[TomD]

ABS brakes suck! Every time I've ever hit something with a car, it was with a car that had ABS brakes. First, when I worked for a car rental agency, I hit our garage with the shuttle bus going about 2 mph in the snow. The brakes pulsated and the vehicle would not stop at all. Another time was when I was working for a valet service and drove a Chevrolet Cavalier through a puddle at about 10 mph. Some other car came around the corner really fast. I put on the brakes and the car would not stop. It ran right into the other car. Until recently the only car I owned personally was a 1951 Chevrolet I've owned it for over 10 years now. It has ONE master cylinder with no perportioning valve. Front brake shoes are larger than rear ones, and that controls perportioning. I have gotten into some nasty skids with the car, and even spun it around once. However, once I learned how to drive it properly, I could manage almost any situation. It stops way faster and more easily than any ABS car in the snow or rain. You just have to know how to operate the brakes and steering properly, and try not to lock up the brakes. You don't need to pump the brakes. Just let up slightly when the wheels lock up, if the car loses control. It's an automatic reaction that happens instantly. It takes no thought. Just practice. I just bought at 1999 Saturn with ABS brakes, and I'm scared to drive it in the snow. Today I blew through an intersection at 10 mph in the snow. Luckily there was no cross traffic. The car would not stop. Applying the parking brake only made the car skid sideways. I'd like to disconnect the ABS sensors, but I"m afraid that if I got in an accident with them disconnected, I'd get into trouble for that. Too bad there isn't a switch inside to give the driver control. One thing that is nice about ABS brakes, though, if you can call it that, is that they keep the vehicle going straight so that the least vulnerable parts of the car are struck (front and rear). A side collision is much more dangerous. However, my parents' 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis, with 4 wheel disc brakes and no ABS, stops straight almost all the time. I wouldn't say that about my 1951 Chevrolet (stopping that car takes skill), but the Marquis stops just fine without ABS. Also, my friend's 1990 Honda Civic (great car all around....with 230,000 miles, too!) doesn't have ABS brakes, and it stops, goes, and steers just fine in up to a foot of snow. It's great!