I have a 2006 chevy impala LT that for some reason did not come with ABS. What can I do to prevent from skidding? Are changing tires or tire pressure a way to go? or suspension?
To prevent skidding, I would suggest:
*Replacing tires that are excessively worn
*When replacing only 2 tires, rather than all 4, remember that the “better” (newer) tires are supposed to go on the rear wheels
*Inflating tires to the correct pressures, as specified by the vehicle manufacturer (NOT the pressures specified on the sidewall of the tire!!)
*Avoiding tailgating (leave a generous amount of distance between you and the car in front of you)
*Driving with road and weather conditions in mind (slow down in wet/icy/snowy conditions)
*Taking a defensive driving course
*Practicing the skid recovery techiniques that you learn in the defensive driving course in a large unoccupied parking lot when it is snow-covered. This will give you a feel for how much correction is needed.
Keep the tire pressure and tire size with the manufacturer’s recommendation. This will give you the most ‘contact patch’, that is, largest area of tire contact with the road.
Also, just drive carefully. Taking a defensive driving course would also help greatly. ABS may help avoid a skid, but the driving course will help you learn how to maintain control and how to react to different situations. I didn’t have ABS in a car until 4 years ago. Until then, I took a course years ago, and learned how to ‘pump’ brakes, and to know the limitations of the car, how to feel the turn to avoid skidding out of control, and even maintaining control on ice and how to react to hydroplaning. ABS could prevent trouble, but learning how to deal with it when it happens is of much better value.
I was thinking of changing the tires, but why would the back get the newer tires?
Thanx for that response, I’m gong to have to look into that course
The back gets the new (better) tyres because in an emergency stop, if the front tryes have more grip the back tyres may break loose and slide around so you are now facing where you have been and have no control of where you are going. You want the back tyres to hang in there and help you keep control of where you are going.
I just about 100% sure I’m going to buy the goodyear Assurance Triple tred tires(all season). They seem to be rated great by Goodyears website and #1 in there class on Tirerack.com.What do you think?