By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I believe the subject is Toyota, GMC/Chevy, Dodge and Ford pickups, right? In even the midrange scheme of things (not even considering grand schemes!) this isn't much more important than what we each will decide to eat for dinner tonight, so let's try to regain a little perspective, OK?
You guys done yet??
- Tim
Ford reccommends 26 psi on the front tires of a truck?
that seems way too low for the weight of a truck.
looks like that is the main reason for the Firestone blow outs--Ford specified to lower pressures from 35 to 32 (to reduce rollover), causing tires to overheat.
- tIM
If you slam the brakes on your truck, the trailer presses very quickly and hard against the coupler. The coupler has a heavy spring in it and when compressed, applies the brakes on the trailer. If this happens suddenly enough and if the road is wet, you can lock up the trailer's brakes. When the brakes are locked, stopping power is reduced since you are only relying on the friction of the tires rather than a combination of tires and brake discs and pads. Sine the trailer brakes are not functioning as efficiently as the trucks brakes, the trailer is pushing against the truck. If you only let up on the brakes on the truck, it is still being pushed by the trailer but not as hard.
Here is where things get questionable and much depends on the weight of the trailer, the conditions of the tires, efficiency of the brakes, the condition of the spring in the coupler and road conditions. You MIGHT get lucky and the truck will be pushed forward faster than the trailer is trying to push it (example: going up hill or you have a very strong spring in the coupler). More than likely, this isn't going to happen. If you pump the brake at this point, you may be able to get the brakes unlocked. Several hits on the brake pedal may end up slowing the forward momentum of the trailer so it is no longer pushing as hard against the coupler. The other method is to hit the gas. This will always work.
I find it funny that we have gone onto this tangent. The only reason we are here is that I pointed out that ABS is not always an advantage which is true as the past 50 or so posts have demonstrated. I for one, prefer them even with this limitation. If I had it my way, all Tundras would have ABS, but I actually have customers who don't want them. Tundra customers have the option and the domestic buyers don't.
bco
I understand your scenario completely. My only comment is that the brakes on the trailer are still activated when you release the truck brakes, even if it's a fraction of a second. My theory simply implies that skidding or not the trailer will have enough resistance to release the coupler.
I agree that ABS isn't 100% perfect in all situations I just don't understand how it can be a detriment during towing.
Now, you do realize that we have a lot in common right? I want to hear more about this 22" tunnel hull of yours. What brand is it? Where do you fish and what do you fish for? I just got into salt water fishing this year and have a very nice bay boat that doubles as a bass boat.
Yeah they block out the Sun depending on the angle the light is coming from. But I've driven in the time of day that they didn't work as well.
bco
Homey don't fish. Even though the wife and kid like it all they've ever caught was a cold!
100% of my boating is at Lake Mead and to me it's paradise with everything from the end of the Grand Canyon to sandy beaches, small secluded coves and sometimes ocean like swells. If you're lucky you can catch this HUGE lake while it's absolute glass as far as you can see and then you can waterski for miles(well the kid can, I'm done after about 15 minutes)
What's your rig like?
My boat is a Ranger 200C which is purely a fishing boat. It is a shallow drafting center console with a 225 Mercury Optimax and tops out at 60 MPH on the GPS. It has a foot controlled trolling motor and is great for both fresh water bass fishing and in-shore saltwater and possibly near shore in the ocean. Most my fishing is on the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. You can view the boat at http://www.rangerboats.com/boats/model_detail.asp?model=200C
Harry
Similarly, the rolling wheels/tires of the brakes-released truck would have zero-friction in the homework, but still surely have the absolute minimum friction possible even in the real world. They certainly would have less forward-motion-impeding friction on the road than sliding tires! Even if both were in their imaginary zero friction state, the truck's zero friction rolling tires would not be less than the trailer's non-spinning, sliding zero friction tires, right?
(Sorry, it's gone on so long with so much confusion, I just couldn't help blurting out my thought progression anyway.)
While I never meant it to be a tangent or heated debate(well maybe heated a little!) I was just questioning Cliffy's original post of how ABS can be detrimental to towing. I guess Cliffy had a near mishap that he attributes to ABS. I know that I don't care for it while offroading because of a few mishaps but I've never had a prob towing.
Rolling tires have less friction than sliding tires.
Rolling tires have less friction than sliding tires.
Rolling tires have less friction than sliding tires.
ommmmmmmmmmm ommmmmmmmm
cliffy: "well, no, actually, it's not."
all: "cliffy, it is. ask anyone. buy color palettes, look it up...the american flag is red, white, and blue."
cliffy: "no, cuz this one time (at band camp!) i saw an old encyclopedia that only had black and white pictures. so, in that instance, the american flag was black, white, and gray."
all: "cliffy, in REALITY, the american flag is red, white, and blue."
cliffy: "no...i'm telling you, i saw this picture in an encyclopdia once (ONCE!) and, i'm dead serious. the american flag is black, white, and gray."
all: "cliffy, the american flag..."
cliffy: "no..."
administrative note: the "band camp" reference was to the movie american pie. if you have not yet seen it, do so immediately.
it's time to move on to another subject. cliffy refuses to believe the "american flag is red, white, and blue..." some people are just like that...
bco
Unless the truck in gear has a manual transmission, or has the Honda Odyssey Grade Logic (and has been braking while going downhill which has caused it to down shift), or the driver has specifically down shifted the automatic, my guess is that there is very little braking energy in jack-knife possible situations. The truck would have been in 3rd gear or higher and my guess is that very little braking energy would get translated through an automatic transmission in that situation. Sliding tires still have a whole lot of friction as evidenced by the energy expended creating those black marks on our highways.
Now if we imagine that you were going down hill in 2nd gear, and that the truck has studded snow tires, and the road is really icy (so the locked up, non-studded trailer tires are sliding with minimal friction), and the trailer is the heaviest possible (so that gravity is adding its force), and.... No, it's too hard to imagine a case where I would begin worrying about having ABS or not while trailering. Now that I know that, maybe I'll considering actually towing something! ;-)
Also on a side note i only seen a total of 2 tundras this whole weekend on the road. Kinda amazing when i seen countless numbers of fords, chevys and dodges. How could this be when the tundras sales are up though? My hypothesis is that people need a real truck. How many tundras you see hauling a trailer with a 69 camaro or mustang? I seen a silverado (1500)hauling a 69 camaro behind it on a trailer kinda amazed me.
You guys need to see the real world and how people actually use their trucks.
Ryan
bco
LOL
bco
Ryan