Re: Do Anti-Lock Brakes reduce stopping distances in a straight line?

"David from Oz" <davidcookoz@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1142372706.634725.281780@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I was watching Top Gear on UKTV G2+1 (21:00 to 22:00) this evening
and there was a feature on cars that you can buy for less than £100
pounds. One of the tests was seeing the stopping distance that the
cards would stop in from 60mph.

The Highway Code stopping distance (not including thinking time is) 60
yards. The cars performed as follows:
Audi 80: 48 yards
Rover: 40 yards
Volvo: 34 yards

Clarkson stated that the Volvo had the best stopping distance due to
its Anti-Lock Brakes.

My question is, do ABS systems actually reduces stopping distances in
a straight line? I thought that their benefit was that you could
steer while braking.

Is Jeremy talking rubbish? One of the reasons I am concerned is that
the ABS light has come on my Audi A4 and my local garage can't fix
the problem saying that I have to engage the services of a car
electrics specialist.


From my own experience I prefer cars without ABS (not many now). Ive found
that ABS actually extends the time that that vehicle takes to stop. The
driver should have the skill and judgement to apply the brakng pressure
according to the time/distance that they want to stop in. I find that ABS
takes this skill away from drivers who simply just hit the brake and hope
for the car to stop - if it doesnt then tough shit.
With artics Ive found the opposite - ABS is very much a helpful feature on
trailers (standard now for a few years). I remember coming down a steep hill
near Prestwick pulling a trailer without ABS and the brakes on it were
belching smoke!

McKev


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Do Anti-Lock Brakes reduce stopping distances in a straight line?
    ... The Highway Code stopping distance ... The cars performed as follows: ... Audi 80: 48 yards ... No way that ABS alone would make the difference between 34 and 48 yards, ...
    (uk.rec.driving)
  • Re: IIHS vs. NHTSA car safety ratings
    ... likely to be trained and adept at threshold braking and that with ABS ... Of course it would depend on the car, the tires and the road surface. ... I see many cars that have ... increases the stopping distance ...
    (alt.autos.toyota)
  • Re: Another red light Q
    ... that, in an emergency stop from 30mph on a wet surface, HGVs averaged ... cars. ... distance. ... And again, if you look at the AA site for tests of cars without ABS, ...
    (uk.legal)
  • Re: IIHS vs. NHTSA car safety ratings
    ... likely to be trained and adept at threshold braking and that with ABS ... called Userbrain? ... prevent the vehicle from being on the road in the first place. ... reasonably good comparisons between GM cars from different years. ...
    (alt.autos.toyota)
  • Re: Read this before you buy
    ... tpms and abs too. ... similarly, it's great for planes where the systems react slow and there's no feedback for the pilot, trains where the the systems react slow and there's no feedback for the driver, and trucks, well, you get the idea. ... cars though, it really depends on the driver. ...
    (rec.autos.makers.honda)