I'm not talking breastfeeding here either. My mom and i are in the middle of an ongoing arguement and i need reasurance that i am right! lol. Here is the arguement, we both work part time as rural mail carriers, she in another town from me. With all this snow lately i am having trouble sliding a lot when i hit the brakes on my car. It's a 2002 Ford Taurus with an ABS brake system, which most cars have anyway. She drives an older Buick, so i'm not positive if she has an ABS brake system or not. Anyway, so says you are supposed to pump the brakes if you start sliding. I say you are NOT supposed to pump the brakes on an ABS system because they will not work, you are supposed to keep your foot on the brake until the car stops. So...who is right?

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I'm certainly no expert but I thought cars that had anti-lock breaks...there was no need to pump (because the ABS does it for you). Maybe she has them or maybe she doesn't, sounds like she's sticking to her guns with the 'pump your breaks' tip! LOL!

I do not know the "rules" behind this but I pump them. Slowly. I am intersted in seeing what everyone else thinks. :D Great thread!

Edited to say I just called my ex the mechanic and he said not to pump. :D

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http://mommysavers.com/boards/journa...wjournal&j=184
Amber

Yup, ABS=no pumping. I think it even tells you not to pump in the owners manual. The funky noise they make if you slam on the brakes is the brakes grabbing and releasing, hence the "anti - lock" - the brakes don't lock up the tires, sending you into an out of control skid. Pumping is the same as ABS in idea, but doesn't allow the ABS to function properly.

Here's a good site:
Tips for Driving with ABS (Anti-Lock Brake Systems) - NSC

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My dad is a mechanic and told me that pumping the brakes is bad for the car.

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Jenifer
Proud wife to one amazing man
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April showers bring May flowers
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

This just happened to me yesterday - I was sliding in our minivan with the ABS, and it did indeed 'pump' the brakes for me, I just kept my foot on the brake. It was still scary though!!

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ABS=no pump

no ABS=pump

I remember having to change my thinking when I finally was driving a car that had ABS, my family always had old cars and I tend to be the same way and just can't bring myself to buy a new one . After so many years of driving, I automatically would start to pump the breaks and have to stop myself.

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AHHHHH! I knew i was right! Knowing my mother though even if i printed the info off and showed it to her she would still insist she is right!

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How's this ... please ask mom to slow down. That way she won't be sliding as much.

It's best to try not to HAVE TO hit the brakes on ice, hence, she needs to drive slowly so she can coast to a slow stop. You're only in control of your car when it is MOVING and, ideally, when it is under power. When we're braking. sliding or completely stopped we have no or little control to avoid accidents. So the best thing anyone driving in icy conditions can do is avoid a slide to begin with.

You might have to drive her car for her to test to see if she has anti-lock brakes or if they are even working. You can pump with ABS brakes but the ABS system will do a better job of controlling a slide than you ever could. The ABS system is designed to brake each wheel independantly so in a slide it is only the one or two wheels on the ice that are affected. If someone with ABS pumps the brakes instead, then they are braking on all four wheels which could make the slide worse because the tires on the ice will just keep going forward and the tires on drier pavement will grab and stop.

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Do not pump ABS brakes. I know - I've been working with GM for 18 years. If you hold the foot down on the brake, you can feel the ABS "pumping" for you. Older cars before ABS, and ones without them, pump.