ABS

• Subject: ABS
• From: tom.tcimpidis@domain.elided (Tom Tcimpidis)
• Date: Tue, 6 Aug 1996 17:45:27 GMT

- -> From: Ceyhun ATACAN <ceyhun@domain.elided>
- ->
- -> In response to 'Why ABS' question, Tom states:
- ->
- -> > 2) ABS can respond in milliseconds.  A typical human has a reaction
- -> > of 1/2 a second to a panic stop lock up if he/she is very good.  At
- -> > Mph, that's 44 feet.
- ->
- -> Wow, they even decide WHEN to brake too, right? I knew I shouldn't
- -> have bought one without ABS  *8^)

Read it again please.  It states that the reaction time is to a panic
stop lockup condition.  That means that it takes approximately 1/2
second for the brain to respond to a lockup of the wheels at some
point AFTER the brakes have already been applied. I was not discussing
the reaction time that it takes to INITIALLY apply the brakes <g>.

In any event, points 1 and 3 (particularly 3) are by far the most
relevant and important anyway.

Also, in all the tests that I have seen on various cars, with only a
VERY small number of exceptions, ABS was always able to provide shorter
stopping distances that the same car with the ABS switched off and being
driven by an expert driver.  And that was under the best of controlled
conditions - in the real world the margin would undoubtedly be even
larger.

         -Tom

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