St185 Brakes Abs Or Not.

[fiz-gt4]

are the brakes on the st185 meant to be abs or not, cos i found out mine aint, it locks and does snakies,

another thing- if the rear of the car goes wide when you lose control, wats the best way to gain control.

1st time i braked it did nearly 360 and on other occasions i've eased off the gas and turn into the slide which worked better but it takes ages to get control back and its scary when you think its gona crash

[Racingmcfly]

I had the same problem on my ST205, The back brakes should'nt lock first so you really need to take a look at it. When mine started doind i tried bleeding the brakes incase there was any air in the lines. That did'nt fix it. Then i found that my rear discs where, badly worn. The inside edge was binding more with the pads, and when braking hard in casues more pinpoint pressure on the disc casueing it to lock. Check the rear surfaces of the discs, pads and check the rear piston in the calipers are not ceized

[Sirius]

ABS is an option on the JDM import models of both the ST185 and the ST205.

My old ST185 did not have ABS.

The first thing I would check is does the car actually have ABS and its not working or is it not fitted. Next to the altenator by the wing if there is a box with a load of pipes going into it then you have ABS fitted, if theres an empty space or an alarm sounder or similar then you don't.

Check your pads/discs/fluid for condition. Is it an early ST185? The early model was equipped with the brakes from the ST165 which are poor.

As for the last point I would have a check over your suspension and tyres - have the alignment looked at. If you are loosing control of the car either something is wrong or you are driving like a lunatic. The GT-Four handles extremely well, and very predictably.

[fiz-gt4]

many thanks 4 the info people, i thought all st185 had abs, i havent got the box with pipes coming out of it next to the alternater.

[GT-Four NZ]

I've been known to "drive like a lunatic" on occasion and the thing I find to maintain control in a drift is to try to hold the gas and countersteer (turn in direction of skid). The front wheels soon pull rear into line. This is smooth and I've found the best way to get it back on line. A driving instructor will tell you to press in the clutch NOT brake, your choice. Like Sirius said they handle very predictably and getting a standard Four sideways in the dry takes some doing, deliberate doing.