tell: Do you have an ETS button above the stereo, next to the hazard button? If you do, you have ABS.

[RocketFast321]

again that is why 2001 was the best year for the SE. You had a 2.4, RDS radio, ETC,ABS, and a lot of other little things

[Grandam02chick]

my 02 se1 has abs Im actually starting to get annoyed with it cuz everytime I hit my brakes and it goes on so maybe u are lucky

[MikeNice]

Originally posted by Grandam02chick
my 02 se1 has abs Im actually starting to get annoyed with it cuz everytime I hit my brakes and it goes on so maybe u are lucky

LoL, stop skidding to the stopsigns then, heh.

[lamonpat]

My mom (2003GASE1) didn't get her '03 SE1 with ABS because she hate it (that was crappy on her last 96 GP SE).

[guyl]

Yes, ABS is way better, in stoping and steering when trying to stop in an emergency situation. But the public doesn't like it for some reason. They don't like the jerking feeling. They think that when the car slids they have more control on whats going to happen. All they have to do is practice a little with ABS and then there will be no problems, they will realize that its much, much better.

Guy

[4kQuad]

for those who don't think much of ABS.
get a car going about 30 on a flat but wet road. Stand on the brakes. Cool, you have just become a sled, slidding till you stop.

Same thing with ABS.
The car stops in less space, no sled affect.

It's the lack of just plan slidding (forward slidding as in getting close to the bumpper in front of you) that I like.

ABS in snow....well they still slid.
:penny:

[amidemon]

Originally posted by sunrunner_pei
ABS was standard equipment on the Grand Am for several years, but in 2002 or 2003 they made it optional on the SE. Easy way to tell: Do you have an ETS button above the stereo, next to the hazard button? If you do, you have ABS.

Hmm, no ETS button. What does ETS stand for, anyhow?

Brian

[Night Wolf]

ABS is very good, but to test it out, if you have ABS, just pull the ABS fuse, instant regualr brakes..... my DeVille came standard with ABS, and MANY times it helped me.... but that car like to slide....actually I think it is the cheap @$$ tires on it, but in the rain, it helped alot..... the Olds dosn't have ABS (it was an option) and it is my winter car... I know how to use them, but the ABS can do things alot faster then a person could..... the thing with regular brakes it not to lock the tires up, when that happens you loose on stopping power (up to 25% a times) and you have no control of the car at all.......

..... I think if my car had ABS, my little collision with the telephone poll wouldn't have happened.... I was turning, hit ice, tires locked up and car stopped turning and went stright.... while I did try to find the (really) small medium between no brakes at all and tires locked.... there simply wasn't enough time.... ABS would have done that for me....

....Also, the thing to remember with ABS, UNLIKE regular brakes, is in an emergency, you want to apply FULL braking, no matter what, then atleast you have all avaliable braking power, and the ABS is doing it's job so you still have control on the car.......

....my fathers '88 Bronco has rear ABS, I never understood that, being that the front wheels do most of the stopping power and once the front wheels lock up, the car stops turning....

[sunrunner_pei]

Originally posted by amidemon
Hmm, no ETS button. What does ETS stand for, anyhow?

Brian

ETS stands for Enhanced Traction System, which is Pontiac's name for Traction Control. :)

[Big Joe]

my 94 se has abs

[redgrandam]

ABS is now an option on a lot of cars, i.e. my friends 2000 malibu didn't come with it either...

[Themeneea]

i have ABS/Traction but there not working. in a way, be happy yo u dont have it, then you wont have to fix it later

[RocketFast321]

abs is cool save my butt many times when i drive down my friend dirt road at 50

[vdgmcool]

Lets just say that ABS has helped me out many of times.