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I was going down the highway on my way home Wednesday, and some dumb hoe from oncoming traffic passes through my side of traffic and onto the on ramp for the interstate. Normally, this would be perfectly acceptable, but you must understand that I was only about 60 feet away from her. As I saw her, I slammed on my brakes and swerved into the lefthand lane (if I hadn't made a point to accelerate out of traffic and be the first off the line at the redlight, I would have been screwed now). Well, anyways, the moral of the story is that my brakes didn't lock AT ALL. I was able to keep full control and foot pressure in braking down slow enough to get my pretty car away from this cow of a woman in her SUV [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG].
Oh... and rest assured... she saw the long half of a peace sign her whole way up the on ramp.

 
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Thats a good thing they didn't lock!

 
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umm... okay...?

 
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If your brakes didn't lock at all you didn't hit them as hard as you think. This is a good thing because you didn't just lock 'em and hold on in a panic. Crash studies have shown that many drivers didn't hit their brakes hard enough to engage the ABS even when they were about to hit. I guess it takes getting used to.

 
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Try driving like that in places where they get ice and snow in the winters ... then you'll be appreciating your ABS! I guarantee it.

 
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Word!

 
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ABS does a lot. And ABS on dry pavement will stop a car faster than a non-ABS version of the same car. It also helps you keep control. I've had my ABS engage several times on dry pavement when I'm really carving the turns and need to break hard when I'm coming fast to a harder turn. They work really well!

 
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Non ABS with a very skilled breaker will have shorter stopping distance..but for 99.9% of other people it's really good.. I don't have ABS but in the winter I wish I did.. if I look at the break pedal my tires lock up on ice..

 
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My ABS helps me detect icy spots in winter. Even a slight skid when coming to stop gives you the pedal tap so you are aware of conditions and brake gently.

 
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ABS does not stop a car faster than the same model would without ABS. ABS pulsates the brakes for you up to 60 times a second in order to keep the wheels from locking when the calipers squeeze down on the rotor. The concept is to keep the wheel turning so you are not sliding and thus have control. If you lock your brakes and yank the wheel, you will continue in the direction of your momentum. With ABS you are able to stomp the brakes and manuever effectively. What I was getting at is the fact that because ABS pulsates the brakes, stopping distance is in fact increased because brake pressure is not constant. It is actually letting go of the rotor and grabbing again, over and over. The point is the are to allow a driver control in an emergency situation, they do nothing to decrease stopping distance.

 
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Very few drivers have the skill to out-brake an ABS system especially in an emergency situation. Add some snow or ice on the road, and the ABS will beat the driver everytime, unless you're named Andretti. lol[IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] I do agree that ABS can be beat, but you need a good feel for the brake limits, and this varies with road traction.