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

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IainB:
If I couldn't get access to a local driver-training skid pan, I would usually do most of my skid control practice on a very wet or (preferably) ice-covered empty parking lot. In summer, I'd practice on loose-metalled roads.
I'd recommend it (practice) to anyone who wants to develop skill/ability in the control of a vehicle in road conditions which are difficult/dangerous with low friction/poor traction.
Failing that some driver-training schools provide mechanical skid inducing/simulation trolleys built around some of their vehicles on the skid pan.

Either way, learning/practicing on a skid-pan of some sort is much more preferable than leaving the learning till too late - i.e., in an actual on-road accident event.

By the way, in terms of the opening post, I would suggest that it is very much the case that the 3 systems mentioned - Antilock-breaking (ABS), Stabilty Control (ESP)and Traction Control are complementary rather than "versus" as is suggested in the post.
They will probably all be obligatory safety standards one day, with the final safety standard being the removal of the highest risk elements - i.e., the human driver and the Dunning–Kruger effect.

CWuestefeld:
But under normal driving conditions, if you hear the ABS buzzing you need to back off of it and conserve your traction.
-SeraphimLabs (June 11, 2014, 08:00 AM)
--- End quote ---

Sorry. I don't want to be the jerk guy that just can't let something go on the Internet. But this is special because it directly affects the safety of each one of us, and I really don't want to let something like that lie.

Do not believe that you can achieve better results than the ABS, whether that's by backing off and trying to stay right on the limit, or any other trick.

The fact of the matter is that under any circumstance other than deep snow, the ABS will do better than you. It will also do better than Michael Schumacher, Ryan Hunter-Reay, or Sebastian Loeb. The limiting factor for a human is that there's only one brake pedal, so you cannot control each wheel individually. Thus, you cannot keep all four wheels at the limits of traction simultaneously. You're either going to have some at the limit and others locked and sliding, or you'll have none sliding, but not using all available traction. The ABS sensors watch each wheel individually, and modulate the pressure of each wheel individually, allowing each one to get closest to its greatest potential traction.

In Formula 1 racing, the cars have had ABS and traction control in the past. These technologies were all banned because they made the sport too boring: having the cars perform so perfectly took much of the interest out of the sport. Consider that F1 has said that ABS (and traction control) are, even for arguably the best twenty or so drivers in the world, an unfair advantage. No human, given the means of control we have, can do better than the ABS computer.

In 1997, the McLaren F1 team had a nifty idea. They added a 2nd brake pedal (where the clutch would have been in the old days), allowing the driver to send additional brake pressure to just one of the rear wheels. This innovation allowed the two McLaren drivers to lap the field. Once this innovation was discovered (by a photographer who stuck his camera down into a stopped car and quickly snapped a picture), it was quickly banned. If the addition of driver control of just one separate wheel was such a huge advantage, imagine what a difference separate control of each wheel makes.

Edit: typo

mouser:
CWuestefeld, you have done a great job of explaining why ABS is going to do a better job than a human when one is in a dangerous situation -- and as you know from my posts in this thread, you and I are trying to make the same basic point about letting ABS do it's thing and not try to second guess it when you need to make a hard stop.

However -- I think it's fair to say that during normal driving, when you should have plenty of room to stop -- if your ABS is kicking in during non-emergency braking -- that's a sign that something needs correcting (either in your style of driving or in the mechanics of the car).  Either you are regularly braking too hard, or your brakes/tires need fixing.

I think that's where the other side in this debate is coming from.  With that in mind I would suggest that drivers who feel ABS come on, stick to the guidelines to continue to provide firm consistent pressure and let the ABS do it's job.  And then afterwords take the triggering of ABS as a signal that you were pushing your car too far over the safety line, and should adjust your driving or car to avoid such occurences in the future.

After all, we certainly don't want to leave people with the impression that their ABS braking system is so smart that they can just slam on the brakes whenever they want and ABS will save them from danger.

IainB:
This is interesting! One never expected that one would be able to get unqualified driving tips/advice from DC Forums.
I just imagined a scenario where a Boeing 787Dreamliner was touching down on a nice dry runway and braking, and the captain saying to the co-pilot "Ease up on the brakes there Frank, I can feel the ABS kicking in a bit too much."

I wonder if that sort of scenario would ever be likely to occur?
(ABS was originally developed for aeronautical systems.)

CWuestefeld:
I think that's where the other side in this debate is coming from.
-mouser (June 11, 2014, 10:06 AM)
--- End quote ---

Fair enough, mouser, and thanks for the injection of sanity. If I might sum up, then:


* In any particular incident, if you feel the ABS kicking in, and you really do need to stop quickly, you should maintain foot pressure to let the ABS do its job.
* If you find that you're using ABS in general, you should reconsider your driving. Are you going too fast for conditions? Are you over-driving your visibility so you've got less distance to react? Are you exceeding the capabilities of your equipment (check your tire wear and brakes)?

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