It's been very cold here in Oklahoma City the past few days. The roads have been icy and it snowed here today. So the other morning around 6:30 AM I was driving down a city street and when I pressed down on my brake pedal my brakes locked up and I started to slide.....(I was on ice, NOT snow)

*Note: I did NOT panic and STOMP on the brake pedal. I applied my foot to the brake pedal as I normally do when I drive.

My question is: What is causing my brakes to lock up on iced over paved streets?

Any help/input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

Your ABS is not working for whatever reason.
You have the 3 Amigo's?
Do they light up when you start the engine?

 

Spike,

No amigos at all.

 

They should light up when you turn the key on. Perhaps someone painted over them. You might have the codes read and see if anything pops up.

 

All the lights come on on the instrument cluster when I turn the key to start the truck. I thought Spike meant, "Are the 3 Amigos illuminated when the vehicle is running".

But to answer your question, no....there are no lights that are constantly on and the lights have not been painted over.

 

What would happen if it was so icy all four tires locked up at the same time. I do not think the ABS would turn itself on because it does not have a tire spinning. As far as the computer is concerned the truck is completely stopped.

 

Sounds most likely.

 

I see where you are coming from and I understand what you are saying and I agree that is a very good possibility.
I have never had that happen in any vehicle I have ever driven with ABS on ice, but that does not mean it cant happen.
I suppose it all comes down to tires, how slick it was and how hard he was on the brake.
If its smooth sheet ice the slightest braking will lock up the wheels and I could see the ABS seeing that as completely stopped.
Now the question would be was the speedo at "0" when this happened?

 

Let me give you a little background on myself. I am from southern California and have very limited experience with driving on ice and snow. I have been driving for 29 years. I am a firefighter and have experience driving fire engines and ambulances code 3 (lights and sirens), so I consider myself to be a competent and qualified driver. Now I do not have alot of experience driving on ice and snow. I did not panic, nor slam on the brake pedal. The speed limit on this street was 35 MPH, and I was driving alot slower than 35 MPH being aware that it was 25-30 degrees outside that morning and I was well aware of the ice on the street as it was visible. So I do not know why the brakes locked up. I am baffled as I am not an engineer nor a mechanic. This is why I am asking here on this forum.

 

It's fairly routine to lock up all four on ice, especially so with a dry pavement tread design. If the entire roadway is icy, and if it has an even skiff of dry snow, antilock function is non-existent. I use Bridgestone Blizzaks in the North Dakota winter. They are very good on ice, in particular when extremely cold (20 - 35 below F) thanks to the extensive sipes and soft rubber. Even with those tires, if the traction is equally bad under all four, antilock will not work as no single wheel, or combination of wheels, will have significantly different rotational speed to trigger the antilock modulator.