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Antilock-breaking (ABS) vs Stabilty Control (ESP) vs Traction Control Video

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CWuestefeld:
As others have said, one emphatically should not ease off until ABS stops pulsing.

The fact is that it's physically impossible to brake any better than ABS can, and anyone who tells you they can stop the car faster than if they just put it to the floor and let ABS handle it is lying.

The key here is that you've got just one brake pedal, so even if you've got the most sensitive reactions of any human, you can only give general directions to all wheels simultaneously. On the other hand, ABS can control each wheel independently. So if you're locking just one wheel, ABS can release pressure in that wheel's caliper while continuing to hold the other three. You simply cannot accomplish that with a single brake pedal.

There's one place where ABS logic fails, though. If you're in deep snow, having your wheels locked causes the snow to build up in front of you, and in some cases, the resistance of that piled snow exceeds what your braking force can achieve, so you would be better off just letting the wheels lock. But that's rare enough, and you're not probably qualified to make the determination, so best to let ABS do its thing.

The video in the OP showed that even with proper clutch technique, the traction control can do better than you.

So, as a driving enthusiast and go-kart racer, I think it's best to let the computer-aided safety measures do their thing and not try to take matters into my own hands.

Edit: spelling

Stoic Joker:
In terms of road safety, ABS was arguably one of the most important modern developments for potentially significantly reducing the incidence of accidents. It seems a crime that it is still not fitted as a compulsory standard on all modern road-going vehicles, large and small.-IainB (June 10, 2014, 09:48 AM)
--- End quote ---

Agreed, and also one of the biggest problems. Because if some one learns the stomp on it and pray method of ABS breaking, and then gets in a different vehicle that is not equipped with ABS ... Guess what is going to happen if they need to stop quickly. Or if they get into a panic stop situation and the ABS malfunctions. Neither scenario if far fetched, and in reality both are fairly common ... Because with all technology...Shit Happens. Which brings us back to my original point which was to stress the need for both learning and using proper breaking technique.

Not to mention that the brake system is designed to handle a certain peak operation pressure, and while it isn't necessarily possible to exceed that max system pressure in a single incident. Repeatedly subjecting the system to the excess pressure of someone just standing on the brakes until the ABS rattles like a maraca is quite likely to cause some component of the system to fail catastrophically. Because these ultra fancy new fangled systems are still based and dependent on the same $0.48 O-rings as the old systems which frequently blew out when someone nailed the petal with both feet hoping the then drum brakes could haul down a 6,000lb car from 80MPH before they got to the point of impact.

I'm not trying to argue that a skilled driver can stop faster than the ABS. I'm simply stating that a skilled driver will use the ABS to confirm the maximum friction point-of-lockup...and yes that includes panic stops. Having the ABS click a few time under hard breaking is fine, it lets you know that you are either close to the edge or crossing some very slick spots (like the painted lines). Clamping down on them until they rattle the whole car...is foolhardy at best.

SeraphimLabs:
In a panic braking scenario you don't have time to think about how fast to pump the brakes or what pressure to use. You're going to clamp down on it by reflex and the ABS is going to do its job- that's why they created it.

But under normal driving conditions, if you hear the ABS buzzing you need to back off of it and conserve your traction.

And yes. Brake equipment can and will pop open at the worst possible times. I really hate working on a car's brakes because even though you just serviced them and changed a few things its always the component you didn't replace that bursts next time you make a panic stop.

ABS won't save you in the ruptured brake line scenario. It just makes you run out of fluid even faster, although I should hope that by now they've figured out how to make an ABS system that can cut off a leaking wheel to conserve fluid for wheels that are still working. Hydraulic fuses are a thing after all, aircraft use them for similar reasons to prevent loss of control accidents in the event of a fluid line rupture.

My car is one that ABS was optional on that model from the factory, and owners of that model quickly learned that the ABS system was a troublemaker- it tended to have the brakes get stuck on, ruining fuel economy and destroying the brake pads. So naturally the previous owner had disabled it. I see no reason to change that knowing that it is a faulty design of ABS and being used to hand-pumped brakes on older vehicles.

mouser:
I'm thinking it might be smart to go to a parking lot somewhere and do some hard breaking to get a feel for stopping distance, and when+how ABS kicks in.
Would it be better/easier/less-stressful-for-me-and-car to do such a test in the rain or on dry pavement?

SeraphimLabs:
You'll be more likely to feel it in the rain, due to the reduced traction- and the increased stopping distance of wet brakes.

In my experience most parking lots simply aren't large enough to let the car get up to its full highway speed before it is necessary to stop it again. On dry pavement when the car's traction and stopping distance are at their best you probably won't be able to get it to skid, which is necessary to make the ABS do its thing.  

On the other hand heavy rain with worn tires and you have a fairly good chance of triggering a skid through hydroplaning effects, allowing you to feel what the car will do when it loses traction. Wet brakes also are slower to take hold, so teaching yourself what the stopping distance is like on wet brakes will give you that much more safety margin in ideal conditions.

My personal preference for checking how the car reacts to variable traction is to go take a cruise on a backroad. Packed dirt and gravel roads are much more likely to result in skidding and sliding even in dry conditions than pavement is, and almost any vehicle can be sent sliding sideways on the turns.

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