2003 Limited no ABS???

[Dave]

I just grew up on ice and snow.

.Plus it's more fun without ABS/ESP.

Sure is. At the first snow we would go to the far end of the local parking lot and do skids/recovery, donuts, and slides and stops.....no abs/esp. After a little practice we could put the vehicle anywhere we wanted.....even on ice. Then when we got on the road we knew how to control it.

Dave

 

[Marlon_JB2]

I will admit, the ESP works well offroad... but onroad... ugh, wish I didn't have it or there was a way to disable it without disabling the ABS too.

 

[Atrus]

You can somewhat disable it with the little button on the column Diasbles it enough for me, I can spin all day long in the rain with that button off.


Regardless, if you have ABS or don't, I fully agree with everyone saying to know your vehicle and just how to drive in general. That has saved my **** plenty of times. I play with my cars in the snow (and on dry too) so I know their limits, and when the time comes to make a snap decision, I know which one to make.

 

[Ry' N Jen]

You can somewhat disable it with the little button on the column Diasbles it enough for me, I can spin all day long in the rain with that button off.


Regardless, if you have ABS or don't, I fully agree with everyone saying to know your vehicle and just how to drive in general. That has saved my **** plenty of times. I play with my cars in the snow (and on dry too) so I know their limits, and when the time comes to make a snap decision, I know which one to make.

Good call.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

You can somewhat disable it with the little button on the column Diasbles it enough for me, I can spin all day long in the rain with that button off.

It's not enough for me. I'd want it gone entirely.

 

[Dave]

I will admit, the ESP works well offroad... but onroad... ugh, wish I didn't have it or there was a way to disable it without disabling the ABS too.

I thought the ABS/ESP was disabled in 4 lo..........try that.....but not on the road...hehe. I thought I read that somewhere.

Dave

 

[springroll]

I am sure my 03 Limited has got ABS......

for every possible accident I almost got myself into in the past, a hard press on the breaks saved me...

 

[kjpilot]

I am sure my 03 Limited has got ABS......

for every possible accident I almost got myself into in the past, a hard press on the breaks saved me...

If your pedal vibrates & you hear a loud clacking sound as your life passes before your eyes... you have ABS.

 

[SavageUrge]

On the 2003's ABS was an option that I did NOT want, specifically for the reason that TJKJ2002 originally stated. I drove a Chevy Astro Van once (once), with ABS, but didn't know it was equipped with it. I ended up sliding across the entrance ramp I was trying to merge onto and came very close to flipping the van. On top of that, the ABS made such a loud noise it scared the crap out of me!

 

[sevenhelmet]

ABS does have its uses. On the jets I fly, it is used to maintain control during braking. Having a wheel lock up on the runway at 120 MPH will not only blow a tire, but can send you spinning off the paved surface, thus ruining your day. But when we fly out to the aircraft carrier, we turn the system OFF because when you're taxiing close to the edge you want the ability to STOP with no black box second-guessing you.

I'd be in favor of an automotive ABS system you could turn on or off like in the jet, as conditions warrant. Has anyone come out with this yet?

Oh, and for the record, my manual 2003 KJ does not have ABS or ESP.

 

[Atrus]

Oh, and for the record, my manual 2003 KJ does not have ABS or ESP.

An auto 2003 most likely wouldn't either. From what I had seen while looking for a KJ, most did not have the ABS option.

2006 & 2007, ABS/ESP is standard.

I don't think it's that bad really, I don't mind it at all on my 2007. In fact, I think the ESP is kinda cool. I was climbing a steep sandy hill....got to about 25 mph before hitting it and slowly laid into the gas pedal to climb it. By the top I had it to the floor....engine RPM's settled right in at about 3200 and it just stayed steady at that RPM and climbed. My TJ friend watched me ascend the slope and said it was kinda cool - you could see the ESP program transferring power between wheels as it found the most suitable for traction as conditions changed.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Marlon, was it you that slid in the mud and got really close to someone elses Jeep?

Did that jeep you were in have ABS?

 

[sevenhelmet]

ESP sounds kinda like fly-by-wire. It IS really cool, as long as there are no glitches in the system. I can see why having the ability to turn it off would be beneficial.

