have read several post about the abs not being used for a while. i'm in that boat. just turned 50k last year and this is my retirement car. it's a pleasure car and not driven in the rain or bad weather. i have read where some say to find a straight patch of road and slam on the brakes for a second. some say apply the brakes on a wet surface enough to apply the abs. wet surface is a no go. i never use the trac control. i have a small lot next to the house and maybe i could drive over there and hit the brakes in the grass to work the abs. it's not an issue now and would like to keep it that way. btw the abs is mounted in the rear. what do you think? thanks Denny

 

This is what I do.
I pickup the back of the car so both wheels are off the ground. I start the car and put it in 1st (manual trans) and bring the rpm up just enough to get the tires spinning and the ABS pumping. I do this a few times (3-5) then take it out of gear, shut it down and lower it.
I do this about every 6 months.
It's '98.

 

thanks for the info Johnson. sounds like a better way than i have heard so far

 

The ABS System was installed on the vehicle to help you OPTIMIZE braking in panic conditions and or slippery traction limited (for stopping) conditions. Fully activating your cars Antilock Braking System in a controlled environment lets you experience what the car will do in that scenario. Why be surprised/scared when it happens in an actual emergency/near collision?????.
Pick your secure road, run her up to 45 mph and just PLANT YOUR FOOT TO THE FLOOR on the brake peddle. You will feel the brake peddle vibrate / pulsate under your foot and you will hear the ABS Module motor hum. Each wheel brake caliper will clamp and release to make the vehicle stop in a controlled straight line.
Once you have experienced the antilock at slow speeds, kick it up to 60 and give it a whirl. NOTE! I do this quite frequently! LOL! Trust me, You ARE NOT damaging your car! If you do, It was a hazard and its good that its getting fixed anyway!

IF everything is working properly AS DESIGNED, Your car should some to a complete stop in short order in a nice straight line.

The ONLY reason I recommend doing it on a traction compromised road surface "WET-SAND-ICE-SNOW- *GRASS* etc" is, its easier to get the car in a tire slip condition.

Some later model C5s have ACTIVE HANDLING. That feature takes into consideration the drivers intended steering wheel input and attempts to use the antilock system to help put the car in the direction that the driver wants to go. Its fun to snap the accelerator while in a turn and feeling the system lock and unlock different calipers to ASSIST getting you back on track!

Once your are up to speed on driving in an ANTILOCK Situation, Turn the system to OFF and try it.

NOTE! When you activate any braking mode, the DIC will flash up a message ACTIVE HANDLING ACTIVE.

Enjoy

Bill

 

I have a 2015 Dodge Durango. It a very nice stock family car/daily driver. Its a Citidal so its nice and comfy. I purchased it second hand with low miles when we lived in the SNOW BELT in Connecticut. We moved to TX. One day I did a heavy STOP to try to make a highway exit that I almost missed. HOLY ****, The car had a very difficult time properly stopping. Infact, I TRIED to activate its ANTILOCK BRAKES and could NOT DO IT. I did an immediate brake inspection when I returned home and found the inner brake pads on both front wheels were damaged and only had a very small portion of the pad surface that was contacting the rotor. The front outside pads were normal as were both rears.

So, I ordered some performance pads and drilled/slotted rotors and did a complete brake job. WOW! It stops on a dime after the new brakes were installed! Antilock on that vehicle works excellent now also!

LESSON FOR THE DAY! Test your vehicles brakes in a controlled environment BEFORE you really need them so you can experience what the vehicle does or doesnt do when the antilock system is activated.

That being said, the Durango now has 75,000 miles on the clock. We were driving from El Paso TX to Baltimore MD. On the trip, the wife was driving and had to avoid a big chunk of 18 wheeler recap cast off in the lane she was driving in.. . She braked and swerved. WHEW,, She was able to miss it! While sitting in the passengers seat, I was able to analyze the entire thing! The Vehicle stopped/slowed down fine BUT, Its suspension handling seemed to be a lot lacking. The front dipped way down and leaned way too fast and the rear raised way up in an instant. Guess what?? TIME FOR SOME NEW STRUTS AND SHOCKS! That should correct that issue!

After owning two C5s and two C6s, I have to say I drive all of them somewhat aggressively at times. After approx. 30,xxx miles, ALL of them began to show signs of shock degermation. Especially my 02 ZO6. .Changing the Shocks instantly regained that new car sport handling and secure handling feel. If you have a BASE suspension or even an upgraded sport Z-51 or ZO6 suspension, with 40,000-or more miles, consider changing your tired/worn shocks out for some new ones. I personally like adding the C6 ZO6 shocks to any C5 and orC6. Low cost, stock bolt in for C5 & C6 and THEY WORK VERY WELL!!!
NOTE. If you have the F-45 or F-55 Real Time Dampening (RTD) suspension, you MUST DEACTIVATE / DEPROGRAM the system from the cars BCM to utilize non RTD shocks!.
NOTE!!!! IF your car has the F-45 suspension, (IMHO) ITS JUNK and needs to be ditched ASAP!!! What a waste of hard earned money if you opted for that option. Trust me, I speak from experience!
NOTE!!!!!!!!! If you have the (BETTER) F-55 System in the C5 or C6, and it is working properly, Its a VERY GOOD system worth keeping. Even if you have to invest money on replacing the shocks because they are damaged/leaking!

Bill C

 

thanks for the info Bill. i will get to this per instructions you show. should be quite an adventure for me.

 

I don't usually drive when it's wet or rainy out. I have tried the abs on dry pavement. It amazing how much stopping power the brakes have. You really have to stomp on the pedal to get the abs to activate on dry pavement. On the other hand it's very easy to get the traction control to activate and It's much more fun.

 

Didn't know testing the brakes out was good for the abs sometimes. Good to know.

Having said that, I was going 70 on an empty road a while back and decided to do slam the brakes. ive got an 03 z06 and holy moly, that was a truly terrifying experience haha.

 

Terrifying experience? Was it GOOD or BAD? What made it terrifying? Once you know what its all about and what to expect and what the car does, It should be a welcomed experience.
I bet the very first time you went full throttle on your new to you ZO6, that was TERRIFYING also.. LOL How about the first time you engaged Active Handling?

For a TRUE TERRIFYING EXPIERENCE, Try turning everything to OFF and see what your unassisted driving skills are. That will be a quick learning curve! Make SURE its in a SAFE BIG EMPTY AREA!!

​​​​​​​BC

 

When I lived in CT, I taught my driving age kids how to drive in the winter (Snow / Ice / Slick Roads) in my Volvo 760. I let them slide around in a BIG empty Parking lot. Made them STOP FROM 35 TO ZERO with and without antilock assist and how to recover from a spin out/slide. It helped build there confidence and learn the cars ability to stop in limited traction conditions.

 

I take the C5 out in spring when it is just about time to get it out for the summer - but there are some icy spots still on my street in shady areas. Perfect place to fully activate the ABS. You could wait until your C5 needs a wash and find a dirt road to hit the brakes on as well - but it will kick up dust - thus why you would do this right before you wash it. Just my 2 cents.

 

thanks for the reply Toys. got some good suggestions and will probably use all of them