Do Anti-Lock Brakes Suck?

[Unit 5302]

Five years later...

My opinions on ABS haven't really changed a whole lot in regard to cars manufactured then. As far as cars manufactured now, I don't have an opinion. I know they've made progress in the past few years with ABS systems, and probably a heck of a lot of progress in poor road condition performance. Looking at how ABS performed just a couple years ago, you could clearly see how much better new ABS systems had gotten.

I'm probably not as arrogant as I used to be either.

Anyway, where srv1 was headed was logical then or now, but I still think my point holds true for cars of that time because it's based on my experience as an informed, and I feel, better than average driver when situations push my vehicle to the limit. Your average driver that reacts without thinking or analyzing the situation is probably far better off with ABS than without. For a skilled driver under crappy road conditions, I'd wager they will perform better without ABS because conventional brakes do stop faster, and so long as you're evaluating the situation well, you can still turn by modulating pedal pressure manually. For a skilled driver under good road conditions, I'd wager they will perform worse without ABS.

ABS is no longer a new technology. It's a time tested, and highly fine tuned technology these days so a person may be much better off with it than without. I always look to closed circuit racing as an example. How many times do you see a wheel lock and the driver slide off the course? How many of those cars use ABS vs. conventional brakes? Seems to me that ABS is getting the nod more often than not in racing these days, and the guys out on the track put the rest of us to shame in ability.