My limited experience with ABS leads me to believe that its is good in
most but not all situations. About 5 years ago I was on a business trip
to Rochester and Buffalo. Left Rochester in a rental GM vehicle
(A-body) with ABS. The NYS Thruway was closed east of Rochester due to
heavy snow.
The ABS allowed me to brake much more aggressively then I would have
thought possible (I'd apply the brakes until I felt the ABS cycle and
then ease up slightly).
Once in Buffalo with snow still falling I drove around the city
completing my work. At one intersection (which I was approaching at ~10
mph) I braked normally to stop for a stationary snowplow. Applying the
brakes did not slow the vehicle at all. I kept pressing the brakes
harder and harder while rolling toward the plow. I was about to through
the transmission into park when the pedal suddenly sunk and inch or so
all four wheels locked up and I slid to a halt inches from the plow.
Further experimenting showed that in very low friction driving (at low
speeds) I could get the ABS to malfunction in one of ten stops.
So while I liked it in most situations I would rather have a switch to
disable it (or be convinced that the software has improved since the
early 90's) before I'll purchase a vehicle with it.
Paul Hunt wrote:
>
> That's exactly what happened to me. I had the brakes hard on and it felt
> like nothing was happening, not vibration under the pedal, nothing. I had
> time to lift off the pedal and hit it again a couple of times in
> desperation, then consider turning to the left or the right. The left
> would've taken me into a ditch so I scrubbed that, and we were just
> approaching a hump-backed bridge (blind) so I scrubbed that as well and
> waited for the impact. Fortunately both cars still driveable and no
> injuries.
>
> I had just driven through a puddle on a bend, so I went back and drove
> through it two or three more times slamming on the brakes afterwards each
> time. I could not get it to happen again.
>
> I hate ABS - and I still maintain it stands for "anti braking system".
>
> PaulH.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Bud Krueger <bkrueger@ici.net>
> To: MG List <mgs@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2000 12:00 AM
> Subject: ABS experience
>
> > A little over a year ago (9/98) I was on my regular morning commute on
> Boston's
> > Southeast Expressway, driving a 1996 Mercury Mystique with ABS. The car
> ahead
> > of the car ahead of me slowed rather abruptly; the car ahead of me stopped
> very
> > abruptly; I stomped on the binders and drove right into his back bumper.
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