 

[Atrus]

ESP sounds kinda like fly-by-wire. It IS really cool, as long as there are no glitches in the system. I can see why having the ability to turn it off would be beneficial.

'07's and '08's are "drive by wire" (that's the GM term, can't remember the Jeep one). I have no throttle cable. I'd prefer the cable, but it's not too bad. I've gotten used to where it lags and don't notice anymore.

You can semi-turn it off...it doesn't really ever go totally away, but it's drastically reduced and I have no issue with it. IIRC, in 4Lo it's totally disabled. I really don't mind the system at all.

The '07 (and I think '06) even have an anti-roll mitigation system. The way I understand it, there's a gyroscope in the center of the vehicle under the center console. When it senses that the vehicle is turning over, it'll lock up the wheels on one side of the vehicle in an effort to right itself again.

I also have no trans diptick, just a cap on the tube that says "For Dealer Use Only". That'll disappear at 36,001 miles and I'll put in an '06 diptick.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Marlon, was it you that slid in the mud and got really close to someone elses Jeep?

Did that jeep you were in have ABS?

Yeah...... I almost slid into MoladoGuy's Jeep. It's OK though, I didn't hit it and yes it had ABS. At the time I didn't know how to handle ABS so I probably could have avoided him entirely instead of being 2 or 3" or whatever it was away from him.

 

[metalmoto]

My 02' has no antilock brakes

I was surprised myself, when I found out my new (used) Liberty has no antilock brakes. But for me, I'd rather not have it anyway... My Chevy Asto van antilock brakes would activate, whenever I hit a pothole or bump while braking. And it almost caused me to rear end a few people, as it let's up on the brakes!
Learn how to steer into the skid, like in the old days, before antilock brakes.

Believe me! A few weeks ago, while driving the Astro, I had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision with some moron who pulled right in front of me.
The antilock brakes worked for a few seconds, before 2 metal brakes lines burst.
My van was skidding sideways, and somehow avoided any collision, when my instincts kicked in, and I steered into the skid, and swerved around the idiot.
After that, I lost all my brakes, and inched my way into a convenience store parking lot, white knuckles, heart pounding. And I just had heart surgery a month before.:angels2:

I myself would rather rely on my driving skills, then some computer to help me.
Anitlock brakes are for idiots, that don't know how to react, in a emergency stop situation. I feel much safer with out them. My opinion, of course!

 

[libertybob]

'03 limited

My '03 Limited has ABS. Did not realize it is an uncommon option in '03. I would be happy without ABS due to simplicity as Libby ages. But since my wife has fallen in love with Libby and drives her as much as possible, I am happy to have it for her. In an emergency, the wife's reaction would be to lock down on the brakes. For that matter I might too even though I know better.

 

[Birdman330]

ABS was an option until the '06 model year, then ABS and ESP/Traction Control became standard equipment. My mother's '05 Limited doesn't have it either, and she slid off the road when she hit the brakes in the rain because of it. If she had the ABS, it wouldn't have happened.

Get ready, because there are people who are gonna say stuff like "ABS, ESP, etc. are the devil" and that they do more harm than good, and that if you can't drive without them then you shouldn't be driving.

Personally, I don't agree with that....seeing as how I avoided a wreck this morning, THANKS TO MY ABS.

History lesson on ABS, first invented in the early 30's used on airplanes believe it or not. Later pioneered in the 70's by Mercedes Benz for automobiles, adopted by Europe shortly there after. Was not till nearly 20 years later the US actually began to adopt it, issue was Europe had a 20 year head start in perfecting how the ABS system works. So cars of the early 90's up to the mid 00's have sloppy ABS systems. Second generation began dolling out around 05' and later where it's more effective. So vehicles with first generation ABS which I have driven and hated, have a very sloppy set up which worked fine for a straight line emergency braking situation. But if you had to do a panic, swerve or anything of that to avoid an object, you we're most likely to have a run off the road crash because it was harder to control the vehicle with first gen ABS. First generation ABS, is the devil. But in the words of the great Trevor Wilkinson founder of TVR said ''A proper trained driver does not need advanced safety features (ABS, TCS, ESP)''