a winter weather driving tip to the younger drivers out there....

[ultravox]

Doggie: I forgot to mention that most of the idiots in 4x4's I see in ditches every winter are usually Japanese ski instructors .......;D

 

[vi edit]

Frenchie, the cars that were locking up were the following:

1) mid eighties Pontiac 9000
2) early 90's Dodge dynasty
3) an older cavalier
4) an older S10

None of which I believe have ABS.

 

[Doggiedog]

Hehe Ultravox. They were probably too busy trying to look good in their $2000 outfits. Fortunately, I can't ski too well (didn't say I was ski instructor) but I do think I can drive with the best of the taxi drivers in NYC.

 

[Frenchie]

vi_edit: exactly my point...ABS does help. From living in the Pocono Mountains in PA, I am quite familiar with winter driving. I have had mainly RWD cars (3 mustangs). I have also had 1 4wd SUV, and currently own a FWD with ABS. RWD cars with a light rear end will lock up relatively easy and are next to impossible to control in that situtation. 4WD is better, but still has a tendency to lock the rear. FWD with ABS (whether or not the rear is light) is so much better. There have been a number of situations involving stops and steering on snow and ice where the RWD vehicle (or even the 4WD vehicle) would not have been able to stop/steer where the FWD w/ ABS did. Is ABS the be all end all? Of course not. You still need either 4wd/awd/fwd w/ traction control, good tires, and of course a skilled driver. My point is simply that ABS can help the average driver (and some idiots) avoid some of the situations such as the one that you experienced.

 

[Capn]

What does ABS do if it doesn't stop the wheels from locking? I mean come on. 🙂 You'd think the anti-lock braking system name might tip you off.

 

[vi edit]

I am fully aware of what ABS can do, but, under snowy/icey conditions, even with ABS, if you try stopping in the same distance that you would under clear conditions you will end up in the intersection.

Even with ABS you have increased stopping distance. I am by no means "dissing" ABS. Both of my vehicles ('97 Monte Z34- FWD, and 2000 GMC Jimmy 4x4) have 4 wheel ABS. Even with ABS your stopping distance is still greater than under normal conditions. People still have to take this into consideration.

ABS was intended to be a saftey precaution to keep vehicles from locking up under emergency stopping. Anymore it's just being used as a crutch for shitty driving.

 

[Capn]

I don't think anyone was saying the stopping distance wouldn't increase. We were talking about the wheels locking up. But with ABS from what I've heard if you need to stop it's better to press hard and let the ABS system work if necessary, instead of trying other braking methods (pumping whatever). ABS will have a greater stopping distance compared to a professional driver in any case, but there's not many professional drivers out there. What's that statistic again, like 80% of people think they drive better than average? 🙂

 

[Doggiedog]

You guys also forget that ABS also doesn't just help with braking but also improves handling when your vehicle is cornering while braking.